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History
We are dedicated to preserving and sharing the natural healing power of Soap Lake with our guests.
History
Dating back to the Native American tribes that once lived in the area, Soap Lake was regarded as a sacred body of water with special healing properties. Up until the discovery and widespread use of antibiotics, Soap Lake was a popular destination with a known track record for relieve symptoms of ailments like cirrhosis, arthritis and poor circulation among many others
A lake unlike any other in the world
It has some of the highest naturally occurring mineral content of any lake in the world, in addition to the highest mineral diversity found naturally occurring in a body of water.
- Rest
- Relaxation
- Holistically
- Relieve Ailments
- Sacred Body of Water
- Special Healing Properties.
- Outdoor Lover’s Dream
- Highest Mineral Diversity
Soap Lake-History
- Soap Lake is a meromictic soda lake in the town of Soap Lake, Washington formed by the Missoula Floods at the foot of the Grand Coulee. The lake gets its name from the naturally occurring foam that gives its water a soapy appearance, and because the lake mineral-rich waters have a slick, soapy feel. The lake is approximately 3 square miles in area and 70 feet deep.
- At that time, Soap Lake was already a busy resort and health spa. It contained four hotels and many rooming houses and businesses catering to sojourners seeking a cure. Soap Lake has been internationally known during the past century for its uniquely mineral-rich (23) waters and mud. Many people believe the water and mud to be successful in treatment of a variety of ailments. From the early 1900s to the mid-1940s there were a number of sanitariums located on Soap Lake.
- Soap Lake is located in the center of the state of Washington, 20 miles north of Interstate 90 between Seattle and Spokane, sitting in a desert environment with nine inches or less of rainfall per year and 320 days of sun. Soap Lake is formed at the end of a chain of lakes running down the center of the Lower Grand Coulee. The Lower Grand Coulee is over a mile and a half wide in places with sheer basalt rock walls rising 900 feet over the coulee floor. Coulee Corridor-National Scenic Byway, runs through Soap Lake and up the floor of the canyon heading towards Grand Coulee Dam and Canada.
- Soap Lake’s mineral-rich waters have long been thought to have medicinal value. In fact, it is said that rival Indian tribes would call a truce when they came to Soap Lake to relax and heal themselves and their animals. This is verified by recorded history and the number of Indian artifacts found in the area over the years. Washington State tourist guides in the 1920s referred to Soap Lake as the world’s greatest mineral sea and people afflicted with Buergers disease found that bathing in the lake would cure their illnesses. The city of Soap Lake bills itself as Washington’s Health Resort.
- These early versions of spas were used by visitors from all over the country and the world. In 1933, the Veterans Administration sent nine veterans, under a special project, to Soap Lake for treatment of Buergers disease. In November 1938, McKay Hospital was completed. For a number of years, McKay was used as a research center for the study of the therapeutic effect of the water of the lake and the climate.
- The first layer of Soap Lake is made up of mineral water; the second level is mud-like and consists of a stronger mineral composition with concentrations of unusual substances and microscopic life forms. The lake’s two layers have not mixed in thousands of years. The scientific community refers to lakes with this rare condition as meromictic. With only 11 meromictic lakes in the United States, Soap Lake is likely the most radical of all. The scientific community is currently exploring the lake to document some of the unusual qualities. The mineral rich waters and mud/clay are highly sought after for manufacturing and industrial use, however the use of the water is restricted to protect this valuable lake.
