Soap Lake

History

Soap Lake was officially incorporated on June 9, 1919. Growth in the area came to a halt during the Great Depression when drought hit Soap Lake. Because of the lack of water and money, the tourist trade dwindled. But, when Grand Coulee Dam was built, the irrigation canals brought new life into the area. 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. These early versions of spas were used by visitors from all over the country and the world. When the sanitariums, hotels, and bath houses were full, people slept in tents, and even under their cars, in order to use the water of the lake. In 1933, the Veteran's Administration sent nine veterans, under a special project, to Soap Lake for treatment of Buerger's 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. 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. The current population is approximately 1,740 people. 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. State Highway 17, Coulee Corridor-National Scenic Byway, runs through Soap Lake and up the floor of the canyon…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. The nearest weather station to Soap Lake is in Ephrata.

Race & ethnicity