Soap Lake, Washington
Encyclopedia
Soap Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, on the shores of Soap Lake
. The population was 1,733 at the 2000 census. In 2002, the city announced preliminary plans to construct the world's largest lava lamp
(60 feet in height) as a tourist attraction.
The choosing of the town’s name ended the battle between two rival factions. One group had platted a town site and called it Siloam in 1905; while another faction named their town-to-be Cottage City on 1908. The name Soap Lake came from the word Smokiam, an Indian term which translates to “Healing Waters.” The tribes used the lake for healing purposes for themselves and their animals for many years before the area was settled by pioneers.
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. The residents were very proud of the two-room schoolhouse built in 1907. Even though Soap Lake’s main industry was derived from the medicinal lake, it became a social center. In its heyday celebrations, socials, and gatherings where held continuously. Especially well known were the open-air dances, which would draw participants from miles around.
This came to a halt during the Depression; drought hit Soap Lake. Because of the lack of water and the lack of 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 aliments. 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 form 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 approx. 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 heading towards Grand Coulee Dam
and Canada
.
Of the five lakes existing along the Coulee Corridor, Soap Lake
has the highest mineral content. The first layer of Soap Lake is made up of about 81 feet 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 content of Soap Lake water has been analyzed many times throughout the last 95 years. Concentration of different minerals has changed throughout this time. The most recent analysis was conducted in 2000.
In 1950, Soap Lake became a city of Third Class. The population in 1952 was 2051, which grew to 2580 in 1955. At this time the lake was becoming increasingly diluted, due to the seepage of these same life-giving irrigation canals. The City Council petitioned the Department of the Interior to remedy this situation. The Bureau of Reclamation built several wells and pumps to intercept the seepage water, and the end of the 1950s diminished the dilution.
. Two older brick buildings along the main street northbound have been renovated to house an art museum and a coffee shop.
Another tourism effort is to install a novel roadside attraction
: a 52,000 pound lava lamp
, formerly a Target
advertisement in Times Square
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,733 people, 778 households, and 427 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,434.0 people per square mile (553.0/km²). There were 996 housing units at an average density of 824.2 per square mile (317.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.02% White, 0.87% African American, 1.21% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 3.92% from other races
, and 3.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.77% of the population.
There were 778 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,459, and the median income for a family was $25,000. Males had a median income of $27,656 versus $21,771 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,753. About 26.3% of families and 30.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.5% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
Soap Lake
Soap Lake is a meromictic 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's mineral-rich waters have a slick, soapy feel...
. The population was 1,733 at the 2000 census. In 2002, the city announced preliminary plans to construct the world's largest lava lamp
Lava lamp
A lava lamp is a decorative novelty item that contains blobs of colored wax inside a glass vessel filled with clear liquid; the wax rises and falls as its density changes due to heating from a incandescent light bulb underneath the vessel. The appearance of the wax is suggestive of pāhoehoe lava,...
(60 feet in height) as a tourist attraction.
History
Soap Lake was officially incorporated on June 9, 1919.The choosing of the town’s name ended the battle between two rival factions. One group had platted a town site and called it Siloam in 1905; while another faction named their town-to-be Cottage City on 1908. The name Soap Lake came from the word Smokiam, an Indian term which translates to “Healing Waters.” The tribes used the lake for healing purposes for themselves and their animals for many years before the area was settled by pioneers.
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. The residents were very proud of the two-room schoolhouse built in 1907. Even though Soap Lake’s main industry was derived from the medicinal lake, it became a social center. In its heyday celebrations, socials, and gatherings where held continuously. Especially well known were the open-air dances, which would draw participants from miles around.
This came to a halt during the Depression; drought hit Soap Lake. Because of the lack of water and the lack of money, the tourist trade dwindled. But, when Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
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 aliments. 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 form 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
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
sent nine veterans, under a special project, to Soap Lake for treatment of Buerger's disease
Buerger's disease
Thromboangiitis obliterans is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis of small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet...
. 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
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
between Seattle and Spokane
Spokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
, sitting in a desert environment with nine inches or less of rainfall per year and 320 days of sun. The current population is approx. 1,740 people. Soap Lake is formed at the end of a chain of lakes running down the center of the Lower Grand Coulee
Grand Coulee
The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. This National Natural Landmark stretches for about sixty miles southwest from Grand Coulee Dam to Soap Lake, being bisected by Dry Falls into the Upper and 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 heading towards Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Of the five lakes existing along the Coulee Corridor, Soap Lake
Soap Lake
Soap Lake is a meromictic 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's mineral-rich waters have a slick, soapy feel...
has the highest mineral content. The first layer of Soap Lake is made up of about 81 feet 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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 content of Soap Lake water has been analyzed many times throughout the last 95 years. Concentration of different minerals has changed throughout this time. The most recent analysis was conducted in 2000.
In 1950, Soap Lake became a city of Third Class. The population in 1952 was 2051, which grew to 2580 in 1955. At this time the lake was becoming increasingly diluted, due to the seepage of these same life-giving irrigation canals. The City Council petitioned the Department of the Interior to remedy this situation. The Bureau of Reclamation built several wells and pumps to intercept the seepage water, and the end of the 1950s diminished the dilution.
Tourism
The city is currently trying attract tourism by trying to revive the health aspect of the lake to attract the spa crowd. The minerals in the lake are said to have healing properties for Buerger's diseaseBuerger's disease
Thromboangiitis obliterans is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis of small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet...
. Two older brick buildings along the main street northbound have been renovated to house an art museum and a coffee shop.
Another tourism effort is to install a novel roadside attraction
Roadside attraction
A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves. The modern...
: a 52,000 pound lava lamp
Lava lamp
A lava lamp is a decorative novelty item that contains blobs of colored wax inside a glass vessel filled with clear liquid; the wax rises and falls as its density changes due to heating from a incandescent light bulb underneath the vessel. The appearance of the wax is suggestive of pāhoehoe lava,...
, formerly a Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
advertisement in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
.
Geography
Soap Lake is located at 47°23′18"N 119°29′15"W (47.388341, -119.487611).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
Climate
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,733 people, 778 households, and 427 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,434.0 people per square mile (553.0/km²). There were 996 housing units at an average density of 824.2 per square mile (317.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.02% White, 0.87% African American, 1.21% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 3.92% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.77% of the population.
There were 778 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,459, and the median income for a family was $25,000. Males had a median income of $27,656 versus $21,771 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,753. About 26.3% of families and 30.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.5% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.