MAC hosts preview party for Soap Lake photo book

SOAP LAKE - A new photo book detailing the history of the lake, its resorts and the town will be featured, along with a similar book about Moses Lake, at a preview party 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center, 401 South Balsam St.

The two books were compiled by local residents, with "Images of America: Soap Lake" written by Kathy Kiefer.

Kiefer is an enthusiastic historian of the town, and has produced a documentary about Soap Lake and her experiences there. She used many of the pictures she gathered for the documentary in the book, and borrowed others from historical collections and Soap Lake residents to plug any gaps.

In fact, the people who should be in the spotlight are those who contributed photos to the project, Kiefer said.

Back in the day, the day being the mid-20th century, Soap Lake was possibly the busiest place between Wenatchee and Spokane every spring through fall. "In its heyday Soap Lake was the biggest town in Grant County during the summer," Kiefer said.

People suffering from skin diseases, or looking for relief from chronic disease, found comfort in the lake's healing waters, in the language of the day. The lake was described as "the Mecca of the afflicted" in contemporary advertisements. "It's where people went to get better," Kiefer said.

The mineral-laden waters did seem to help skin diseases, and people with circulatory problems did feel better after a few weeks taking the waters. The dry climate was good for people with tuberculosis.

Then there was Buerger's disease, a mysterious ailment that afflicted only World War I veterans, but was bad enough that it could lead to amputation. About the only therapy was a dip in Soap Lake.

Along with the crowds that filled the town each spring, summer and fall, city fathers and local merchants promoted and sold Soap Lake products throughout the country. Soap Lake bottled water, soaps, lotions and other items were familiar to millions of families.

But doctors found more effective ways to treat disease, and the crowds that had flocked to Soap Lake stopped coming. The town tried to make up some of the loss with new attractions, such as the Suds 'n Sun festival, which featured a Native American gathering.

Kiefer's book details Soap Lake history from the days when the first Native American tribes found the lake to the Suds 'n Sun festivals. It was, she said, a labor of love for a town she likes a lot. "I fell in love with Soap Lake when I came in 1980," she said. "I rode my bike here with the intention of never leaving."

The book will be available for sale in April, with a signing party scheduled for April 26.