Medical Lake, Washington — Water Was Supposed to Cure Almost Everything

Medical Lake got its name because people believed the mineral-rich water had medicinal properties.

Indigenous peoples knew and used the area long before settlers arrived.

Later promoters turned the unusual water into a health business.

Visitors bathed in it. Salts and soaps were manufactured. Advertisements claimed benefits for an ambitious range of ailments.

Medical enthusiasm eventually moved on.

State institutions proved more durable.

Eastern State Hospital opened at Medical Lake in 1891 and became a major employer, while other state facilities developed nearby.

The city later became part of the broader Spokane metropolitan orbit, with Fairchild Air Force Base close by.

Then the Gray Fire struck in August 2023, destroying hundreds of structures in and around the community.

Medical Lake's history has moved through resort medicine, state institutions, suburban growth and wildfire.

The lake outlived every cure claimed for it.