Along the river for a few miles I observed wood-cutting and brick-making, with farming and gardening, and a good deal of settlement all the way. I found Medical Lake to be one of four small lakes, the others being named Silver Lake, Cedar Lake, and West Medical Lake. Silver Lake, the largest of the group, is to be connected with Medical Lake by a "motor" line, but whether the motor is to be steam or electricity I did not learn.
By comparing the locality with my recollections of history, and with Lawrence Kip's "Army Life on the Pacific," and "Indian Council in the Yalley of the Walla Walla," I perceived that this was historic ground, where Colonel Wright, had fought the Spokanes at the Battle of the Four Lakes, when he so humbled them that they have made no more trouble to the present time.
Medical Lake is two miles long by one-half mile in width, and sixty feet in depth. There is a bluff shore on the west side covered with pines, and on the east side a bold and treeless elevation, on which the town is laid out. Taking a carriage at the train I drove by a pleasant road along the west shore of the lake a mile or more to some pleasure-resorts on the water side, and back around the north end to a hotel near the lake, and afterwards made a voyage to its south end in a steam-launch. Having thus seen it from all points, I visited the works where the salts are manufactured by evaporation of the waters, and was shown over them by their superintendent, Hr. Middaugh, who also exhibited various testimonials to the remedial value of the waters, and the salts extracted from them.
An analysis of a gallon of the water gives, in grains—
16.370 9.241 Traces 63.543 .233 .526 .186 .175 10.638 Traces Traces .551
Sodic chloride . . Potassic chloride . Lithic carbonate . Sodic carbonate . . Magnesic carbonate Ferrous carbonate Calcic carbonate . Aluminic oxide Sodic silicate . . . Potassic sulphate Sodic diborate . . Organic matter . .
