Film Overview

The waters of Soap Lake have a reputation for relieveing psoriasis, eczema, and other skin and stomache disorders. In 1937 the state of Washington financed the building of a hospital in Soap Lake for the treament of Buerger's disease, a rare circulatory disorder that aflicted Word War I veterans. Throughout the early and middle 20th century, thousands of people visited the lake to bath in the water and cover themselves with the creamy black mud, highly coveted for it's healing properties. The development of modern medical practices, and the widespread use of penicillin and sulpha drugs changed the places people went and methods they used to heal themselves. There are countless stories of how Soap Lake water and mud helped patients who came to the lake to be treated by medical doctors in lakeside saniatriums. Many of these stories are recounted in the docmentary by people who grew up in the town, some of them helping run their family business in support of the busy tourist industry. The documentary is as much a personal reminisce by the filmmaker that invites the audience to look at not onl the history of the resort town, but the importance of place, and the meaning of home.