The St. Johns herald., 1890-06-12
Lake of Medicine.

man crossed the continent with 8
 large flock of sheep. He lost great
 numbers while moving through the
 arid region, and when he arrived in
 Washington the sheep that still
 lived were covered with various
 skin diseases. One evening as he
 was preparing for an encampment he got a glimpse, through the woods,
 of beautiful lake, and he hastcned forward to it's shores. The sheep rushed into the water and began to drink copiously. He was still more astonished when he tasted the water and found it bitter and disagreeable, as well as dissimilar to anything he had ever tasted. Fearing the sheep would be poisoned he drove them out of the water, but in spite of his efforts they returned again.
 = The-sheep were in such condi- tion from disease that he had small hope of their recovery, so he ended by allowing them to drink what he believed to be the poisonous waters as plentifully as they would. Next day he could not drive the sheep away from the vicinity of the lake, and in a few days more he was ut terly astonished to find that his sheep were restored to a wonderful ly healthy condition. Thereupon the Frenchman thought he had roamed far enough, and he fixed himself a homestead besides the shore of the lake. For long his home by the lake was solitude, but the shores of that lake to-day are the scenes of busy and thriving industry. On the Frenchman's ranch the town of Middlebaugh is building up, and this pioneer Frenchman still lives and re- ioIces that he was the first discov- erer of these wonderful waters which the world will hereafter know as Medical lake.
 These waters contain salt of SO dium, potassium, lithium, iron, car bon, magnesium, calcium, alumi- mum, silicon, sulphur and borium. They are either in combination with one another or linked by oXy gen. The solution of these va rious salts in the waters of Medical lake produce results which dozen years ago would have been deemed miraculous.
 The lake covers rather more than a thousand acres, and in places is hundred fathoms deep. It's source is the surrounding hills and noun tains, and periodically it falls and rises. It is surrounded on every side by low wooded hills and forms a beautiful and picturesque dark sheet of water embosomed in roll ing woodlands. The waters cleanse and feel like water with a solution of soap. They taste disagreeable and nauseous.
 I visited the lake for the first time five months ago. l then procured a quantity oi the salts obtained from the waters of the lake by an evapo- rating process. Some of my juor nalist friends use them regularly as a remedy against dyspepsia or for purifying the blood, and they tell me that they are wonderfully beneficial.
 A syndicate has already got hold of Medical lake. They have erect ed evaporating and drying estab- lishments for the preparation of these salts, and also factories for the making of soap and bottling the water of the lake. Hotels are erect ing, and the little town of Middle baugh is having veritable boom, in the belief that it must become one of the health resorts of the world. The lake is but a dozen miles or so from Spokane Falls There is a fine country surrounding sG Il sk o,,so,-c {l,O4 cr1or,,>,,c -,,,,,