History
Andrew Earl McKay was born on September 10, 1894, in Ballard, Washington. Son of an Irish immigrant, he grew up on the west side of Washington. As an adult, he started working as a farm hard for his uncle James in Wilbur, Washington. Not long after, he was drafted by the Army to serve in World War I. Sometime before the war had ended, he had contracted thromboangiitis, also known as Buerger’s Disease. It is a horrible disease which restricts blood flow and causes flesh to blacken, exposing the nerves. While no one knows the cause of Buerger’s Disease, symptoms are notably increased due to smoking and other forms of tobacco use. To date, there is no known cure, but amputation is typically the answer to slow the spread of the disease.
In 1919, Private Earl McKay returned to his uncle’s farm in Wilbur, this time with both legs black and unusable. Growing up near Soap Lake, Earl had heard about the healing properties of the lake. Soap Lake was originally called ‘Smokiam’ or ‘Healing Waters’ by the native peoples. McKay was given 90 days to live when he decided to turn to the lake for some relief and began his treatment of immersing himself in and drinking the soapy mineral water. The treatments were excruciatingly painful but, over time, the black flesh in his leg started to recede. In the end, after 90 days, he only lost his big toe to amputation.
McKay realized that while the lake could not cure the disease, it could keep the progression of the disease suspended if treatments were ongoing. Over the next 11 years, Earl became a staunch advocate of Soap Lake’s palliative properties for his military brethren, stricken with Buerger’s Disease. He, along with another survivor Bill Williamson, heavily lobbied the Federal Veteran’s Administration (VA) in Washington DC to send veterans to Soap Lake for treatment of Buerger’s Disease. Both of them traveled to Washington DC, risking their own health, because they knew how important it was to provide relief to their fellow Veterans. Finally, the VA sent a delegation to investigate the claims made by McKay and Williamson. The investigation was convincing that indeed, the lake possessed healing properties.
Soap Lake was originally called ‘Smokiam’ or ‘Healing Waters’ by the native peoples.
Finally, in 1938, the federal government authorized the construction of a Veteran’s Hospital in Soap Lake, Washington specifically for the research and treatment of Buerger’s Disease. Sadly, three months before it opened, Earl McKay died at the age of 44. His funeral was held at the hospital and his brother George arranged for McKay’s ashes to be spread over Soap Lake. The newly built Veteran’s Hospital was named McKay Memorial Hospital in honor of Earl McKay.
Over the years, the hospital has served the community in various ways. Many long-time locals can recall emergency room visits, births, an x-ray machine, wound care clinic and physical and occupational therapy as some of the services offered. In the 1980’s, the hospital was remodeled and converted in to a nursing home. It was also renamed McKay Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and for nearly 40 years, has been providing skilled and long-term nursing care to rural community members of Grant County.