Originally known to the First Nations of the Okanagan Valley as Khiluk, which was- and remains today revered as a sacred site producing therapeutic waters. During World War I the minerals of Spotted Lake were used in manufacturing ammunition. Later the area came under the control of the Ernest Smith Family, for a term of about 40 years. In 1979 Smith attempted to create interest in a spa at the lake. The First Nations responded with an effort to buy the lake; in October 2001 they finally struck a deal. First Nations arranged the purchase of 22 hectares of land for a total of $720,000, and contributed about 20% of the cost. The Indian Affairs Department paid the remainder.

Soldiers stand guard in Maua square where a cotton candy vendor passes by in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, July 9, 2016, as security is deployed to get to know the areas they'll be patrolling during the Olympics. Roughly twice the security contingent at the London Olympics will be deployed during the August games in Rio, which are expected to draw thousands of foreigners to a city where armed muggings, stray bullets and turf wars between heavily armed drug gangs are routine. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP Photo)

AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus laughs as she attends a swimming event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, August 21, 2004. Niedringhaus, a veteran Associated Press photographer who had covered wars around the world was shot dead and another reporter was wounded on April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire on them in eastern Afghanistan, the news agency said. (Photo by Reuters/Staff)

Hungarian pilot and European champion Zoltan Veres flies under the oldest Hungarian bridge, the “Lanchid” (Chain Bridge) with his “MXS” type plane on May 1, 2014 during a Red Bull flying and car show around the Danube River of Budapest downtown. (Photo by Attila Kisbenedek/AFP Photo)

Artists from the Beijing Dance Academy perform to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Budapest, capital of Hungary, February 6, 2019. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua News Agency/Barcroft Media)

Common squirrel monkeys observe their Christmas present, a box full of mealworms, at the South America enclosure of the Budapest Zoo, in Budapest, Hungary, 24 December 2017. (Photo by Photo by Attila Kovacs/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Dressed in folk costumes, young women decorate a tree with painted Easter eggs in Dombrad, Hungary, Monday, April 5, 2021. (Photo by Attila Balazs/MTI via AP Photo)

Festival-goers enjoy on Shipyard Island, the venue of the 24th Sziget (Island) Festival in Northern Budapest, Hungary, 12 August 2016. The festival is one of the biggest cultural events of Europe presenting art exhibitions, theatrical and circus performances and music concerts. (Photo by Polyák Attila/Origo.hu)