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.

A participant wrestles with a pig in the “greased pig contest” at the Festival du Cochon (Pig Festival) in Sainte-Perpetue, Quebec August 8, 2015. (Photo by Christinne Muschi/Reuters)

Model Helen Kwok displays the nail art completed by a competitor at the Canada Nail Cup in Vancouver, Monday, February 16, 2015. Nail artists competed in multiple categories at the event, which according to organizers is the only nail competition in the country. (Photo by Darryl Dyck/AP Photo/The Canadian Press)

A police officer walks along a street of the burning village of Smolenka near Chita on Monday, April 13, 2015. Russian authorities say out-of-control agricultural fires have killed at least 15 people, injured hundreds more and destroyed or damaged more than 1,000 homes in Siberia. The fires were started by farmers burning the grass in their fields, but spread quickly because of strong winds. (Photo by Evgeny Yepanchintsev/AP Photo)

People watch a forest fire in Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal, 09 August 2016. The fire has led to the evacuation of 400 people. Portugal remains on high alert as a wave of wildfires has swept the country with around 350 isolated fires affecting swathes of the countryside. (Photo by Gregório Cunha/EPA)

Fans cheer in the stands ahead of the CFL's 102nd Grey Cup football championship between the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Vancouver, British Columbia, November 30, 2014. (Photo by Todd Korol/Reuters)

A long exposure photograph shows a tree burning during the Kincade fire off Highway 128, east of Healdsburg, California on October 29, 2019. California braced on October 29 for the most powerful winds this season that threaten to spread destructive fires raging in the state and could spark new blazes. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/AFP Photo)

Ukrainian artists assemble a barbecue grill in the shape of Moscow's Kremlin at their workshop in Kiev May 14, 2015. A group of Ukrainian artists are working on a project entitled “Mordor on Fire” where they create grills that are sold, and some donated to Ukrainian soldiers in the eastern conflict zone. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)