A traveler entering the State of Washington from the East crosses a flat-to-rolling country side of deep, fertile soil commonly sown with wheat. Continuing westward, he abruptly enters a deeply scarred land of bare black rock cut by labyrinthine canyons and channels, plunge pools and rock basins, cascade and cataract ledges, and displaying ragged buttes and cliffs, alcoves, immense gravel bars, and giant ripple marks. The traveler has reached the starkly scenic "Channeled Scablands," and this dramatic change in the landscape may well cause him to wonder "what happened here?" The answer—the greatest flood documented by man.

This publication, summarizing the sequence of geologic events that culminated in the so-called "Spokane Flood," was prepared in response to a general interest in geology and a particular interest in the origin of the Scablands often expressed by those crossing the State of Washington.

The name "Channeled Scablands" was first used in the early 1920's by geologist J Harlen Bretz of the University of Chicago, who made a comprehensive study of the region and proposed the idea that the erosional features were the result of a gigantic flood. Although Bretz' concept sparked a lively controversy, most geologists today agree that the Scablands were carved by a flood of unprecedented proportions that took place 18,000 to 20,000 years ago during the Great Ice Age.

The Spokane Flood left its mark along a course of more than 550 miles, extending from western Montana to the Pacific Ocean, but the most spectacular flood features were carved into the black volcanic rock terrain in eastern Washington. This rock, the "floor" of the Scablands, is basalt—a dense crystalline lava that covers more than 100,000 square miles in parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The part of the lava field that underlies the Scablands in eastern Washington is a saucer-shaped area of about 15,000 square miles almost completely surrounded by mountains and nearly encircled by three rivers—the Columbia, the Spokane, and the Snake.

Visit the USGS website for more dramatic information

Visit KidsCosmos.org for more information on the Scablands.  Explore your universe and learn about astronomy, the sun, planets and moons, stars, galaxies, space exploration and other topics.

Directions:

There are many areas to view the remnants of this geological cataclysm around the Spokane area.  Many strange landscapes can be seen just West of Spokane and in the Cheney and Airway Heights areas.  Just look out your window while driving through the canyons and through the plateau areas for large rock formations.  Just west of the Washington border on Trent Avenue and just east of the town of Moab there is a history placard in the foreground of the path of the great glacial flood that formed the Eastern Washington Scablands. 

Arbor Crest History

Built in 1924 by Royal Newton Riblet, the three-story Florentine house is surrounded by an arched gatekeeper's house, sunken rose garden, open-air pagoda, terraced flower and herb gardens, and a life-sized checkerboard.

Riblet's brother, Byron, a chairlift manufacturer, inspired Riblet to install a passenger tram from his estate to the river valley 450 feet below.

Riblet was an inventor and developed patented devices such as a pattern sprinkler system, a mechanical parking garage, and the square wheel tractor displayed at the Cliff House.

Things have changed some since Riblet's death in that the tram is gone and no one swims in the 60,000 gallon pool but the charm lives on.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars purchased the National Historic Landmark in 1985. Today we welcome visitors to our tasting room and to share the beauty and whimsy of Riblet's home.

The Arbor Crest Cliff House tasting room is open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

Driving Directions

Take I-90 (east from Spokane, west from Coeur d'Alene) to the Argonne Exit 287. Travel north on Argonne and cross the Spokane River. Turn right on Upriver Drive; proceed one mile and as the road forks bear left onto Fruithill Road. Make a sharp right turn at the top of the hill. You are now on Arbor Crest's private drive.


Arbor Crest Wine Cellars
4705 N. Fruit Hill Road, Spokane WA 99217  (509) 927-9463

Ask venue owner to Contact Us to link their site here.
 

Cataldo Mission History

Old Mission State Park features the oldest standing building in Idaho, The Mission of the Sacred Heart, also known as Cataldo Mission, it was built between 1848 and 1853 by members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and Catholic missionaries. The park also has a restored parish house next door to the mission, and an historic cemetery. The visitor center includes an interpretive exhibit on the area and the Coeur d'Alene Indians. A walking audio tour tape is available.


The Mission walls stand a foot thick, without the benefit of nails. The structure was woven carefully of straw, mud and wooden pegs. Inside, there are no pews because the Indians preferred to worship in an open room. Over 300 members of the tribe labored over the construction. The Mission became a State Park in 1975. Visit the Mission in August for the annual Coeur d’Alene Indian pilgrimage and taste traditional native foods at the “Coming of the Black Robes” pageant.

About 45 minutes East of Spokane, Take Exit 39 off Interstate 90
Old Mission State Park, PO Box 30, Cataldo, ID, 83810-0030 or 208-682-3814

Visit Idaho Parks website for more information