Ice Age Floods Explorer

Medical Lake Bluff, Diving into the Geology

Looking at the beauty of Medical Lake is very relaxing, especially seeing the stoic bluffs or cliffs at the south end of the lake next to Waterfront Park. But have you ever wondered what kind of…

Mammoth Undertaking for Cheney Students

By Larry Cebula

In the early 1990s, second-graders in Mrs. Sara Jane Aebly's class at Windsor Elementary School discovered that Washington State did not have an official state fossil. Encouraged by their teacher,…

The Joso High Bridge

By Josh M Bliesner

Around 1910 when construction began on this massive span, it was still the golden age of railroads. The Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company planned a new track between Portland, Oregon,…

Browse Featured Stories

Random Stories

Native Palouse Falls Creation Story

By Ronald E. Scheck

In the modern world, science explains why the world turns and how natural wonders, such as waterfalls, are created and formed. Prior to modern science, however, there were still answers needed to these questions. The story of the creation of Palouse…

Washtucna: A History

By Joanne Percy

Washtucna: A History Washtucna stands in the floodplain of the Great Missoula Floods, which carved out the familiar crevices including the Washtucna and Grand coulees. The silt and loam left behind created a land perfect for wheat. However,…

The Devil's Canyon

By Cassandra Hennings

The same violent glacial floods which carved out the channeled scablands in eastern Washington helped to form the Devil’s Canyon coulee. North of Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River, Devil’s Canyon linearly extends five miles toward the town of…

The Hole in the Ground: The Science behind the Beauty

By McKenzie Small

Located in Eastern Washington, a part of the Channeled Scablands, lies an interesting land feature with even a more interesting story. Carved out by the Missoula Floods, the Hole in the Ground is a place that has fascinating geologic attributes and…

HU Ranch Cataract Gorge

By Alexander Fry

Welcome to HU Ranch! Looking out across the landscape, you will see the cattle ranch in a very linear canyon to the south. The canyon, known as HU Ranch Cataract Gorge (Bretz et al., 1956), or the Davin Coulee (on topographic maps), is an elongated…

The Missoula Floods and The Gorge Amphitheater

By McKenzie Small

The most mesmerizing, intriguing, and naturally occurring event in the history of the eastern Washington area is that of the Missoula Floods. Of course the story of the Missoula Floods would have never been uncovered if it wasn’t for the creative…

Browse all 66 Stories

Ice Age Floods Explorer

Ice Age Floods Explorer is a web and mobile platform for telling stories of the Missoula Floods and is an ongoing endevour focusing on student research. Ice Age Floods Explorer is a project of the Public History program and Department of Geology at Eastern Washington University. Most of the stories were created by EWU students. Co-editors are Drs. Chad Pritchard, Larry Cebula, and Paul Lindholdt from Eastern Washington University. Dr. Chad Pritchard is an Assistant Professor in the Geology Department. Dr. Larry Cebula is Editor of Spokane Historical. He is a Professor of History at Eastern Washington University and the Assistant Digital Archivist for the State of Washington. Dr. Paul Lindholdt is a Professor or English. Assistant Edit... Read more About Us