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Wallowa Lake

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Wallowa Lake is a ribbon lake 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Joseph, Oregon , United States, at an elevation of 4,372 ft (1,333 m). Impounded by high moraines, it was formed by a series of Pleistocene glaciers . On the south end of the lake is a small community made up of vacation homes, lodging, restaurants, as well as other small businesses. Wallowa Lake has been used for recreation since at least 1880. The Wallowa Lake State Park is at the southern tip of the lake.

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33-479: Wallowa Lake has been used in geology textbooks as an example of a lake dammed by moraines . These moraines begin well below the water's surface and climb to over 900 ft (270 m) above the lake. Before the glacial unit compounded enough to form the moraines that currently surround the lake, a large alluvial fan was present in the valley. This fan was created by the Wallowa River transporting debris into

66-616: A non-profit of local irrigation consumers, Associated Ditch Companies of Joseph. In 1996, the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the Oregon Water Resources Department identified deficiencies in the safety of the aging "high hazard" structure. In 2006, state and federal money was appropriated for rehabilitation and a reconstruction which may allow a migrating fish passage, specifically for re-introduced coho and sockeye salmon. Located near

99-452: A series of transverse ridges running across a valley behind a terminal moraine. They form perpendicular to the lateral moraines that they reside between and are composed of unconsolidated debris deposited by the glacier. They are created during temporary halts in a glacier's retreat. In permafrost areas an advancing glacier may push up thick layers of frozen sediments at its front. An arctic push moraine will then be formed. A medial moraine

132-502: A single moraine, and most moraines record a continuum of processes. Reworking of moraines may lead to the formation of placer deposits of gold as is the case of southernmost Chile . Moraines can be classified either by origin, location with respect to a glacier or former glacier, or by shape. The first approach is suitable for moraines associated with contemporary glaciers—but more difficult to apply to old moraines , which are defined by their particular morphology, since their origin

165-404: Is unstratified and unsorted debris ranging in size from silt -sized glacial flour to large boulders. The individual rock fragments are typically sub-angular to rounded in shape. Moraines may be found on the glacier's surface or deposited as piles or sheets of debris where the glacier has melted. Moraines may form through a number of processes, depending on the characteristics of sediment,

198-640: Is a ridge of moraine that runs down the center of a valley floor. It forms when two glaciers meet and the debris on the edges of the adjacent valley sides join and are carried on top of the enlarged glacier. As the glacier melts or retreats, the debris is deposited and a ridge down the middle of the valley floor is created. The Kaskawulsh Glacier in the Kluane National Park , Yukon , has a ridge of medial moraine 1 km wide. Supraglacial moraines are created by debris accumulated on top of glacial ice. This debris can accumulate due to ice flow toward

231-426: Is accumulated at the base of the ice as lodgment till with a thin and discontinuous upper layer of supraglacial till deposited as the glacier retreats. It typically is found in the areas between end moraines. Rogen moraines or ribbed moraines are a type of basal moraines that form a series of ribs perpendicular to the ice flow in an ice sheet . The depressions between the ribs are sometimes filled with water, making

264-547: Is borrowed from French moraine [mɔ.ʁɛn] , which in turn is derived from the Savoyard Italian morena ('mound of earth'). Morena in this case was derived from Provençal morre ('snout'), itself from Vulgar Latin * murrum ('rounded object'). The term was introduced into geology by Horace Bénédict de Saussure in 1779. Moraines are landforms composed of glacial till deposited primarily by glacial ice. Glacial till, in turn,

297-441: Is debated. Some moraine types are known only from ancient glaciers, while medial moraines of valley glaciers are poorly preserved and difficult to distinguish after the retreat or melting of the glacier. Lateral moraines are parallel ridges of debris deposited along the sides of a glacier. The unconsolidated debris can be deposited on top of the glacier by frost shattering of the valley walls or from tributary streams flowing into

330-531: Is known as the Wallowa Glacier . Its moraines form much of the lake shore. Near Glacier Lake, high in the surrounding mountains, is evidence of several subsequent glacier advances. Occurring subsequent to the formation of Wallowa Lake, these did not reach the location of the lake. The earliest of these was 11,000–10,000 years before present. The Wallowa Lake area was inhabited by the Wallowa band of

363-509: Is often referred to as boulder clay) down to gravel and sand, in a groundmass of finely-divided clayey material sometimes called glacial flour . Lateral moraines are those formed at the side of the ice flow, and terminal moraines are those formed at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. Other types of moraine include ground moraines ( till -covered areas forming sheets on flat or irregular topography ) and medial moraines (moraines formed where two glaciers meet). The word moraine

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396-576: The Nez Perce tribe prior to the exploration of the area and the formation of the U.S. State of Oregon . The lake and its surrounding area was guaranteed to the Nez Perce as part of the Treaty of 1855. This lasted until the discovery of gold in the area and the subsequent rush. Conflict with miners and other trespassers resulted in new treaty negotiations in 1863, in which American agents aimed to shrink

429-589: The Rogen moraines look like tigerstripes on aerial photographs . Rogen moraines are named after Lake Rogen in Härjedalen , Sweden , the landform's type locality. Closely related to Rogen moraines, de Geer moraines are till ridges up to 5m high and 10–50m wide running perpendicular to the ice flow. They occur in large groups in low-lying areas. Named for Gerard De Geer , who first described them in 1889, these moraines may have developed from crevasses underneath

462-516: The Salmon River area by settlers, and subsequent revenge carried out by some young Nez Perce warriors. Rather than submit to American notions of justice, Chief Joseph led the Wallowas away from their homeland. After the war, the U.S. Government took the land and allowed it to be settled. This led to the formation of many of the nearby towns that still exist today. October 5, 1877, the day of

495-571: The Wallowa Lake Lodge. The Wonderland Inn was developed in 1923 as an amusement park at the south end of the lake. The park contained a restaurant, store, bowling alley, dance hall, outdoor movie theater, horse drawn carousel and cabins for those wishing to stay overnight. An 18-passenger boat carried the guests who arrived in Joseph (which lies at the north end of the lake) down the entire four mile stretch of Wallowa Lake, finally arriving at

528-489: The base of the ice as lodgment till . The name "washboard moraine" refers to the fact that, from the air, it resembles a washboard . A Veiki moraine is a kind of hummocky moraine that forms irregular landscapes of ponds and plateaus surrounded by banks. It forms from the irregular melting of ice covered with a thick layer of debris. Veiki moraine is common in northern Sweden and parts of Canada . Wallowa Lake, Oregon Too Many Requests If you report this error to

561-420: The dead. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more, forever. After the surrender, Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce were banished from the area. Today many monuments and dedications are set up at the lake and its surrounding cities in remembrance of the Nez Perce tribe and the battle that took place. In 1880 the town nearest to Wallowa Lake, Joseph ,

594-472: The dynamics on the ice, and the location on the glacier in which the moraine is formed. Moraine forming processes may be loosely divided into passive and active . Passive processes involve the placing of chaotic supraglacial sediments onto the landscape with limited reworking, typically forming hummocky moraines. These moraines are composed of supraglacial sediments from the ice surface. Active processes form or rework moraine sediment directly by

627-501: The following years, turning the south end of the lake into a tourist community. The businesses at the south end of Wallowa Lake are members of a non-profit tourism association. This association maintains a website, supports tourism in the area and works to solve issues across the lake community. There are 2,000 to 3,000 people residing at the south end of Wallowa Lake in summer with all businesses open. However, from October through March there are less than 40 year-round residences at

660-493: The glacier is advancing, receding or at equilibrium. The longer the terminus of the glacier stays in one place, the more debris accumulate in the moraine. There are two types of end moraines: terminal and recessional. Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. Recessional moraines are small ridges left as a glacier pauses during its retreat. After a glacier retreats, the end moraine may be destroyed by postglacial erosion. Recessional moraines are often observed as

693-449: The ice sheet. The Kvarken has a very high density of de Geer moraines. End moraines, or terminal moraines , are ridges of unconsolidated debris deposited at the snout or end of the glacier. They usually reflect the shape of the glacier's terminus . Glaciers act much like a conveyor belt, carrying debris from the top of the glacier to the bottom where it deposits it in end moraines. End moraine size and shape are determined by whether

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726-499: The incident serves as the only such problem that has occurred on the Tramway. Moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock ), sometimes referred to as glacial till , that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sheet. It may consist of partly rounded particles ranging in size from boulders (in which case it

759-438: The inn and amusement park. The amusement park operated until 1940, when snowfall from an unusually harsh winter crushed most of the buildings and rendered the park inoperable. However, the inn survived the winter and still remains in operation, though renamed the Wallowa Lake Lodge. The area at the south end of the lake continued to be developed commercially. Several more stores, lodges, restaurants, and rental cabins were built in

792-512: The lake is an aerial cable gondola lift . It runs from the bottom of the valley to the top of Mount Howard , which is measured at 8,261 ft (2,518 m). It was built in 1968 and opened to the public in 1970. From the tram car, passengers can view Wallowa Lake as well as the surrounding mountains. In June 1992, a malfunction occurred in the operating system of the Tram and all passengers had to be evacuated by helicopter. There were no injuries and

825-426: The movement of ice, known as glaciotectonism. These form push moraines and thrust-block moraines, which are often composed of till and reworked proglacial sediment. Moraine may also form by the accumulation of sand and gravel deposits from glacial streams emanating from the ice margin. These fan deposits may coalesce to form a long moraine bank marking the ice margin. Several processes may combine to form and rework

858-420: The reservation and exclude the Wallowa county from its boundaries. The Wallowa Nez Perce rejected the proposed treaty and refused to sign. However, chiefs from bands unaffected by the new boundaries, from the areas that remained within the reservation, did sign, placing the Wallowa band outside the reservation. By 1877, pressures from non-Indian settlers provoked violence, including the murder of Nez Perce people in

891-412: The south end of the lake, which is designated as a CDP by the U.S. Census Bureau , and only a few lodging businesses remain open. The lake's natural outlet to the north, closest to the town of Joseph, was the site of a private dam constructed in 1918 for irrigation, and raised to a 35-foot (11 m)-high concrete gravity dam in 1929. No hydroelectric power is generated. It is owned and operated by

924-419: The surface in the ablation zone , melting of surface ice or from debris that falls onto the glacier from valley sidewalls. Washboard moraines , also known as minor or corrugated moraines , are low-amplitude geomorphic features caused by glaciers. They consist of low-relief ridges, 1 to 2 meters (3 ft 3 in to 6 ft 7 in) in height and around 100 meters (330 ft) apart, accumulated at

957-575: The surrender, Chief Joseph gave the following speech: I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are, perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among

990-468: The town of Joseph began to grow. The area became so populated that Wallowa County was formed in 1887, which encompassed the lake and its surrounding cities. Wallowa Lake gained popularity among gold miners and soon began attracting guests from other areas. Seeing an emerging tourism market, entrepreneurs began building businesses at the lake. Among those built was the Wonderland Inn, now known as

1023-580: The valley, or may be subglacial debris carried to the surface of the glacier, melted out, and transported to the glacier margin. Lateral moraines can rise up to 140 meters (460 ft) over the valley floor, can be up to 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) long, and are steeper close to the glacier margin (up to 80 degrees) than further away (where slopes are typically 29 to 36 degrees. Ground moraines are till-covered areas with irregular topography and no ridges, often forming gently rolling hills or plains, with relief of less than 10 meters (33 ft). Ground moraine

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1056-417: The valley. The sediment left by the river was pushed by a series of glaciers that advanced north into the valley. As they pushed the debris, they also dug deep into the earth. Though the number of glaciers that formed the moraines is debated, the most accepted hypothesis is that eight or nine glaciers formed the walls that now dam the lake. The last glacier advanced into the valley about 17,000 years ago and

1089-403: Was named after Chief Joseph. The war is remembered by historians as one of the last wars the U.S. forces had with Native Americans. The first businesses near the lake were in the town of Joseph . In 1879, a man named Matthew Johnson who was the first postmaster for Joseph, ran the first store. Due to the needs of the crowds of gold miners who were flocking to the area, the store was a success and

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