Chapter 3: Foundations of Human Activity

The first settlers in Washington included Native American tribes such as The Chinook, Nisqually, Quinault, and Puyallup who hunted deer, fished for salmon and clams, and lived west of the Cascades. On the east of the Cascades, tribes such as The Cayus, Colville, Spokane, and Nez Perce' settled on the plains and valleys.





Chinook Indians (aka Chinooks) possibly fishing for salmon and clams



 When I searched for Spokane Indians, I was surprised to see that their baseball team is actually called Spokane Indians!

But here are the original Spokane Indians....





"Skitswish and Spokane Tribal encampment for annual salmon

catch, ca. 1937, from the Native American Collection of the Library of Congress "



The state was claimed by both British explorers and the United States, but Lewis and Clark gave te U.S. a second claim to the Northwest. American and British fur trading companies came to Washington in the early 1800s and a trading post was build near Spokane.

The first permanent American settlement within the state was Fort Okanogan. Today, a Fort Okanogan State Park exists in the state.

An agreement between the U.S. and England allowed settlers from both countries into the state.

Below are events that summarize the beginnings of Washington:

1792—Robert Gray sails into Grays Harbor and the Columbian River; George Vancouver surveys the coast of Washington and Puget Sound

1805—Lewis and Clark reach Washington

1811—Fort Okanogan, the first permanent U.S. settlement in Washington

1818—Great Britain and the U.S. agree to joint settlement of Oregon Country, which includes Washington

1825—Great Britain builds Fort Vancouver on the Columbian River

1846—The boundary of Washington and Canada becomes the 49^th parallel

1853—Congress creates the Washington Territory

1883—Railroads connect Washington with the East coast

1889—Washington becomes the 42^nd state

1910—Washington grants women the right to vote

1962—Seattle hosts the world fair

1980—Mount St. Helens volcano erupts causing 57 deaths and billions of dollars in damages

Sources:

"Washington State History." ThingsToDo.com - Things to Do and Places to Go in Each State. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.thingstodo.com/states/WA/history.htm>.

Chapter 2: Geographic Patterns of the Physical Environment

Most of Washington is part of the Pacific Mountain and Valleys Physiographic Region. The rest of the state is of the Intermontaine Basins and Plateus region. This means that the state is abundant in mountains, forests, and valleys.

Mount Rainier, the highest and third most voluminous volcano in the Cascade Range. It is made up of a combination of land and ice mass that was formed before the last major glaciation. It is considered dormant right now, but still poses a threat to residents who live nearby. It is one of the more popular stratovolcanoes, which means they are very dangerous. "Stratovolcanoes have a layered or stratified appearance with alternating lava flows, airfall tephra, pyroclastic flows, volcanic mudflows (lahars), and/or debris flows." They are also known for their almost perfect cone shape.

Another volcano in the state is Mount St. Helens also known as the "Fuji of America" because it resembled the beauty of he famous volcano in Japan.

It has lost some of its height due to its eruptions. "Mount St. Helens, like most other Cascade volcanoes, is a great cone of rubble consisting of lava rock interlayered with pyroclastic and other deposits." Its most known eruption was on May 18, 1980. "For more than nine hours a vigorous plume of ash erupted, eventually reaching 12 to 15 miles (20-25 kilometers) above sea level. The plume moved eastward at an average speed of 60 miles per hour (95 kilometers/hour), with ash reaching Idaho by noon. By early May 19, the devastating eruption was over. [It] was preceded by 2 months of intense activity that included more than 10,000 earthquakes, hundreds of small phreatic (steam-blast) explosions, and the outward growth of the volcano's entire north flank by more than 80 meters."

The state is not only abundant in mountains and volcanoes, but also with much precipitation.

"The average annual temperature ranges from 10.6° C (51° F) on the Pacific coast to 4.4° C (40° F) in the northeast. The recorded temperature in the state has ranged from -44.4° C (-48° F) in 1968 to 47.8° C (118° F) in 1961. A wet marine West Coast climate predominates in western Washington; it is mild for its latitude due to the presence of the warm North Pacific Current offshore and the relatively warm maritime air masses. The region has frequent cloud cover, considerable fog, and long-lasting drizzles; summer is the sunniest season."

The lowest temperature recorded in the state is -48° F on December 30, 1968. The highest temperature recorded is 118° F on August 5, 1961.

Sources:

"CVO Menu - Stratovolcanoes and Composite Volcanoes." USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO). Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/StratoVolcano/framework.html>.

"How Volcanoes Work - Stratovolcanoes." SDSU - Department of Geological Sciences. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/stratovolc_page.html>.

Chapter 1: Regions and Themes

Here's a table I found that summarizes the geography of Washington:

Longitude / Latitude	Longitude: 116° 57'W to 124° 48'W Latitude: 45° 32'N to 49°N
Length x Width	Washington is about 360 miles long and 240 miles wide.
Geographic Center Explanation	The geographic center of Washington is located in Chelan County, 10 miles WSW of Wenatchee. Longitude: 120° 16.1'W Latitude: 47° 20.0' N
Borders	Washington is bordered by Canada in the north and Oregon in the south. On the east, Washington is bordered by Idaho and, on the west, Washington is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
Total Area	Washington covers 71,303 square miles, making it the 18th largest of the 50 states.
Land Area	66,582 square miles of Washington are land areas.
Water Area	4,721 square miles of Washington are covered by water.
Highest Point	The highest point in Washington is Mt. Rainier at 14,410 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point	The lowest point in Washington is sea level where Washington meets the Pacific Ocean in the west.
Mean Elevation	The Mean Elevation of the state of Washington is 1,700 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers	Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River
Major Lakes	Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lake Washington

Washington, also known as the Evergreen State, is the only state named after a president. It is the 18th largest state and can be divided in 6 geographic land areas:

The state was visited by Spanish, American, and British explorers - Bruno Heceta for Spain in 1775, the American Capt. Robert Gray in 1792, and Capt. George Vancouver for Britain in 1792–1794.

Averange temperatures range from 84 degrees to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. "Washington's climate varies greatly from west to east. A mild, humid climate predominates in the western part of the state, and a cooler dry climate prevails east of the Cascade Range."  

The state is a leading producer of lumber as evident by its vast forests. "Its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa and white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar."

Cows transporting lumber



Train transporting lumber



"The state holds first place in apples, lentils, dry edible peas, hops, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries, and ranks high in apricots, asparagus, grapes, peppermint oil, and potatoes. Livestock and livestock products make important contributions to total farm revenue and the commercial fishing catch of salmon, halibut, and bottomfish makes a significant contribution to the state's economy."



"Customer Selecting Produce with Vendor Help at Pike Street Public Market in Seattle"



There are also several manufacturing industries in the state including aircraft and missiles, shipbuilding and other transportation equipment, lumber, food processing, metals and metal products, chemicals, and machinery.

Washington also has over 1,000 dams for purposes of irrigation, flood control, power, and water storage.

Dam on the Columbia river in Washington state

Sources:

"Washington Geography from NETSTATE." 50 States - Capitals, Maps, Geography, State Symbols, State Facts, Songs, History, Famous People from NETSTATE.COM. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/wa_geography.htm.

Washington: History, Geography, Population, and State Facts — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108286.html#ixzz1ClMXepFv