Washington History

Assignment #1

Question #1

A) How is a region defined?

A region can be defined by its' geography, industry, or culture.

For example the Bible belt is a cultural region; Silicon Valley is an industrial region, and the Plains States form a region defined by the geography and agriculture both.

B) What Unifying forces define the Northwest?

The region of the Pacific Northwest is defined as a Hinterland replete with a wide array of natural resources. The treasures found in the natural beauty of the Northwest's pristine waterways, ample valleys, and lush mountain forests define the region. No other region in the United States can compare with the beauty and majesty of the Pacific Northwest. It stands alone as having one of the most varied and rich landscapes in the country. Thus allowing an independent, confined, and truly original culture to emerge.

Question #2

* What is the size and distribution of the population of the Northwest?

The Pacific Northwest region is lightly populated with the majority of the residents located in a few key areas. The main population centers of thirty thousand or more pertaining to Washington are the Puget Sound area, and Spokane. In Oregon it is the Willamette Valley from Portland to Eugene and Medford where the population centers are located. Idaho, while being much more rural then Washington and Oregon, does have clusters of more highly populated areas in select geographic areas, such as Boise and Pocatello. All of Idaho's major urban areas are located on or around the Snake River. Taking the time to really study the location of cites in relation to surrounding geographic areas one gets a good look into the minds of the first settlers and even the native inhabitants. Larger urban centers are usually located on or near waterways; all were and still are very reliable sources of food, water, and trade. One example of this statement is shown in today's Vancouver, Washington, which was first settled on the Columbia River.

Question #3

* Discuss the natural setting of the Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is rich in culture and beauty. What gives this land its beauty, so much so that the region is know the world over? Maybe it is the giant snake of concrete known as Interstate-5? Could it be the snow crowned Peaks of the cascades? Or is it the glistening monoliths of glass that tear at the cloud filled sky above the Emerald City of Seattle? The Sun bathed beaches of the San Juan Islands? Whatever it may be the Pacific Northwest is one of the richest and most beautiful in America. Truly one of the last untamed lands. This region has almost everything from swamps, to plains, rain forests, and deserts. The Northwest is also host some of the most fertile soil in the country. Made famous by such produce as Washington apples, and Idaho potatoes. One of the most important aspects of the Northwest region is the river. The rivers are the veins of the Northwest bringing vital lifeblood the all areas. None more so then the Columbia river, This river is so important that cities such as Spokane, some 150 miles away, feel the effects of the river negative or positive.

Question #4

* Identify and discuss the mountain ranges in the Northwest.

With over seventy ranges in Idaho alone, most notably the Bitterroots that split Idaho from Montana. And in Oregon numerous ranges including the Wallows and the Klamath that split Oregon and California and the Olympic and Cascades as the main ranges in Washington. Mountains play a big part in the lives of everyone in the Northwest. Even in those rare locations where no mountains can be seen the populace is still effected by mountain ranges. In almost all aspects of the community mountain ranges play their part. From weather to industry the Pacific Northwest would not be what it is without it's Mountain ranges. It is easy to see that mountains are just as much a part of everyday life as the trees. As stated earlier mountains are intertwined into almost every aspect of life in the Northwest. They support Industries such as Logging and all pulp, paper, and saw mills. The fishing would be drastically different without the cool rainy climate the mountains provide.

Question #5

* Discuss the segment on Mt. St. Helens.

The event of May 18 1980 reminds all northwesterners that although beautiful this land is very much alive and commands the respect of all who live in the mountains shadow. On a peaceful Sunday morning in May residents of the Northwest where awakened to a horrible nightmare. The dismal blackness of a sky filled with over 500,000 tons of ash, and anything else that got in the way of the one hundred mile an hour whirlwind of burning death. It spread east blacking out Yakima in mere hours. A force greater then the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima in World War Two striped bare a two hundred square mile radius around the mountain killing man and beast indiscriminately, destroying homes, bridges, railways, and highways. The effects of the eruption stopped all shipping on the Columbia River by raising the bottom from 40 feet to 14 feet. It lowered the elevation of the mountain itself from 9,677 Ft. to 8,364 Ft. and left a mile-wide horseshoe shaped crater. This event shook the world, but even something so disastrous could not diminished the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. If anything it adds to the character of this great land.

Question #6

A) Discuss the climate and soils of the Northwest.

The Climate in the Northwest varies greatly from North to south and west to east. What influences the weather so that it is so different in less then two hundred miles of separation? The Olympics, Cascades, and the Rockies to name a few are the single biggest factor in climate for the Pacific Northwest region. As the Northwesterly winds sweep down off the Pacific Ocean they become moisture laden. Then the moist air begins its journey east. As it starts to cross the coastal mountains the atmospheric pressure drops the air gets cooler and the winds loose some of its moisture in the form of rain or snow. The annual rainfall in the coastal mountains can commonly reach 120 to 140 inches and even more on occasion allowing a rainforest environment. Continuing

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