MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON

'Moses Lake' is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,000+ at the 2007 census. A major attraction of Moses Lake are the sand dunes. The sand dunes, south of town, are a tourist attraction for a variety of recreational vehicles. Currently Moses Lake is trying to find a spot for a new NASCAR-style track.

Contents

Background

History

Larson Air Force Base/Grant County Airport

Education

Schools

Elementary schools

Middle schools

Private schools

High schools

Learning Centers

Demographics

Economy

Public utilities

Activities

Sister city

Prominent people from Moses Lake

School Shooting

References

External links

Background

The lake, Moses Lake, on which the town lies, is made up of three main arms over 18 miles (29 km) long and up to one mile (1½ km) wide. It is the largest natural body of fresh water in Grant County and has over 120 miles (190 km) of shoreline covering 6,500 acres (2,600 ha). Before it was dammed in the early 1900s and then incorporated into the Columbia Basin Project, Moses Lake was a smaller, salty, shallow lake. One of its early names was "Salt Lake".^[1]

History

Chief Sulktalthscosum, a.k.a. Chief Moses, was born in 1829 and was the chief of the tribe of Native Americans inhabiting this area. They were called ''Sin-kah-you'' and sometimes ''Kowalchina'' and ''Columbias''.
Chief Moses's people lived in the Moses Lake area until he was arrested and tried for murder. In 1878, a white couple was murdered near Rattlesnake Springs by Indians controlled by Chief Joseph. The military, however, blamed the incident on Chief Moses. He was captured near present day O'Sullivan Dam and stood trial in Yakima, where he was found not guilty. Chief Moses then went to Washington, D.C., and met with President Rutherford B. Hayes. He ceded control of the Columbia Basin to the U. S. government, which then opened the area for homesteading. Chief Moses moved to the Methow Valley and Chelan.
Named "Neppel" in 1910 by white settlers, later residents voted in 1938 to rename their city to honor Native American Chief Moses, and the city became Moses Lake. The chief’s name had already been given to the lake next to Neppel, Moses Lake, and to a coulee running between Wenatchee and Ephrata. The city served the trading needs of a small group of pioneering farmers who settled on the shores of the lake.
Moses Lake has a long history with its sister city, Yonezawa, Japan. The two cities have been exchanging students every summer for over 20 years. There is a street named after Yonezawa in Moses Lake.

Larson Air Force Base/Grant County Airport

Larson AFB, five miles from the city of Moses Lake, Washington, originally was named Moses Lake Army Air Base. It was activated on November 24, 1942 as a temporary World War II training center. Major Donald A. Larson, for whom the base was later renamed, was from Yakima, Washington.
The Secretary of Defense announced on November 19, 1965 that Larson was to be closed by June 1966. Larson Air Force Base, since renamed Grant County International Airport, is now a world-class heavy jet training and testing facility used by the Boeing Company, Japan Airlines, the U.S. Military and many other air carriers from around the world.
With 4,700 acres (19 km²) and a main runway 13,500 feet (4,100 m) long, it is one of the largest airports in the United States.

Education

Moses Lake is home to Big Bend Community College, and is home to Moses Lake High School. In addition, the school district includes eight elementary schools, two middle schools (as well as one 6-12 school). There are also three private schools.

Schools

Elementary schools

★ Midway Learning Center

★ Discover Elementary

★ Lakeview Elementary

★ Garden Heights Elementary

★ Larson Heights Elementary

★ North Elementary

★ Peninsula Elementary

★ Knolls Vista Elementary

Middle schools

★ Frontier Middle School

★ Chief Moses Middle School

★ Columbia Basin Secondary School

Private schools

★ Moses Lake Christian Academy

High schools

★ Moses Lake High School

★ Columbia Basin Secondary School

Learning Centers

★ Skillsource

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,953 people, 5,642 households, and 3,740 families residing in the city. The population density was 567.1/km² (1,468.6/mi²). There were 6,263 housing units at an average density of 237.5/km² (615.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.16% White, 1.69% African American, 1.02% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 15.44% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.41% of the population.
There were 5,642 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,467, and the median income for a family was $42,096. Males had a median income of $34,945 versus $25,193 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,644. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Public utilities

★ Cable television services for the city of Moses Lake are contracted to Northland Cable TV.^[2]

★ Power is provided by the Grant County PUD^[3]. They are the owners/operators of Wanapum Dam and Priest Rapids Dam. Grant County PUD also supplies power to much of the state.

Activities

Moses Lake has a water park that has waterslides, and the city is currently adding a FlowRider for kneeboarding and a "lazy river" for tubing. Every late May during Memorial Day weekends Spring Festival is celebrated. It features rides, live music, little shops, food and much more.
Another attraction is the Moses Lake sand dunes. This was the center of parties on Memorial Day up until alcohol was banned at the dunes; in previous years, many people were injured by drinking and driving. The sand dunes are open to anyone for driving or riding a motorized vehicle.

Sister city

Moses Lake has one sister city, according to the Washington State Lt. Governor's list of Washington Sister Cities:

★ Yonezawa, Japan

Prominent people from Moses Lake

The following people were born in Moses Lake or lived there.

★ NFL defensive lineman Jason Buck was born in Moses Lake July 27, 1963.

★ Actor Matt Cedeño was born in Moses Lake November 14, 1973.

★ Actor Clarence Gilyard Jr. was born there December 24, 1955. He played in ''CHiPs'' and ''Walker, Texas Ranger''.

★ Major-league pitcher Dave Heaverlo was born in Ellensburg, Washington but grew up in Moses Lake.

★ Medal of Honor winner in Vietnam Joe Hooper was from Moses Lake.

★ ProRodeo bullfighter Ronald Kersey was born there December 25, 1967.

★ Daredevil Evel Knievel lived in Moses Lake for some time.

★ Model Martha Thomsen was born in Moses Lake January 25, 1957.

★ PGA golfer Kirk A. Triplett was born in Moses Lake March 29, 1962.

School Shooting

On February 2nd of 1996, Barry Loukaitis, age 14 and dressed as a gunslinger, used a Trench coat to conceal a hunting rifle and two handguns on his way to Frontier Junior High School.
Loukaitis opened fire on his algebra teacher, Leona Caires, as soon as she opened the door and hit her with one round in the chest, killing her immediately while she still held an eraser in her hand. He then fired at the students, killing Manuel Vila, and then Arnold Fritz. He also shot Natalie Hintz in the arm, causing severe damage which she fought for her life for several months afterward.

References

1. , USGS, GNIS
2. Sitemap for Northland Cable TV website
3. [1]Grant County Public Utility District,

External links

★ City of Moses Lake

★ Columbia Basin Herald newspaper