How the Ice Age Floods Changed the Course of the Palouse River

Before the Ice Age Floods, the Palouse River would have flowed through present day Washtucna, Kahlotus, Connell, Mesa, and Eltopia before entering the Columbia River near the Pasco Airport. Today, it takes a fifty-mile shortcut to the Snake River at Lyons Ferry via the Palouse Canyon and Palouse Falls.

In this presentation by Lloyd Stoess, President, Palouse Falls Chapter, IAFI, we look at the two factors that caused this dramatic shift—either one by itself would not have been enough. To examine when this happened, we look at some possibilities and clues recently discovered by scientists.

Presented in partnership with Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI)

(Registration required on SCLD website. Registration opens at 6:30 PM Monday, March 31, 2025.)