Horse Heaven Hills
Encyclopedia
The Horse Heaven Hills are a long range of high, rolling hills in Klickitat, Yakima
, and Benton
counties in Washington State located east of Satus Creek and west of the Columbia River
between the Yakima River
and the Wallula Gap
. The hills are an anticline
ridge in the Yakima fold belt formed by north–south compression of lava flows in the Columbia River Basalt Group
. The highest point is Bickleton Ridge ( 45°59′27"N 120°29′16"W ) which reaches 4327 feet (1,319 m) high near the town of Bickleton
at the southwest end of the range.
A small paleontological survey in Benton County identified numerous fossil
ized skeletal remains, proving prehistoric
mammoth
s, bison
s, early horse
s, and other animals once populated the hills. The majority of the skeletal fragments were found in canyons under fine silt and sand. They date from 7,000 to 12,000 years old, with some specimens found to be even older. The higher altitudes where the specimens were found indicate the now extinct animals survived massive flooding that followed the Ice Age
.
James Gordon Kinney, an early pioneer
, is credited with officially naming the Horse Heaven Hills in 1881. He first came to the region in 1857. Impressed by the knee-high grass that fed the large bands of feral horses that roamed, he remarked "the area offers excellent forage and comparative isolation... This is surely a horse heaven!"
Irrigation
has recently made parts of the Horse Heaven Hills into an important agricultural region. Chateau Ste. Michelle
operates the single largest wine making facility in the state of Washington in the town of Paterson
.
Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County is the second largest county by area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. In the 2010 census, its population was 243,231...
, and Benton
Benton County, Washington
Benton County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Washington. The Columbia River makes up the north, south, and east boundaries of the county. In 2010, its population was 175,177. The county seat is Prosser, and its largest city is Kennewick...
counties in Washington State located east of Satus Creek and west of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
between the Yakima River
Yakima River
The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington State, named for the indigenous Yakama people. The length of the river from headwaters to mouth is , with an average drop of .-Course:...
and the Wallula Gap
Wallula Gap
Wallula Gap is a large water gap of the Columbia River through basalt anticlines in the Columbia River Basin in the U.S. state of Washington, just south of the confluence of the Walla Walla and Columbia rivers...
. The hills are an anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
ridge in the Yakima fold belt formed by north–south compression of lava flows in the Columbia River Basalt Group
Columbia River Basalt Group
The Columbia River Basalt Group is a large igneous province that lies across parts of the Western United States. It is found in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California...
. The highest point is Bickleton Ridge ( 45°59′27"N 120°29′16"W ) which reaches 4327 feet (1,319 m) high near the town of Bickleton
Bickleton, Washington
Bickleton is a census-designated place in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. Bickleton was first settled in 1879 by Charles N. Bickle...
at the southwest end of the range.
A small paleontological survey in Benton County identified numerous fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized skeletal remains, proving prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
s, bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
s, early horse
Evolution of the horse
The evolution of the horse pertains to the phylogenetic ancestry of the modern horse from the small dog-sized, forest-dwelling Hyracotherium over geologic time scales...
s, and other animals once populated the hills. The majority of the skeletal fragments were found in canyons under fine silt and sand. They date from 7,000 to 12,000 years old, with some specimens found to be even older. The higher altitudes where the specimens were found indicate the now extinct animals survived massive flooding that followed the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
.
James Gordon Kinney, an early pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
, is credited with officially naming the Horse Heaven Hills in 1881. He first came to the region in 1857. Impressed by the knee-high grass that fed the large bands of feral horses that roamed, he remarked "the area offers excellent forage and comparative isolation... This is surely a horse heaven!"
Irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
has recently made parts of the Horse Heaven Hills into an important agricultural region. Chateau Ste. Michelle
Chateau Ste. Michelle
The Chateau Ste. Michelle is a winery in Woodinville, Washington. The winery is noted for its best-selling Riesling bottlings. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest single producer of Riesling wine in the United States. The winery also produces wines of other varietals and some experimental wines...
operates the single largest wine making facility in the state of Washington in the town of Paterson
Paterson, Washington
Paterson is an unincorporated community in Benton County, Washington, United States, located on the northern banks of the Columbia River at the junction of Washington State Route 14 and Washington State Route 221. It was named for early settler Henry Patterson....
.
See also
- Horse Heaven Hills AVAHorse Heaven Hills AVAThe Horse Heaven Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area in southeastern Washington, and is part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA borders the Yakima Valley AVA on the north and the Columbia River on the south. Elevations in this AVA range from above sea level in...
- Ahtanum RidgeAhtanum RidgeAhtanum Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located just south of the city of Yakima....
- Rattlesnake HillsRattlesnake HillsThe Rattlesnake Hills is a 16 mile long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County and Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. Also known as Rattlesnake Mountain and Rattlesnake Ridge, it should not be confused with the much smaller Rattlesnake Ridge located near the west end of Ahtanum Ridge...
- Manastash RidgeManastash RidgeManastash Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge located in central Washington state in the United States. Manastash Ridge runs mostly west-to-east in Kittitas and Yakima counties, for approximately 50 miles...
- Umtanum RidgeUmtanum RidgeUmtanum Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County and Kittitas County in the U.S. state of Washington. It runs for approximately 55 miles east-southeast from the Cascade Range, through the Yakima Training Center to the edge of the Columbia River at Priest Rapids Dam and Hanford Reach...