Keller, Washington
Encyclopedia
Keller is an unincorporated community
in southeastern Ferry County in the northeastern part of the U.S. state
of Washington.
which flooded its previous locations and is now located eighteen miles north of the Columbia River
which seriously reduced its population over time. The population at the 2010 census was 234.
The town is encompassed by the Colville Indian Reservation
, and has an estimated population of roughly 1,200 people mostly of Native American descent primarily members of the Sanpoil Tribe
of Indians, one of the Twelve Tribes that make up the Colville Confederated Tribes and one of the few Indian Nations that was never relocated by order of the U.S. Government.
molybdenum
mine on Mt Tolman in the San Poil Valley. Anti-mining groups rallied around the opposition to the mine when it soon became evident that the mining project would be too much of a hazard to the population of Washington State given research that the mine contained hazardous materials such as uranium and toxic dust that, if exposed to, an already windy location could spread up to 200 miles, encompassing most of Washington State's economic farming country. The proposal to mine also included the use of acid leaching
to retrieve the metals being mined and given the mountain's short distance to the Columbia River the result would have been disastrous. Other groups also claimed the mountain's spiritual connection to the Sanpoil Tribe (the name "Tolman" comes from the Sanpoil dialect, "Tulameen" meaning "Red Paint") because many of the tribe's legends and medicines are located on the mountain itself. The group that originally sent in the proposal for the mine mostly focused on the tribe's stagnant economy and the monetary value a molybdenum mine would produce due to the high demand of the substance, a claim that the mining opposition rebutted when the evidence showed that the price of molybdenum was unpredictable and the only consistent price range was when it fell between $0.50 to $1.50 between 1955 to 1982. When the issue was brought to vote by the Colville Tribes the proposal was turned down in three legislative districts, winning approval only in the Inchelium district.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in southeastern Ferry County in the northeastern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington.
History
The town is located in the San Poil Valley (erroneously called Keller Valley), and was founded in 1898 by John C. Keller, a local businessman. The town was located in the area now known as the San Poil Bay (or Old Keller to the locals); at its height the town had an estimated population of 3,500 and even featured a minor league baseball team and red light district. The town was moved several times beginning in 1941 due to back watering from the Grand Coulee DamGrand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
which flooded its previous locations and is now located eighteen miles north 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...
which seriously reduced its population over time. The population at the 2010 census was 234.
The town is encompassed by the Colville Indian Reservation
Colville Indian Reservation
The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States of America as an American Indian Tribe...
, and has an estimated population of roughly 1,200 people mostly of Native American descent primarily members of the Sanpoil Tribe
Sanpoil (tribe)
The Sanpoil is one of 12 aboriginal Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. The name Sanpoil comes from the Okanagan [snpʕwílx], "gray as far as one can see". It has been folk-etymologized as coming from the French sans poil, "without fur". The Yakama people know the tribe as...
of Indians, one of the Twelve Tribes that make up the Colville Confederated Tribes and one of the few Indian Nations that was never relocated by order of the U.S. Government.
Mount Tolman mining proposal
From 2004 to 2006 the town of Keller was the center of attention after the Colville Tribes' controversial decision to explore the possibility of opening up an open-pitOpen-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
mine on Mt Tolman in the San Poil Valley. Anti-mining groups rallied around the opposition to the mine when it soon became evident that the mining project would be too much of a hazard to the population of Washington State given research that the mine contained hazardous materials such as uranium and toxic dust that, if exposed to, an already windy location could spread up to 200 miles, encompassing most of Washington State's economic farming country. The proposal to mine also included the use of acid leaching
Leaching (metallurgy)
Leaching is a widely used extractive metallurgy technique which converts metals into soluble salts in aqueous media. Compared to pyrometallurgical operations, leaching is easier to perform and much less harmful, because no gaseous pollution occurs...
to retrieve the metals being mined and given the mountain's short distance to the Columbia River the result would have been disastrous. Other groups also claimed the mountain's spiritual connection to the Sanpoil Tribe (the name "Tolman" comes from the Sanpoil dialect, "Tulameen" meaning "Red Paint") because many of the tribe's legends and medicines are located on the mountain itself. The group that originally sent in the proposal for the mine mostly focused on the tribe's stagnant economy and the monetary value a molybdenum mine would produce due to the high demand of the substance, a claim that the mining opposition rebutted when the evidence showed that the price of molybdenum was unpredictable and the only consistent price range was when it fell between $0.50 to $1.50 between 1955 to 1982. When the issue was brought to vote by the Colville Tribes the proposal was turned down in three legislative districts, winning approval only in the Inchelium district.