Ginkgo/Wanapum State Park

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park/Wanapum Recreational Area is a convert|7470|acre|km2|0|sing=on state park at Vantage, Washington including 27,000 feet (8200 metres) of freshwater shoreline on the Columbia River. It contains many examples of petrified wood found in the area. There is a museum center at the site, and an interpretive trail.

Over 50 species are found petrified at the site, including ginkgo, sweetgum, redwood, Douglas fir, walnut, spruce, elm, maple, horse chestnut, cottonwood, magnolia, madrone, sassafras, yew, and witch hazel. The museum also includes many Wanapum petroglyphs.

History

During the Miocene epoch, around 15.5 million years ago,cite web|url=http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003AM/finalprogram/abstract_59603.htm
title=Biostratigraphy of Columbia Basalt Group Petrified Forests
year=2003
accessdate = 2006-12-02
publisher=Geological Society of America] the region was lush and wet, home to many plant species now extinct. A number of these trees were buried in volcanic ash, and the organic matter in the tree trunks was gradually replaced by minerals in the groundwater; the resulting petrified wood was protected for millennia by flows of basalt. Near the end of the latest ice age, the catastrophic Missoula Floods (about 15,000 B.C.) eroded the basalt, exposing some of the petrified wood.

In prehistoric times, peaceful Wanapum Indians bands inhabited the region along the Columbia River from the Beverly Gap to the Snake River. They lived by fishing and agriculture, carved over 300 petroglyphs into the basalt cliffs, and may have used the petrified wood exposed by erosion for tools. According to documentation at the Park, Wanapum never fought white settlers, did not sign a treaty with them, and, as a result, retained no federally-recognized right to the land.

Around 1927, highway workers noticed the petrified wood, leading geologist George F. Beck to organize excavations.cite web|url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7396
title=Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park
year=2005
accessdate = 2006-12-02
author=Tate, Cassandra
publisher=historylink.org] The Civilian Conservation Corps completed the excavation, built a small museum, and opened the park to the public in 1938.

The petrified wood specimens in the museum were collected by Frank Walter Bobo, who was born March 4, 1894 in California. He moved to Cle Elum, Kittitas County, Washington. He became a "desert rat" digging petrified logs from the arid hills of Kittitas and Yakima counties. He was commissioned to collect, saw, and polish the specimens for the museum. Bobo was partially compensated by being allowed to keep one-half of the specimens he prepared while on commission. His son, Don J.Bobo, Teanaway Valley, Washington, inherited his father's collection of about one ton of petrified wood.

In 1963, Wanapum Dam was completed about four miles (6 km) downstream, raising the water level of the Columbia River. A new Interpretive Center was constructed and about 60 petroglyphs salvaged from the rising water. Many of the salvaged petroglyphs are on display at the Interpretive Center.

In October 2000, the National Park Service designated the Ginkgo Petrified Forest as a National Natural Landmark.

Petrified wood was named the Washington state gem by the state legislature on March 12, 1975, perhaps in part due to the popularity of this park.cite web|url=http://www.statefossils.com/wa/wagem.html|title=Washington: petrified wood (state gem)|year=2006| accessdate = 2006-12-02|publisher=statefossils.com]

References

External links

* [http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Ginkgo+Petrified+Forest%2FWanapum+Recreational+Area Washington State Parks' Ginkgo page]
* [http://www.vrseattle.com/pages/browse.php?cat_id=115 Virtual tour at VR Seattle]
* [http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7396 HistoryLink essay]