Moses Lake

HISTORY

Named Neppel in 1910 by white settlers, later residents voted in 1938 to rename their city to honor American Indian Chief Moses and the city became Moses Lake. His name had already been given to the lake next to Neppel 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.

Background

Chief Sulktalthscosum aka Chief Moses was born in 1829 and was the chief of the tribe of Native Americans inhabiting this area. They were called Kowalchina and sometimes Sinkiuse and Columbias .

Chief Moses' 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 .

The lake, Moses Lake, on which the town lies, is made up of three main arms over 18 miles long and up to one mile wide. It is the largest natural body of fresh water in Grant County and has over 120 miles of shoreline covering 6,500 acres.

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 and a main runway 13,500 feet 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. Chief Moses Middle School is one of the two middle schools. The other middle school, Frontier Middle School, was the location for the first school shooting in recent history to get national television coverage.

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/km&² (1,468.6/mi&²). There were 6,263 housing units at an average density of 237.5/km&² (615.1/mi&²). 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. 25.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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. 15.1% of the population and 11.0% of families were below the Poverty Line . 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

ACTIVITIES

Moses Lake has a Water Park that has Waterslide s, and in the summer of 2006, a wave pool will be opened. Adventure Park is a place where teens and pre-teens can go to dances. These are two examples of fun activities for kids in Moses Lake.

Other fun places in Moses Lake consist of the truck stops and places that are open 24 hours such as the local Denny's and Sherri's restaurants where teens and people in their early 20's go to get away and get some fries and a soda and/or coffee.

EXTERNAL LINKS

City of Moses Lake

Information About

Moses Lake