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How do the landform creation stories compare with geologic evidence for the geologic features and events of the Olympic Peninsula?

Native American legends and geologic evidence about the formation of lakes, rivers and floods, while different in fine detail, are similar in that they describe the same events. Native Americans have a deep connection to the land, sometimes resulting in them personifying parts of nature in their stories, but the stories are actually very similar to geologic evidence.

The Native American story about Mt. Storm King damming off an ancient lake and creating Lake Crescent as we see it today closely aligns with the geologic evidence of how the lake was formed.

According to the Quileute Mt. Storm King legend, the mountain hurled rocks down into the valley below and blocked off the flow of the lake and according to scientists from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, material that dammed off the ancient Lake Crescent came from Mt. Storm King and other nearby mountains.

The Native American story tells how the rocks coming down from Mt. Storm King not only made a dam across the ancient Lake Crescent, they also stopped a conflict between the Quileute and Klallam Tribes. From a cultural perspective, the formation of Lake Crescent also created peace in the area. Geologic evidence about the landslides corresponds closely to the story of rocks being hurled by Mt. Storm King. From a geographic perspective, Lake Crescent is between Quileute and Klallam lands, so it makes sense that people from these tribes would witness these landslides.

Geologic evidence and a Native American flood story both describe a tsunami that flooded the Northwest around the year 1700.

According to “Orphan Tsunami,” geologists used tree rings to figure out a tsunami that affected North America and Japan had come from an earthquake in the Olympic Peninsula. According to the Lower Elwha Klallam “Flood Story,” there was a large flood in the Olympics a few hundred years ago.

Using information from various sources and places, geologists figured out the details of the tsunami from more than 300 years ago. From a geographic perspective, this shows how events across the ocean can be connected. The “Flood Story” explains how a large flood in the Olympics was predicted by an old wise man who saw the signs and warned the people. From a cultural perspective, stories are ways to pass knowledge on how to be prepared on to future generations.

On the Olympic Peninsula there are connections between the Native American stories and geologic evidence of how Olympic Peninsula rivers were formed.

According to “Wild History of Olympic Peninsula Rivers Shown on New Map,” rivers are carved out and shaped by water moving down mountains. According to “Thunderbird and Killer Whale as told by Benjamin K. Charles,” rivers were carved by killer whale squirming to get back to the ocean after being dropped in the mountains by thunderbird.

Both these accounts show rivers being carved on the Peninsula, and we can think of thunderbird as the storm clouds and killer whale as the water in the rivers or glaciers in the valleys. From a geographic perspective, the forces carving rivers start high in the mountains and move down toward the ocean. From a cultural perspective, having natural forces be portrayed as mythical beasts helps people develop deep connections with the land.

How do the differing accounts of the formation of Lake Crescent relate to each other?

Native American legends and geologic evidence about the formation of Lake Crescent as we see it today, while different in fine detail, are similar in that they are about rocks from the mountains around the lake crashing down to dam the lake and thus cause the lake level to rise. Native Americans have a deep connection to the land, sometimes resulting in them personifying parts of nature, but the stories they use to pass on history and life lessons are rooted in natural phenomena and can inform us about the workings of our world.

Mt. Storm King is responsible for damming off an ancient lake and creating Lake Crescent as we see it today.

According to the Quileute Mt. Storm King legend, the mountain hurled rocks down into the valley below and blocked off the flow of the lake.

Mt. Storm King is the tallest mountain around Lake Crescent and thus was considered by the Native Americans in the story to be the ruler of the area, and he was a ruler who wanted peace in the land. The rocks coming down from Mt. Storm King not only made a dam across the ancient Lake Crescent, they also stopped a conflict between the Quileute and Klallam Tribes, which was the intention of Mt. Storm King. From a cultural perspective, the formation of Lake Crescent also achieved the goal of creating peace in the area.

Although there were some landslides from Mt. Storm King, landslides from the mountains on the opposite side of the lake had a larger role in creating Lake Crescent.

According to scientists from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the majority of the material that dammed off the ancient Lake Crescent came from the North side of the lake after a small portion of the material first came down from the slopes of Mt. Storm King.

The geologic evidence about the landslides at Lake Crescent corresponds closely to the story of rocks being hurled down and blocking off the lake. From a geographic perspective, Lake Crescent is on the border between Quileute and Klallam land, so it makes sense that people from these tribes would have been present to witness these landslides or their aftermath.

Some sort of geologic process caused the landslide that created Lake Crescent.

According to the Puget Sound Faults website, a fault line exists right along Barnes Creek, which goes right past Mt. Storm King and flows into Lake Crescent.

Fault lines are areas where earthquakes often happen, and earthquakes often cause landslides. Thus, the rocks that fell down and dammed off Lake Crescent were likely a result of tectonic activity along the Barnes Creek fault. From a geographic perspective, tectonic activity not only determines how our landforms were created but also how our landforms change over time.

Native American stories often provide guidance for how to live as well as history lessons.

According to the “Creation of Marymere Falls” story, a girl goes away into the Olympic Mountains and lives closely aligned with nature before returning to her family as a more enlightened person.

Marymere falls is right near Mt. Storm King and Lake Crescent. We learned that Mt. Storm King wants peace in the land, and that is what the girl achieves when she goes to live near the lake. From a cultural perspective, this shows how having a close connection with the land, as is strongly valued by Native Americans, helps people lead peaceful and fulfilling lives.