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Coordinates: 46°24′56″N 119°37′49″W / 46.41556°N 119.63028°W / 46.41556; -119.63028
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{{short description|Mountain in Washington (state), United States}}

{{Infobox mountain
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Rattlesnake Mountain
| name = Rattlesnake Mountain
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|url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/Browse/WA/WA_Maiden%20Spring_242132_1974_24000.jpg
|url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/Browse/WA/WA_Maiden%20Spring_242132_1974_24000.jpg
|title=Maiden Springs Quadrangle
|title=Maiden Springs Quadrangle
|accessdate=March 14, 2018
|access-date=March 14, 2018
|publisher=United States Geological Survey }}</ref>
|publisher=United States Geological Survey }}</ref>
| map = USA Washington
| map = USA Washington
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| isolation_mi = 1.55
| isolation_mi = 1.55
| isolation_ref = <ref name="pb1"/>
| isolation_ref = <ref name="pb1"/>
| listing =
| listing = Benton County highest peaks '''2nd'''
| topo = {{hlist|[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Iowa Flats|USGS Snively Basin}}
| topo = {{hlist|[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Iowa Flats|USGS Snively Basin}}
| first_ascent =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
| easiest_route =
}}
}}
'''Rattlesnake Mountain''' (Native American name '''Lalíik''' meaning "land above the water") is a 3,531&nbsp;ft (1,060 m) windswept treeless sub-alpine [[ridge]] overlooking the [[Hanford Site|Hanford nuclear site]]. Parts of the western slope are privately owned ranchland, while the eastern slope is under the federal protection of the [[Arid Lands Ecology Reserve]], a unit of the [[Hanford Reach National Monument]], managed by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]. The mountain is the second highest point in [[Benton County, Washington|Benton County]], being just 100&nbsp;ft (30 m) shorter than the neighboring [[Lookout Summit]].
'''Rattlesnake Mountain''' (Native American name '''Lalíik''' meaning "land above the water") is a 3,531&nbsp;ft (1,060 m) windswept treeless [[ridge]] overlooking the [[Hanford Site|Hanford nuclear site]]. Parts of the western slope are privately owned ranchland, while the eastern slope is under the federal protection of the [[Arid Lands Ecology Reserve]], a unit of the [[Hanford Reach National Monument]], managed by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]. The mountain is the second highest point in [[Benton County, Washington|Benton County]], with its neighbor [[Lookout Summit]] surpassing it by only 98&nbsp;ft (30 m).


Rattlesnake Mountain is often described as the tallest treeless mountain in the world, but this claim appears to be without foundation.<ref>{{cite book | last = Davis | first = Jean Carol | authorlink = | author2 = Vickie Sillman Bergum | title = Benton County Place Names | publisher = East Benton County Historical Society | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | oclc=37857532 | isbn = <!--ISBN with wrong number of digits and bad format: 33629001556692 --> }}</ref> The highest winds recorded on Rattlesnake were around 150&nbsp;mph (241 kilometers per hour).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hanford.gov/?page=354&parent=326 |title=Hanford Site Virtual Tours |accessdate=2007-10-13 |publisher=[[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917223615/http://www.hanford.gov/?page=354&parent=326 |archivedate=2008-09-17 }}</ref>
Rattlesnake Mountain is notable for its high wind speeds, with the highest recorded being around 150&nbsp;mph (241 kilometers per hour).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hanford.gov/?page=354&parent=326 |title=Hanford Site Virtual Tours |access-date=2007-10-13 |publisher=[[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917223615/http://www.hanford.gov/?page=354&parent=326 |archive-date=2008-09-17 }}</ref>


==History==
==History==


The [[Yakama Nation]] referred to Rattlesnake Mountain as ''Lalíik'', meaning "land above the water". Some historians speculate that the origin of the name Lalíik refers to the inundation of the [[Columbia River Plateau]] during the [[Missoula Floods]], as Rattlesnake would have been one of the few mountains not completely inundated by flood waters reaching depths of 1200&nbsp;ft (366 m). Geologists have found [[Glacial erratic#Flood-borne erratics|glacial erratic]]s on Rattlesnake at heights up to this level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://agg.pnl.gov/projects/iafi.2002.pdf |title=Ice-Age Floods Features in the Vicinity of the Pasco Basin and the Hanford Reach National Monument |accessdate=2007-11-07 |last=Bjornstad |first=Bruce |author2=Karl Fecht |date=2002-10-19 |format=.pdf }}</ref> However, there is scant evidence placing human settlements in the area at the time of the floods, 12 to 13 thousand years ago. Lalíik is held sacred by [[Native Americans in the United States|native peoples]] of the Columbia Plateau, including the [[Nez Perce tribe|Nez Perce]], [[Umatilla (tribe)|Umatilla]], [[Wanapum]], [[Cayuse people|Cayuse]], [[Walla Walla (tribe)|Walla Walla]], and Yakama, and remains a spiritual epicenter to this day.<ref>{{citation | last=Prengaman | first=Kate | title=Yakamas unhappy defense bill to open sacred summit to public | newspaper=The Seattle Times | date=2014-12-14 | url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/yakamas-unhappy-defense-bill-to-open-sacred-summit-to-public/ }}</ref>
The [[Yakama Nation]] referred to Rattlesnake Mountain as ''Lalíik'', meaning "land above the water". Some historians speculate that the origin of the name Lalíik refers to the inundation of the [[Columbia River Plateau]] during the [[Missoula Floods]], as Rattlesnake would have been one of the few mountains not completely inundated by flood waters reaching depths of 1200&nbsp;ft (366 m). Geologists have found [[Glacial erratic#Flood-borne erratics|glacial erratic]]s on Rattlesnake at heights up to this level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://agg.pnl.gov/projects/iafi.2002.pdf |title=Ice-Age Floods Features in the Vicinity of the Pasco Basin and the Hanford Reach National Monument |access-date=2007-11-07 |last=Bjornstad |first=Bruce |author2=Karl Fecht |date=2002-10-19 |format=.pdf }}</ref> However, there is scant evidence placing human settlements in the area at the time of the floods, 12 to 13 thousand years ago. Lalíik is held sacred by [[Native Americans in the United States|native peoples]] of the Columbia Plateau, including the [[Nez Perce tribe|Nez Perce]], [[Umatilla (tribe)|Umatilla]], [[Wanapum]], [[Cayuse people|Cayuse]], [[Walla Walla (tribe)|Walla Walla]], and Yakama, and remains a spiritual epicenter to this day.<ref>{{citation | last=Prengaman | first=Kate | title=Yakamas unhappy defense bill to open sacred summit to public | newspaper=The Seattle Times | date=2014-12-14 | url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/yakamas-unhappy-defense-bill-to-open-sacred-summit-to-public/ }}</ref>


In 1943, Rattlesnake Mountain was seized by the [[United States government]] under [[eminent domain]] and became a buffer zone for the nuclear project at the Hanford site. In 1956, [[United States Army|US Army]] installed a [[Nike Ajax]] missile base on the southeastern end of the ridge and maintained it until 1960, when it was closed.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}
In 1943, Rattlesnake Mountain was seized by the [[United States government]] under [[eminent domain]] and became a buffer zone for the nuclear project at the Hanford site. In 1955, [[United States Army|US Army]] installed a [[Nike Ajax]] missile base on the southeastern end of the ridge and maintained it until December 1958, when it was closed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.historylink.org/File/9711 | publisher=[[HistoryLink]] | title=Nike Missile Bases: Washington State Cold War Defenses | access-date=2019-02-08 }}</ref>


==Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory==
==Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory==


The Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory was established at the summit in 1966, utilizing some of the former missile base infrastructure, and remained there until its relocation near [[Wallula, WA]] in 2009. The observatory's main telescope was installed in 1971 and is a 32-inch (0.8-meter) telescope housed inside a 24-foot domed enclosure. This telescope is the largest permanently mounted telescope in Washington State. The telescope was used regularly through the early 1980s, but soon fell into disuse. Due to its location, renovations and upgrades were done to allow for remote control. Observatory operations are directed by a local nonprofit group founded by scientists and engineers from the [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]] at Hanford.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emsl.pnl.gov/docs/annual_reports/cis/annual_report1999/1558b-2k.html |title=Automation of Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory—Science Education and Opportunity for the 21st Century |accessdate=2007-10-12}}</ref>
The Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory was established at the summit in 1966, utilizing some of the former missile base infrastructure, and remained there until its relocation near [[Wallula, WA]] in 2009. The observatory's main telescope was installed in 1971 and is a 32-inch (0.8-meter) telescope housed inside a 24-foot domed enclosure. This telescope is the largest permanently mounted telescope in Washington State. The telescope was used regularly through the early 1980s, but soon fell into disuse. Due to its location, renovations and upgrades were done to allow for remote control. Observatory operations are directed by a local nonprofit group founded by scientists and engineers from the [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]] at Hanford.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emsl.pnl.gov/docs/annual_reports/cis/annual_report1999/1558b-2k.html |title=Automation of Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory—Science Education and Opportunity for the 21st Century |access-date=2007-10-12}}</ref>


It was announced 14 March 2008 that the Department of Energy would not renew the permit, license or easements for the observatory or most of the other entities that maintain communication equipment on the mountain. DOE instead intends to return the area to its natural conditions, citing the cultural sensitivity of the area.<ref>{{cite news | first=Annette | last=Cary | title=DOE to evict Rattlesnake Mountain tenants | date=2008-03-22 | publisher= | work =Tri-City Herald | pages = | accessdate = 2008-03-23 | language = }}</ref> The removal of the observatory from Rattlesnake Mountain began in the latter part of May, 2009. Most of the work, including the removal of the telescope itself, was completed in June of the same year. In late 2012, the telescope moved into its new home in the hills near Wallula, WA<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/11/12/2167787/rattlesnake-mountain-telescope.html#storylink=misearch|title=Rattlesnake Mountain telescope gets new home |accessdate=2013-01-06}}</ref>
It was announced 14 March 2008 that the Department of Energy would not renew the permit, license or easements for the observatory or most of the other entities that maintain communication equipment on the mountain. DOE instead intends to return the area to its natural conditions, citing the cultural sensitivity of the area.<ref>{{cite news | first=Annette | last=Cary | title=DOE to evict Rattlesnake Mountain tenants | date=2008-03-22 | work =Tri-City Herald }}</ref> The removal of the observatory from Rattlesnake Mountain began in the latter part of May, 2009. Most of the work, including the removal of the telescope itself, was completed in June of the same year. In late 2012, the telescope moved into its new home at [[Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory]] in the hills near Wallula, Washington.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/11/12/2167787/rattlesnake-mountain-telescope.html#storylink=misearch|title=Rattlesnake Mountain telescope gets new home |access-date=2013-01-06}}</ref>


==Public access==
==Public access==
Section 3081, "Ensuring public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain in the Hanford Reach National Monument",<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr3979/text/enr#link=B_XXX_H_3081&nearest=H1FFC28B5644E408889EBE59A666CF8B4 | title=Text of H.R. 3979 (113th): Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal … (Passed Congress version) }}</ref> of the [[Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015|Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr3979|title=Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (2014 - H.R. 3979)|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide public access (including motorized access) to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain. The Yakama Nation objected to opening their sacred site to motorized access.<ref>{{cite web|title=Congress Approves Bill to Force Opening Access to Yakama Nation Sacred Site - Last Real Indians|url=http://lastrealindians.com/congress-approves-bill-to-force-opening-access-to-yakama-nation-sacred-site/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017001707/https://lastrealindians.com/congress-approves-bill-to-force-opening-access-to-yakama-nation-sacred-site/|archive-date=October 17, 2018|website=lastrealindians.com}}</ref> Access was expected to begin in Fall 2019,<ref>{{cite news|last=McIntosh |first=Brittany |url=http://www.nbcrightnow.com/story/39290793/after-70-years-public-access-to-rattlesnake-mountain-summit-will-re-open-next-fall |title= After 70 years public access to Rattlesnake Mountain summit will re-open next fall |publisher=KNDU-TV |date=October 15, 2018 |access-date=October 15, 2018}}</ref> but it was still closed in October 2020 as the Fish and Wildlife Service has not released a final environmental study amid continued consultations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cary|first=Annette|date=October 18, 2020|title='Natural treasure.' Why Rattlesnake Mountain is still closed 6 years after a law passed|work=Tri-City Herald|url=https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article246467845.html}}</ref>

Section 3081, "Ensuring public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain in the Hanford Reach National Monument",<ref>https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr3979/text/enr#link=B_XXX_H_3081&nearest=H1FFC28B5644E408889EBE59A666CF8B4</ref> of the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (H.R. 3979 (113th))<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr3979|title=Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (2014 - H.R. 3979)|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide public access (including motorized access) to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain in the [[Hanford Reach National Monument]] in the state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. This law was enacted — Signed by the President on Dec 19, 2014. The provision is supposed to help with tourism and scientific undertakings.<ref name=pk1>{{cite news|last=Kasperowicz|first=Pete|title=To the top of Rattlesnake Mountain|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/304881-to-the-top-of-rattlesnake-mountain|accessdate=13 June 2013|newspaper=The Hill|date=11 June 2013}}</ref> The Native American community has objected to this action.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lastrealindians.com/congress-approves-bill-to-force-opening-access-to-yakama-nation-sacred-site/|title=Congress Approves Bill to Force Opening Access to Yakama Nation Sacred Site - Last Real Indians|website=lastrealindians.com}}</ref> As of October 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on implementation of the law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article38304468.html|title=Public input sought on planning access to Rattlesnake Mountain|publisher=}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Rattlesnake Mountain, Benton County, Washington}}
{{Commons category|Rattlesnake Mountain (Benton County, Washington)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071009033715/http://www.aastaonline.org/observatory.html The Alliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy: Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071009033715/http://www.aastaonline.org/observatory.html The Alliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy: Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080917223615/http://www.hanford.gov/?page=354&parent=326 Department of Energy Hanford Site Virtual Tours: Rattlesnake Mountain]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080917223615/http://www.hanford.gov/?page=354&parent=326 Department of Energy Hanford Site Virtual Tours: Rattlesnake Mountain]


{{Washington State hills and ridges}}
{{Washington State hills and ridges}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Landforms of Benton County, Washington]]
[[Category:Landforms of Benton County, Washington]]
[[Category:Tri-Cities, Washington]]
[[Category:Tri-Cities, Washington]]
[[Category:Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America]]
[[Category:Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America]]
[[Category:Ridges of Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Ridges of Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Mountains of Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Mountains of Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of the Americas]]

Latest revision as of 10:24, 28 January 2024

Rattlesnake Mountain
The view of Rattlesnake Mountain from the Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland.
Highest point
Elevation3,531 ft (1,076 m)[1][2]
Prominence840 ft (260 m)[1]
Parent peakLookout Summit
Isolation1.55 mi (2.49 km)[1]
ListingBenton County highest peaks 2nd
Coordinates46°24′56″N 119°37′49″W / 46.41556°N 119.63028°W / 46.41556; -119.63028[3]
Geography
Rattlesnake Mountain is located in Washington (state)
Rattlesnake Mountain
Rattlesnake Mountain
Parent rangeRattlesnake Hills
Topo map
  • USGS Iowa Flats
  • USGS Snively Basin

Rattlesnake Mountain (Native American name Lalíik meaning "land above the water") is a 3,531 ft (1,060 m) windswept treeless ridge overlooking the Hanford nuclear site. Parts of the western slope are privately owned ranchland, while the eastern slope is under the federal protection of the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, a unit of the Hanford Reach National Monument, managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The mountain is the second highest point in Benton County, with its neighbor Lookout Summit surpassing it by only 98 ft (30 m).

Rattlesnake Mountain is notable for its high wind speeds, with the highest recorded being around 150 mph (241 kilometers per hour).[4]

History

[edit]

The Yakama Nation referred to Rattlesnake Mountain as Lalíik, meaning "land above the water". Some historians speculate that the origin of the name Lalíik refers to the inundation of the Columbia River Plateau during the Missoula Floods, as Rattlesnake would have been one of the few mountains not completely inundated by flood waters reaching depths of 1200 ft (366 m). Geologists have found glacial erratics on Rattlesnake at heights up to this level.[5] However, there is scant evidence placing human settlements in the area at the time of the floods, 12 to 13 thousand years ago. Lalíik is held sacred by native peoples of the Columbia Plateau, including the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Wanapum, Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Yakama, and remains a spiritual epicenter to this day.[6]

In 1943, Rattlesnake Mountain was seized by the United States government under eminent domain and became a buffer zone for the nuclear project at the Hanford site. In 1955, US Army installed a Nike Ajax missile base on the southeastern end of the ridge and maintained it until December 1958, when it was closed.[7]

Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory

[edit]

The Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory was established at the summit in 1966, utilizing some of the former missile base infrastructure, and remained there until its relocation near Wallula, WA in 2009. The observatory's main telescope was installed in 1971 and is a 32-inch (0.8-meter) telescope housed inside a 24-foot domed enclosure. This telescope is the largest permanently mounted telescope in Washington State. The telescope was used regularly through the early 1980s, but soon fell into disuse. Due to its location, renovations and upgrades were done to allow for remote control. Observatory operations are directed by a local nonprofit group founded by scientists and engineers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at Hanford.[8]

It was announced 14 March 2008 that the Department of Energy would not renew the permit, license or easements for the observatory or most of the other entities that maintain communication equipment on the mountain. DOE instead intends to return the area to its natural conditions, citing the cultural sensitivity of the area.[9] The removal of the observatory from Rattlesnake Mountain began in the latter part of May, 2009. Most of the work, including the removal of the telescope itself, was completed in June of the same year. In late 2012, the telescope moved into its new home at Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory in the hills near Wallula, Washington.[10]

Public access

[edit]

Section 3081, "Ensuring public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain in the Hanford Reach National Monument",[11] of the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015[12] directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide public access (including motorized access) to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain. The Yakama Nation objected to opening their sacred site to motorized access.[13] Access was expected to begin in Fall 2019,[14] but it was still closed in October 2020 as the Fish and Wildlife Service has not released a final environmental study amid continued consultations.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Rattlesnake Mountain, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Rattlesnake Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  3. ^ "Maiden Springs Quadrangle". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "Hanford Site Virtual Tours". Department of Energy. Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  5. ^ Bjornstad, Bruce; Karl Fecht (2002-10-19). "Ice-Age Floods Features in the Vicinity of the Pasco Basin and the Hanford Reach National Monument" (.pdf). Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  6. ^ Prengaman, Kate (2014-12-14), "Yakamas unhappy defense bill to open sacred summit to public", The Seattle Times
  7. ^ "Nike Missile Bases: Washington State Cold War Defenses". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  8. ^ "Automation of Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory—Science Education and Opportunity for the 21st Century". Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  9. ^ Cary, Annette (2008-03-22). "DOE to evict Rattlesnake Mountain tenants". Tri-City Herald.
  10. ^ "Rattlesnake Mountain telescope gets new home". Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  11. ^ "Text of H.R. 3979 (113th): Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal … (Passed Congress version)".
  12. ^ "Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (2014 - H.R. 3979)". GovTrack.us.
  13. ^ "Congress Approves Bill to Force Opening Access to Yakama Nation Sacred Site - Last Real Indians". lastrealindians.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018.
  14. ^ McIntosh, Brittany (October 15, 2018). "After 70 years public access to Rattlesnake Mountain summit will re-open next fall". KNDU-TV. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  15. ^ Cary, Annette (October 18, 2020). "'Natural treasure.' Why Rattlesnake Mountain is still closed 6 years after a law passed". Tri-City Herald.
[edit]
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