Moses Lake received its name from Chief Moses of a tribe of Indians inhabiting the area. He is said to have received the name of Moses from a group of Presbyterian missionaries. He was known as Chief Sulkalthscosum.
He was born in 1829 and as chief was one of the most influential Indian leaders in Eastern Washington. In the mid to late 1800's; Chief Moses' tribe remained around the Basin until 1876, the murder of a couple near Rattlesnake Springs caused Chief Moses trouble. The military blamed the incident on Chief Moses. He was ordered to stand trial in Yakima after being captured near O'Sulivian Dam. Chief Moses was found innocent and he also went to Washington DC where he talked with President Rutherford B. Hayes. After the Washington DC meeting the Columbia Basin was opened for homesteading and Chief Moses moved to the Methow Valley area.
With the homesteading shortly there after, farmers began the town of Neppel in the early 1900's. In 1938 the people of Neppel voted to incorporate the town and to change its name to Moses Lake, after the name of the body of water beside it. The farmers prospered after the construction of Grand Coulee Dam.
Moses Lake is one of Washington State's largest fresh water lakes over 120 miles of shore and covers 6,500 acres. It is also Grant County's largest fresh water body comprising three main areas of the lake with numerous recreation areas. Situated in the Columbian Basin, not only is it a place to recreate for fisherman, game-bird hunters, deer & elk hunters, but it is also a major agricultural area.
Moses Lake is often described as a desert oasis with over 300 days of sunshine a year. Situated on I-90 with State Highway 17 intersected as well, it is a commercial hub of the area. The altitude around Moses Lake is 1,046 feet of level to rolling countryside.
Agriculture has been important in Grant County since homesteading began with the pioneer farmers of Noppel around 1910.
Major crops include wheat, alfalfa, potatoes, sugar beets, corn, beans, peas and others. Also important are the fruit crops of grapes, apples and cherries. Dairy and beef cattle also have a place in the basin agriculture.
Besides irrigated agriculture there is dry land farming which produces cereal and also livestock grains.
The building of Grand Coulee Dam proved the Columbian Basin with thousands of miles of irrigation canals to bring water to the farmlands of the Columbian Basin.
Besides the agriculture, has grown a host of goods and services. Processing plants continue with raw agriculture products to get them ready for their respective markets.
Grant County located in central Washington has been a county since 1909. It is a large county, between 80-100 miles from north at Grand Coulee Dam to it's southern most point and as much as 50 miles wide in certain areas. Evan at this size, it was once part of Douglas County. When Douglas County split around 1909, the new division was named Grant after General U.S. Grant. Ephrata is the county seat. The county contains some 2700 square miles.
Grant County is largely agricultural with the Columbian Basin Project making much of the 2700 square miles of irrigable land and agriculture related industry of prime importance.
Adams County lies mostly south of I-90 and Ritzville. To the west it encompasses Othello, the county's largest city and to the south, Hatton one of the states smallest towns. State Highway 26 lies just within the southern bounds of Adams County.
Potholes Recreation Area and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge are minutes from Othello. The county is rural with areas for water sports, hiking, camping and fishing.
