Written for Arcadia Press Images of America series in 2020 for a spring 2021 release. Photos by John M. Kemble.

Excerpts from Images of America: Dry Falls and Sun Lakes, 2021
In the 1930’s “Vista House” was a common name; “vista” referred to the panoramic view, and the view from inside the house certainly lived up to its name. What began as a generic name that was more a description over time became the formal name of the building. Page 27.
For most people at the time, the chance to be up 400 feet in the air was unique and quite thrilling. Children would dare each other to walk out to the end, even though it was all perfectly safe. At the time of its construction and for many years afterward, the walkway tested the nerve of many visitors. Page 28.
The huge rock in the center of Dry Falls is known as Umatilla, but that was not always so. The north end that sits above Dry Falls Lake was once called “The Sphinx”, named after the famous figure in Egypt, which it resembles when viewed from the side, especially at sunset. Page 29.
The south end was known as Battleship Rock because of its shape and perhaps the “wake” composed of basalt talus slope. The center part of the almost mile-long rock formation is usually forgotten by photographers. Altogether, it makes what is called Umatilla on maps and by locals. Page 29.
Monument Coulee is home to two seasonal lakes, Green Lake and Red Alkali Lake. Both are in the in the very back of cataract and traditionally have been pretty rugged, attracting more hikers and nature enthusiasts than fisherman. Page 34.
At a time before most people considered artifact preservation, and in order to drive up tourism, people were allowed to take parts of the fossils they found home as souvenirs. A couple of rockhounds vacationing at Soap Lake and searching the Fossil Beds for petrified wood discovered the famous Rhino Cave of Blue Lake. Page 32
The old Scenic Highway on the west side of Park Lake became gated, and its blacktop surface turned into a one-and-a-half-mile walking trail traveling the length of the lake. From it, one can gaze over the waters of Park Lake onto the new Highway 17, created in the 1950s. Page 123.
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