Chelan Falls Chelan County, Washington
Mapped Location
Chelan Falls: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Chelan Falls
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Chelan Falls
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Chelan Falls | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Chelan Falls
References to Chelan Falls that document the origin of its place name
CHELAN. This is an Indian word to which two meanings have been given. Henry Gannett, of the United States Geological Survey, says it means "deep water." (Place Names in the United States.) John B. Wapato, grandson of Chief John Wapato, says he learned from his grandfather that the word means "land of bubbling water." (L. B. Sines, in Names MSS., Letter 860.) Probably the first time it was reduced to writing was by Alexander Ross, 1810-1813, and he showed its true Indian character by the spelling as follows: "passed a small but rapid stream, called by the native Tsill-ane, which descended over the rocks in white broken sheets." (Oregon Settlers, page 149.) The name has been given a wide geographic use. A long narrow lake extends from near the Columbia River for sixty miles pack into the Cascade Mountains. For a long time it was said to be "bottomless" in depth. Its depth is now known to extend below sea level. As applied to this lake the name might well mean "deep water." The lake drains into the Columbia River through the swift Chelan River in which are the Chelan Falls, and at the southern end of the lake is the town of Chelan. Chelan Butte has a height of 8892 feet, and overlooking the deep waters is a rugged ridge known as Chelan Mountains. In 1899 a new county was planned to be known as Wenatchee. The law was approved on March 18 of that year, but the name of the new county had been changed to Chelan.
Chelan County
- Appleyard
- Ardenvoir
- Azwell
- Berne
- Blewett (historical)
- City of Cashmere
- City of Chelan
- Chelan Falls
- Chiwaukum
- Chumstick
- Coles Corner
- Domke Lake Resort
- Dryden
- City of Entiat
- Entiat (historical)
- Farris
- Granite Falls
- Greens Landing
- Holden (historical)
- Hollywood Beach
- Lake Chelan Hills
- City of Leavenworth
- Lucerne
- Malaga
- Manson
- Maplecreek
- Merritt
- Monitor
- Moore
- Nason Creek
- Olds
- Peshastin
- Plain
- Shrine Beach
- Stayman
- Stehekin
- Sunnybank
- Sunnyslope
- Telma
- Trinity
- Wagnersburg
- City of Wenatchee
- Wenatchee Heights
- West Wenatchee
- Winesap
- Winton
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2017-06-28