The Saltese Flats is a

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

located in Spokane County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The flats are occupied by the residual

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s of the now-drained Saltese Lake. The term Saltese Flats is generally used to refer to both the flat and the occupying wetlands. The wetlands—which are overlooked by the

Saltese Uplands The Saltese Uplands Conservation Area is a 522 acre conservation area in Spokane County in the U.S. state of Washington. The conservation area covers the Saltese Uplands, which are situated on the western slope of the Holiday Hills, immediately t ...

—are primarily fed by Quinnamose and

Saltese Creek Saltese Creek is an approximately long stream in Spokane County, Washington, United States. Originally only , the lower of the stream, along with around of drainage canals were dug to drain Saltese Lake. The stream now functions as one of two p ...

s, and are also emptied by the latter. The wetlands were originally drained for

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, but the Spokane County Environmental Services are actively trying to restore them. The primary goal is to restore the wetlands, and increase late summer water flow into the Spokane River (via the Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer).

History

The area known as the Saltese Flats, was once a Lake (even larger than the nearby Liberty Lake), but was

drained ''Drained'', (Portuguese: ''O Cheiro do Ralo'') is a 2006 Brazilian dark comedy film based on a novel by Lourenço Mutarelli. It was directed by Heitor Dhalia, and stars Selton Mello. The film was produced by Geração Conteúdo, Primo Filmes & R ...

by Peter Morrison in the 1890s so he could grow Timothy hay on the dry lakebed. Starting in 1894, Morrison used hired laborers and horses to dig of drainage canals diverting water into

. Within weeks of the canals being finished, the lake had completely drained. The creek, which originally ended at the lake, now carries water an additional before terminating at what is now known as Shelley Lake. The Lake—originally spelled "Seltice" Lake—was named after

Chief Andrew Seltice Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, who lived in a home on the west side of the lake.

References

{{coord, 47.629, -117.129, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-WA, display=title Wetlands of Washington (state) Spokane, Washington Landforms of Spokane County, Washington Former lakes of the United States