Geography: Corbett, Oregon, USA

Geography: Corbett, Oregon, USA

Learning Circles

January to May 2007

Places and Perspectives

Elementary School

Grade 5

Franklin Township School

Quakertown, New Jersey, USA

Geography: Corbett, Oregon, USA

Local Geography

There are four regions in our state of Oregon, USA. They are the Coast, Willamette Valley, the Cascades, and Eastern Oregon. They are all very different in many ways.

The Oregon Coast is a beautiful place bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the Coast Range.

East of the Coast Range is the Willamette Valley. It is sometimes called the storehouse for our state, because of its rich resources and fertile farmland. Portland is in the Willamette Valley. Portland is the largest city in Oregon.

The Cascades Mountains form the eastern boundary of the Willamette

Valley. Our community of Corbett is in the foothills of the Cascades.

Mt. Hood (11,235 feet) is also part of the Cascades.

On the other side of the Cascades is Eastern Oregon. It is mostly high desert country, with several mountainous areas. They don't get nearly as much rain as we do on this side of the Cascades. Temperatures range from average lows of 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to average highs of 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.

Oregon has it all-ocean, beaches, mountains, valleys, deserts, rivers, lakes, and forests. Maybe you can visit one day!

Taylor and Ray

Fourth and Third Grades

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Geological Formations

Corbett, Oregon, USA, is at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge. The gorge was carved by the Columbia River, and is about 80 miles long. It is up to 4000 feet deep. Many waterfalls flow into the river. The most famous is Multnomah Falls. It is 620 feet tall; the second highest waterfall in the nation. Just up the road from Corbett is the Vista House. This historical building has just been remodeled. It has a domed roof and marble floor. (A picture is attached.) Views of the gorge are incredible from this point!

Gabrielle and Nathan

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Recreation Activities

Oregon is a wonderful place for water sports. Many people in our area own a boat. There are motorboats, sailboats, kayaks, canoes, and rowboats. Folks like to go boating, water skiing, knee boarding, tubing, swimming, or fishing. Many people go windsurfing at Hood River, about 45 miles up the river is often a strong breeze flowing through the gorge.

Ashley

Fourth Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Mt. Hood

Mt. Hood is about an hour's drive from Corbett. (A picture is attached.) It is the place to go for snow sports. Timberline Lodge has runs for downhill skiing and snowboarding. Ski Bowl and Mt. Hood Meadows do also. Cross-country ski trails are everywhere around the mountain. Lots of people go tubing or sledding at Snowbunny.

Zander and Mitchell

Fourth and Third Grades

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Hiking in Oregon

There are lots of places to camp and hike in Oregon. Some people go to the woods, others to lakes and rivers, some to the mountains, and others to the coast.

My family likes to camp at Devil's Canyon. A lot of people bring their four wheelers to go on trails. People like to climb the mountain. You can also look for tracks. Most people go during the summer.

At night, you can hear the coyotes howl. Coyotes eat meat; others steal food from people. Coyotes usually travel in packs.

There is a lake with trout and rainbow salmon. The fish are two to three feet long. It is a great place to visit!

Ryan

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Local History

Mt. St. Helens is in the state of Washington, but it is only about 50 miles away from Corbett. On March 20, 1980, small earthquakes began occurring beneath the mountain. Ash and steam eruptions became fairly common. Finally, on May 18, 1980, an explosion blew out the north side and destroyed the top 1312 feet of the mountain. The ash cloud rose twelve miles into the air and caused darkness in the middle of the day in eastern Washington. Fifty-seven people died and hundreds of animals were killed. Bridges, roads, timber, and crops were destroyed. Minor eruptions have happened since then. (Pictures are attached.) It was devastating at the time, but animals and plants have now returned.

Leila and Morgan

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Vanport was a town located along the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver. It was completed in 1943 as wartime housing. The people who lived there mostly worked in the shipyards.

Warm temperatures and heavy rains in May 1948, caused mountain snowmelt to occur very fast. Streams and rivers overflowed their banks, and the biggest flood since 1841 filled the Columbia River to overflowing.

Vanport was separated from the river by a railroad track elevated on a dike. On Sunday, May 30th, at 4:17 p.m., the railroad fill gave way.

The town was completely destroyed, with damages to government property totaling over $21 million dollars. (Picture attached.) About 25 lives were lost.

Vanport is completely gone. There are now parks, baseball fields, and the Portland International Raceway in its place.

Seth Parker

Fourth Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Historical Events

In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition to explore the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. Their mission was to search for a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean, map the territory, identify plants and animals, and befriend the Indians. The Corps of Discovery left St. Louis, Missouri in May of 1804. They spent their first winter in what is now North Dakota. In 1805, they crossed the Bitterroot Mountains, with the help of their Indian guide, Sacagawea. They canoed down the Columbia River, passing right by where Corbett is today. They built Fort Clatsop, near what is now Astoria, Oregon, and spent the winter of 1805-06 there. They finally returned to Missouri in 1806. Their expedition encouraged many people to settle in the Oregon Territory.

Jessie and Josh

Fourth and Third Grades

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail started in Independence, Missouri, and stretched 2000 miles to Fort Vancouver, Washington. It took about six months to travel the trail by wagon. People had to leave in the spring as soon as the grass would feed their livestock in order to reach their destination without getting trapped by snow in the mountains. In 1852, more than 10,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail. Once folks reached The Dalles on the Columbia River, they had to make a choice. Some rafted through the rapids and floated down the river, passing right by where Corbett is today. Others continued by land around Mt. Hood on the Barlow Trail.

Vanessa, Alyssa, and Laura

Fourth and Third Grades

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Life in Corbett

In our rural community of Corbett, Oregon, USA, we have one market, the water district, the phone company, post office, volunteer fire department, a church, elementary, middle, and high schools, and several houses. Some people have small farms, and grow hay, Christmas trees, pumpkins, strawberries, or other fruits and vegetables. Since we surrounded by woods, some people are loggers. Most people work in neighboring communities. Temperatures in the summer range from 50-80 degrees

Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures vary from 30-60 degrees Fahrenheit. We are famous for the East Wind, which usually blows from 20-60 mph during the winter. The highest gust recorded at school was 100 miles per hour. Corbett averages 55 inches of rain per year, and from five to ten inches of snow. We often have freezing rain or ice. About 2500 people live within our school district boundaries, which enclose 134 square miles.

Iain and Austin

Fourth and Third Grades

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Place to Live

I'd like to live in Wisconsin, because my grandparents live there. We go visit them once each year, and have lots of fun with them. Every time we visit, we go to the Big Bucket. That is a swimming place with a big bucket filled with water. It spills on you, but the bucket doesn't fall. It's lots of fun!

Brandon

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

I want to live in Costa Rica, because it has lots of cool animals and birds, like the blue-crowned motmot. The blue-crowned motmot is a bird that is very colorful. There are tarantulas, frogs, and snakes. The blue morpho butterfly is big and blue. Sloths live there too. They usually just move when it's dark. I know this because I went there. I would love to live in Costa Rica!

Dana

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Eaglecrest. Eaglecrest is about two to three hours away from Corbett, in central Oregon. It has a lot of golf courses, pools, and recreation centers. Every summer, we go there with our grandparents and cousins. We have a lot of fun!

Morgan

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA
Well, if I could live anywhere, it would have to be Hawaii, because my aunt, uncle, and cousins live there. Plus, every day you can wake up and eat all sorts of fruit, like pineapples and mangoes. One of the fun things you can also do is go swimming with the sea turtles and tropical fish. Also, every day you could go hiking in the forest and find beautiful waterfalls. That's why I would choose Hawaii!

Sascha

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Morgan

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

If I could choose a different place to live, I would choose New Zealand. The reason I would choose New Zealand is because it's usually sunny and hot. I would also like to search for kiwis, a type of bird. Some people go bungee-jumping. I wouldn't do it, because I am too scared. I don't know about you, but I would go for a swim in the Tasman

Sea!

Samantha

Fourth Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Ideal Environment

My ideal environment is named Huckleberry Lane. It has lots of nice people. Huckleberry Lane has lots of fruits and vegetables. The houses are mansions. One of the most famous places in Huckleberry Lane is a candy factory, with some of the newest candies. It even invented

Butterfingers!

Haley

Fourth Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

My environment is a world that is half sun and half snow. It is called Weather. You can rent an RV (recreation vehicle) or live in a house. There is a lake and a pond that you can go fishing in. There are really cool things for children too. School is only twelve minutes long. On the sunny side it is always summer, and on the cold side it is always winter. But that is not the best part-you can spend time with your sweet loving family!

Kelly

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Got a population problem? Get an Aquaterra, the original floating city! With twelve layers and a fishing platform, it is a marvel of engineering. It has five and a half layers of houses and half a layer of hotels. It also has two layers of schools. Additionally, it has a hydroelectric generator and a submarine dock, as well as a laboratory of research on new Aquaterra construction techniques. Each Aquaterra has an above water area. The submarine dock contains twelve two-seater submarines.

Benjamin

Fourth Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

One day, I was walking home and I took the wrong path. It led me to a place; a place nobody knows about. I call it Fantasyland.

It has wonderful trees. If you push on a tree that has a computer, it comes out and you type in what you want. Then you count to five and it comes out. You either eat it or drink it. Garbage cans also come out.

There are about five thousand, eight hundred ninety-two things happening. There are parties, celebrations, and birthbots. Birthbots are just robots that help with birthdays.

Well, that's Fantasyland!

Kassidy

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

My environment called Majestic Clearing would be a quiet little wood with pink and white houses scattered here and there. A little white school and a church with a golden bell on top would also be there. The open areas would have bunnies, deer, horses, foxes, butterflies, and blue jays. I would go to the library everyday and get books. If you went to the river, you would always be able to see mermaids swimming around.

People there are nice and smart. They don't fight with each other, or hurt each other. They are wonderful people. If you were mean or rude, you would go to Majestic Clearing's jail. Really, all you have to do is go to the river. (The sheriff takes you.) Then you jump in the basket. The sheriff would push you gently into the river and you would float to an island covered with black soot. The prisoner is kept there until his/her time is up.

Majestic Clearing is a beautiful place, and I love it!

Alyssa

Third Grade

Corbett Elementary School

Corbett, Oregon, USA

Geography: Lynnwood, Washington, USA

Cascade Mountains

Mount Rainier is very big and it is 14,410 feet tall and 4,392 meters. The Cascade Mountains have vacation houses, Starbucks, diners, restaurants, and bars. There are parks and Camps. You can go camping at camps, play at the parks, and you can also go skiing on the mountains. In the cascades there is a Longmire Museum, visitor Centers, a fast food restaurants, and Hotels and Inns. Paradise Inn is closed for renovations and will reopen on May 2008. Mount Rainer is the tallest volcano in Continental United States of America. Also in the cascades, there are some gas stations in case you run out of gas for your car. There are lots of cities such as Leavenworth, and Darrington. There are landforms such as Mountains and Volcanoes.

The biggest bodies of water we have in the Cascades are Lake Chelan and Lake Wenatchee, but there are many smaller lakes.

In the Cascades, in the winter it will be icy, snowy, wet, and very cold. You can go skiing, snowboarding or just play in the snow. When it is summer, the Cascades can be cool and wet and sometimes very slippery. Douglas-fir trees grow in the Cascades. There are also nice days when you can go hiking and fishing.

Mount Rainer has waterfalls and major glaciers that are very exciting to watch. National park INN is one year round nestled in the forest of Longmire Historic District. You can see picture of the Historical Inn at this site:

During the summer you can go hiking around in the Cascades or even go camping overnight. You can find more information about Mt Rainier National Park at this site :

In the South of Washington State is Mt St Helens: the volcano blew up its top on May 18th 1980. A lot of ash fell over the city of Seattle and a lot of people still keep some of it at home in a container. This volcano can still show some activity and it is still changing. You can see pictures of Mt St Helens eruptive history at

Further north are Mount Baker and the North Cascades. The North Cascades is a National Park. You can go camping, hiking, climbing, boating, fishing, horseback riding or just look at the beautiful scenery as you drive by.

Amy and Dar

Lynnewood Elementary School

Lynnewood, Washington, USA

Puget Sound I-5 Corridor

Puget Sound transportation is by ferryboat, car, or bus. Puget Sound is mostly covered by water. Puget Sound is busy with boats all over filled with cargo going place to place. Did you know that Puget Sound is 100 miles long and has a depth of 180-925 feet? The downtown area of Seattle surrounds Puget Sound. Seattle has a picture perfect view of Puget Sound.

Puget Sound is a beautiful place! There are lots of fun activities around the Puget Sound area, from rock climbing to scuba diving or even sailing. There are lots of theaters and nice places to eat. If you go to Puget Sound you would like it very much!

Seattle has a marine climate that means that in the winter it’s pretty warm! Some people make a living by working at Boeing, Microsoft etc. Lots of flowers grow around I-5 corridor, like tulips, daisies, roses and lots more! The Seattle aquarium has animals that can be found in Puget Sound such as cucumber, jelly fish, crabs, fish, and starfish, also some other things like squid and octopuses.