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89-762: About ten precaldera units have been identified, but none have been attributed to a major edifice like the Mount Baker we see today. Four of the ten units are composed mostly of rhyodacite which is similar in composition to the rhyodacite that was erupted in the climactic eruption. The other six are andesite dikes and scraps of dacite that are outside of the caldera margin; these six are prominent at Barometer Mountain, Slate Mountain, Chowder Ridge, Lake Ann, and Park Glacier . The rhyodacite units can be found at Dobbs Cleaver, Cougar Divide, Deadhorse Creek, and Swift Rainbow divide. Some of these dikes contain pyroclastic material which indicates that explosive activity occurred before

178-420: A confirmed VEI level had a VEI of 2 but two possible eruptions had a VEI of 3. In 1843, explorers reported a widespread layer of newly fallen rock fragments "like a snowfall" and that the forest was "on fire for miles around". These fires were unlikely to have been caused by ashfall, however, as charred material is not found with deposits of this fine-grained volcanic ash , which was almost certainly cooled in

267-439: A county charter approved in 1978; it acts as a county constitution. Whatcom County is one of seven Washington counties to use the home rule charter provision of state law. Local government is split between the county, incorporated cities and towns, and special-purpose districts. These local governments are established and operate according to state law, and operate independently from the county government. The charter establishes

356-528: A court commissioner, and a support staff. The superior court is a court of general jurisdiction. Superior court hears civil cases exceeding $ 75,000 or requesting non-monetary remedies. Superior court hears all juvenile criminal cases and all adult felony cases. Superior court also hears appeals from district court and municipal courts. Superior court staff include three judges, three full-time court commissioners, two part-time court commissioners, and support staff. District and superior court judges are elected by

445-418: A household in the county was $ 40,005, and for a family was $ 49,325. Males had a median income of $ 37,589 versus $ 26,193 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,025. About 7.80% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over. The Whatcom County government is a municipal corporation operating under

534-549: A large agricultural industry that dates back to the late 19th century, when communities transitioned from logging after the removal of forests in the Nooksack Valley. The county produces 60–80 million lb (27–36 million kg) of raspberries annually, which constitutes 99 percent of Washington's crop and typically around 85 percent of the entire U.S. raspberry harvest. The local dairy and egg industries also contribute to $ 200 million in annual sales;

623-547: A large one occurred on July 27, 2007. In early March 1975, a dramatic increase in fumarolic activity and snow melt in the Sherman Crater area raised concern that an eruption might be imminent. Heat flow increased more than tenfold. Additional monitoring equipment was installed and several geophysical surveys were conducted to try to detect the movement of magma. The increased thermal activity prompted public officials and Puget Power to temporarily close public access to

712-426: A portion of Lewis County was partitioned off to form Thurston County , and in 1853 a portion of the new county was partitioned off to form Island County . The Washington Territory was formed as a separate governing entity in 1853. In 1854, that legislature carved several counties out of the existing counties, including Whatcom County on March 9, 1854, with area taken from Island County. The original county boundary

801-504: A presidential election. One member is elected from each of the five districts; two members are elected at-large , which favors candidates who can command a majority of voters. The county council also serves as the county board of health. The executive branch consists of six elected officials, a county executive , and five department heads. The county executive is similar to a mayor or governor. The assessor, auditor, prosecuting attorney, sheriff , and treasurer are elected independently from

890-422: A regional fire authority provide fire prevention, fire fighting, and emergency medical services. Each fire district is governed by an elected board of commissioners. Most districts have three commissioners. Fire districts receive most of their revenue from property taxes. All of the fire districts and the regional fire authority have volunteer or paid-call firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), as does

979-686: A sawmill, and a military fort were established on Bellingham Bay in the 1850s. Logging was the principal economic activity at first, and agriculture developed as land was cleared by logging activity. Canneries, both of fish and crops, shipped the county's products far and wide. Pacific American Fisheries organized in 1899 in Fairhaven, and became the world's largest canning operation, employing over 5,500 residents. Smaller canneries at Semiahmoo also produced 2,000 cases of canned salmon daily. The Fairhaven Shipyard constructed fleets of fishing ships, and also produced freighters during World War I. Whatcom County has

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1068-465: A short-term increase in the county's population, which briefly swelled to over 10,000 before the bubble burst. In 1857 the federal government began the field work necessary to establish the national border between the United States and Canada, which had been agreed on as the forty-ninth parallel in this area, and which would also mark the north line of Whatcom County. As the work moved east, several of

1157-582: A small hydrovolcanic eruption occurred at Sherman Crater, triggering a second collapse of the flank just east of the Roman Wall. That collapse also became a lahar that mainly followed the course of the first lahar for at least 20 mi (32 km), and also spilled into tributaries of the Baker River. Finally, an eruption cloud deposited ash as far as 40 mi (64 km) downwind to the northeast and east. Several eruptions occurred from Sherman Crater during

1246-432: A very high conspicuous craggy mountain ... presented itself, towering above the clouds: as low down as they allowed it to be visible it was covered with snow; and south of it, was a long ridge of very rugged snowy mountains, much less elevated, which seemed to stretch to a considerable distance ... the high distant land formed, as already observed, like detached islands, amongst which the lofty mountain, discovered in

1335-589: Is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington , bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts ) of British Columbia to the north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center

1424-593: Is a 10,781 ft (3,286 m) active glacier -covered andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. Mount Baker has the second-most thermally active crater in the Cascade Range after Mount St. Helens . About 30 miles (48 km) due east of the city of Bellingham , Whatcom County , Mount Baker is the youngest volcano in

1513-406: Is a common mineral around these fumaroles. At Sherman Crater, collapses of this weakened rock generated lahars in the 1840s. Around 6,600 years ago, a series of discrete events culminated in the largest tephra-producing eruption in postglacial time at Mount Baker. This is the last episode of undoubted magmatic activity preserved in the geologic record. First, the largest collapse in the history of

1602-502: Is a court of limited jurisdiction that handles civil and criminal cases. Criminal cases are limited to adults charged with misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor offenses. State law specifies what cases are in the district court's jurisdiction. The district court operates a small claims court to resolve civil cases involving monetary damages not exceeding $ 5,000. No attorneys are permitted to appear in small claims court. Cases are heard using less formal procedures. The district court has two judges,

1691-614: Is drained on the north by streams that flow into the North Fork Nooksack River , on the west by the Middle Fork Nooksack River , and on the southeast and east by tributaries of the Baker River. Lake Shannon and Baker Lake are the largest nearby bodies of water, formed by two dams on the Baker River. Two ammunition ships of the United States Navy (traditionally named for volcanoes) have been named after

1780-460: Is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world; in 1999, Mount Baker Ski Area , located 9 mi (14.5 km) to the northeast, set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season—1,140 in (29 m; 95 ft). Mount Baker is the third-highest mountain in Washington and the fifth-highest in

1869-541: Is in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia . At some periods in the past, one of the Fraser River 's distributaries may have entered Bellingham Bay near Bellingham at or near the modern-day mouth of the Nooksack River . The remainder of Whatcom County is in the Cascade Range , including Mount Baker . In their foothills is Lake Whatcom , which is drained by Whatcom Creek into Bellingham Bay . A small part of

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1958-560: Is involved. A considerable amount of research has been done at Mount Baker over the past decade, and it is now among the most-studied of the Cascade Volcanoes . Recent and ongoing projects include gravimetric and GPS-based geodetic monitoring, fumarole gas sampling, tephra distribution mapping, new interpretations of the Schriebers Meadow lava flow, and hazards analyses. Mapping of Carmelo and Sherman craters, and interpretations of

2047-629: Is located on the Lummi Nation (Lummi Reservation) west of Bellingham. Bellingham Technical College is a public technical and vocational college located in Bellingham. Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private, Christian university based in Langley, BC , about 25 miles (40 km) north of Bellingham. TWU operates a branch campus in Bellingham, offering undergraduate courses and supports TWU's bachelor's degree completion program. Northwest Indian College

2136-473: Is preserved today at Lake Tapps 125 mi (201 km) south of the caldera, and at Washtucna, Washington 300 km southeast of the caldera. While rhyodacite took up the bulk composition of the eruption some andesitic pumice can be sparsely found in the rhyodacite bands. After the eruption, subsequent glacial recession removed most of the tephra fallout near the caldera. Eventually stripping away all remnants of extracaldera ash flows. The eruption that created

2225-700: Is responsible for maintaining the county jail , providing security at the Whatcom County Superior Court, serving civil processes, coordinating emergency management among the county's emergency services, and maintaining law and order in rural areas. The first sheriff was Ellis "Yankee" Barnes who was sworn into office in 1854, during a period in which the border between the United States and British Columbia along Whatcom County had not been fully delineated. That year, Barnes seized and auctioned 34 rams that belonged to Canadian farmer Charles Griffin for Griffin's failure to pay United States taxes. The event

2314-441: Is south of the summit, and its ice-covered floor is 1,000 ft (300 m) below the summit ice dome. This crater is the site of all Holocene eruptive activity. Hundreds of fumaroles vent gases, primarily H 2 O , CO 2 , and H 2 S . Lava flows from the summit vent erupted between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago, and during the final stages of edifice construction, blocky pyroclastic flows entered

2403-685: Is speculated that the eruptive rocks from this volcanic phase formed one or more large andesitic cone now completely removed. [REDACTED] Media related to Kulshan Caldera at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey . 48°50′0″N 121°43′0″W  /  48.83333°N 121.71667°W  / 48.83333; -121.71667 Mount Baker Mount Baker ( Nooksack : Kweq' Smánit ; Lushootseed : təqʷubəʔ ), also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan ,

2492-571: Is the coastal city of Bellingham , comprising the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , and as of the 2020 census , the county's population was 226,847. The county was created from Island County by the Washington Territorial Legislature in March 1854. It originally included the territory of present-day San Juan and Skagit counties, which were later independently organized after additional settlement. Its name derives from

2581-431: Is the largest; it has a surface area of 1,285 acres (5.2 km ). The other large glaciers—which have areas greater than 625 acres (2.5 km )—are Roosevelt Glacier , Mazama Glacier , Park Glacier , Boulder Glacier , Easton Glacier , and Deming Glacier . All retreated during the first half of the century, advanced from 1950 to 1975 and have been retreating with increasing rapidity since 1980. Mount Baker

2670-482: The 2000 census , there were 166,814 people, 64,446 households, and 41,116 families resided in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile (31 people/km ). The 73,893 housing units averaged 35 units per square mile (14 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 88.41% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 2.82% Native American, 2.78% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 2.49% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. About 5.21% of

2759-517: The 2010 census , there were 201,140 people, 80,370 households, and 48,862 families resided in the county. The population density was 95.5 people per square mile (36.9 people/km ). The 90,665 housing units averaged 43.0 units per square mile (16.6 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 3.5% Asian, 2.8% American Indian, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.3% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.8% of

Kulshan caldera - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-511: The Lummi or Halkomelem-speaking peoples , use names for the mountain borrowed from the Nooksack term, as, due to the distance to the mountain from the core homelands of those peoples, only those closely related to the Nooksack might travel to hunt and gather with them at Kwelshán . Thus, the names for Mount Baker in Lummi and Halkomelem are Kwelshan and Kwelxá:lxw respectively. In

2937-435: The Lummi word Xwotʼqom , also spelled [x̣ʷátqʷəm], perhaps meaning 'noisy' or 'noisy water' and referring to a waterfall. Whatcom County has a diversified economy with a significant agricultural base, including approximately 60% of the nation's annual production of raspberries . The Whatcom County area has had known human habitation for at least twelve millennia. At least three aboriginal tribes have been identified in

3026-770: The Mount Meager massif , nor has it erupted frequently. During this period, four episodes of magmatic eruptive activity have been recently recognized. Magmatic eruptions have produced tephra , pyroclastic flows , and lava flows from summit vents and the Schriebers Meadow Cone . The most destructive and most frequent events at Mount Baker have been lahars or debris flows and debris avalanches. Many, if not most, of these were not related to magmatic eruptions, but may have been induced by magma intrusion , steam eruptions, earthquakes , gravitational instability, or possibly even heavy rainfall. Research beginning in

3115-549: The Nooksack and Upper Skagit peoples hunted and gathered on the north and south faces of the mountain. For the Nooksack, Mount Baker is extremely important in traditional religious beliefs, and was historically a great source of wealth (in the form of mountain goat wool, a highly prized commodity) and food. Nooksack families would travel via the North Fork ( Nooksack : Chuw7álich ) or Middle Fork ( Nooksack : Nuxwt'íqw'em ) of

3204-405: The Nooksack River to the alpine meadows where they would set up temporary summer camps to dry picked berries and meat. From those camps, people would disperse across the mountain to pick berries or hunt. The high slopes of the mountain were prime territory for hunting deer, elk, mountain goat, bear, marmot, and grouse. Nooksack families held almost exclusive usage rights to the northwestern areas of

3293-492: The Spanish Navy set sail from Nootka , a temporary settlement on Vancouver Island , with orders to explore the newly discovered Strait of Juan de Fuca . Accompanying Quimper was first-pilot Gonzalo Lopez de Haro , who drew detailed charts during the six-week expedition. Although Quimper's journal of the voyage does not refer to the mountain, one of Haro's manuscript charts includes a sketch of Mount Baker. The Spanish named

3382-764: The Treaty of 1818 provided for joint control. In 1827 the Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Langley near present Lynden. By 1843, the Provisional Government of Oregon had been established, although at first there were questions as to its authority and extent. During its existence, that provisional government formed the area north of the Columbia River first into the Washington Territory, and then (December 19, 1845) into two vast counties: Clark and Lewis. In 1852,

3471-428: The last ice age (which culminated 15,000–20,000 years ago), by thick ice sheets that filled the valleys and surrounded the volcano. In the last 14,000 years, the area around the mountain has been largely ice-free, but the mountain itself remains heavily covered with snow and ice. Isolated ridges of lava and hydrothermally altered rock, especially in the area of Sherman Crater, are exposed between glaciers on

3560-686: The 19th century; they were witnessed from the Bellingham area. A possible eruption was seen in June 1792 during the Spanish expedition of Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés . Their report read, in part: During the night [while anchored in Bellingham Bay] we constantly saw light to the south and east of the mountain of Carmelo [Baker] and even at times some bursts of flame, signs which left no doubt that there are volcanoes with strong eruptions in those mountains. Most of Mount Baker's eruptions that have

3649-408: The 19th-century lake is now covered by waters of the modern dam-impounded Baker Lake . Similar but lower-level hydrovolcanic activity at Sherman Crater continued intermittently for several decades afterward. On 26 November 1860, passengers who were traveling by steamer from New Westminster to Victoria reported that Mount Baker was "puffing out large volumes of smoke, which upon breaking, rolled down

Kulshan caldera - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-609: The Cascade Range, if Little Tahoma Peak , a subpeak of Mount Rainier, and Shastina , a subpeak of Mount Shasta , are not counted. Located in the Mount Baker Wilderness , it is visible from much of Greater Victoria , Nanaimo , and Greater Vancouver in British Columbia , and to the south, from Seattle (and on clear days Tacoma ) in Washington. Indigenous peoples have known the mountain for thousands of years, but

3827-617: The City of Lynden Fire Department. The City of Bellingham is an all-career department. Some of the districts also have full-time firefighter/EMTs. All fire districts use 9-1-1 for emergency calls. Whatcom County has one 9-1-1 call center located in Bellingham. Fire/EMS calls are processed and dispatched at a second public safety answering point called Prospect, located at a fire station in Bellingham. Additional dispatching locations provide backup capacity to answer emergency calls. Whatcom County Fire Districts are: The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office

3916-508: The Mount Baker volcanic field. While volcanism has persisted here for some 1.5 million years, the current volcanic cone is likely no more than 140,000 years old, and possibly no older than 80–90,000 years. Older volcanic edifices have mostly eroded away due to glaciation. After Mount Rainier , Mount Baker has the heaviest glacier cover of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker, 0.43 cu mi (1.79 km )

4005-534: The Puget Sound region. Isaac I. Stevens , the first governor of Washington Territory , wrote about Mount Baker in 1853: Mount Baker ... is one of the loftiest and most conspicuous peaks of the northern Cascade range; it is nearly as high as Mount Rainier, and like that mountain, its snow-covered pyramid has the form of a sugar-loaf. It is visible from all the water and islands ... [in Puget Sound] and from

4094-536: The Waldorf School. Whatcom County hosts five institutions of higher education. Western Washington University (Western) is the third-largest public university in Washington. Western offers bachelor's and master's degrees through seven colleges and enrolls more than 15,000 students. Whatcom Community College is a public community college offering academic certificate programs and associate degrees. Two universities and two colleges are located in Bellingham. One college

4183-561: The act of going hunting up on the slopes. The third main name for the mountain is Spelhpálhx̠en , meaning "many meadows," refers to the sheltered meadows below around 5,500 feet. The Upper Skagit peoples , who live in the closest proximity to the south face of the mountain along the Skagit River watershed, call the mountain təqʷubəʔ in Lushootseed , which means "permanently snow-covered mountain." Other Indigenous peoples, such as

4272-415: The afternoon by the third lieutenant, and in compliment to him called by me Mount Baker, rose a very conspicuous object ... apparently at a very remote distance. Six years later, the official narrative of this voyage was published, including the first printed reference to the mountain. By the mid-1850s, Mount Baker was a well-known feature on the horizon to the explorers and fur traders who traveled in

4361-512: The area: Lummi (San Juan Islands, between Point Whitehorn and Chuckanut Bay), Nooksack (between Lynden and Maple Falls) and Semiahmoo (the northern portion, near Blaine). This area was part of the Oregon Country at the start of the nineteenth century, inhabited both by fur prospectors from Canada and Americans seeking land for agricultural and mineral-extraction opportunities. Unable to resolve which country should control this vast area,

4450-479: The atmosphere before falling. Rivers south of the volcano were reportedly clogged with ash, and Native Americans reported that many salmon perished. Reports of flooding on the Skagit River from the eruption are, however, probably greatly exaggerated. A short time later, two collapses of the east side of Sherman Crater produced two lahars, the first and larger of which flowed into the natural Baker Lake, increasing its level by at least 10 feet (3.0 m). The location of

4539-496: The caldera was significantly larger in volume than the one that produced Crater Lake in Oregon . After the climactic eruption between 1.149 and 0.99 million years ago, about a dozen dike -fed eruptions produced rhyodacitic lava domes and lava flows inside the caldera. Another volcanic phase 1.1 to 0.5 million years ago emplaced over 60 andesite dikes, the eruptive products of which have since been stripped away by glacial erosion. It

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4628-414: The climactic eruption. Formation of the caldera about 1.149 million years ago was accompanied by the largest eruption in the history of the Mount Baker volcanic field. The eruption was subglacial, blasting upward through the continental ice sheet. Over 124 km (29.7 cubic miles) of rhyodacite magma erupted from a shallow magma chamber in an ultra-plinian eruption. The magma in this water/ice interaction

4717-405: The closest proximity to the north face of the mountain, have multiple names for different areas of the mountain. The name Kweq' Smánit , meaning "white mountain," refers to Mount Baker as a whole, and specifically, to the glacier-covered summit above 7,000 feet. The open slopes of Mt. Baker, between about 5,000 feet and 7,000 feet, are known as Kwelshán , meaning "shooting place," referring to

4806-532: The county are geared to cross-border shopping and recreation. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 2,503 square miles (6,480 km ), of which 2,107 square miles (5,460 km ) is land and 397 square miles (1,030 km ), or 16%, is covered by water. Western Whatcom County is part of the Fraser Lowland , the plain of the Fraser River , most of which

4895-451: The county executive and council. These six officials serve four-year terms. The county council establishes various departments by ordinance. The county council or county executive appoint department heads. These departments include administrative services, health, medical examiner, planning and development services, parks and recreation, and public works. The judicial branch consists of a district court and superior court. The district court

4984-430: The county had an estimated 48,964 dairy cows in 2007. Cross-border activity is also a significant driver of the economy. Whatcom County residents are served by public and private schools, providing preschool, primary (K-5), and secondary (6–12) education. Public schools are operated by eight school districts. Each school district is an independent local government managed by an elected school board. Seven districts serve

5073-483: The county voters for a term of four years. Court commissioners are appointed by elected judges; commissioners have powers and responsibilities equal to elected judges. Whatcom County has been largely Democratic in presidential elections since 1988. Since 2004, the Democratic presidential candidates have received the majority of the county's vote. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden handily won the county with just over 60% of

5162-623: The county, Point Roberts , about 5 square miles (13 km ), is an extension of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, which is bisected by the Canada–US border along the 49th parallel. The highest point in the county is the peak of the active volcano Mount Baker at 10,778 feet (3,285 m) above sea level. The lowest points are at sea level along the Salish Sea , an arm of the Pacific Ocean. As of

5251-441: The eruptive history, continue, as well. The Mount Baker Volcano Research Center maintains an online archive of abstracts of this work, and an extensive references list, as well as photos. Mount Baker has an alpine tundra climate ( ET ) Eleven named glaciers descend from Mount Baker. Two additional glaciers ( Hadley Glacier and Sholes Glacier ) descend from lower slopes detached from the main glacial mass. The Coleman Glacier

5340-425: The first written record of the mountain is from Spanish explorer Gonzalo Lopez de Haro , who mapped it in 1790 as Gran Montaña del Carmelo . The explorer George Vancouver later named the mountain for 3rd Lieutenant Joseph Baker of HMS Discovery , who saw it on April 30, 1792. Mount Baker is known to the several Indigenous peoples surrounding the mountain by different names. The Nooksack , who live in

5429-525: The geophysical surveys, nor were any other precursory activities observed that would indicate that magma was moving up into the volcano. Several small lahars formed from material ejected onto the surrounding glaciers and acidic water was discharged into Baker Lake for many months. Activity gradually declined over the next two years, but stabilized at a higher level than before 1975. The increased level of fumarolic activity has continued at Mount Baker since 1975, but no other changes suggest that magma movement

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5518-411: The language of the unidentified "Koma tribe," the name is Tukullum or Nahcullum. The first Europeans to see and name the mountain were the Spanish. Gonzalo Lopez de Haro was the first European to record the mountain, calling it Gran Montaña del Carmelo , meaning "Great Mount Carmel ". The current English name for the mountain, Mount Baker, was chosen by George Vancouver . Vancouver named

5607-465: The late 1990s shows that Mount Baker is the youngest of several volcanic centers in the area and one of the youngest volcanoes in the Cascade Range. The Pliocene Hannegan caldera is preserved 16 miles (25 km) northeast of Mount Baker Volcanic activity in the Mount Baker volcanic field began more than one million years ago, but many of the earliest lava and tephra deposits have been removed by glacial erosion . The pale-colored rocks northeast of

5696-410: The modern volcano mark the site of the ancient (1.15  million years old) Kulshan caldera that collapsed after an enormous ash eruption one million years ago. Subsequently, eruptions in the Mount Baker area have produced cones and lava flows of andesite , the rock that constitutes much of the other Cascade Range volcanoes such as Rainier, Adams , and Hood . From about 900,000  years ago to

5785-557: The mountain for 3rd Lieutenant Joseph Baker of HMS Discovery , who saw it on April 30, 1792. Mount Baker is sometimes also known by the alternative English name "Kulshan" which is the Anglicized form of the Nooksack name Kwelshán . The other related name, "Koma Kulshan," is likely the Anglicized version of the Nooksack phrase, Kwóma Kwelshán , meaning "go up into the mountains to Kwelshán ." Prior to European colonization,

5874-539: The mountain, while the usage rights to the southeastern half were held by Skagit families. Certain families of tribes such as the Lummi or Halkomelem-speaking peoples could travel to the mountain if they were intermarried and closely allied with Nooksack families. This meant that some groups which had more hostile relations with the Nooksack, such as the Thompson, were generally barred from the mountain. In 1790, Manuel Quimper of

5963-537: The mountain. After approaching via the North Fork of the Nooksack River, the party navigated through what is now known as Coleman Glacier and ascended to within several hundred feet of the summit before turning back in the face of an "overhanging cornice of ice" and threatening weather. Coleman later returned to the mountain after two years. At 4:00 pm on August 17, 1868, Coleman, Eldridge, Tennant and two new companions (David Ogilvy and Thomas Stratton) scaled

6052-426: The mountain. Ice-filled Carmelo Crater is under the summit ice dome. This crater is the source for the last cone-building eruptions The highest point of Mount Baker, Grant Peak, is on the exposed southeast rim of Carmelo Crater, which is a small pile of andesitic scoria lying on top of a stack of lava flows just below. Carmelo Crater is deeply dissected on its south side by the younger Sherman Crater. This crater

6141-569: The mountain. The first was USS Mount Baker (AE-4) , which was commissioned from 1941 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1969. In 1972, the Navy commissioned USS Mount Baker (AE-34) . She was decommissioned in 1996 and placed in service with the Military Sealift Command as USNS Mount Baker (T-AE-34). She was scrapped in 2012. Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County ( / ˈ w ɒ t k ə m / , / ˈ hw ɒ t k ə m / )

6230-420: The popular Baker Lake recreation area and to lower the reservoir's water level by 33 feet (10 m). If those actions had not been taken, significant avalanches of debris from the Sherman Crater area could have swept directly into the reservoir, triggering a disastrous wave that could have caused human fatalities and damage to the reservoir. Other than the increased heat flow, few anomalies were recorded during

6319-550: The population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of people of European ancestry, 15.5% identified as German , 9.2% as English , 8.2% as Dutch , 7.9% as Irish , 7.0% as Norwegian , and 6.6% as United States or American ancestry. Of the 64,446 households, 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were not families. About 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who

6408-452: The population. In terms of ancestry, 20.8% were German, 12.8% were Irish, 12.6% were English, 8.0% were Dutch, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American . Of the 80,370 households, 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.2% were not families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

6497-498: The present, numerous andesitic volcanic centers in the area have come and disappeared through glacial erosion. The largest of these cones is the Black Buttes edifice, active between 500,000 and 300,000  years ago and formerly bigger than today's Mount Baker. Mount Baker was built from stacks of lava and volcanic breccia prior to the end of the last glacial period , which ended about 15,000 years ago. Two craters are on

6586-476: The snow-covered sides of the mountain, forming a pleasing effect of light and shade." In 1891, about 15 km (3.6 cu mi) of rock fell producing a lahar that traveled more than 6 mi (9.7 km) and covered 1 sq mi (2.6 km ). Activity in the 20th century decreased from the 19th century. Numerous small debris avalanches fell from Sherman Peak and descended the Boulder Glacier;

6675-748: The snowy volcano La Gran Montana del Carmelo , as it reminded them of the white-clad monks of the Carmelite Monastery. The British explorer George Vancouver left England a year later. His mission was to survey the northwest coast of North America. Vancouver and his crew reached the Pacific Northwest coast in 1792. While anchored in Dungeness Bay on the south shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Joseph Baker made an observation of Mount Baker, which Vancouver recorded in his journal: About this time

6764-451: The structure of Whatcom County government. The Whatcom County Council holds legislative powers granted to counties. The council consists of seven members elected for a term of four years. Council members are elected at the general election in November of odd-numbered years. Three council members are elected one year before a presidential election; four council members are elected one year after

6853-497: The summit via the Middle Fork Nooksack River, Marmot Ridge, Coleman Glacier, and the north margin of the Roman Wall. The present-day cone of Mount Baker is relatively young, perhaps less than 100,000 years old. The volcano sits atop a similar older volcanic cone called Black Buttes , which was active between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago. Much of Mount Baker's earlier geological record eroded away during

6942-410: The upper flanks of the volcano; the lower flanks are steep and heavily vegetated . Volcanic rocks of Mount Baker and Black Buttes rest on a foundation of non-volcanic rocks. Deposits recording the last 14,000 years at Mount Baker indicate that Mount Baker has not had highly explosive eruptions like those of other volcanoes in the Cascade Volcanic Arc , such as Mount St. Helens , Glacier Peak , or

7031-480: The volcano occurred from the Roman Wall and transformed into a lahar that was over 300 feet (91 m) deep in the upper reaches of the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River. It was at least 25 ft (7.6 m) deep 30 mi (48 km) downstream from the volcano. At that time, the Nooksack River is believed to have drained north into the Fraser River ; this lahar is unlikely to have reached Bellingham Bay . Next,

7120-433: The volcano's southeastern drainages. An eruption from Sherman Crater 6,600 years ago erupted a blanket of ash that extended more than 40 mi (64 km) to the east. Today, sulfurous gases reach the surface via two fumarole pathways: Dorr Fumarole, northeast of the summit, and Sherman Crater , south of the summit. Both are sites of hydrothermal alteration , converting lavas to weak, white-to-yellow clays ; sulfur

7209-419: The vote, as did Kamala Harris four years later. Incorporated cities and towns provide municipal services. Each city or town has an elected council and mayor. Special-purpose districts include cemetery, fire, hospital, library, school, and water and sewer districts. Each special district is governed by officials elected by voters within that jurisdiction. Eleven fire districts, two city fire departments, and

7298-555: The western portion of Whatcom County. One district serves the southeast corner of Whatcom County. The remaining portion of the county is national forest or national park land, which has no permanent residents. These districts (including any with any portion in the county, even if the schools are not in the county) are: Numerous private schools operate in Whatcom County, including Assumption Catholic School, St. Paul's Academy, Lynden Christian Schools, Bellingham Christian Schools, and

7387-826: The whole southeastern part of the Gulf of Georgia, and likewise from the eastern division of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is for this region a natural and important landmark. Edmund Thomas Coleman, an Englishman who resided in Victoria, British Columbia , Canada and a veteran of the Alps , made the first attempt to ascend the mountain in 1866. He chose a route via the Skagit River , but was forced to turn back when local Native Americans refused him passage. Later that same year, Coleman recruited Whatcom County settlers Edward Eldridge, John Bennett, and John Tennant to aid him in his second attempt to scale

7476-565: The workers chose to remain in the area as settlers. Whatcom County's northern border is the Canada–US border with the Canadian province of British Columbia . Adjoining the county on the north (from west to east) are the Metro Vancouver suburbs of Delta , Surrey , Langley , the central Fraser Valley city of Abbotsford and the rural Fraser Valley Regional District . The border crossing points are (from west to east): Several shopping malls and other services in Bellingham and elsewhere in

7565-448: Was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 36.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 49,031 and for a family was $ 64,586. Males had a median income of $ 47,109 versus $ 34,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 25,407. About 7.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over. As of

7654-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was distributed as 24.10% under the age of 18, 14.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for

7743-629: Was one of several provocations that led to the Pig War between the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1863 James Kavanaugh served as sheriff. Kavanaugh, who married Princess Tol Sol of the Swinomish tribe, had previously served as the first United States Marshal in the Pacific Northwest . In 2005 the sheriff's office reported 80 deputies and 53 corrections officers on staff. Coal mines,

7832-407: Was quenched and shattered in phreatomagmatic explosions to produce only small fragments of pumice. As the magma escaped from the shallow reservoir, the rock above it collapsed downward forming a massive 4.5 x 8 km (2.8 x 5 mi) depression. As the eruption progressed, the caldera was filled with up to 1,000 meters (3,280 ft.) of ignimbrite and tephra . Tephra fell beyond the limits of the ice sheet and

7921-482: Was reduced in 1873 by the formation of San Juan County , and again in 1883 by the formation of Skagit County . In 1855 the settlers erected a blockhouse west of Whatcom Creek, to protect against forays from the aboriginal inhabitants who were attempting to defend their homelands. That year the Treaty of Point Elliott was signed, which assigned the Lummi and Semiahmoo peoples a greatly-restricted reserved area. The short-lived Fraser Canyon Gold Rush (1857–58) caused

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