History
The pre-historic Missoula floods began in western Montana fifteen to twenty-thousand years ago. These large floods altered the landscape of the Columbia River valley and flooded the Willamette Valley. Many rocks were transported down the Columbia encased in icebergs and deposited from Montana through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon when the flood waters receded and the ice melted.
One of these 40-short-ton (36 t) erratics was deposited on a 250-foot (76 m) tall hill in the Yamhill Valley portion of the Willamette Valley. Purchased from the Duerst and Ramsby families in 1956, the park was originally named the Erratic Rock Wayside. In 1996, the park was one of the state parks selected for closure due to budget problems. The Oregon Legislative Assembly came-up with funding to avoid the closure. The park received a new historical marker along the road in June 2005 in a ceremony featuring state senator Gary George.
Read more about this topic: Erratic Rock State Natural Site
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