Ellen Bishop

Geologist, Writer, Photographer

Wallowa County, OR

8/20/21

Gathered atop a hill that overlooks Wallowa Lake, Ellen Bishop (with her dog Pepper at her side) introduced Semester in the West to the local geology of Wallowa County and the nearby Eagle Cap Wilderness Area. From our perch at the Old Chief Joseph grave site outside of the town of Joseph, Oregon, Ellen pointed to the southeast and directed our attention to the large hill that makes up the perimeter of nearly half the lake. Called a lateral moraine, the feature is a signature geologic landmark of the area. Ellen encouraged us to imagine the geologic structure that lies beneath the dry grass. The moraine is composed of compacted gravel that originated in the nearby Wallowa mountains. It was transported by glaciers that covered the area until the end of the Pleistocene Era. These same glaciers are responsible for many of the geomorphological features of the area, but Ellen pushes us to think even further and consider how the features might be viewed and understood by the long held indigenous understandings of this place. That consideration is at the heart of the work Ellen now does. A former geology professor turned full-time author and photographer, Ellen has recently embarked on a new project in the field of ethnogeology: the study of how geological features are understood by indigenous communities around the globe. By pairing her geology expertise with the creation stories of the Nez Perce, Ellen hopes to acknowledge the overlap of indigenous knowledge and stories with geologic history. Through her work Ellen brings a deeper understanding of the Wallowa Valley to the people who call this place home, both past and present.

By Alli Shinn