MELBA, Idaho — Celebration Park in Canyon County takes visitors on a journey through history, dating back 17,000 years.

Running along the Snake River, the park’s history starts with the geological event that shaped the landscape, the Bonneville Flood.

“A volcanic eruption, they think, diverted more water into Lake Bonneville, causing it to go up higher and hit a soft sediment layer at Preston, Idaho, and then it burst through and went up to the Snake River,” said Nichole Schwend, Canyon County director of culture and natural resources.

The prehistoric flood knocked down basalt columns. The pressure from the water rounded the columns into boulders, Schwend said.

The Shoshone, Bannock and the Northern Paiute people later chiseled petroglyphs onto the boulders, Schwend said. The meaning o

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