Much of the landscape of what we now call the Pacific Northwest was shaped by a geologic catastrophe of nearly biblical proportions. At the end of the last ice age, massive floods swept through the region, leaving behind landforms and artifacts so unusual that they now seem completely out of place. Though they took place 15,000 years ago, the Lake Missoula floods still have the power to mystify us, captivate our imaginations, and even shape the way we live.