"What is a Coulee"

To hear this word spoken - click the speaker icon

A Coulee is:

• a broad shallow valley
• a deep depression or ravine in the land that is usually dry in the summer

There are quite a few theories for the development of the coulees we see today. In any case, it is known that the coulees were originally formed by the final glaciation of the Pleistocene, known as the Wisconsin glaciation. When the glaciers of the Wisconsin retreated, large amounts of water flooded the Saskatchewan landscape. These meltwaters forged the dry valleys that lead into the Qu'Appelle River. These dry valleys are called coulees. Geomorphologists have began to think the coulees we see today aren't entirely the product of the Wisconsin glaciation.

Copyright © Coulee House Cottages 2009 - Web Design by Sigma Software