[4] This town, which was only a few miles south of Locke Island, was abandoned when the Hanford Site was constructed under the Manhattan Project.

Erosion during the wet season of 1996–1997 unearthed material that had previously lain 4 meters (13 ft) below the island's surface, indicating the presence of people as early as 2,000 years ago.

[3] As white settlers moved into the Columbia Basin, Native Americans found less use for Locke Island and the surrounding fish encampments.

[5] The site was surrounded by a wide security buffer to prevent information about the secret project from being leaked.

Much of the security buffer, including Locke Island, was placed in Hanford Reach National Monument in 2000 and continues to be closed to the public.

[9] Much of this is eroded remains of the Ringold Formation, which was placed by the Columbia River between 9 and 3 million years ago.

This destabilization has caused portions of the cliff to slump into the river, including a large one at Locke Island.

This erosion threatens the cultural artifacts left by millennia of human habitation before European settlement as well as salmon spawning sites downstream.

[16] Flora on the island are similar to other regions of Eastern Washington and consist primarily of native grasses and short shrubs like sagebrush.