Under pressure from the government, Chief Moses traded the Columbia Basin land for a reservation that stretched from Lake Chelan north to the Canada–US border. The government later traded again for what is now the Colville Indian Reservation. The new settlers named the lake in honor of Chief Moses.

Moses Lake is over 18 miles long. It covers 6,500 acres of water and has over 120 miles of shoreline. The many launch and landing sites along the shoreline allow both tourists and residents to find their special place on the water in Moses Lake.