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Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island.
Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island, accessed from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken February 19, 2013.
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Bonneville Dam ...
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The Bonneville Dam is a hydroelectric dam built across three islands -
Robins, Bradford, and Cascade - at Columbia River Mile (RM) 145.5. Once known as the "Cascade Rapids", this area was a major obstacle to navigation on the Columbia.
The Rapids were a result of the Bonneville Landslide, a massive landslide which gave rise to the legend of the Bridge of the Gods.
Bonneville Dam is located downstream of the Bridge of the Gods and Cascade Locks.
On the Washington side of the Columbia River, the dam is located upstream of Beacon Rock, Hamilton Island, and the Washington community of North Bonneville.
On the Oregon side of the Columbia the dam is located across from the community of Bonneville and the Bonneville Fish Hatchery and Sturgeon Center, and upstream of Tanner Creek, the location of Lewis and Clark's campsite of April 9, 1806.
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Flags, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island.
Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island, accessed from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken February 7, 2009.
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Captain Bonneville ...
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Bonneville, Oregon, Bonneville Dam, and
North Bonneville, Washington, were named after
Captain (later Brig. General) Benjamin L.E. Bonneville, a West Point graduate who explored the west from 1832 to 1835, visiting many parts of northeast Oregon, although never getting any further west than the John Day River. Bonneville Post Office, Oregon, was established in 1900, and the railway along the Columbia maintained a Bonneville Station for many years.
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Early History ...
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In the early 1930s the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers examined locations between the mouth of the Sandy River to the Upper Cascades, before settling in 1933 on the Lower Cascades as a location for their new dam. The new dam site would be built across the lower end of
Bradford Island, connected to a piece of bedrock called "Bonny Rock" (the high point on Bradford Island).
The first power generated at the Bonneville Powerhouse was produced in March 1938. A formal dam opening was held on July 9, 1938, when the U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Harold Ickes) tripped a switch and sent electricity to the City of Cascade Locks.
Additional work was completed on the dam in 1942 and 1943.
The Spillway Dam is 1,450 feet and sits 197 feet above bedrock. There are 36 gates. The total dam length (3 structures) is 3,463 feet.
The 1938 Lock was 76 feet wide by 500 feet long with a minimum lift of 30 feet and a maximum lift of 70 feet. It took 20 to 25 minutes to fill and 15 to 20 minutes to empty.
A second powerhouse was completed in 1983, located on the Washington side of the Columbia River, forcing the relocation of the Washington community of North Bonneville.
In 1993 a wider and longer lock was finished. The new lock is 86 feet wide and 675 feet long and takes 9 to 13 minutes to fill or empty. It also has a minimum left of 30 feet and a maximum lift of 70 feet.
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Early Maps ...
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1911 ... Topographic map detail, Columbia River at Bonneville, before construction of the Bonneville Dam.
Original 1:125,000 "Mount Hood" Topographic Map courtesy University of Washington Libraries, 2010.
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1948 ... HISTORICAL CHART detail, Hamilton Island, North Bonneville, and the Bonneville Dam, Skamania County, Washington.
Note location of North Bonneville before the construction of Bonneville Dam's North Powerhouse. Note the arrangement of islands in the Bonneville complex before construction of the 1993 lock.
NOAA Chart #6156 courtesy NOAA website.
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1957 ... HISTORICAL MAP detail, Hamilton Island, North Bonneville, and the Bonneville Dam, Skamania County, Washington.
North Bonneville location before relocation due to construction of Bonneville Dam's North Powerhouse. Map also shows small communities of Greenleaf, Moffets, and Nipigon.
Metsker Map courtesy "HistoricMapWorks.com" website, 2015.
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1998 ... HISTORICAL CHART detail, Hamilton Island, North Bonneville, and the Bonneville Dam, Skamania County, Washington.
Note location of North Bonneville after relocation due to construction of Bonneville Dam's North Powerhouse, and the existence of three islands in the Columbia (Robins, Bradford, and Cascade) after construction of the new lock.
NOAA Chart #18531 courtesy NOAA website.
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National Register of Historic Places ...
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In 1986 the Bonneville Dam Historic District (Powerhouse, Navigation Lock, and Administrative Site) was added to the National Register of Historic Places (District - #86000727). This district included the Columbia River between Bradford and Cascade Islands off Interstate 80 in Multnomah County, Oregon, to Washington Highway 14 in Skamania County, Washington.
In 1987 the Bonneville Dam Historic District (Boundary Increase) was added, which included the Bonneville Hatchery, roughly bounded by Mitchell Creek Bypass, SW District boundary, Union Pacific right-of-way, and Hatchery Service Road.
Also in 1987, the North Bonneville Archeological District was added to the National Register of Historic Places (District - #87000498).
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Views ...
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Bonneville Dam from the Fort Cascades Trail, Hamilton Island.
Image taken August 1, 2004.
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Bradford Island as seen from Hamilton Island.
Image taken August 1, 2004.
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Bonneville Dam as seen from upstream, Washington side.
View of the South Powerhouse (left), Spillway Dam (middle), Cascade Island (middle) and North Powerhouse (right).
Image taken November 2, 2010.
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Bonneville Dam Spillway, as seen from the Oregon side.
Bonneville Dam Spillway as seen from the Robins Island, Oregon side, accessed from Interstate 84.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Spillway, Oregon side, Bonneville Dam.
View from Hamilton Island, Washington.
Image taken April 22, 2006.
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- Administraion and Auditorium Buildings ...
- Bonneville Fish Hatchery and Sturgeon Center ...
- Bonneville Lock, 1938 ...
- Bonneville Lock, 1993 ...
- Bonneville Power Administration ...
- Bonneville Reservoir ...
- Bonneville State Park in 1965 ...
- Bonneville Treaty Fishing Access Site ...
- Bradford, Cascade, and Robins Islands ...
- Fish Ladders ...
- Fish Mural ...
- Fish Viewing ...
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail ...
- North Powerhouse ...
- Petrified Wood ...
- "Phoca" and Sturgeon ...
- South (original) Powerhouse ...
- Spillway Dam ...
- Tanner Creek Viaduct ...
- Visitor Centers ...
- World War II ...
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Administration and Auditorium Buildings ...
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The Bonneville Administration and Auditorium buildings were built to house offices for the dam complex and to provide a meeting place for employees and their families. The Administration Building (now Project Office) is located at the south side of the main entrance to Bonneville and the Auditorium Building is located at the northern end of the main entry road to Bonneville.
Both buildings are single-story wood construction with a brick veneer. During World War II the exteriors were painted green to camouflage the structures in case of aerial attack.
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Auditorium, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Detail, Auditorium, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Cupola, Auditorium, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Bonneville Fish Hatchery and Sturgeon Center ...
The Bonneville Fish Hatchery was built in conjunction with the construction of the Bonneville Dam. It's mission was to supplement the natural production of anadromous fish in the Columbia River watershed. The Hatchery is located on the downstream (west) side of the Bonneville Dam complex at Bonneville, Oregon, and uses the waters of Tanner Creek.
In 1997 the Hatchery was added to the National Register of Historic Places (District #86003598) as part of the Bonneville Dam Historic District which had been added in 1986 and included the area of the dam (District #86000727).
[More]
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Bonneville Fish Hatchery buildings and pens, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Sturgeon, Bonneville Fish Hatchery.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Watching through the window, Fish Viewing Windows, Bonneville Fish Hatchery, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Bonneville Lock, 1938 ...
Bonneville Dam's original lock is 500 feet long and 76 feet wide, with a minimum lift of 30 feet and a maximum lift of 70 feet. It took 20 to 25 minutes to fill and 15 to 20 minutes to empty. The lock is cut through andesite rock with the sides faced with concrete.
Bonneville Lock - 1938
"When Bonneville's first lock was completed in 1938, it was the largest single-lift lock in the world, with an 18-meter/60-foot vertical lift. It could hold two barges and a tugboat at one time. As Columbia River traffic increased, new dams were built upriver, with locks capable of holding five-barge tows. Bonneville's lock delayed river traffic since large tows required several separate lockages, greatly increasing shipping time. Now closed to river traffic, it has been replaced by the lock completed in 1993."
Source:
Bonneville Lock and Dam handout brochure, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District.
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On July 9, 1938, the coastal freighter SS Charles L. Wheeler, Jr. became the first dee-sea commercial vessel to journey up the Columbia River and pass through the newly opened lock at Bonneville Dam. The cargo ship continued up to The Dalles. The 75-feet wide and 500-feet long lock lifted ships 58 feet from the Columbia River to the Bonneville Reservoir. Once the 102-foot-high gates closed it took approximately 15 minutes to fill or empty.
"On Friday afternoon, July 8, 1938, the Wheeler rendezvoused with the 165-foot U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Onondaga (WPG-79), at Vancouver, Washington. ...
The Wheeler and Onondaga reached the Bonneville Dam at 7:00 p.m., maneuvered into the lock and were lifted to the level of Lake Bonneville. The two ships remained in the lock overnight to await the inauguration ceremony scheduled for Saturday morning. A fleet of 13 boats, carrying celebrities and dignitaries, followed the Wheeler and the Onondaga from Vancouver and moored at the bottom fo the lock to be on hand for this unique maritime event."
Source:
"historylink.org" website, 2014, The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History,
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Lower gates, original Bonneville Locks, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Each of the lower gates weighs 534 tons and stands 102 feet high. There are air chambers in the lower half of each gate to reduce its weight during use. The upper gate (not in picture) is 45 feet high. The gates are operated by machinery located in the lock wall.
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Looking downsteam from original Bonneville Locks, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Bonneville Lock, 1993 ...
In 1993 a larger lock opened at Bonneville Dam.
This new lock is 675 feet long and 86 feet wide with a minimum lift of 30 feet and a maximum lift of 70 feet. It takes 9 to 13 minutes to fill or empty.
Bonneville Lock - 1993
"A larger navigation lock at Bonneville opened to traffic in March 1993. The lock is 26 meters/86 feet wide and 206 meters/675 feet long. It can hold five-barge tows which gives it the same capacity as the seven upstream locks. The lockage time has been reduced from several hours to less than 30 minutes. The total construction cost for the lock was $341 million. Commodities such as petroleum products, wood products and grain passing through the Bonneville lock can travel between Lewiston, Idaho, and the Pacific Ocean on the river highway known as the Columbia-Snake Inland Waterway."
Source:
Bonneville Lock and Dam handout brochure, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District.
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Bonneville Locks, downstream end, as seen from Hamilton Island.
Robins Island is on the left and the Oregon side of the Columbia River is on the right.
Image taken June 29, 2005.
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Robins Island (left) and the western end of the Bonneville Locks.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Gates, 1993 Bonneville Locks, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Looking downsteam from the 1993 Bonneville Locks, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) ...
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Congress created the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in 1937 to deliver and sell the power from Bonneville Dam. The first line connected Bonneville Dam to
Cascade Locks, Oregon, just three miles upstream from the dam. Major construction from the 1940s through the 1960s created networks and loops of high-voltage wire touching most parts of BPA's service territory. During that time, Congress authorized BPA to sell and deliver power from more federal dams on the Columbia and its tributaries.
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Bonneville Reservoir ...
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Sailboarding, from near Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington.
Image taken August 22, 2011.
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Bonneville State Park in 1965 ...
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BONNEVILLE STATE PARK
"Bonneville State Park is located at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, approximately 40 miles east of Portland in Multnomah County. The park first consisted of a nice level, quite usable area which was obtained in January, 1931. However, this usable area was needed by the United States Government as a service area at the dam. The property was given to the government in 1933.
Bonneville Park now contains 51.05 acres, consisting of five fragmentary tracts ranging in size from 3.76 to 25.36 acres. The latter tract is a timbered area on the south side of the highway at Tooth Rock Tunnel.
On April 10, 1942, the federal government gave to the state 17.24 acres located on both sides of the highway. On that portion north of the road was a large home which had been built by the late Samuel Hill. This home was occupied intermittently for several years. At the time the Columbia River Highway was being rebuilt, in 1959, this home was sold. It was demolished and removed from the area because a portion of the land was needed in the construction of the new highway. To provide access to the remaining area would have been very expensive, if not impossible.
Flowage easements have been granted on all lands affected by the raising of the water level of Bonneville pool. Some were granted by the Highway Commission; others were granted by the previous owners of the lands.
There has been no active public use of the area."
Source:
Chester H. Armstrong (compiler), 1965, "History of the Oregon State Parks: 1917-1963, published by Oregon State Parks.
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Bonneville Treaty Fishing Access Site, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission ...
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All four Columbia River treaty tribes enjoy fishing rights along the Columbia from the Bonneville to McNary dams. This 147-mile stretch of the river is called Zone 6.
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) operates and maintains 31 fishing sites (2015, Note: the website map only shows 30 sites) in Zone 6. These sites were set aside by Congress to provide fishing locations to Indian fishers whose traditional fishing grounds were inundated behind dams.
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"For fisheries management purposes, the 292-mile stretch of the Columbia River that creates the border between Washington and Oregon is divided into six zones. Zones 1-5 are between the mouth of the river and Bonneville Dam, a distance of 145 miles. Oregon and Washington manage the commercial fisheries that occur in these zones. Zone 6 is an exclusive treaty Indian commercial fishing area. This exclusion is for commercial fishing only. Non-commercial sports fishers may still fish in this stretch of the river."
[Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission website, 2016]
The Zone 6 sites include
19 Treaty Fishing Access sites
(Bonneville,
Wyeth,
White Salmon,
Stanley Rock,
Lyle,
Dallesport,
Celilo,
Maryhill,
Rufus,
Preacher's Eddy,
North Shore,
LePage Park,
Pasture Point,
Roosevelt Park,
Pine Creek,
Threemile Canyon,
Alderdale,
Crow Butte,
and Faler Road),
five "In-lieu" sites
(Cascade Locks,
Wind River,
Cooks,
Underwood, and
Lone Pine),
two "Shared-use" sites
(Avery and
Sundale Park, for both Tribal use and Public use),
and four "Unimproved" sites with no services
(Goodnoe,
Rock Creek,
Moonay,
and
Aldercreek).
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Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island.
Accessed from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken January 27, 2017.
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Fishing platform on Hamilton Island, Bonneville Dam.
Accessed from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken January 27, 2017.
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Bradford, Robins, and Cascade Islands ...
The Bonneville Dam is a hydroelectric dam completed in 1938 and located on the Columbia River at River Mile (RM) 146. The dam complex is built across three islands - Robins, Bradford, and Cascade.
When the dam construction began the Columbia River was split only by Bradford Island. As the dam went in the Spillway Dam was built between the Washington shore and the north side of Bradford Island; the powerhouse was built between the south side of Bradford Island and the north side of a newly created island named "Robins Island"; and the locks were built on the south side of
Robins Island and the Oregon shore.
In 1982 a second powerhouse, called the "North Powerhouse", was built. The Columbia River was re-routed and Cascade Island was created, with the North Powerhouse being built between the north side of Cascade Island and the Washington shore. The Spillway Dam was now anchored on the south shore of Cascade Island.
[More]
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Bradford Island as seen from the mouth of Eagle Creek, Oregon.
The high point of Bradford Island use to be called "Bonny Rock" locally. The South (original) Powerhouse can be seen on the left and the Spillway Dam can be seen on the right.
Image taken October 18, 2010.
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Fish Ladders ...
Fish Ladders exist on both sides of the Bonneville Dam, and viewing windows allow the public to view the annual salmon migration up to spawn.
[More]
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Bonneville Dam North Powerhouse Fish Ladder.
Image taken May 13, 2005.
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Bonneville Dam North Powerhouse Fish Ladder.
Image taken May 13, 2005.
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Fish Mural ...
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Mural, Bonneville Dam, North Powerhouse.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Fish Viewing ...
Public viewing windows on both the Washington side and the Oregon side of Bonneville Dam allow the public to view the annual salmon migration up to spawn.
[More]
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"A view into the fish ladder", Bonneville Dam Fish Viewing Window.
Bonneville Dam's Washington side Fish Viewing Window.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Wild Salmon, Bonneville Dam Fish Viewing Window.
Image taken May 13, 2005.
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Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail ...
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The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 3,700 miles long, and extends from Wood River, Illinois, to the mouth of the Columbia River near present day Astoria, Oregon. It follows the historic outboud and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail connects eleven states -- Illinois, Missouri, Kanasa, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon -- and many Tribal lands. The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail allows travelers to follow the approximate route of the Corps of Discovery.
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail was established by Congress in 1978 as part of the national trails system. The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is one of two national historic trails traversing through both Oregon and Washington, the other being the Oregon National Historic Trail.
In 2018 "Selfie Spots" were created to celebrate the National Historic Trail System's 50th anniversary. Stand on the spot and take a picture and share it with Social Media !!!
[More]
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"Selfie Spot", Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail at Bonneville Dam, Washington side.
Image taken July 11, 2018.
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View from "Selfie Spot", Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail at Bonneville Dam, Washington side.
Image taken July 11, 2018.
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North Powerhouse ...
Bonneville Dam's
North Powerhouse and Fish Ladder were completed in 1982. It was in this area that three of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Drouillard and the two Fieldes) spent the night of April 9, 1806.
[More]
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Bonneville Dam North Powerhouse.
Image taken May 13, 2005.
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Eight Turbines, Bonneville Dam North Powerhouse.
Image taken May 13, 2005.
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Petrified Wood ...
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Petrified Wood, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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"Phoca" and Sturgeon ...
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Lewis and Clark encountered many "seals" in the area, and even named Phoca Rock, downstream near Cape Horn, after them.
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"... The Seal or Phoca are found here in great numbers, and as far up the Columbia as the great Falls, above which there are none ..."
[Clark, February 23, 1806]
Today seals and sea lions make their way up the Columbia River to feast at the returning salmon at Bonneville Dam's fish ladder.
[More]
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Sea Lion at Bonneville Dam.
View from the Washington side.
Image taken May 11, 2012.
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Sturgeon and Sea Lion at Bonneville Dam.
View from the Washington side.
Image taken March 27, 2010.
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South (original) Powerhouse ...
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Bonneville Dam's South Powerhouse is 1,027 feet long and rises 190 feet above the bedrock. The structure at its base is 190 feet wide.
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South Powerhouse, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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South Powerhouse, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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South Powerhouse, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Spillway Dam ...
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Bonneville Dam's "Spillway Dam" is 1,450 feet in length and rises 197 feet above bedrock. The Spillway has 18 gates, each 50 feet wide. Six of the gates are 60 feet high and the other 12 are 50 feet high. The Spillway can handle 1,600,000 cubic feet per second of water and it's overflow is fixed at a crest of 24 feet above mean sea level. According to the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (1987), the dam spillway is designed to handle a flood approximately 37 percent greater than that which passed this site in the "Great Flood of 1894".
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Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island.
Bonneville Dam as seen from Hamilton Island, accessed from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken February 19, 2013.
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Bonneville Dam Spillway, as seen from the Oregon side.
Bonneville Dam Spillway as seen from the Robins Island, Oregon side, accessed from Interstate 84.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Tanner Creek Viaduct ...
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The Tanner Creek Railroad Viaduct is a 900-foot-long, double track, earth-filled, spandrel arch viaduct. Construction began in early October 1934. Construction of the viaduct forced the entrance of the Bonneville Fish Hatchery to be re-located 180 degrees and open off the Bonneville entrance road to the north.
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Tanner Creek Railroad Viaduct, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Tanner Creek Railroad Viaduct, Bonneville Dam, Oregon.
Image taken April 13, 2014.
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Entrance to Bonneville Dam from Interstate 84.
The road from Interstate 84 into the Bonneville Dam complex passes under an arch of the Tanner Creek Viaduct.
Image taken April 13, 2013.
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Visitor Centers ...
Washington side:
(to come)
Oregon side:
The Bonneville Dam Visitor Center, Oregon side, was dedicated in 1975. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
- "The new visitor center at Bonneville Dam, Oregon and Washington, contains three floors of exhibits, with fisheries as the major theme. In an aquarium-like viewing room, visitors can watch fish moving up a fish ladder during migration."
- "At a June 1975 celebration of the Corps' Bicentennial, the Portland Deistrict dedicated a new $1.5 million visitor center at the Bonneville Dam. The center houses exhibits explaining the workings of the dam and the history, Indian lore, and life and times of the explorers of the region."
Bradford Island:
The original Bonneville Dam Visitor Center was called the "Bradford Island Visitor Center". It was replaced in the 1970s with a new visitor center (Oregon side). The leftover visitor center building was barged upriver to Cascade Locks where it is now the Cascade Locks Visitor Center and the Locks Waterfront Grill.
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Locks Waterfront Grill, Cascade Locks, Oregon.
Image taken November 2, 2019.
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The Locks Waterfront Grill at one time was the Bradford Visitor Center, the first Visitor Center for the Bonneville Dam.
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World War II ...
"During World War II, Bonneville was the focus of concern as a target for attack or sabotage. During the war the Corps employees painted all of the buildings green, including the roofs. Even the gravel and blacktopped roadways were painted with camouflage. The Corps mounted concrete "pill boxes" to flank the main entry road mid-way between the Auditorium and the railroad viaduct. Other concrete guard stations, with gun ports, were set up near the dam and powerhouse on Bradford Island. Additionally in 1942 the Corps experimented with smoke screening, filling the gorge with dense clouds of partially burned diesel fuel ejected from nozzles and from an open ditch on Bradford Island. None of these precautions was tested. The Bonneville Project emerged unmolested from the war."
Source:
Bonneville Dam District National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1987.
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WWII Pillbox.
Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington.
Image taken July 15, 2011.
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WWII Pillbox.
Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington.
Image taken July 15, 2011.
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"The Golden Age of Postcards" ...
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The early 1900s was the "Golden Age of Postcards", with the "Penny Postcard" being a popular way to send greetings to family and friends.
Today the Penny Postcard has become a snapshot of history.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Lewis, April 9, 1806 ...
This morning early we commenced the operation of reloading our canoes; at 7 A. M. we departed [from their camp at Shepperds Dell] and proceeded on to the Camp of Reubin and Joseph Fields [near Dodson, Oregon] they had not killed any game; we made no halt at this place but continued our rout to the Wah-clel-lah Village which is situated on the North side of the river [upstream of the location of today's Skamania and Skamania Landing, between Duncan and Woodard Creeks] about a mile below the beacon rock [Beacon Rock]; here we halted and took breakfast.
...
this village appears to be the winter station of the Wah-clel-lahs and Clahclellars, the greater part of the former have lately removed to the falls of the Multnomah, and the latter have established themselves a few miles above on the North side of the river opposite the lower point of brant island [Bradford Island], being the commencement of the rapids, here they also take their salmon; they are now in the act of removing, and not only take with them their furniture and effects but also the bark and most of the boards which formed their houses. 14 houses remain entire but are at this time but thinly inhabited, nine others appear to have been lately removed, and the traces of ten or twelve others of ancient date were to be seen in the rear of their present village.
...
on our way to this village we passed several beautifull cascades which fell from a great hight over the stupendious rocks which cloles the river on both sides nearly, except a small bottom on the South side in which our hunters were encamped. the most remarkable of these casscades falls about 300 feet perpendicularly over a solid rock into a narrow bottom of the river on the south side. it is a large creek, situated about 5 miles above our encampment of the last evening. several small streams fall from a much greater hight, and in their decent become a perfect mist which collecting on the rocks below again become visible and decend a second time in the same manner before they reach the base of the rocks.
[Multnomah Falls area]
the hills have now become mountains high on each side are rocky steep and covered generally with fir and white cedar.
...
at 2 P. M. we renewed our voyage; passed under the beacon rock [Beacon Rock] on the north side, to the left of two small islands situated near the shore [Ives and Pierce Islands]. at four P.M. we arrived at the Clah-clel-lah village; here we found the natives busily engaged in erecting their new habitations, which appear to be reather of a temperary kind; it is most probable that they only reside here during the salmon season. we purchased two dogs of these people who like those of the village blow were but sulky and illy disposed; they are great rogues and we are obliged to keep them at a proper distance from our baggage. as we could not ascend the rapid [foot of the Cascade Rapids] by the North side of the river with our large canoes [Hamilton Island area], we passed to the oposite side and entered the narrow channel which seperates brant Island [Bradford Island] from the South shore; the evening being far spent and the wind high raining and very cold we thought best not to attempt the rapids [Cascade Rapids] this evening, we therefore sought a safe harbour in this narrow channel and encamped on the main shore [Tanner Creek, Oregon]. our small canoe with Drewyer and the two feildses was unable to pass the river with us in consequence of the waves they therefore toed her up along the N. side of the river and encamped [upstream end of Bonneville Dam, location of today's North Powerhouse] opposite the upper point of brant Island [Bradford Island]. after halting this evening I took a turn with my gun in order to kill a deer, but was unsuccessful. I saw much fresh sign. the fir has been lately injured by a fire near this place and many of them have discharged considerable quantities of rozin. we directed that Collins should hunt a few hours tomorrow morning and that Gibson and his crew should remain at his place untill we returned and employ themselves in collectng rozin which our canoes are now in want of.
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