Portland Observer Section I I Thursday, June 29, 1978 Page 13
Oneonta Falls is hidden from view by nearly verticle walls covered with moss and
ferns. This much photographed gorge can be waded during low water or the falls can
be seen from the trail leading to the crest.
Bonneville Dam
The first Federal dam built to harness the energy o f the Columbia is Bonneville Dam,
built in the 1930’s. Operated by the Bonneville Power Administration, this dam and
other federal dams in the river provide low-cost electric power to public and private
utilities.
A Visitor Information Center explains the operation o f the dam as well as the history
and geology o f the area.
Visitors can watch the salmon — which once leaped up the great falls o f the Colum
bia — struggling up the fish ladders on their way up the river to spawn. Salmon, which
are hatched in the tiny rivlets where the rivers begin, migrate downstream to the ocean
— then as adults each returns to its birthplace to lay its eggs and to die. One also can
watch the operation o f the 300 foot long navigation locks which allow ships and barges
to pass through the dam.
Immediately downstream from Bonneville Dam is the Eagle Creek fish hatchery
where salmon and steelhead are raised to be planted in the streams.
The Bridge of the Gods, one o f the older bridges over the Columbia, gets its name
from the Indian legend that a natural bridge arched the river at that point.
Cascade Locks Park is at the site o f the old Government Locks. Before the locks
were built in 1896, travellers had to portage around this place in the river because of
numerous rocks and cascades. The old locks have been preserved and a museum
houses the history o f the paddle wheel steamboats, which were one o f the main
methods o f river travel.
Hood River is best known for its apple orchards that bring the valley in bloom each
Spring. The 20-mile long Hood River Valley is Oregon’s largest apple producing
regions and also is the site o f many cherry and pear orchards. The east face o f M t.
Hood towers over the valley.
East o f the Mountains
Passing Hood River the vegetation changes — the firs change to pine, the thick un
derbrush disappears and the sagebrush that is more suited to the arid climate becomes
more evident.
The cliffs are shaped by sharp outcroppings o f lava, the hills slope away from the
river, turning from the dark green o f the gorge to the grays o f the eastern plateau.
The Dalles, surrounded by the rugged cliffs and hot in the dessert sun, was the end of
the Oregon Trail. Here the pioneers left their wagons and took to the river for their
journey on to Fort Vancouver and the fertile Willamette Valley.
The Dalles is the site o f the longest continuous habitation in North America, having
been occupied for more than 3,000 years. Although the Indian villages have long been
gone and their sites flooded by the dams, many o f their artifacts remain — the
petroglyphs and petrographs on the cliffs above the river, the arrowheads, baskets and
trade goods, now usually found in museums or carefully cherished by Indian families.
Places o f interest in The Dalles are: The original Wasco County Courthouse built in
1850; Fort Dalles Museum, built in 1858 and now housing a museum; Bigfoot Museum,
containing the lore o f the Sasquatch; and The Dalles Dam. Near the dam is a museum
operated by the Wy-om Indians which contains many artifacts found in the area.
Below the dam and at Cascade Locks Indians can be seen fishing in their traditional
way — on wooden platforms built over the churning water — they catch their salmon
in nets fastened to long poles. Current disputes over fishing treaty rights o f the Indians
stem from the destruction o f the Indians traditional fishing grounds by the dams and
the resulting loss o f fish available to them.
Oregon Historical Society
The Oregon Historical Society, 1230 S.W . Park, was
established by Oregon pioneers in 1873. A ll o f its
museum and library materials are held in trust for the
people o f the state.
A special exhibit now displayed at the center is
“ Blacks in the Westward Movement,” a Smithsonian
Institution Travelling E xhibit.
Blacks have been
overlooked in the writing about the exploration o f the
west, but they were there — guiding and interpreting for
early explorers, riding in the great cattle drives,
homesteading the plains, and contributing to the
development o f the nation. These contributions are
chronicled in picture and in word in the Smithsonian
exhibit.
Permanent displays at the center include “ Indians o f
the Oregon Country,” a maritime collection, and ar
tifacts o f exploration and discovery.
Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Saturday. Admission free.
Western Forestry Center
The Western Forestry Center offers the opportunity
to see the timber that dominates the economy o f
Oregon. Around the central rotunda in the Exhibit Hall
are
fourteen
giant
photom urals
showing
the
magnificent trees o f the west. The popular “ Talking
Tree” tells the story o f the forest.
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The 100-year-old Jesup Wood Collection has more
than 300 specimens. Photographs and operating
displays demonstrate how trees become lumber and
veneer.
A 1909 Sharf locomotive greets the visitors,
ta g
who are welcome to climb aboard.
Hoyt Arboretum
Hoyt Arboretum is an outstanding display o f North
west trees, shrubs, ferns and wild flowers covering
several acres on the West Hills adjacent to the Forestry
Center and Zoo. Seven miles o f trails and numerous
identification markers make the plantings accessible and
picnic areas make the Arboretum a popular place for an
afternoon outing. The Western Forestry Center offers
guided tours.
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