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The Columbia River begins in the Canadian Rockies and travels 1200 miles to the Pacific Ocean, draining 259,000 sq. miles. The Lower Columbia begins at its confluence with the Snake River. Humans have occupied its shores for over 10,000 years, supported in many places by the huge annual salmon runs. The first documented visit by a Euro American occurred in May 1792 when Captain Robert Gray sailed over the sandbars at its mouth. In October, George Vancouver, a British explorer, sent Lt. William Broughton 100 miles upriver. Lewis and Clark traveled the Lower Columbia in 1805-6. David Thompson, of the Northwest Company, made the first map of the full river in 1811-12. The Hudson's Bay Company established fur trading in the region in 1825 with its headquarters at Fort Vancouver. Americans began arriving in the overland migration in the 1840s. Natural resources (salmon and timber) and transportation were developed in the late 1800s. Orchards were planted at Hood River and Wenatchee. Navigation canals were constructed at the Cascades (1896) and the Dalles-Celilo (1915). The first major dam on the river was the Rock Island Dam in 1932. The Federal Government began the modern age of dam construction with the Bonneville Dam in 1933. Today, there are 11 dams on the main stem of the river, providing electricity and water control. Ocean freighters travel as far as Portland, and barges continue up on to the Snake River. This gallery includes images of the Lower Columbia River, beginning at its confluence with the Snake River and continuing downriver. |
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All images are registered as
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David Lincoln. All rights reserved. Images
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