Celilo Canal
Encyclopedia
Celilo Canal was a canal
connecting two points of the Columbia River
between the states of Oregon
and Washington, U.S. just east of The Dalles
.
In the natural state of the Columbia River, there was an eight mile (13 km) stretch above The Dalles known as Celilo Falls
that was impassable upstream and navigable downstream only at high water and at great risk. Celilo Canal was built in the early part of the 1900s to allow steamboat and river-borne traffic to bypass Celilo Falls.
, had been built around the falls on the south side of the river. This was replaced in 1863 by a thirteen mile (19 km) long portage railway owned by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. A number of studies and false starts were made towards building a canal around the falls, but construction on what was to become known as the Celilo Canal did not begin until 1905, and then took ten years to complete. In 1909, Scientific American summarized the status of the work and its objectives:
Scientific American was also optimistic about the prospective economic value of the canal:
Once the canal was complete, navigation was open on the Columbia from the mouth of the river all the way to Priest Rapids
, and, up the Snake River, to the mouth of the Grande Ronde River
near Rogersburg. However, completion of the canal came too late to fend off competition from railroads had taken away most of the steamboat's business. Riverine transportation above Celilo never reached the hopes of the proponents of the canal. Only in the late 1930s did the development of wheat barge traffic, eventually driven by diesel towboats, become an important transport method on the Columbia River.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
connecting two points of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
between the states of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington, U.S. just east of The Dalles
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
.
In the natural state of the Columbia River, there was an eight mile (13 km) stretch above The Dalles known as Celilo Falls
Celilo Falls
Celilo Falls was a tribal fishing area on the Columbia River, just east of the Cascade Mountains, on what is today the border between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington...
that was impassable upstream and navigable downstream only at high water and at great risk. Celilo Canal was built in the early part of the 1900s to allow steamboat and river-borne traffic to bypass Celilo Falls.
History and construction
In 1858, a nineteen-mile (30 km) long wagon road, the Oregon Portage RailroadOregon Portage Railroad
The Oregon Portage Railroad was the first railroad in the U.S. state of Oregon. It originally ran for with of telegraph line, and was later extended to a length of...
, had been built around the falls on the south side of the river. This was replaced in 1863 by a thirteen mile (19 km) long portage railway owned by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. A number of studies and false starts were made towards building a canal around the falls, but construction on what was to become known as the Celilo Canal did not begin until 1905, and then took ten years to complete. In 1909, Scientific American summarized the status of the work and its objectives:
Scientific American was also optimistic about the prospective economic value of the canal:
Effect on navigation
Boosters of the Celilo Canal organized the Open River Navigation Company, and put the Charles R. Spencer and J.N. Teal on the run from Portland to The Dalles, Twin Cities and Inland Empire on the route up the Snake River, and Relief on the run from Celilo to Pasco, Washington. Mountain Gem supported Relief above CeliloOnce the canal was complete, navigation was open on the Columbia from the mouth of the river all the way to Priest Rapids
Priest Rapids
Priest Rapids was a narrow, fast-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, located in the central region of the U.S. state of Washington. It was flooded by the construction of the Priest Rapids Dam in the 1950s....
, and, up the Snake River, to the mouth of the Grande Ronde River
Grande Ronde River
The Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake River, long, in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington in the United States. It drains an area southeast of the Blue Mountains and northwest of the Wallowa Mountains, on the Columbia Plateau...
near Rogersburg. However, completion of the canal came too late to fend off competition from railroads had taken away most of the steamboat's business. Riverine transportation above Celilo never reached the hopes of the proponents of the canal. Only in the late 1930s did the development of wheat barge traffic, eventually driven by diesel towboats, become an important transport method on the Columbia River.
Current state
The canal and all related works were flooded following the completion of The Dalles Dam in 1957.Photographs
- Albany on the Big Eddy above The Dalles
- Corps of Engineers photos of rapids and falls on the Columbia River between The Dalles and Celilo
- Corps of Engineers map showing location of proposed Celilo Canal and locks
- Celilo Canal and lock, 1915
- Sternwheeler Umatilla in Celilo Canal
- First steamboats to pass through Celilo canal, Inland Empire and J.M. Teal