Dodson is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in Multnomah County

Multnomah County, Oregon

Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...

, 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...

, United States. It is located about 4½ miles east of Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls

-External links:* and , from a USFS website* from the Oregon Tourism Commission* , from a Library of Congress website* * * * *...

 and one mile west of Warrendale

Warrendale, Oregon

Warrendale is an unincorporated community in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. It is located about a mile east of Dodson and about 3 miles west of Bonneville in the Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84/U.S. Route 30. It is across the Columbia River from Beacon Rock...

, in the Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south...

 on Interstate 84

Interstate 84 in Oregon

In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 84 travels east–west, following the Columbia River and the rough path of the old Oregon Trail from Portland east to Idaho. For this reason, it is also known as most of the Columbia River Highway No. 2 and all of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6 . It...

/U.S. Route 30. It it across 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...

 from Skamania, Washington

Skamania, Washington

Skamania is a small unincorporated community in Skamania County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington.Skamania is home to Skamania Elementary School and the Skamania General Store...

. Dodson is within the Cascade Locks

Cascade Locks, Oregon

Cascade Locks is a city in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. The city took its name from a set of locks built to improve navigation past the Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River. The U.S. federal government approved the plan for the locks in 1875, construction began in 1878, and the locks...

 ZIP code.

Dodson was a railroad station on the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company line (today owned by Union Pacific

Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

) named for Ira Dodson, who was an early settler in the area. Dodson station was moved several times and was once located near present-day Warrendale. Circa 1885 the station was also known as "Dodsons". Author Ralph Friedman

Ralph Friedman

Ralph Friedman was an American author best known for his books about Oregon.Ralph Friedman was born and raised in Chicago. He hitchhiked to Oregon in 1933 at the age of 16. He wrote 10 books, and contributed to many other books, magazines, and newspapers...

 says Dodson is a "hamlet that time and tracks have passed by". At one time Dodson had a gas station and a motel. Bonneville Grade School in Dodson closed in 1996 because of declining enrollment. The school also served the students of Warrendale and Bonneville

Bonneville, Oregon

Bonneville is an unincorporated community in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, on Interstate 84 and the Columbia River. Bonneville is best known as the site of Bonneville Dam...

.

Dodson was the site of the McGowan salmon cannery and a fish wheel

Fish wheel

A fish wheel is a device for catching fish which operates much as a water-powered mill wheel. A wheel complete with baskets and paddles is attached to a floating dock. The wheel rotates due to the current of the stream it is placed into. The baskets on the wheel capture fish traveling upstream. ...

 circa 1900. In February 1996, a series of massive debris flow

Debris flow

A debris flow is a fast moving, liquefied landslide of unconsolidated, saturated debris that looks like flowing concrete. It is differentiated from a mudflow in terms of the viscosity and textural properties of the flow. Flows can carry material ranging in size from clay to boulders, and may...

s, resulting from the same severe weather that caused flooding in the Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley Flood of 1996

The Willamette Valley Flood of 1996 was part of a larger series of floods in the Pacific Northwest of the United States which took place between late January and mid-February, 1996. It was Oregon's largest flood event in terms of fatalities and monetary damage during the 1990s...

, occurred between Dodson and Warrendale, destroying homes and blocking the railroad and I-84 for several days. A portion of the land slide area has been given to the Friends of the Columbia River Gorge Land Trust, which has plans to open the area to the public.

External links

• Images of Dodson from Flickr
• Images of the Dodson landslide from Waymarking.com
• The Dodson Debris Flows of 1996 from Portland State University

45.6053953°N 122.0356395°W