Historic Hood River
Big Eddy
11-22-2017
Notes
This May 1928 Alva Day photo is labeled “Big Eddy.” It’s a good view of the Celilo Falls area at high water. The remnants of the ship canal are still clearly visible next to I-84.
The History Museum of Hood River County
Bringing the Rich History of Hood River County to Life
Charlott
Big Eddy was actually a number of miles down river from
Celilo, almost to The Dalles. This is the start of the canal on the western end. You can get a good view of how those rapids were down there below the locks.
Also in the far distance on the Washington shore you can see where Dallesport/Rockland is located.
The barges and tugs of today could never make it up this canal.
I can remember the Big Eddy fish wheel. It was very massive. Too bad it wasn’t left to show these younger generations what a stationery fish wheel looked like. It wasn’t the only one in the area, but by far the most massive.
L.E.
Another example that The Gorge doesn’t look like it used to. Lots of blasting took place.
As Charlott says, Big Eddy is closer to The Dalles than Celilo. Just above The Dalles Dam, on the Washington side is Spearfish Lake. That area was known as Big Eddy. Across the river on the Oregon side, I think there was a community called Big Eddy.
I suppose the big fish wheel that Charlott mentions belonged to Seufert Brothers.
Hey Buzz, where are you? I hope you are putting a new roll of TP on the spindle. I am headed out the door for the Washington Blue Mtns. Thankfully I am not camping.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hugs and love to all of you. Don’t forget cg’s comment yesterday about meeting at the HR Museum every Monday.
Kenn
Celilo Falls is at the other end of the canal, this end still exists at the dam and the east end at Celilo park is used for launching boats.
Jeffrey W Bryant
From the March 19, 1914 Hood River Glacier:
Julius E. Anderson, of Vancouver, Wash., was in the city over the weekend visiting James Waggener, Jr., and Sherman J. Frank. Mr. Anderson, who is a photographer, had been at Big Eddy securing pictures of the Celilo canal.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn97071110/1914-03-19/ed-1/seq-9/
Has anyone seen the 1914 photos of the canal?
Barbara Parsons
I like the term "securing pictures." Especially in our historical context here. All the photos on this blog were not so much "taken" as secured…put away safe where we still have them to this day.