Historic Hood River
Cascade Locks Construction
12-21-2015
Notes
This view of the construction of the canal at Cascade Locks shows plenty of great detail. I’m not sure which way those carts were carrying the rocks on that track, but it’s hard to imagine how the got up that ramp if they were loaded– or how they controlled their speed if they were going the other way. This was an enormous undertaking in the era of horsepower with a little steam assist.
Because the detail in this image is so wonderful I’ve added some additional higher resolution views here and here. You should be able to see some blurry guys walking around in this very wet worksite.
nels
What would be the approximate year on this?
Arthur
circa 1890. The canal was complete in 1896.
Longshot
I would guess that the building at the top of the ramp contained some form of a winch. The building looks to have a chimney so likely it was a steam donkey of some sort. Looks like at present the cable from the donkey is going to the tower to the right of the picture and being used to raise the one boom.
Arthur
There is great detail in this photo, so I added some additional views. Check the links in the second paragraph of "Notes" to the left.
L.E.
I think this photo, more than any other one we have seen of the Cascade Locks, shows the complexity of the project. In the midst of that mess, they have to build two huge swinging gates that are strong enough to hold back the Columbia River.
How would you like to be the main engineer in charge of this?
That wooden track looks like an early version of the Jantzen Beach Roller Coaster.
L.E.
From the December 24, 1937 Mt Adams Sun:
Bonneville Dam is Forming Its Big Lake Now: Water already has covered the lower gate to the locks—to reach 72 feet…..
Water to Cover Works. The first of these will be Cascade rapids and the navigation locks at that point, approximately four miles upstream from Bonneville. Water already has covered the lower gate to the locks and is almost to the top of the second gate.
As the gates to the locks submerged they are opened so as to form no unnecessary barrier to the river. United States army engineers decided upon leaving the gates open in the locks because it was cheaper than attempting to remove them….
L.E.
From the August 03, 1889 HR Glacier:
Nearly every afternoon down freight carries from one to three car loads of rock for the walls of the canal at the Cascades. The rock, a good granite, is brought from Spokane Falls.