Historic Hood River
Condit Dam, 1913
Notes
If all goes according to plan, next Wednesday the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River will be breached as part of its removal. This week we take a photographic tour through the early days of the Condit Dam. While this photoblog generally focuses on Hood River, the construction of the dam in 1913 was by far the biggest engineering task the region had seen, and many Hood River residents participated in its construction. We’ll honor those contributions with some images of their work.
This beautiful image is from a glass negative in the Museum’s collection. While I don’t usually touch up the photographs I post on this site, I cleaned up this one because it deserves to be seen as it was before years of dirt and scratches. Unfortunately we do not know the name of the very skilled photographer who captured the very first water to spill over the dam, 98 years ago.
Charlott
What do you say, a breath taking photo. Somethings will be lost when it goes, but other things will be gained.
That would have been quite the engineering feat in 1913. Who actually built that dam, do we know?
Arthur
The dam owner was NW L&P, which I think is Northwest Light and Power. I understand the power was initially to be used at the mill in Camas.
l.e.
Hard to believe there is a fish ladder in there somewhere.
Paul Kollas
Fish ladder? For Condit Dam?
l.e.
There was a fish ladder put in twice and washed out twice.
But, that is so steep I don’t know how it was possible.
As I understand, after the second wash out, the original owners agreed to pay for the Spring Creek Fish hatchery to replace the ladder.