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Location of Fort Cascades, Hamilton Island, Washington.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Fort Cascades ...
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Fort Cascades is located on Hamilton Island downstream of the Bonneville Dam. Tanner Creek, Lewis and Clark's campsite of April 9, 1806, is located across the Columbia on the Oregon side.
Fort Cascades was completed on September 30, 1855, to guard the portage road around the
Cascade Rapids. The
town of Cascades, also known as "Lower Cascades" developed around the Fort and was located slightly upstream of the Fort. In March 1856, Fort Cascades was burned during an indian attack. The Fort was rebuilt and then abandoned for good in 1861. In
1894 the largest recorded flood on the Columbia River wiped out the town of Lower Cascades and the abandoned fort.
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Fort Cascades area.
View from downstream on Hamilton Island, Washington.
Image taken July 2, 2006.
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The Forts of the Cascades Rapids ...
Throughout history four different forts or blockhouses existed along a rough stretch of the Columbia River Gorge between Hamilton Island and Cascades Locks, known throughout history as the "Cascade Rapids".
The first fort was Fort Gilliam, established in 1848 and located at the
portage as a supply depot. Next came Fort Cascades, built in 1855 at the lower end of the rapids, and built to defend the portage.
Fort Rains was located at the lower end of the portage around the "Upper Cascades", and the last fort built was
Fort Lugenbeel, located at the upper end of the section.
Today, Fort Rains and Fort Lugenbeel, and the earlier Fort Gilliam, exist only as archaeological sites on present U.S. Army Corp of Engineer land.
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Cascades Townsite ...
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The town of Cascades developed around Fort Cascades, and took over the buildings when the Army moved out. The 1880 census showed 134 residents of the town. Cascades was destroyed in the Flood of 1894 and never rebuilt.
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General location of the town of Cascades, Washington, also known as "Lower Cascades".
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Great Flood of 1894 ...
The "Great Flood of 1894" was the highest-recorded flood along the Columbia of all time. This flood destroyed the town of Cascades. Downstream, a gage at Vancouver, Washington, reached a record 36 feet, while Longview, Washington hit a record 24 feet (June 7, 1894). The force of the flood waters removed several feet of soil and exposed many boulders now visible in the area of Fort Cascades.
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Boulders uncovered during the flood of 1894.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Boulders uncovered during the flood of 1894.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Boulders uncovered during the flood of 1894.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Fort Cascades Historic Site ...
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Fort Cascades Historic Site is located one mile downstream (west) of the Bonneville Dam, and is reached from the Dam Access Road on Hamilton Island, off of Washington State Highway 14. The site is on the Register of Historic Places, and features a 1.5 mile interpretive trail
which leads to the Cascades Townsite and Fort Cascades Compound. The trail
follows the bed of the portage railroad as it was in 1836.
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Kiosk for Fort Cascades Historic Site, Hamilton Island, Washington.
Image taken August 1, 2004.
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Fort Cascades Historic Site
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Fort Cascades ...
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Fort Cascades was built on
Hamilton Island, overlooking the Columbia River, at River Mile (RM) _____. The compound was enclosed by a fence measuring 590 feet on the north by 338 feet on the west. The south and the east were bordered by the Columbia River. The Army abandoned the fort in 1861 to turn its attention to the Civil War.
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Field trip at location of Fort Cascades, Fort Cascades Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Fort Cascades Compound, Hamilton Island.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Military Portage Road ...
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Military Portage Road, Fort Cascades Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Cascade Portage Railroad ...
The Cascade Portage Railroad covered six miles from the Lower Landing on Hamilton Island to the Upper Landing just downstream from Stevenson, Washington, near Ashes Lake. The first steam engine (named "Ann") began operating on the tracks on April 20, 1863. The Oregon Steam Navigation Company operated the railway until 1907, until competition from the Cascade Canal and Locks, and the Transcontinental Railroad on the Oregon shore, made the railway obsolete. Part of the tracks were then used by Frank Warren for his tramway.
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Cascade Portage Railroad, Fort Cascades Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Warren Portage Tramway ...
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The "Warren Portage Tramway" was once used by the Warren Packing Company to transport fish caught in Frank Warren's fishwheel down to the Lower Landing of the town of Cascades, and from there transported across the Columbia to the cannery at Warrendale. The tramway was built in the 1890s and operated until 1930.
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Warren Portage Tramway, Fort Cascades Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Warren No.3 Fishwheel ...
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From the 1880s to the 1930s, fishwheels were used along the Columbia River to harvest salmon as they migrated upstream. The salmon were then shipped several miles downstream to be processed at a cannery in Warrendale, Oregon. Fishwheels were outlawed in 1934 in the state of Washington. The Warren Fishwheel No.3 was located along the shore of Hamilton Island, upstream of Fort Cascades.
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Location of Warren Fishwheel No.3, 1894, Hamilton Island, Washington.
The line of rocks served to lead the fish into the log cribs from which the wheel, which was located to the left) scooped the fish.
Bradford Island is in the background.
Image taken October 27, 2004.
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Prehistoric Indian Petroglyph ...
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A replica of a prehistoric Indian Petroglyph (the original sits in front of the Skamania County Courthouse in Stevenson, Washington) sits within the Fort Cascades National Historic Site. The meaning of the carvings is unknown. This area was once a fishing home to the Indians of the area.
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Prehistoric Indian Petroglyph, Fort Cascades National Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Prehistoric Indian Petroglyph, Fort Cascades National Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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Views along the Trail ...
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Bonneville Dam as seen from the Fort Cascades Trail.
Image taken August 1, 2004.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, October 31, 1805 ...
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A Cloudy rainey disagreeable morning I proceeded down the river to view with more attention [Cascade Locks area] we had to pass on the river below, the two men with me Jo. Fields & Peter Crusat proceeded down to examine the rapids the Great Shute [Cascade Rapids] which commenced at the Island on which we encamped [Ashes Lake, now under the waters of the Bonneville Reservoir] Continud with great rapidity and force thro a narrow chanel much compressd. and interspersed with large rocks for ½ a mile, at a mile lower is a verry Considerable rapid at which place the waves are remarkably high, and proceeded on in a old Indian parth 2½ miles by land thro a thick wood & hill Side, to the river where the Indians make a portage, from this place I dispatched Peter Crusat (our principal waterman) back to follow the river and examine the practibility of the Canoes passing, as the rapids appeared to continue down below as far as I could See, I with Jo. Fields proceeded on, at ½ a mile below the end of the portage [Fort Rains]
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at 2 miles lower & 5 below our Camp I passed a village of 4 large houses abandend by the nativs, with their dores bared up,
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from a Short distance below the vaults the mountain which is but low on the Stard. Side leave the river, and a leavel Stoney open bottom Suckceeds on the Said Std. Side for a great Distance down, the mountains high and rugid on the Lard Side this open bottom is about 2 miles a Short distance below this village is a bad Stoney rapid and appears to be the last in view I observed at this lower rapid the remains of a large and antient Village which I could plainly trace by the Sinks in which they had formed their houses, as also those in which they had buried their fish- from this rapid to the lower end of the portage [vicinity of Fort Cascades at the lower end of Hamilton Island] the river is Crouded with rocks of various Sizes between which the water passes with great velociety createing in many places large Waves, an Island which is Situated near the Lard. Side [Bradford Island] occupies about half the distance the lower point of which is at this rapid. immediately below this rapid the high water passes through a narrow Chanel through the Stard. Bottom forming an Island of 3 miles <wide> Long & one wide, I walked through this Island [Hamilton Island] which I found to be verry rich land, and had every appearance of haveing been at Some distant period Cultivated. at this time it is Covered with grass intersperced with Strawberry vines. I observed Several places on this Island where the nativs had dug for roots and from its lower point I observed 5 Indians in a Canoe below the upper point of an Island near the middle of the river Covered with tall timber, which indued me to believe that a village was at no great distanc below, I could not See any rapids below <for> in the extent of my view which was for a long distance down the river, which from the last rapids [Middle Cascades] widened and had everry appearance of being effected by the tide,- I deturmind to return to Camp 10 miles distant [on an island by Ashes Lake, across from Cascade Locks, Oregon], a remarkable high detached rock Stands in a bottom on the Stard Side [Beacon Rock] near the lower point of this Island on the Stard. Side about 800 feet high and 400 paces around, we call the Beaten rock. a Brook [Hamilton Creek] falls into the narrow Chanel [Hamilton Slough] which forms the Strawberry Island [Hamilton Island], which at this time has no running water, but has every appearance of dischargeing emence torrents &c. &c. Jo. Fields Shot a Sand hill Crane. I returned by the Same rout on an Indian parth passing up on the N W. Side of the river to our Camp at the Great Shute [an island near Ashes Lake, across from Cascade Locks, now under the waters of Bonneville Reservoir]. found Several Indians from the village, I Smoked with them; Soon after my return two Canoes loaded with fish & Bear grass for the trade below, came down from the village at the mouth of the Catterack River [Klickitat River], they unloaded and turned their Canoes up Side down on the beech, & camped under a Shelveing rock below our Camp
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This Great Shute or falls [Upper Cascade Rapids] is about ½ a mile with the water of this great river Compressed within the Space of 150 paces in which there is great numbers of both large and Small rocks, water passing with great velocity forming & boiling in a most horriable manner, with a fall of about 20 feet, below it widens to about 200 paces and current gentle for a Short distance. a Short distance above is three Small rockey Islands, and at the head of those falls, three Small rockey Islands are Situated Crosswise the river, Several rocks above in the river & 4 large rocks in the head of the Shute; those obstructions together with the high Stones which are continually brakeing loose from the mountain on the Stard Side and roleing down into the Shute aded to those which brake loose from those Islands above and lodge in the Shute, must be the Cause of the rivers daming up to Such a distance above, <and Show> where it Shows Such evidant marks of the Common current of the river being much lower than at the present day
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