Lewis and Clark's Columbia River

Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Rufus, Oregon"

Includes ... Rufus ... John Day Dam ...

Image, 2006, Rufus, Oregon, from Interstate 84, click to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Rufus, Oregon, from Interstate 84. View is west towards Mount Hood on the horizon. The Columbia River is to the right. Image taken October 2, 2006.

Rufus ...

Rufus, Oregon, is located at Columbia River Mile (RM) 213, at the John Day Dam. Rufus was named for Rufus C. Wallis, the original settler in the community. The Rufus Post Office was established in 1886, with Wallis as the first postmaster.

Early Rufus ...

The U.S. Bureau of Land Mangement's General Land Office Records (2006) show Rufus C. Wallis being given title to 179.8 acres (1820 Sale-Cash Entry) on June 3, 1896, of T3N R17E Section 31, and 163.8 acres (1820 Sale-Cash Entry) on August 28, 1896, of T3N R17E Section 31.

Image, 2006, Rufus, Oregon, at Interstate 84 Interchange, click to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Rufus, Oregon, at the Interstate 84 interchange. The town is to the left and the John Day Dam is to the right. View is looking west. Image taken October 2, 2006.

From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, ...

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^*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, 2003

Sources: McArthur, L.A., and McArthur, L.L., 2003, Oregon Geographic Names, Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland; U.S. Bureau of Land Management Website, 2006, General Land Office Records.

All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.