Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on Chemawa Hill, Washington.
View from Washington State Highway 14 Boat ramp at Drano Lake.
Image taken November 4, 2004.
|
Broughton Flume ...
|
The nine-mile-long, 1,000-foot drop Broughton Flume was the last operating flume in the United States, floating rough-hewn lumber ("cants") from Willard, Washington, to the Broughton Lumber Mill at Hood, Washington, a rail station two miles west of Bingen. At the Broughton Mill the planks were processed into finished lumber and shipped east or west on the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway.
Sections of the old flume can be seen along Washington State Highway 14, between Drano Lake and Hood. At the boat ramp at Drano Lake a section can be seen on the side of Chemawa Hill on the east side of Drano Lake. On the Oregon side, Mitchell Point and Ruthton Park are good spots to look across the Columbia at the flume.
|
Early History ...
|
According to the Historic American Engineering Record HAER No. WA-170 (O'Connor, 2000, National Park Service):
-
"The Broughton Flume was built between 1921 and 1923 by the Drano Flume and Lumber Co. to transport cants (rough sawn logs) from the Little Salmon River nine miles to Hood, Washington and the Columbia River. Leased on completion by Broughton Lumber, the company assumed ownership in 1927 and continued to transport cants over the flume until both the company and the flume closed in 1986. ...
Note that discrepancies in flume construction dates exist among several sources. The company pamphlet gives a starting date of 1913, while the Ely and Pomeroy article lists 1923 (D. Ely and T. Pomeroy, 1988, "The Broughton Lumber Company Flume and Railroad," appearing in Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette, vol.14, no.5, Nov/Dec 1988). During the HAER survey of the site in 2000, several sources indicated the 1923 date was likely correct."
... [Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), 2000, National Park Service, HAER No. WA-170, "Broughton Flume", Richard O'Connor (historian)]
|
Early History - 2 ...
|
According to the Bonneville Power Administration's "Whistling Ridge Energy Project's Environmental Impact Statement (2011):
- 1896 - 1907, Oregon Lumber Company:
"As of 1896, there were seven sawmills operating in Skamania County, the most notable of these being the Oregon Lumber Company's along the Little White Salmon River. After the logging of Underwood Mountain was complete, the Oregon Lumber Company established the Mill A sawmill and headquarters along the west side of the Little White Salmon River, and another sawmill at Cheowith Flat on the east side of the Little White Salmon River at what was known as Mill B ... There were flumes on both sides of the river that carried the lumber to the Columbia. When the supply of timber became more difficult to access, the company closed the mill in 1907, and moved it to Oregon."
... [Bonneville Power Administration, 2011, "Whistling Ridge Energy Project, Environmental Impact Statement"]
- 1916 - 1923, Drano Flume Company:
"Broughton Lumber Company was established around 1916 by Harold Broughton and D.M. Stevenson, who operated a mill at Willard along the Little White Salmon River. Using water diverted from the Little White Salmon River, Broughton Lumber Company transported the timber via a flume connecting the mill at Willard to the Columbia River, and then rafted the logs across the river to Oregon for railroad transport. The flume originally consisted of a 4.5-mile long segment from Willard to Drano Lake, and was constructed by the Drano Flume Company around 1913. In 1923, Broughton purchased the Drano Flume Company and expanded their operation by building an additional 4.5 miles of flume from Drano Lake eastward along the Columbia River to a new resaw and planing mill lcoated along the railroad near Underwood. Following its completion, boards could travel the nine-mile long flume to the planning mill in less than one hour."
... [Bonneville Power Administration, 2011, "Whistling Ridge Energy Project, Environmental Impact Statement"]
- 1923 - 1986, Broughton Lumber Company:
"From 1923 to about 1940, Broughton Lumber Company constructed and operated a railroad for transport of logs to the primary mill. Two steam engines were used and a maximum of nine miles of track that were laid to haul timber from the woods to the mill at Willard, but the tracks had no permanent location, as they were moved and re-laid as necessary. The Broughton Lumber Company operation closed in 1986, and portions of the flume from Willard to the Columbia River were dimantled by the company shortly thereafter."
... [Bonneville Power Administration, 2011, "Whistling Ridge Energy Project, Environmental Impact Statement"]
According to Keith McCoy, 1987, in Mount Adams Country: Forgotten Corner of the Columbia River Gorge":
- Wind River Lumber Company, Oregon Lumber Company:
"After logging off Underwood Mountain, the Wind River Lumber Company moved over Into the Little White Salmon where Mill A became their headquarters. That rich drainage attracted other lumber firms. The Oregon Lumber Company had a primary mill at Chenowith and flumed their rough-cut lumber to Cook's Landing for water transport to a finishing mill across the Columbia at Viento. This gave them rail facilities for their finished product."
... [Keith McCoy, 1987, Mount Adams Country: Forgotten Corner of the Columbia River Gorge".]
- Drano Flume Company:
"Broughton Lumber Company had their beginnings in this basin, too. To capitalize on the transportation needs of the operators entering the area, William Drano, known as French Billy, organized the Drano Flume Company to build a flume which traversed much of his homestead land. Underfinanced, the firm got into trouble and was bought out by Broughton Lumber Company. They not only completed the flume but it has served for 70 years - the last of the great flume mills."
... [Keith McCoy, 1987, Mount Adams Country: Forgotten Corner of the Columbia River Gorge".]
- Broughton Lumber Company:
"The original Broughton Lumber Company team took in a new partner in 1923 when Donald M. Stevenson entered the firm. He managed the logging and primary milling at Willard while the finish milling, sales and shipping were under the management of Harold J. Broughton at the Hood plant at river and rail level. The rough-sawn cants float down the nine mile flume, arriving at the Hood mill fifty-five minutes after they are put in the water at Willard. It is a unique and picturesque system. This well managed lumber operation has been a profitable and lasting one, providing steady payrolls over a long span of years. Unfortunately, market conditions and the high cost of modernization signalled its closing late in 1986.
... [Keith McCoy, 1987, Mount Adams Country: Forgotten Corner of the Columbia River Gorge".]
- Swan-Haman Lumber Comany:
Other flume mills in the area didn't fare as well, for once their areas were cut out there was no backlog of government timber tributary to their sites. The Swan-Haman Lumber Company, with offices in White Salmon, had an early-day sawmill at Bristol atop Burdoin Mountain - almost within view of their downtown headquarters. Their lumber was flumed down the Catherine Creek drainage to a barge landing on the Columbia, later to an S. P. & S. Railway siding when the North Bank Line opened in 1908."
... [Keith McCoy, 1987, Mount Adams Country: Forgotten Corner of the Columbia River Gorge".]
- Dorr Lumber Company:
"A similar flume operation was started at the head of Major Creek by the Dorr Lumber Company. Their mill town, like Bristol, had their own post office during their heyday in the teens and '20's."
... [Keith McCoy, 1987, Mount Adams Country: Forgotten Corner of the Columbia River Gorge".]
|
The Flume ...
|
"Most of the nine-mile long Broughton flume was built of wood sawn at the Broughton Mill at Willard. Wood portions were 16 feet long and consisted of 2-inch-thick troughs of Douglass fir, which had the strength to withstand the relentless pounding of the cants. Troughs rested on bracing of cedar, which resisted rot. ...
Where the flume descended at a steep angle, it was made of metal. ...
(Note, image captions with this report state the sections of flume crossing roads were metal.)
A dam built by the Pacific Power & Light Company on Little White Salmon river above Willard, Washington, provided head for the flume at approximately 30 cubic feet per second. From the Little White Salmon river, cants moved at approximately 9 mph, completing the trip in 55 minutes over terrain that necessitated trestles up to 80 feet high. The flume was capable of transporting 40/50 million board feet of lumber/year, or 125,000 to 150,000 board feet/day, in lengths of less than 32 feet. Anything 32 feet and over was trucked to the mill. ...
A 12-inch-wide walkway, resting on the flume's leg bracing, ran parallel to the trough for the full length of the flume to facilitate repairs. The flume was patrolled weekly on Friday by a worker wearing special "calk" boots - with sharp points on the soles. ..."
Source:
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), 2000, National Park Service, HAER No. WA-170, "Broughton Flume", Richard O'Connor (historian).
|
|
Restored Section ...
A restored section of the Broughton Flume can be seen at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, a museum devoted to the history of the Columbia River Gorge. The Center is located in Stevenson, Washington. In 2005 this section was restored by Don Yarnell and the Broughton Mill donated it.
|
Broughton Flume
"The Broughton Flume was the fastest and longest water flume in the world from 1923-1986. It transported cants (rough sawn lumber) from the upper mill in Willard to the lower mill on the Columbia River, a distance of 9 miles in 55 minutes with an elevation drop of one thousand feet.
At the end of the day, the final piece of lumber carried a flag with a sign, "That's all". The final "That's all" was sent Dec 19, 1986. Portions of the flume can be seen from SR-14.
This small section of the flume was restored in 2005 by Don Yarnell, Underwood, WA.
Donor: Broughton Mill.
|
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Section of the Broughton Flume, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington.
Image taken July 15, 2011.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Section of the Broughton Flume, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington.
Image taken July 15, 2011.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Information sign, Broughton Flume section, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington.
Image taken July 15, 2011.
|
Steel Spans ...
|
In two locations the Broughton Flume passed over roads. Here the Flume was constructed of steel to prevent water leaking onto the cars below.
One span was just south of Willard and crossed John Young's Road before running south and paralleling Willard Road, heading towards Chenowith Road. Today this section is in Bingen, Washington.
The second span was just north of Chenoweth Road as the flume headed southwest and passed over Cook-Underwood Road.
Today this large green portion of the flume sits in Willard at the Willard Road and Oklahoma Street intersection.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Bingen, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Bingen, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Bingen, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
- Information Sign, Bingen ...
- Information Sign, Drano Lake ...
- "Sunday Oregonian", August 21, 1921 ...
- "In the Movies" ...
- The Route:
- The Route ...
- Willard ...
- Willard's Feeder Flume ...
- Chemawa Hill at Drano Lake ...
- Drano Lake to Hood ...
- Hood ...
- Broughton Lumber Mill ...
- End of the Flume ...
|
Information sign, Bingen ...
Brougton Flume
A Man-made Waterway
"Water, diverted from the Little White Salmon River, made a perfect conveyance for "cants" rough sawn by the Willard Mill, and then splashed into the flume, where gravity took the cargo to the compnay's finishing mill at Hood."
"Masterful Engineering:
The trough was constructed of two-inch, tongue and groove, Douglas fir. An emergency warning system would automatically dump the water and sound alarm bells. The flume was filled at all times because lumber submerged will not rot as quickly as lumber allowed to be wet and dry. The flume maintenance crew patrolled the chute from a 12-inch-wide, nine-mile-long catwalk. The flume transported between 40-50 million board feet per year. In the early twenties this construction was the most economical method for transporting volumes of lumber. Two men directed the lumber for processing into the plat at the Hood Mill."
Source:
Broughton Flume Information Sign, Bingen, visited March 2013.
|
[More Bingen]
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Information sign, Broughton Flume section, Bingen, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Closeup, information sign, Broughton Flume section, Bingen, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Information sign, Drano Lake ...
Brougton Flume
A Man-made Waterway
"In the early 1900s, lush evergreen forests covered the rugged mountains on either side of the Columbia River, providing a wealth of fuel and building material. In this steep, wet country, water was a perfect convenance. Sawmills were located in the forest, several miles from the Columbia River. There, massive logs were cut into beams called "cants," then splashed into water-filled flumes, where gravity brought the cargo to the riverside finishing mill below.
Across Drano Lake, you may still see the ruins of the Broughton Lumber Company's flume. Built in 1923, it transported lumber until the firm closed ins inland mill at Willard in 1986."
"Drano Flume and Lumber Company used 16-foot sections of Douglas-fir to build the flume which they sold to Harold Broughton in 1927. A five-man crew worked full-time to keep it in good repair. Last of its kind in the United States, the flume was partially dismantled and auctioned to the public."
"The Willard Mill could process 150,000 board feet in a 19-hour work day. Rough-sawn "Cants," eight to twelve feet long, rode the nine mile trough, a descent of 1,000 feet in 55 minutes to the lower mill."
Source:
Broughton Flume Information Sign, Drano Lake Parking, visited March 2013, February 2016.
|
[More Drano Lake]
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume Information Sign, Drano Lake, Washington.
Image taken February 8, 2016.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume Information Sign, Drano Lake, Washington.
Image taken February 8, 2016.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Information sign, Broughton Flume, Drano Lake, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Closeup, information sign, Broughton Flume, Drano Lake, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Closeup, information sign, Broughton Flume, Drano Lake, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery and the Broughton Flume, closeup from Broughton Flume information sign, Drano Lake, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
The Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery website (2016) states this photo was from 1898. Presumably the flume shown is one of the two flumes of the Oregon Lumber Company. The Broughton Flume wasn't built until 1923.
|
|
"Sunday Oregonian", August 21, 1921 ...
NINE-MILE FLUME IN WHITE SALMON DISTRICT
TO MAKE AVAILABLE 600,000,000 FEET OF FIR
Six Miles Already Constructed and Part Skirts Cliffs Along Columbia -- Logs Will Be Carried From Willard to Hood, Wash. -- First Function Will Be to Fill Natural Basin of Several Acres Adjacent to Plant.
"A NINE-MILE FLUME, which will carry logs from Willard to Hood, Wash., is now being constructed by the Drano Flume & Lumber company in the White Salmon region and will make available for manufacture 600,000,000 feet of fir. Six miles of the flume have been constructed and the part now skirting the cliffs along the Columbia is visible to motorists along the Columbia River highway across the river.
The fall of nearly a quarter of a mile from the hills to the level of the Columbia is divided throughout the flume in its long, meandering line. The water from the Little White Salmon is raised 20 feet by a dam at the upper end to fill the first unit of the flume.
More than 1,500,000 feet of lumber will be used in building the flume. The boxes and brackets are made and the braces and other timbers cut at the mill at Willard to make a minimum of sawing and fitting for the flume construction crew. A gate in the flume box at the point of each day's operations lets the water through and catches the material sent down from the mill.
When completed, the flume's first function will be to fill a natural basin of several acres at Hood, adjacent to the milling plant to be erected there. Down the miniature wooden canal will then travel logs to be converted into lumber for rail and water shipment.
During the first stages of construction of the flume, the crew sometimes completed 1000 feet a day, but when the work reached the precipitous walls along the river, the force dwindled to a few skilled climbers.
The base of the flume, a stout timber, serves the purpose of a sill and is blocked up at either end to give a level surface. From this rise posts in single lengths, made secure by cross timbers and a system of perfect bracing. A short length at the top forms the cap holding the main bed of stringers, the bracket and the V-shaped flume box. W.D. Arnold is in charge of the mill at Willard and F.E. Arnold is engineering the flume's construction."
Click image to enlarge
|
NEWSPAPER Image ... Construction of the Drano Flume, "Sunday Oregonian", August 21, 1921.
Image courtesy "Historic Oregon Newspapers" Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2016.
|
Source:
"Sunday Oregonian", August 21, 1921, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspaper Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2016.
|
|
"In the Movies" ...
- "Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar", 1967, Walt Disney Studios, includes great scenes of Charlie riding a log down sections of the flume, with views of the Columbia River.
- "Sometimes a Great Notion", 1970, starring Paul Newman and Henry Fonda.
- Lassie, 1967 TV episode "Ride the Mountain" and a 1968 three-reel View Master set.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
"Lassie Rides the Log Flume", View-Master, 1968.
In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
|
- The Route ...
- Willard ...
- Willard's Feeder Flume ...
- Chemawa Hill at Drano Lake ...
- Drano Lake to Hood ...
- Hood ...
- Broughton Lumber Company ...
- End of the Flume ...
|
The Route ...
|
Excerpt from: "BroughtonLogFlume.blogspot.com" website, 2013, article from 2009 posted by "Jeff":
"... The Broughton flume and its water originated from a dam at the Little Salmon River just north of Willard. Water was gravity fed from the dam into the feeder flume which crossed Lava Creek, ran along Oklahoma St. and then went under Oklahoma St., resurfaced and ran along Flume Rd. towards the Willard mill where it picked up lumber.
From the mill, it crossed under Willard Rd. (Co Hwy 86), went over the Little Salmon River and under Willard Rd. From here, it paralleled a service road (name unknown) where it crossed John Young's Road. The crossing structure was initially made of wood and later was made of metal. After this, it headed south and paralleled Willard Rd. From here, the flume took a SW direction and headed for Chenoweth Rd. It crossed Cook-Underwood Rd with the large green steel span just north of Chenoweth Rd (mile post 8). Next, it paralleled Chenoweth Rd and crossed under this road just before the road ends. This is also the location of the emergency water dump portion of the flume. In addition, this is the half way point of the flume: 4 and 1/2 miles each way to both Willard and Hood. From here, the flume wrapped around the hillside and began it's descent towards the Hood mill. It parallels Hwy 14 and is visible along the cliff above the highway. It can also be seen from across the river on the Oregon side. A good place to see this is Mitchell Point. ..."
|
|
Willard ...
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume section, Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Willard's Feeder Flume ...
|
A remnant of the old Broughton Flume's "feeder flume" exists in Willard, at the intersection of Flume and Oklahoma Streets, and parallels Oklahoma. This flume carried water from the Little White Salmon River to the mill in Willard.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
End of Broughton "feeder flume", Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton "feeder flume", Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton "feeder flume", Willard, Washington.
Image taken March 18, 2013.
|
Chemawa Hill at Drano Lake ...
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on Chemawa Hill, Washington.
View from Washington State Highway 14 Boat ramp at Drano Lake.
Image taken November 4, 2004.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on Chemawa Hill, Washington.
View from Washington State Highway 14 Boat ramp at Drano Lake.
Image taken February 26, 2005.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on Chemawa Hill, Washington.
View from Washington State Highway 14 Boat ramp at Drano Lake.
Image taken February 26, 2005.
|
Drano Lake to Hood ...
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume, Washington, as seen from Ruthton Park, Oregon.
The Flumes destination, Hood, Washington, is just upriver (to the right).
Image taken June 4, 2005.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on slope above Washington State Highway 14, Tunnel No.3.
View from Mitchell Point, Oregon.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on slope above Washington State Highway 14, as seen from Mitchell Point, Oregon.
Image taken August 23, 2008.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Flume on slope above Washington State Highway 14, as seen from Mitchell Point, Oregon.
Image taken August 23, 2008.
|
Hood ...
Hood, Washington, is a rail station and the lower end of the Broughton Flume. The small community was named by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company for
Mount Hood, which can be seen across the river in Oregon.
[More]
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Mill, Hood, Washington, as seen from Ruthton Park, Hood River, Oregon.
The Broughton Flume ended here.
Image taken November 10, 2014.
|
Broughton Lumber Mill ...
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Lumber Mill, Hood, Washington.
Image taken May 10, 2006.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Broughton Lumber Mill, Hood, Washington.
Image taken June 12, 2012.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Wigwam Burner and sawdust feeder lines, Broughton Lumber Mill, Hood, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
End of the Flume ...
Click image to enlarge
|
Concrete pad, end of the Broughton Flume at Broughton Mill, Hood, Washington.
Image taken March 24, 2013.
|
|
From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
|
|
Clark, October 29, 1805 ...
|
|
Return to