Nostalgia & History > Celilo Falls Bridge - SP&S

More stuff from my Dad. He took a series of three photos of the Celilo Falls Bridge on the SP&S. This is before the lake stretched back this far - the dam was completed in 1960, I believe.

I panelled the three shots together. If only he'd been there when something was using the dang thing, eh?

Don Hall
Yreka, CA

---

Thanks for sharing. Good photographs of Wish'hum (aka Wishram) or Fall Bridge, Celilo are hard to find. Celilo was one of the first places I watched trains growing up. As I grew older, I realized just how much Celilo was my ancestral home.

It is my understanding that Celilo Village might be relocated for a third time. It sounds like the Corps of Engineers wants to make improvements or new construction to keep the 14 alotted dwellings in good condition.


Regards,

Russell
SD9E

I always wondered about that last span, south. I guess they put in a swing bridge to start and then added the lift span.
Thanks
Nudge

spnudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I always wondered about that last span, south. I
> guess they put in a swing bridge to start and then
> added the lift span.
> Thanks
> Nudge


The swing span was built as part of the original bridge because of the need to clear river traffic in the Celilo Canal which allowed river traffic to get around the falls. The second span became a lift span when Celilo Falls was inundated by the backwaters of The Dalles Dam and the Celilo Canal no longer had a use. The one-lung gas engine that powered the swing span in now on display at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon. According to my dad, who ran across this bridge for many years, the engine didn't have quite enough power for what the swing span needed because on extremely windy days it was not always able to complete the closure and operations would be delayed until the wind speed lessened. This was not a regular problem but it was not unusual. The lift span was in operation before I started running across the bridge. Not many people are aware that before the dam flooded the area all of the piers of this bridge were standing on dry rock during the low water periods of the year.

Don's picture was taken looking in a northeasterly direction. The first picture here looks toward the bridge in a northwesterly direction and shows some of the many fishing platforms at the falls along with local Indians. The second picture shows Indians dip-netting salmon at the falls. During certain periods of the year you can still see from Amtrak's Empire Builder Indians fishing in this manner between Bonneville Dam and the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks.

---

I've been writing a lot about the history of the bridge in the the second part of my Railfanning the Gorge Guide. The swing span was placed over the old lock channel that allowed riverboats to pass by Celio Falls. But after The Dalles Dam was built and the backwaters inundated the falls, a new lift span was built over the main channel of the river, where the falls used to lie just east of the bridge. As can be seen in the photo below, the south lift tower ws built on the north end of the old swing span.

Ted Curphey
funnelfan@icehouse.net

---

Thanks for the shots there Jim. Scafolds can be found up and down the river from North Bonneville clear up the river to the Tricities. Most of the time now, we see set nets these days.

The North Bonneville Treat Acess point is rather interesting, built on the old SP&S right of way. The roadbed is very evident.

The best place to see dip netting from fast water is Shears Bridged on the Deschutes River. I learned how to dip net there from my grandfather.



That reminds me, does anyone have any other good shots of the ferry that was used at Fall Bridge? I think Walt Grande's book had some shots.

Russell
SD9E

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But after The Dalles Dam was
> built and the backwaters inundated the falls, a
> new lift span was built over the main channel of
> the river, where the falls used to lie just east
> of the bridge.


Don't you mean the falls being to the west of the bridge? Correct me if needed cause I think I read it wrong and have the whole map backwards in my mind. :)

F40PHR231 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't you mean the falls being to the west of the
> bridge? Correct me if needed cause I think I read
> it wrong and have the whole map backwards in my
> mind. :)


Chris, the falls were to the east of the bridge and primarily on the Oregon side of the river. It's been a long time since I've seen them as a kid, but to the best of my recollection the main part of the falls were closer to Celilo Park than the bridge.

F40PHR231 Wrote:

> Don't you mean the falls being to the west of the
> bridge? Correct me if needed cause I think I read
> it wrong and have the whole map backwards in my
> mind. :)

Jim has it right, the Celio Falls were east of the bridge. Many of the old photos of the bridge clearly show the long span of the bridge (the one north of the swing span) crossing over a deep channel carved out of the bed rock. This was the main channel of the Columbia River, and is now the location of the lift span.

Ted Curphey
funnelfan@icehouse.net

Great pics of the falls, wish I'd had a chance to see them in person. Must've been quite a sight!

I wasn't on TO.com way back when this great thread ran; glad to see it in the from the past section.  Thanks to TO for rerunning it and to the original contributors way back in '04.

Rich