Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

(As Reported by the U.S. Forest Service)

Overview
The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, cutting the only sea level route through the Cascade Mountain Range. It is more than a natural wonder; the Gorge is a critical transportation corridor and is home to 75,000 people, resource dependent communities, farms and schools.

The National Scenic Area was created to protect and enhance the scenic, natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Columbia River Gorge while encouraging economic development. Hundreds of miles of breathtaking trails, the windsurfing capital of the Northwest, beautiful campsites, wildflowers galore and Wild and Scenic Rivers are just a few of the recreation opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge.

Cultural History
For over 31,000 years, the Columbia River Gorge has supported flourishing civilizations. Evidence of the Folsom and Marmes people, who crossed the Great Continental Divide from Asia, were found in archaeological digs. Excavations at Five Mile Rapids, a few miles east of The Dalles, show humans have occupied this ideal salmon fishing site for more than 10,000 years.

Ancestors of today's Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla and Nez Perce tribal nations lived and fished along the river's banks. Tribes from all over western North America would come to this area to trade for dried, smoked salmon.

In the early 1800s, the magnificent resources of the Gorge lured explorers and fur traders westward. Lewis, Clark, botanist David Douglas and ornithologist John Townsend, "the bird chief," explored and documented geology, geography, plants and animals. When they were in the western region of the Gorge, they recorded that they had difficulty sleeping at night because the many birds in the area were so loud. From their reports and illustrations of their travel, people's curiosity of moving westward developed.

In 1843, about 900 people braved the 2,000 mile Oregon Trail to reach the Willamette Valley. By 1849, approximately 11,500 pioneers poured into Oregon, forever changing life in the Columbia Gorge.

The Gorge Today
As steamboats, railroads and highways replaced canoes and rafts, the Columbia Gorge remains a major transportation route through the Cascade Mountain Range. Improved infrastructure has led to economic development. Lumber, wool and flour mills, as well as fish and fruit canneries have dotted the landscape. The river continues to carry grain, livestock, lumber, fruit and vegetables grown and processed in the Columbia Basin. Remnants of fish wheels, arrowheads and pictographs are visible to history buffs, as well as Oregon's first steam locomotives and cultural influences of Chinese cannery workers.