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Reviews
DEATH OF CELILO FALLS
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by Katrine Barber
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| Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, in association with the University of Washington Press, Seattle, 2005. Photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 270 pages. $22.50 paper. |
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| The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of The Dalles Dam on the mid-course of the Columbia River in 1957. The dam inundated many traditional Native American salmon fishing sites, including the spectacular waterfalls and ancient fishery of Celilo. This volume presents an engaging historical obituary of the falls by describing and interpreting the often complex, conflicted, and nuanced events, relationships, and values that led to and followed the death of not only the falls but also the old raging Columbia, its abundant salmon resource, and a way of life for native people. |
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It is not author Katrine Barber's purpose to provide another sweeping view of the transformation of America's western rivers in general or the Columbia in particular. Neither is it her pursuit to provide a detailed history of the construction of the dam and events that led to its realization or to focus on its impact on the once-bountiful salmon fishery. Rather, it is Barber's intent to bring the largely untold story of Native American sacrifice and small community involvement to the forefront in a more personal way by focusing on the microcosm of impacts on two specific neighboring Oregon communities, Celilo Village and The Dalles. |
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Celilo Village is an isolated, off-reservation Native American settlement that had supported the traditional native fishery along a nine-mile stretch of the Columbia's banks known as the Long Narrows. In aboriginal times, Native American bands from throughout the Northwest gathered at the Narrows during the spring and fall salmon runs to fish, trade, and socialize. In the 1950s, Celilo Village consisted of about thirty households. It's residents opposed The Dalles Dam because it threatened their homes, values, treaty fishing rights, and livelihood. |
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In the early 1950s, The Dalles, located twelve miles west of the village, was a mid-sized, segregated white town with a population of 7,500. It had also developed as an important trading market in the mid nineteenth century, catering to immigrants and miners. Its townspeople overwhelmingly supported The Dalles Dam because they felt that its technology represented progress. They also thought it would bring rapid expansion and growth to their community. Many also endorsed the project because they hoped that the partial flooding of Celilo Village, which they considered to be a blighted, sociological embarrassment, would provide a chance to remake both its infrastructure and image. |
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Barber skillfully and sensitively chronicles how these two communities and their historic relationships were changed by the dam. She does so by weaving together an impressive array of first-hand accounts and descriptions by both key players in the episode and ordinary residents. Barber, a history professor at Portland State University, gleaned her narrative information from a variety of sources, most notably from the collections of the Oregon Historical Society. Her scholarship is sound. Moreover, it is well-crafted. |
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In her exploration of local concerns and developments, Barber necessarily addresses the larger issues of federal power and control, treaty fishing rights, transformation of riverine environment, grassroots opposition, and the meaning of "progress" in the Cold War era. Consequently, this volume is an excellent case study relevant to several fields of American history and highly suited for classroom use. |
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Barber concludes that hers is ultimately a story of progress and loss. Hydroelectric power and a tamed river helped grow the economy. Salmon, however, are no longer abundant and the commercial fishery has drastically declined. The aesthetic value of a scenic waterway and its environment has been forever altered by the unnatural phenomenon of regulated, stored water. The Dalles experienced a brief expansion as a result of the project but never reached the economic heights envisioned by dam boosters. Celilo Village lost part of its space and all of its economic base. Yet, it continues to survive as the oldest continuously populated settlement in Oregon. |
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The story of The Dalles Dam also represents another significant marker in the long history of the transfer of native resources to non-native control. Native American salmon resources and fishing sites were sacrificed to develop primarily non-Indian energy and transportation resources and the infrastructure of the dam and reservoir. In this regard, Barber's work reaffirms the findings of previous studies of the impact of federal dam and reclamation projects on Native American communities and resources. Federal agencies, particularly the Army Corps of Engineers, never gave serious or adequate consideration to native voices or values during any phase of these projects, including planning, public hearings, damage appraisals, compensation, relocation, and rehabilitation. |
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Katrine Barber is a gifted writer who manages to convey with literary flair her keen sense of the uniqueness and complexity of the Pacific Northwest — its space, people, and history. Because of her talents and the appealing way in which she has brought all the threads together in this monograph, Death of Celilo Falls is highly recommended to all readers. |
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| Michael L. Lawson
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Morgan, Angel & Associates, L.L.C.
Washington, D.C. |
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