Celilo Falls Earthcache EarthCache
Hidden : 1/8/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

As an earthcache, there is no “box” or “container” to discover. Rather, with this cache, you discover something about the geology of the area. For more info, consult www.earthcache.org

For paperless cachers, the logging requirements are at the beginning of the description. Handicap Accessible Park-n-cache.

This earthcache is located at a scenic overlook above The Dalles Dam overlooking Celilo Falls (or what remains of it, thanks to the dam). At this location you can easily see the impact of human interaction (the dam) on the area geology/hydrology. As you read the description and participate in the logging requirements, be evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of this significant change in the natural geology of the area.

Logging Requirements:
Send the answers to #1-#5 to me through my geocaching profile. DO NOT post the answers to any logging requirements on this site.

1. List the name “GC2M73Z Celilo Falls Earthcache” in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2. According to the signage at the cords (there are four signs spaced about 25 feet apart along the rock wall):
A) Which American Expedition first explored this region? How many days did it take them to portage Celilo Falls?
B) What two Cascade Range Mountains were visible to the leader of that expedition from a nearby vantage point? Which one of these two mountains is sometimes visible from your location?
C) If that mountain is visible, contrast its shape/size to the hills surrounding you at the Columbia River's edge.
D) Which direction (compass points) from cords is/are the mountain(s) visible?
3. What is the advantage of a major waterfall such as Celilo Falls on a major river. Think socially and ESPECIALLY geologically when answering this question. Consulting the signage will assist you!
4. When The Dalles Dam was installed, what might have been the perceived advantage of burying Celilo Falls? Again, think GEOLOGICALLY in this response.
5. How has the Dam changed the geology of the region (think about sedimentation, erosion, and other geological processes in formulating your answer)?
6. (optional requirement based on GC.com guidelines, but it sure helps verify your smiley if your answers to the above are not “quite right”) Post a picture of yourself and/or your GPS with your log that shows you and/or your GPS with the Columbia River Gorge visible behind you from the vista point.

I will only respond if you have incomplete logging requirements. Go ahead and log your cache

If Traveling eastbound on Interstate 84, exit at the Hwy 197 Dalles exit and head across the bridge to Washington State. Head east on WA Hwy 14 for 10-12 miles until you reach the cords (at a major parking area/overlook/turnout).

Geology:
The Cascade Range stretches from Northern California to the south (Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta) to British Columbia. It contains many snow-capped volcanoes, some of which are still active. For instance, Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.

In geologic history, Celilo Falls was carved by the repeated floods that coursed through the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the last ice age, creating a roughly 15-mile stretch of chutes, rapids, eddies, small islands and, as a result, ideal fishing sites in the arid rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains.

The main waterfall, known variously as Celilo Falls, The Chutes, Great Falls, or Columbia Falls, consisted of three sections: a cataract, called Horseshoe Falls or Tumwater Falls; a deep eddy, the Cul-de-Sac; and the main channel. These features were formed by the Columbia River's relentless push through basalt narrows on the final leg of its journey to the Pacific Ocean. Frequently more than a mile in width, the river was squeezed here into a width of only 140 feet. The seasonal flow of the Columbia changed the height of the falls over the course of a year. At low water the drop was about 20 feet. The falls were the sixth-largest by volume in the world and were among the largest in North America. Average annual flow is about 190,000 ft³/sec, and during periods of high water or flood, as much as 1,240,000 ft³/sec (35,113 m³/s) passed over the falls.

History: American Indians have harvested salmon the Columbia River for generations, This region's salmon fishery location provided a central location for tribes from the Northwest Coast, Plains, and Plateau to all meet to trade, socialize and of course fish. Dried salmon was one of the most popluar trades items. People from all over the west brought items to exchange for it. , including obsidian from the south, dried buffalo meat, furs, hides and beargrass from the east, copper and dentalium shells from north; and wapato, dried clams, and other seashells from the west. Historically, Celilo Falls was called Wyam Sahaptin or “sound of water upon the rocks.”

Celilo Falls, a sacred location, now lies beneath the Columbia River's surface, directly east of the railroad bridge you see below you. The loss of this fishery at Celilo Falls was paid for with a “cash settlement” of 26 million dollars in order for the Dalles Dam to silence the falls in 1957. Bereft of their ancesteral fishery and gathering places, the indians are awaiting enactment of Public Law 100-581 that will provide 26 fishing sites between Bonneville and McNary Dams.

William Clark took frequent side trips during his journey, sometimes climbing hills to get a better view of the surrounding countryside. On April 22, 1806, Clark scaled Haystack Butte, the highest hill on this side of the river (over your left shoulder). From atop this lookout he noted “I could plainly see the range of mountains that runs to the south of Mt. Hood ….”

Congrads to globaltreckers for First to Finish logging requirements!

Resources:
Signage at location
“Celilo Falls” (visit link)
History of Celilo Falls – (visit link)

Additional Hints (No hints available.)

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