The Dalles Weekly Chronicle, The Dalles, OR., May 6, 1915, page 1
GIVES ORIGIN OF WORD "CELILO"
Captain Gray Relates Interesting History Of Early Days On Columbia
(Daily of May 5)
A unique solution of the origin of the word "Celilo"
and how it came to be applied to the upper end of the portage around the
obstructions to navigation in the river above The Dalles, has been submitted
by Captain W.P. Gray, of Pasco.
Captain Gray is the admiral of the fleet which arrived
here from the upper river today. He is also the president of the Columbia
and Snake River Waterway association, and has been an ardent worker for an
open river for many years.
Captain Gray is a native son of 1854. His father was
W.H. Gray who came to Oregon with Dr. Whitman in 1836, and who was a builder
of boats on the Columbia river. His son began his knowledge of swift water
and its navigation when 13 years of age. Captain Gray's father lived in The
Dalles in 1862. Captain Gray says:
"I have heard several explanations of the origin of the
name Celilo, creditable and otherwise.
"The first wagon road from Fort Dalles around The Dalles
and Tumwater to reach the navigable water above followed the Columbia to
Three Mile creek, up the creek to the Five Mile house, where the same creek
was called 'Five Mile,' thence up a draw and across the divide to where the
same creek was called 'Ten Mile' thence over the 'Ten Mile hill' and down
to the river just below the mouth of the Deschutes.
"On the flat there, quite a town was built. Freight was
hauled across the portage, and bateaux, sloops and schooners sailed it to
old Fort Walla Walla (now Wallula) 110 miles further where it was distributed
to destinations by teams and pack mules.
"In 1858, the steamer 'Colonel Wright' was built at Deschutes
to replace the sailing crafts. While the 'Colonel Wright' was under construction,
George Knaggs arrived at The Dalles. It soon became known that he was a
Mississippi river steamboat man and had $10,000. Lawrence Coe and R.R. Thompson
who had the contract to carry the government freight to Wallula, needed the
money and tried to induce Knaggs to become a partner, but he had heard of
John Day rapids and decided to investigate. Crossing the Deschutes he took
horse and road 16 miles to the rapids and returned with the announcement
that no steamboat could be built that could navigate those rapids and refused
to invest.
"But Len White and Eph Baughman who were running sailing
crafts on the river assured the builders that the steamer could be navigated,
but an immense mast, square sail and jib were added to our equipment. The
'Wright' was a success and in 1859 and 1860, the steamers 'Tenino' and 'Okanogan'
were built at Deschutes.
"But the landing was on a slough of the Columbia. In
high water the boats landed at the bank in front of the town, but in low
water freight had a be hauled over cobble stones nearly a mile to a shelving
beach where there was no protection from sand or rain and every slight rise
in the river caused trouble and expense in moving the freight to safety.
It had to be there preceding the arrival of the boats.
"The cliffs back of Celilo are almost perpendicular,
from the Deschutes road to Cape Horn, three miles below Tumwater, a distance
of five miles. At the foot of the cliffs back of Celilo, are shifting sand
dunes. High water washes the cliff just below Deschutes flat and at Cape
Horn. There is no landing on the Oregon side of the Columbia between Deschutes
and Five Mile rapids.
"In 1860, the discovery of gold mines increased the river
traffic so much, it was imperative that a better point for landing and shipping
facilities be found. After investigation the Oregon Steam Navigation company
found a narrow cleft in the cliff with perpendicular walls less than 50 feet
apart, where loaded wagons could be lowered down with a rope and 12 mule
teams could pull the empty wagons up. It was not even an Indian trail. After
the discovery of this chute the company began landing lumber for the construction
of three steamboats, the 'Yakima,' 'Webfoot' and 'Nez Perce Chief,' and the
place was called 'Celilo' with accent on the second syllable.
"It was rumored at the time that when the man who found
the road, had explained to Lawrence Coe the possibility of covering the bottom
of the chute with gravel and dirt, and lowering the wagons down Coe exclaimed,
'I see, lie low.'
"If any other old timer or Indian is a better guesser
than I, let us hear from him."
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© Jeffrey L. Elmer