Early Fishing on the Columbia River: From Native Americans to Commercial Operations

Date, Location

Tue, 07/31/2012 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm

McMenamins Edgfield: Power Station Theater
2126 SW Halsey Street
Portland, OR 97060

About the Event

The Oregon Encyclopedia (The OE) continues its monthly series of History Nights at McMenamins pubs
with programs at the Edgefield Power Station Theater. At each History Night, The OE will look back at
the people and events that have shaped our communities. Visit www.oregonencyclopedia.org for History
Night locations and more details.

Fishing on the Columbia River is an ancient livelihood and tradition that has a profound spiritual and
cultural significance for Native Peoples who have lived along the river’s banks for millennia. For centuries,
Euro Americans have caught fish from the Columbia and its tributaries through a variety of methods,
many of them completely different from the handmade dipnets and platforms still used by Columbia
River Native Americans to this day. Have you have ever wondered how different people have fished on
the Columbia River in the last century? Join us at the July Oregon Encyclopedia History Night to view
a remarkable collection of rarely seen images featuring the history of fishing on the Columbia River and
its tributaries. Columbia Gorge historians, Chuck Rollins and Steve Lehl will demonstrate with historic
photos and old postcard images the evolution of fishing on the Columbia from the 1860s into the 1930s.
Through images of fishing methods such as fishwheels, fish traps, horse seines, dipnets, and gillnets, and
of people fishing for salmon, sturgeon and smelt, they chronicle the diversity of people, fishing practices
and fish species, from the mouth of the Columbia through the Gorge.

 

Presented by: Chuck Rollins and Steve Lehl

Chuck Rollins is President of the Crown Point Country Historical Society. Steve Lehl is a Columbia River
Gorge historian. Rollins and Lehl have collaborated on several historical slide show presentations including
the history of logging, with a focus on the town of Bridal Veil, and the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Cost: Free and open to the public

To Register:

No registration required.

Event Website

The Oregon Encyclopedia