I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?

I'm trying to decide how a small group or early 19th-century
travellers might make it upriver from Vancouver, Washington to a
location near present-day Walla Walla, Washington...but I don't know
anything about paddling or rowing upriver on the Columbia. Would they
row? Could they?

Thanks in advance!

I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?
snip

Entirely possible from my perspective. The Columbia River flows west in that
area, through what is known as the Columbia Gorge. The Gorge, is a close to sea
level brake in the towering Cascade Mountain Range. Due to a number of things,
one of them being the proximity of the Pacific Ocean with it's prevailing
winds, and another being the geography (gorge), there are regular high winds
blowing upriver. I've been there many times, and don't know if I've ever seen a
day when the wind did not blow upriver (it is a windsurfing mecca). A couple
hundred years ago, before the era of the dams it would have been a much
different river than it is today. In the low water season it might have been
reletively easy traveling going upriver.

I'm trying to decide how a small group or early 19th-century
travellers might make it upriver from Vancouver, Washington to a
location near present-day Walla Walla, Washington...but I don't know
anything about paddling or rowing upriver on the Columbia. Would they
row? Could they?

Thanks in advance!

They'd probalby have had to do a combination of things, guiding their boats
around rock bars with polls or ropes, as well as paddling. Lewis and Clark did
it, 198 1/2 years ago.

Dennis

Paddlec1 wrote:

I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?
snip

Entirely possible from my perspective. The Columbia River flows west in
that area, through what is known as the Columbia Gorge. The Gorge, is a
close to sea level brake in the towering Cascade Mountain Range. Due to a
number of things, one of them being the proximity of the Pacific Ocean
with it's prevailing winds, and another being the geography (gorge), there
are regular high winds blowing upriver. I've been there many times, and
don't know if I've ever seen a day when the wind did not blow upriver (it
is a windsurfing mecca). A couple hundred years ago, before the era of the
dams it would have been a much different river than it is today. In the
low water season it might have been reletively easy traveling going
upriver.

I'm trying to decide how a small group or early 19th-century
travellers might make it upriver from Vancouver, Washington to a
location near present-day Walla Walla, Washington...but I don't know
anything about paddling or rowing upriver on the Columbia. Would they
row? Could they?

Thanks in advance!

They'd probalby have had to do a combination of things, guiding their
boats around rock bars with polls or ropes, as well as paddling. Lewis and
Clark did it, 198 1/2 years ago.

Steam ships plied the waters past the confluence with the Methow river in
the late 1800's I think it was. (been awhile since I read the historical
marker). There are still mechanical fasteners (eyebolts) in the rocks near
Pateros that were used to help move the large boats up the rapids in that
area. This is well past Walla Walla.

You might do a google on "Hanford Reach", it's not far from Walla Walla and
is "the only free flowing, non-tidal stretch of the Columbia River in the
U.S"

HTH

"Paddlec1" wrote in message
...
I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?
snip
Lewis and Clark did
it, 198 1/2 years ago.


Buzz Holstrom did it about 60 years ago.

--riverman

"Natty Bumppo" wrote in message
om...
I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?

I'm trying to decide how a small group or early 19th-century
travellers might make it upriver from Vancouver, Washington to a
location near present-day Walla Walla, Washington...but I don't know
anything about paddling or rowing upriver on the Columbia. Would they
row? Could they?

Getting upriver in the beginning of the 19th century (how Lewis and Clark or
the Hudson's Bay brigades traveled) was in, I think, largish pirogues or
York boats. Propulsion was by a method that fit the season, the weather,
your payload, and the particular section of the river.

Springtime would be the worst, fighting strong currernts and dodging
floating logs and debris. Getting upstream should get progressively easier
as the summer progressed. If your party is traveling upriver to settle,
they'll have to leave late enough to make the upriver trip and arrive early
enough to prepare for winter. Preparing for winter in Walla Walla should be
a lot easier than for winter in a lot of places I can think of. You're on
your own for inventing shelter and food supply for them.

For propulsion, I suppose sail was preferred. Next was the oar, probably by
rowers sitting side by side. It shouldn't take more than a couple of clicks
on Google to get typical number of seats. Where swift current combined with
exposed gravel banks, they cordelled, a 19th century word that's been
replaced by 'tracking.' To cordel upriver, the brigade walks and climbs
along the bank, drawing the boat with a line. Maybe a rudder- or pole-man
in the boat kept the boat clear of the bank and obstacles. To get around
some particular obstruction or to get up shallow stretches, maybe they'd
pole. Maybe they'd cordel wading. As a last resort, they'd portage,
unloading the boats, packing the cargo on their backs. I doubt that there
are any portages on the stretch of the Columbia you're interested in.

Travel like this would be heavy. It would have to be a pretty large and
well-financed party to do it.

Small-party live-off-the-land-firearm-axe-sleeping-robe travel would
probably be by bark canoe with the same propulsion sail+paddle+cordel+pole.
Unless it was a large canoe, paddling would be much less effective that
rowing, and travel would be arduous.

Keep in mind that travel this way took very unusual people. The voyageurs
could run a 200 pound pack a couple of miles across a portage or row for
sixteen hours a day for weeks at a stretch. To get a party of ordinary
human beings up the Columbia would take an heroic fictional leap.

I think that if you Googled Lewis & Clark, Columbia River, and Hudson's Bay
Company travel for the era you're interested in, you'll be able to assemble
a plausible story that would satisfy all but an expert in the field.

Best, of course, would be for you to drop out of school for a year, get a
canoe and a pole, and travel the river.

Post your TR here.

Hth,
Fred Klingener

"riverman" wrote in message ...


Buzz Holstrom did it about 60 years ago.

--riverman

Thanks for the lead...I'll look into that!

(Paddlec1) wrote in message ...
I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?
snip

Entirely possible from my perspective. The Columbia River flows west in that
area, through what is known as the Columbia Gorge. The Gorge, is a close to sea
level brake in the towering Cascade Mountain Range. Due to a number of things,
one of them being the proximity of the Pacific Ocean with it's prevailing
winds, and another being the geography (gorge), there are regular high winds
blowing upriver. I've been there many times, and don't know if I've ever seen a
day when the wind did not blow upriver (it is a windsurfing mecca). A couple
hundred years ago, before the era of the dams it would have been a much
different river than it is today. In the low water season it might have been
reletively easy traveling going upriver.

I'm trying to decide how a small group or early 19th-century
travellers might make it upriver from Vancouver, Washington to a
location near present-day Walla Walla, Washington...but I don't know
anything about paddling or rowing upriver on the Columbia. Would they
row? Could they?

Thanks in advance!

They'd probalby have had to do a combination of things, guiding their boats
around rock bars with polls or ropes, as well as paddling. Lewis and Clark did
it, 198 1/2 years ago.

Dennis

Thanks very much for the info on the geography and character of the
river at various points and seasons...that tells me a lot and will be
very useful. I appreciate the information.

Thanks again!!!

dh wrote in message news:

Steam ships plied the waters past the confluence with the Methow river in
the late 1800's I think it was. (been awhile since I read the historical
marker). There are still mechanical fasteners (eyebolts) in the rocks near
Pateros that were used to help move the large boats up the rapids in that
area. This is well past Walla Walla.

You might do a google on "Hanford Reach", it's not far from Walla Walla and
is "the only free flowing, non-tidal stretch of the Columbia River in the
U.S"

HTH

Thanks for the leads...I will check out Hanford Reach as you advise.

Thanks again!

"Natty Bumppo" wrote in message
om...
I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?

A historical note: From 1811, when David Thompson discovered the Athabasca
Pass, until 1846, when the Oregon treaty established the 49th parallel as
the US border, the Columbia was part of the most important (at the time) fur
trading route across the Canadian Rockies.

There's a small lake situated at the summit of the Athabasca Pass, called
The Committee's Punchbowl. (Named after the governing committee of the
Hudson's Bay Company.) This lake drains into the a tributary of the Wood
River on one side (itself a tributary of the Columbia), and also into the
Whirlpool River (a tributary of the Athabasca) on the other side. This
means that there is an entirely water route across the Rockies. You can
imagine the importance of this to traders crossing the continent. Sure,
some portages would still be necessary, as there are significant rapids on
both sides, but they wouldn't have to lug loaded Voyageur canoes over any
mountain passes! (Note that this itself doesn't give a cross-continent
route, since the Athabasca flows eventually to the Arctic, but the crossing
to the Saskatchewan river system (which flows as far east as Lake Winnipeg,
before going to Hudson's Bay) could be made on the prairies, with
horse-drawn carts.

-Paul

"Natty Bumppo" wrote in message
om...
"riverman" wrote in message
...


Buzz Holstrom did it about 60 years ago.

--riverman

Thanks for the lead...I'll look into that!

Get ahold of the book "The Doing of the Thing". Absolutely excellent read,
and top-notch info on his trip up the Columbia (as well as others.)

--riverman