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Bonneville, Oregon.
Image taken _____.
(Image yet to come)
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Bonneville ...
Bonneville, Oregon, is located at Columbia River Mile (RM) _____, at the location of the Bonneville Dam. Across the Columbia lies North Bonneville, Washington. The Bonneville Post Office was established in March 1900.
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"... This is an historic spot in Oregon. For many decades, it was a popular picnic grounds for people living along the Columbia River between Portland and The Dalles. The railroad company maintained an 'eating house' at Bonneville, where tired travelers paid a modest sum for all they could eat. ..."
[McArthur and McArthur, 2003]
Bonneville, Oregon, Bonneville Dam, and North Bonneville, Washington, were named after
Captain (later Brig. General) Benjamin L.E. Bonneville, a West Point graduate who explored the west from 1832 to 1835, visiting many parts of Oregon.
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Early Bonneville ...
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The name "Bonneville" did not appear on maps until the late 1880s, and even then it was not consistently shown. The name did appear on the 1886 "Map of the Northern Pacific Railroad and Connections" and on the 1888 "Tourist Map of the Union Pacific and Connecting Lines".
The 1897 "Post Route Map of the State of Washington, showing Post Offices with
the Intermediate Distances on Mail Routes in Operation on the 1st of
September, 1897, published by order of Postmaster General James A. Gary" showed Bonneville as "Bonneville (n.o.)". "Not Official" perhaps ???. McArthur and McArthur (2003) write that the Bonneville Post Office didn't come into existence until March 1900.
The 1908 "Railroad Commission Map of Washington" showed Bonneville on the "Ore. R.R. & Nav." line, and the 1911 topographic map "Mount Hood and Vicinity" listed Bonneville and the Fish Hatchery at Bonneville. The Fish Hatchery was built in 1909.
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The Bonneville Project ...
Construction of the Bonneville Dam was known as the "Bonneville Project".
Included in this construction was a small workers community at Bonneville, Oregon. As stated in the
Bonneville Dam Historic District, National Historic Landmark 1986 Nomination Package (DENIX Website, 2006):
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"... Bonneville Dam was to be constructed 42 miles east of Portland and 144 miles upstream from the mouth of the Columbia. Work commenced in October, 1933 ... By June, 1934, the construction, carried out under the oversight of the Portland District, Corps of Engineers, had included excavation for the powerhouse foundation, relocation of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company's main line (on the Washington shore), and commencement of construction on 20 permanent residences at Bonneville, Oregon. ... In the spring of 1935 the carpenters finished the residences at Bonneville, Oregon ...
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Bonneville during World War II ...
From the Bonneville Dam Historic District, National Historic Landmark 1986 Nomination Package (DENIX Website, 2006):
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"... During World War II, Bonneville was the focus of concern as a target for attack or sabotage. During the war the Corps employees painted all of the buildings green, including the roofs. Even the gravel and blacktopped roadways were painted with camouflage. The Corps mounted concrete 'pill boxes' to flank the main entry road mid-way between the Auditorium and the railroad viaduct. Other concrete guard stations, with gun ports, were set up near the dam and powerhouse on Bradford Island. Additionally in 1942 the Corps experimented with smoke screening, filling the gorge with dense clouds of partially burned diesel fuel ejected from nozzles and from an open ditch on Bradford Island. None of these precautions was tested. The Bonneville Project emerged unmolested from the war. The green camouflage paint, however, is yet visible on the lower walls of the Auditorium and Administration Buildings. ..."
Note - the above was written in 1986. This web author has yet to go out there and see if there is any green paint left. It might be a long shot as the buildings look so freshly white and painted. 1986 was 20 years ago and the WWII era much longer.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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