Click image to enlarge
|
Starvation Creek State Park, Oregon.
Image taken October 25, 2003.
|
Starvation Creek State Park ...
What's in a Name ??? ...
Starvation Creek State Park came by its name in 1884.
According to the Oregon State Archives Website (2004):
-
"...
The Pacific Express train carrying 148
passengers and crew rolled out of The Dalles
heading west on schedule to arrive in
Portland later that day, December 18, 1884.
Along the way a blizzard trapped the train
between two avalanches with 25 foot high
snow drifts. A relief party finally reached them
on Christmas Day by foot. Among those
helping the hungry passengers was "one hog
who had the misfortune of being in Hood
River at the time." A week later the train was
able to retreat to The Dalles. It finally
reached Portland three weeks late on January
7, 1885.
..."
[Oregon State Archives Website, March 2004]
Starvation Creek was originally called "Starvout Creek".
|
Starvation Creek ...
|
Starvation Creek was the site of Chinese "coolie ovens" used in the building of the railroad in the 1800s. The falls at Starvation Creek cascade 186 feet and are the easternmost of spectacular waterfalls over Columbia River basalt on the Oregon side of the Columbia.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Walkway, Starvation Creek.
View from the Starvation Creek Rest Area.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Starvation Creek, looking upstream.
View from the Starvation Creek Rest Area.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
|
Starvation Creek in 1940 ...
|
From the Oregon State Archives "A 1940 Journey Across Oregon":
"... Starvation Creek empties into the Columbia at 134.5 m. Here is STARVATION CREEK STATE PARK, so named because at this point in 1884 an Oregon Washington Railroad & Navigation train was marooned for two weeks in thirty foot snowdrifts, and food was with difficulty carried to the starving passengers. Newspapers of that day gave columns of space to this story, telling how car seats were burned in addition to all coal in the locomotive tender, that passengers might be kept from freezing.
Near LINDSAY CREEK, 135.7 m., is a bronze plaque commemorating the commencement in 1912 the building of the first section of the Columbia River Highway. SHELL ROCK MOUNTAIN, 136.9 m. (2,068 alt.), is opposite WIND MOUNTAIN, which is in Washington. The Indians believed that the Great Spirit set the whirlwinds blowing in constant fury about Wind Mountain as a punishment to those who, breaking the taboo, had taught the white men how to snare salmon.
..."
[NOTE: The bronze plaque commemorating the beginning of the Historic Columbia River Highway now sits at the rest area at Starvation Creek.]
|
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Bronze Plaque for the beginning of the Historic Columbia River Highway.
Located at the Starvation Creek Rest Area.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
|
|
Views from Starvation Creek State Park ...
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Shellrock Mountain, Oregon (left) and
Wind Mountain, Washington (right).
View from near parking area of Starvation Creek State Park.
Interstate 84 is in the middleground.
Image taken July 5, 2003.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Shellrock Mountain, Oregon, from Starvation Creek State Park, Oregon.
Interstate 84 is in the foreground.
Image taken September 24, 2004.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Wind Mountain, Collins Point, and the Collins Landslide, Washington.
View from Starvation Creek State Park, Oregon.
Image taken September 24, 2004.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Dog Mountain, Washington.
View from near parking area of Starvation Creek State Park.
Barrier of Interstate 84 is in foreground.
Image taken September 24, 2004.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Union Pacific 3159 heading east, passing Starvation Creek.
View from the Starvation Creek Rest Area. Interstate 84 is in the foreground and Dog Mountain is in the background.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
|
Click image to enlarge
|
Closeup, Union Pacific 3159 heading east, passing Starvation Creek.
View from the Starvation Creek Rest Area.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
|
|
From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
|
Clark, October 30, 1805 ...
A cool morning, a moderate rain all the last night, after eating a partial brackfast of venison we Set out [from their camp near Drano Lake and the Little White Salmon River]
passed Several places where the rocks projected into the river & have the appearance of haveing Seperated from the mountains and fallen promiscuisly into the river, Small nitches are formed in the banks below those projecting rocks which is comon in this part of the river, Saw 4 Cascades caused by Small Streams falling from the mountains on the Lard. Side,
[The possiblities in a two-mile area are - upstream to downstream -
Starvation Creek and Falls,
the seasonal Cabin Creek and Falls,
Warren Creek and Falls,
Wonder Creek and Lancaster Falls,
Lindsey Creek and Falls, and
Summit Creek and Falls.]
a remarkable circumstance in this part of the river is, the Stumps of pine trees [Submerged Forest]
[The Submerged Forest existed along the reach from above Dog Mountain/Viento Creek on the upstream edge and Wind Mountain/Shellrock Mountain on the downstream edge.]
are in maney places are at Some distance in the river, and gives every appearance of the rivers being damed up below from Some cause which I am not at this time acquainted with [Bonneville Landslide],
the Current of the river is also verry jentle not exceeding 1½ mile pr. hour and about ¾ of a mile in width. Some rain, we landed above the mouth of a Small river on the Stard. Side [Wind River] and Dined ... :
here the river widens to about one mile large Sand bar in the middle, a Great [rock] both in and out of the water, large <round> Stones, or rocks are also permiscuisly Scattered about in the river,
...
The bottoms above the mouth of this little river [Wind River] <which we Call> is rich covered with grass & firn & is about ¾ of a mile wide rich and rises gradually, below the river (which is 60 yards wide above its mouth) the Countery rises with Steep assent. we call this little river <fr Ash> New Timbered river from a Speces of Ash <that wood> which grows on its banks of a verry large and different from any we had before Seen, and a timber resembling the beech in bark <& groth> but different in its leaf which is Smaller and the tree smaller. passed maney large rocks in the river and a large creek on the Stard. Side in the mouth of which is an Island [Rock Creek near Stevenson, Washington], passed on the right of 3 Islands <on> near the Stard. Side, and landed on an Island close under the Stard. Side at the head of the great Shute [head of the Cascades Rapids], and a little below a village of 8 large houses on a Deep bend on the Stard. Side, and opposit 2 Small Islands imediately in the head of the Shute, which Islands are covered with Pine, maney large rocks also, in the head of the Shute. Ponds back of the houses, and Countrey low for a Short distance. The day proved Cloudy dark and disagreeable with Some rain all day which kept us wet. The Countary a high mountain on each Side thickly Covered with timber, Such as Spruc, Pine, Cedar, Oake Cotton &c. &c. I took two men and walked down three miles to examine the Shute and river below proceeded along an old Indian path, passd. an old village at 1 mile ...
I found by examonation that we must make a portage of the greater perpotion of our Stores 2½ miles, and the Canoes we Could haul over the rocks, I returned at Dark
...
a wet disagreeable evening, the only wood we could get to burn on this little Island on which we have encamped [near Ashes Lake, the island is now under the waters of the Bonneville Reservoir. Ashes Lake was near the head of the Cascade Rapids. Across from Ashes Lake is Cascade Locks, Oregon.] is the newly discovered Ash, which makes a tolerable fire. we made fifteen miles to daye
|
|
|
Return to