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The Dalles Bridge across the Columbia River.
View from the Oregon side of the Columbia River, just east of The Dalles.
Image taken March 20, 2004.
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The Dalles Bridge ...
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Less than one mile downstream of The Dalles Dam is
The Dalles Bridge (U.S. 197), connecting
The Dalles, Oregon, with Murdock and Dallesport in Washington State.
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"... The first ferry service to cross the river at this spot was in operation by 1854. From 1865 various enterprising persons tried to gain support for a bridge. Both Oregon and Washington highway departments approved the idea in 1947. But the dream was not realized until Congress gave approval to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1951 to begin planning The Dalles Dam. The bridge was built in connection with the dam. Wasco County, Oregon, officials financed it by issuing bonds, to be repaid by tolls.
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[Washington State's "HistoryLink.org" Website, 2006]
The steel-truss-cantilever bridge was completed in 1953, one of two cantilever bridge built in Washington State during the 1950s. The bridge is 3,339 feet long and cost $2.4 million. It was a toll bridge until 1974.
Less than a mile upstream of The Dalles Bridge is The Dalles Dam.
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Views of The Dalles Bridge ...
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The Dalles Bridge looking towards Washington State.
View from the Oregon side of the Columbia River, just east of The Dalles.
Image taken March 20, 2004.
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The Dalles Bridge.
View from the Oregon side of the Columbia River near the onramp to The Dalles Bridge.
Image taken March 20, 2004.
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On The Dalles Bridge driving towards Washington State.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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The Dalles Ferry ...
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The area of The Dalles Bridge and Dam is located at the foot of the (now flooded)
"Short Narrows" or "Fivemile Rapids", a spot which once was the location of The Dalles Ferry. A ferry existed at this location since 1854, until it was replaced by The Dalles Bridge in the 1950s.
From the "Rootsweb.com" Website (2006) on Klickitat County:
- The December 2, 1921 Klickitat County Agriculturist of Goldendale reported that Klickitat County had nearly 100 miles of river front on the Columbia river, and 6 ferries were operating within the County. The ferries were White Salmon (to Hood River), Lyle (to Rowena), Grand Dalles (to The Dalles), Maryhill (to Biggs), Roosevelt (to Arlington), and Alderdale (to Boulder).
- The May 20, 1932 Klickitat County Agriculturist reported a new ferry boat called Columbia began operating with 24-hour service between The Dalles and Grand Dalles. Columbia was 53 feet long and 16 feet wide, and was "large enough to carry anything which travels the highways, including trucks with trailers." The ferry could carry nine cars at a time and was powered by a Fairbanks-Morse diesel engine. The former ferry was to be repaired and used as a backup.
- The January 15, 1931 Goldendale Sentinel, in a report on the proposed The Dalles Bridge, stated that the The Dalles to Grand Dalles ferry had an income of $17,250 per year, the Maryhill to Biggs ferry made $25,700 per year, the Roosevelt to Arlington ferry made $30,000 per year and the Lyle to Rowena ferry made "about $9,000 per year".
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The Dalles Bridge and The Dalles Dam, once the location of The Dalles to Grand Dalles Ferry.
View from the Oregon side of the Columbia River, just east of The Dalles.
Image taken March 20, 2004.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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