Around 19,000 years ago, melting glaciers unleashed some of the biggest floods ever recorded in North America. This huge outpouring of water formed the distinctive landscape of the Columbia River area. Slowly, year-by-year, the Columbia River moved through this rugged terrain and carved out a path to the sea. Its current route runs 1,270 miles from Columbia Lake in Canada to the Pacific Ocean. It’s become a major economic engine and a beautiful natural feature that sustains towns and cities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
People have lived in this region for at least 12,000 years, since the last major glacial flood swept through. An ancient hearth discovered during the construction of The Dalles Dam is some of the earliest evidence of human habitation. These people shared a common language and benefitted from the bounties of the river, especially the abundant salmon. Their descendants now make up the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Warm Springs, and the Yakama Nation.
During the days of the Oregon Trail, settlers followed the path of the Columbia River and even had to ride it downstream for the last leg of the journey. Some tried to settle the difficult terrain of the Columbia Plateau, with hopes that irrigation would soon make farming possible. Sam Boardman, the founder of Boardman, Oregon, recorded an account of his time in Morrow County before the water arrived. “[As] the years went by with no water the settlers kept dropping out until there were only five of us left… Thru thirteen sand-snuffing years Mrs. B and I fought that shifting desert.” Then, in 1916, irrigation water finally arrived. The West Main Extension Canal brought water from the Umatilla River, a tributary of the Columbia. More settlers came, and the region began to transform into the agricultural hub it is today. The land surrounding the Columbia River is ideal for agricultural in many ways, but the region doesn’t get much rainfall, despite its proximity to so much water. Irrigation was the key that unlocked the region and led to the booming development it’s known for today. Agricultural products from Morrow County wind up on tables in over 100 countries across the world. And the Columbia River doesn’t just make successful farming possible, either, many industries, from timber, to manufacturing, to technology have thrived, all thanks to the river that fought its way from the Rocky Mountains to the ocean all those years ago. One of the biggest economic drivers of the area and the whole state of Oregon is the Port of Morrow, which connects the communities of Morrow County to the shipping and industrial might of the Columbia River. The Port was created in 1959 with, as longtime Port Commissioner Larry Lindsay said, “$500 and a dream.” Since then, the Port has become a vital part of the community, creating jobs and prosperity and sending food and resources across the entire world.
Today, the Columbia River serves as a constant visual reminder of the possibilities of the region and the grit and determination of those who call it home. It never stops moving and never stops making progress, and with its help, the same could be said of those who live along its shores.
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