I have searched the records in vain to find who first proposed The Dalles-Celilo Canal. It may be that as the founders of the Oregon Steam Navigation company in the seventies planned their northwest monopoly of transportation, they chafed more and more under the delays and cost of the portages, first made by Indians and laborers, a backload to each, and later by wagons. At any rate, the thought of a canal came long before the portage railway, which was built first.
George H. Himes of the Oregon Historical Society suggests that it lay within the statesmanship of Rev. George H. Atkinson to make the suggestion. Atkinson gave to the great country east of the Cascade range in the Columbia basin the name, "Inland Empire," and was called a "visionary idealist" for it. He also conducted the experiments that demonstrated the wheat growing fertility of the Palouse country and other sections of the Inland Empire. Another who is suggested as the possible author of the canal idea is Dr. D. S. Baker, who built the first little railroad from the Columbia river at Wallula to Walla Walla.
E. E. Lytle was exceedingly active in securing the initial appropriations for the portage railway.
The general impression is, however, that the Celilo canal grew into the community consciousness, inspiring the plan by the need.
Major M. Michler of the United States engineers made the initial examination in 1874, at what prompting record discloseth not.
The first survey was not ordered by act of congress until 1879. It was found that the Columbia, the only river of the west with power to cut through the mountain ranges that lay beween its head waters and the sea, had, at a point about 90 miles from Portland, encountered four rock reefs, named in their down stream order, Tumwater or Celilo falls, Ten-Mile rapids, The Dalles or Five-Mile rapids and Three-Mile rapids. The rapids were named in accordance with their distance from Dalles City.
