Memories of Celilo Falls The Dalles Chronicle March 11, 2007 page A10 Some Big Fish The sight of Celilo Falls always made me wonder about the strength and beauty it showed. Winter, summer, spring and fall - always changing. There were two incidents I would like to share. F.V., from Dufur, told us of seeing a fisherman fall in the river in the falls area. Another man, fishing close by made a desperate cast, hooked the man in the water under the chin and reeled him to shore. One day my mother asked F.V. to bring her home a salmon from the falls, as they were fresh. She wanted to can it for the winter. When we came home from school that night, there was a beautiful fish in the kitchen sink, and in the dishpan was a larger one. Then, when we went into the bathroom, there was a huge salmon in the bath tub. We had never even imagined one could be so large. All of these only cost $5; of course, that was two days' wages back then. R.C. Dufur A Glimpse of the Last Day My family and I were on our way from a North Carolina Marine base to our home in Portland. We saw the Indians fishing at Celilo Falls and decided to stop and watch this amazing spectacle. The fishermen were standing at the end of a long board, far above the Celilo Falls and fishing for the large salmon. We heard later that the fishermen had a rope around their bodies. Then, if they fell into those treacherous falls below, they might be rescued by their friends. It was quite a sight to behold. We learned from others watching that this was the last day of this tribal fishing. The next day, water would be released through the dam and this would destroy their fishing above Celilo Falls. We felt sad about that, but were glad that we were able to watch this historic event. HH. The Dalles A Precarious Perch Before Celilo Falls was flooded, my mother, Gladys S. and I went quite often to take pictures. I remember one particular time I went with my mother very early in the morning. There was a very young Native American boy asleep on the rocks by Down's Channel. If he had rolled the wrong way on the rocks, he would have rolled into the water. F.S. Gig Harbor, Wash. ---- The next article was submitted to The Chronicle by a classmate but it was not published. Memories of the Celilo Falls are one of my favorite stories, so my wife says because I tell it all the time. Back when the Indians still dip netted salmon at Celilo Falls, they put little kids in gondolas or wooden boxes, that hung suspended from cables across the river. Each "box" held one or two young boys and a bunch of salmon; their job was to keep the salmon from flopping out. I remember during the years l947 to 1951 (when I become too big), being one of those boys who rode back and forth across the river. I didn't know any better at the time, but guess I was a "volunteer." There were no safety lines or nets on the open boxes, and the wind caused them to sway quite a lot. I didn't think much about it at the time; we were just told not to lose any fish. I don't think I ever did! I was probably "allowed" to ride, because legally I am an Indian, at least 1/16th of me. My wife and I visited The Dalles in 2003 and toured the Columbia River Gorge Museum. There was a huge wall mural, composed of photographs, of the Falls with the cables and carts and a little guy pictured in one of them. I regretted later that I didn't have my wife take a picture of me in front of that mural. My wife finally believed me (she always thought it was one of my wild stories). When we revisited the museum in 2005 for my 50th high school reunion specifically to take that picture, the mural was gone! We both were upset. We did stop at Celilo Falls Park and my wife heard the story one more time. She thinks it was a crazy, foolhardy thing to do. Me? Interesting memory. I wouldn't do it to my kid, though! K.W. Colorado Springs, Colo. Incoming and Outgoing messages protected by Trend Micro PC-cillin program