Johnny's bobby soxers, raging river mark Indian life The Dalles Chronicle March 12, 2007 page A7 By George W. Aguilar Sr. With the death of the river; many mythical stories also died or were forgotten. Gone are people who returned there every year. On the south side of the river, between the Five Mile Creek and the beginning of the Five Mile Rapids, was an area of high cliffs that included favored fishing sites of the south bank for the Wascos and Wishrams. Summer villages were located on both sides of the river, below the Five Mile Rapids Spedi's, Se-we-a-pum, Wumsucks and Wot'socs. During the low water, there was just the narrow channel. During the spring snow melt off there were several narrow channels. These smaller channels are where many fishing stations were in use. Wishram (Nixluidix) and Tina'ynu (Tenino) villages were located on the north and south banks of the Columbia River. East of the Wishram Village was Colwash Bottom, now known as the present Horse Thief Lake. The head of where the Five Mile Rapids began was the ultimate fishery of the river. Standing on the point, the fishermen had back eddy set nets and dipnet scaffolds on both sides of the river. At these fishing stations, during the spring melt-off, the Indians perched themselves on scaffolds fastened to the basalt cliffs of the channel, awaiting the approach of a salmon. In a split second a salmon was speared or netted. The landmarks along the Five Rapids of the Columbia River bore legends and mythical stories, some of these places and those accounts are no longer put to use for telling. Fifty years of inactivity and a new generation have forgotten the way of life as river people. And old age, religions, traditions, and even the languages of some of these River People have died out. Their position on the river being one of the very best of taking fish, the Wishram and Wasco had an unlimited supply for their own use and ample stores for barter, which gave them everything they needed. Incoming and Outgoing messages protected by Trend Micro PC-cillin program