A new exhibit at the LewisClark Center for Arts History offers what could be considered the original perspective that of the people living along the 1243 mile Columbia River and its branches for thousands of years “DamsFishControversy” is a multitribal perspective on the Columbia River dams

Before massive dam building the 20th century the river plunged over basalt cliffs and rapids in the Gorge but today the engineered Columbia provides a nearly sealevel pathway through the mountain range to eastern regions of Oregon and Washington

The Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington state was constructed between 1933 to 1942 to supply hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water to 671000 nearby acres of agricultural land

The Columbia River dams inundated many of the rivers dangerous rapids welldescribed and named by early settlers and travelers on the river for their often treacherous passage — Dalles des Morts Death Rapids Hell Gate White Cap Rock Slide Boulder Surprise

It is one of four dams authorized by the Columbia River Treaty of 1964 between the United States and Canada to increase water storage in the Columbia River system and maximize hydropower generation Also in 1968 Mossyrock Dam on the Cowlitz River a lower Columbia tributary began operation