a question worth asking--

snowball · 04-08-2003, 02:45 PM

as I drive along the columbia river and other waters in oregon, i notice these big poles in the water, alomost like telephone poles, just shorter, in one section of the columbia, it appears these are used to section off part of the river-- what is the deal on this things?

OuhtforTrouht · 04-08-2003, 02:53 PM

I believe those are wing dams,and may have been used to control the current before Bonneville dam
was put in. At least that's the story I heard. I'd like to know what they were really for too.

Get Bent · 04-08-2003, 02:58 PM

it is for current control and to catch crap :smile:

Chrome_Miner · 04-08-2003, 03:09 PM

Back in the old days they used the single and triple poled to tie off log rafts when the lumber industry was in full swing.

Stratocaster · 04-08-2003, 03:13 PM

There called dolphins. The wing jettys will eventually be gone as they dont maintain them anymore. The theory behind a jetty was to keep sediment from building in the ship channels in critical areas. I guess they didnt work as advertised.

[ 04-08-2003, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: fisherdan ]

chinarider · 04-08-2003, 03:15 PM

And I always thought they were used to "Funnel" the fish to us in the boats!

Tom

Ryan Pultz · 04-08-2003, 03:17 PM

all i know is smallies love to hang around them i have gotten some nice bass around them

lost_sailor · 04-08-2003, 03:21 PM

Some of them were the foundation of canneries or other buildings built over the water.

Silver Hilton · 04-08-2003, 04:22 PM

Many of the small groups of rotten pilings, such as on and across from Ives island are the remnants of fish wheels. The larger groups, like those across from Willow Grove, are remnants of canneries. The long lines of them, such as across and up from Reed Island, are intended to get silt to dump there, instead of in the channel.

1pump · 04-08-2003, 06:23 PM

All of the above. The tall ones with bracing (dolphins) are used to tie up log rafts, but you don't see many log rafts anymore.
The wing dams are handy for tearing up lower units on outdrives and outboards. :shocked:

Smj · 04-09-2003, 06:43 AM

I got the idea somewhere that all the wing dams in the Columbia were installed shortly after the the great depression to help get people back to work?? (works projects?) Among many other projects around the USA.

Are there any history buffs on the board that might know more about this or perhaps supply some links?

Just think how far $74++ billion would go to help fix up things that are falling apart around the USA today!

Smj

Smj · 04-09-2003, 07:02 AM

snowball, If your still interested check out this site, though it's mostly on the Mississippi R.

http://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/Resou...portation2.htm

you can go to google.com and find many many links to info about "wing dams".

Smj

snowball · 04-09-2003, 08:22 AM

The cat is back--

Thanks for all the info folks--- it's been a debate in my truck for two years running--