The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects - PacifiCorp

Lewis River Interpretive & Education Plan
then back to the river at Ariel (which was at the time upstream from its present
location). From there it followed the river to Speelyai Prairie. Another road came
in the “back way” from Vancouver/Battle Ground, connecting with the Lewis at
Cresap Ferry. Both of these routes roughly correspond to today’s route 503.
These early wagon roads were incredibly rough. Muddy in winter, dusty in
summer, fraught with fallen trees after storms, and sometimes impassible due
to heavy snow, they made any wagon trip to town into a serious undertaking.
In fact, even after the roads developed, most homes, farms, and camps faced the
river.
For early homesteaders, a wagon trip downriver to Woodland or east toward
Vancouver was a major journey. A family would load the wagon with any items
they might want to sell or barter (eggs, butter, berries, fruits) and make the
rough, bouncing journey in about a day. In “town” they bought or traded for
the few staples they might need: flour, lard, sugar, coffee (and perhaps a piece
of candy for the children). Then they headed back home—a journey that might
take two days.
As logging and dam construction expanded in the valley, roads expanded as
well, eventually extending to Cougar and branching off to various homesteads.
Mail
Communities
Postal service reached the communities of the lower part of the project area
in the 1890s. Mail was brought by wagon, horseback, or, in particularly snowy
winters, by snowshoes. Mail service began at once a week, and progressed to
twice or three times a week. Popular postal items included mail-order clothing
(at least one postal carrier was convinced by a pretty girl to return a mail-order
dress she’d worn the night before at a dance).
There were several small communities along the river, both before and after
the start of the dam era. These small towns centered around post offices,
churches, and general stores. Below are short descriptions of the history of these
communities.
Ariel
The community of Ariel was established in 1899, above where the Ariel Dam was
eventually built. The post office was established, and the town named by Leander
Chitty for his son, Ariel Chitty. In 1929, the town’s post office and store were
moved downstream to near the dam site, and the old townsite was flooded when
the dam was built. The new Ariel post office was established in 1931. The “new”
Ariel was an important housing and supply center for dam workers. There was a
school at Ariel.
Sea Reach Ltd • 146 NE yamhill Street • Sheridan, OR draft 3 • November 2008 • page 63