PlacesPages: First Floor Exhibits at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum

…Continued from Outdoor Vehicles & Equipment.

Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Velocipede

This vehicle is a velocipede, a three-wheeled human-powered rail vehicle. It is similar to a handcar, but is designed to be operated by a single person. This one was built around 1917 and was used by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway at Madras, Oregon. It was restored by Robert R. Brown of Issaquah, Washington who loaned it to the museum.

1929 Ford Model A Coupe

The Ford Model A was introduced in January 1928. By February 4, 1929, one million had been built, and by July 24, 1929 the total had reached two million.

1929 Ford Model A Coupe

This Model A coupe was built June 14, 1929, sold for $525, and was first owned & driven in Skamania County. It is powered by a 4-cylinder 200.5-cubic-inch gasoline engine that produces 40 horsepower at 2200 rpm and 128 ft.-lbs. of torque at 1000rpm. It weighs 2,216 pounds and rides a 103.5-inch wheelbase and features a 3-speed standard transmission and 21-inch wheels. Standard equipment included combination stop/tail light, windshield wiper, front & rear bumpers and a Spartan horn. The Model A could be equipped with options like a side-mount spare tire, external sunshade, radiator ornament, wind vanes, rear view mirror, luggage rack, radiator stone guard and spare tire lock.

1929 Ford Model A Coupe

This car is on loan from Dick Dickerson of Westlie Ford & Mercury, Inc. in Camas, Washington.

1943 Ford Model 2N Tractor

Harry Ferguson invented a new method of linkage and hydraulic control of implements which he sold to Henry Ford and advertised as "The Ferguson System" that made a lightweight tractor more efficient and more affordable to the small farmer. This unrestored Ford Model 2N Tractor from about 1943 was originally owned by Reno Ziegler, who used it on a farm in Underwood, Washington. It was originally purchased with cast iron cleats on the rear wheels and disc wheels on the front, as tires were not available until after World War II. It also has a magneto system instead of a distributor and generator, another wartime contingency. It was later used to plow snow by Don Morley of Underwood, who donated it to the museum.

Model of Clahclehlah Village

This is a model depicting Clahclehlah Village, an important Native American trading center located on the north bank of the Columbia River. Clark made journal entries describing it on October 31 & November 1, 1805. The Corps of Discovery visited this village again on April 10, 1806 on their homeward bound trip. When the second powerhouse was built at Bonneville Dam in the 1970s, archaeological excavations were conducted at the site of Clahclehlah. These excavations from 1977 to 1979 were the most extensive of any site visited by Lewis & Clark and produced a collection of nearly half a million artifacts, the largest from any archaeological site in Washington.

Council Fire on the Columbia by David Manuel

This bronze sculpture by David Manuel of Joseph, Oregon, called Council Fire on the Columbia, depicts the Corps of Discovery meeting with Native American along the Columbia River.

Sacajawea by Cyrus E. Dallin

This statue of Sacajawea by Cyrus E. Dallin was originally a gift to the graduating class of 1915 and was installed in the senior lounge. When a new high school was built in 1956, the statue was placed in the library.

Mystery Rock

In 1923, road workers uncovered the Mystery Rock with a steam shovel at the Government Slide area while removing the planking of a wood road surface. The Mystery Rock was notable because it had an inscription on it: "HBCoy 1811." No one knew what the inscription meant, and the Mystery Rock was placed at the front entrance of Stevenson High School. In 1983, Skamania County Historical Society director Sharon Tiffany believed the inscription referred to the Hudson's Bay Company, and wrote to Portland attorney and history buff David Swart, whose research into the migration of Canadians to Oregon at the encouragement of the Hudson's Bay Company gave him a reputation as an authority on the company. Swart's busy life kept him from from responding to the letter until the spring of 1993, and he quickly came to the conclusion that the inscription did refer to the Hudson's Bay Company, and that when combined with the date, became an important piece of history. David Thompson of the North West Company was commonly believed to be the second person to follow Lewis & Clark down the Columbia River, arriving at the mouth on July 15, 1811. The Hudson's Bay inscription had to have been made by Joseph Howse, an English native who had worked for Hudson's Bay since 1795 when he was 21, who was the first Hudson's Bay officer to cross the Rocky Mountains. His expedition of 17 men left Terre Blanch, Canada on June 20, 1810, reaching the mouth of the Columbia during the winter and returning to Edmonton House with 36 bundles of furs by July 30, 1811, but none of Howse's journals or letters survived in Hudson Bay's archives, so the exact details of his route were unknown. The inscription on the Mystery Rock, which was probably engraved in January, 1811, is evidence that Howse followed Lewis & Clark's route down the Columbia before Thompson.

C.S. Doumitt Storefront Façade

Inside the museum is this recreation of an early storefront, decorated as C.S. Doumitt General Merchandise.

Buckboard Wagon

This buckboard wagon with an eight foot bed was meant to be pulled by a single horse and was built around 1890. It was used by Captain Celo and Carlina A. Anderson on their farm in Carson, Washington in 1892. The Andersons were Norwegian and raised a family of eight. The buckboard was restored by Woods Edge, Ltd. of Carson, Washington and donated by Steven R. Anderson of Vancouver, Washington.

Model of the Sternwheeler Bailey Gatzert

This is a model of the Bailey Gatzert, which was launched in 1890 at John Holland's yards in Seattle. It initially ran on Puget Sound, then ran on the Columbia River from 1892 to 1917. Every day, the Bailey Gatzert left Portland at eight in the morning, docked at The Dalles at three in the afternoon, and returned to Portland by 9:30 at night. The fare was one dollar. One June day, Captain Archie Geer found the Cascade Locks were closed due to high water. After warning those not daring enough to take the risk, he and some 100 passengers plunged over the Cascade Rapids aboard the Bailey Gatzert with its whistles blasting, making it one of the few sternwheelers ever to do so. The Bailey Gatzert was transferred back to Puget Sound in 1917. It was converted to an automobile ferry in 1920 and was taken out of service in 1926, becoming a floating machine shop.

Historical Photos:
Bailey Gatzert at Cascade Locks, circa 1909 (OSL)
Bailey Gatzert (CGDC)
Bailey Gatzert (CGDC)
Bailey Gatzert, 1926 (SPL)
Bailey Gatzert, 1926 (SPL)
Colorized Postcard of the Bailey Gatzert (UO)

Pilot Wheel from the Bailey Gatzert

This is the pilot wheel from the Bailey Gatzert. It is 7 feet in diameter. The wheel is on loan from the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington, which received it from Henry Callison.

Pilot House Bell from the Bailey Gatzert