Columbia River
See our Columbia Gorge collection for more Columbia River photos.
- A Nez Perce Canoe - 1910As low as $5.00Each region created their own canoe designs based on tradition and available materials. This view shows a Nez Perce version, carved out of a single cedar log. Learn More
- Arlington, Oregon, on the Columbia River - 1939As low as $5.00Arlington is an early Oregon town located on the Columbia River at the mouth of Alkali Canyon, about fifty miles east of The Dalles. In the early 1870s, settlers built corrals here to hold sheep and cattle waiting to be transported downriver. Learn More
- Bailey Gatzert in Cascade Locks - 1904As low as $5.00The Cascade Locks were completed in 1896, eight years before this photo was taken by Benjamin A. Gifford. Learn More
- Bridal Veil Falls, with Water Pipe Intake - 1907As low as $5.00This very sharp portrait of Bridal Veil Falls is recreated from an original glass negative made by Sunset Magazine photographer Howard Tibbitts. Learn More
- Cascades of the Columbia - c. 1890As low as $5.00The Cascade Rapids on the Columbia River were one of two sections of the river that blocked passage for steamboats, the other being The Dalles. Learn More
- Cascades of the Columbia and Cascade Locks - c 1885As low as $5.00We're looking over a movable fishwheel, sometimes called a fish scow, towards the Cascade Locks under construction and the town of Cascade Locks behind them. Learn More
- Cascades of the Columbia and Cascade Locks - c. 1921As low as $5.00Completed in 1896, Cascade Locks allowed river traffic to bypass the Columbia River Cascades until they were submerged in 1938, replaced by Bonneville Lock and Dam. Learn More
- Close-up View of a Fish Wheel - 1890sAs low as $5.00This close-up photo shows a lot of detail, revealing some of the construction techniques for fish wheels. Learn More
- Columbia River Highway, Ten Miles West of The Dalles - 1925As low as $5.00Photographer Darius Kinsey is best known for his logging photos in Washington state, but he also visited Oregon and created a series of scenic views along the Columbia River. Learn More
- Columbia River near White Salmon c. 1916As low as $5.00Pine trees dominate the foreground in this scenic photo by Fred Kiser. His ability to quickly create artistic compositions is demonstrated by the thousands of scenic views he captured during his career. Learn More
- Columbia River Sternwheer J. N. Teal - 1911As low as $5.00The "J. N. Teal" docks at a primitive landing on the Columbia River, probably at the town of Arlington. Learn More
- Columbia River Valley and Highway from Rowena Heights - 1927As low as $5.00At first glance, this looks like Crown Point on the left, but it's actually Rowena Heights - about halfway between Hood River and The Dalles on the Columbia River Highway. Learn More
- Crown Point from Rooster Rock - circa 1920As low as $5.00This photo of Crown Point and Vista House is unusual as it was taken from across the river, and it also shows an excursion train passing below Crown Point at water level. Learn More
- Dip Netting for Lamprey at the Dalles - c. 1887As low as $5.00The lamprey is an ancient fish, which like the salmon returns from several years in the ocean to spawn in fresh-water rivers. Learn More
- Echo Bay and Falls, Columbia River - 1880sAs low as $5.00This nicely-composed photo was created by Frank J. Haynes, who though based in Dakota Territory, traveled several times to Oregon to create a series of stereoviews. Learn More
- Family with Their Fishwheel, Columbia River - c. 1890As low as $5.00While some of the large fishwheels, and most of the permanently fixed fishwheels, were owned by corporations or other businesses, many families built and operated their own fishwheels on the Columbia River. Learn More
- Finishing a Log Raft on the Columbia River - c. 1900As low as $5.00This well-composed view of a cigar-shaped log raft was taken by John Ford on the lower Columbia, the area where he created most of his photos. Learn More
- Fish Wheel at Bradford's Island - c. 1890As low as $5.00The original title of this photo didn't even mention the fish wheel; it was just called "Bradford's Island, Columbia River". Learn More
- Fish Wheel with One Night's Catch - 1894As low as $5.00The crew of a fish wheel near the Dalles shows off their catch. Learn More
- Harvest Queen Towing the Glenelvan of Glasgow, Scotland - 1897As low as $5.00The Harvest Queen, a large sternwheeler at 200 feet long, was often used as a tug to tow ocean-going sailing ships up and down the Columbia River. Learn More
- Harvest Queen Working as a Tug on the Columbia - c. 1903As low as $5.00Larger sternwheelers were occasionally pressed into service as tugboats to help guide tall masted ships through the narrow passages of the Columbia River. Learn More
- Hood River Bridge - 1926As low as $20.00The Hood River Bridge is the second oldest bridge built across the Columbia between Oregon and Washington, having been completed in 1924, shortly before this photo was created. Learn More
- Interstate Bridge, Nearing Completion - 1917As low as $5.00This is the new Interstate Bridge, the first auto bridge between Portland and Vancouver, shortly before it was opened on Feb. 14th, 1917 - which was Oregon's 58th anniversary of its statehood. Learn More
- Landing a Salmon at The Dalles - 1890sAs low as $5.00A rare early "live action" shot of dip-net fishing at The Dalles. Learn More
- Lily White's Houseboat, The Raysark, on the Columbia - c. 1903As low as $5.00This view of the Raysark is likely near Lyle, Washington, where Lily White often moored her boat. We're probably looking towards the river from one of the inlets, or "lakes", that occur along the north shore of the Columbia in that area. Learn More
- Log Raft, Lower Columbia River - c. 1900As low as $5.00This portrait of an ocean-going log raft places its building in context, with some support buildings on the shore to the left, and a couple of tugs awaiting it in the right background. Learn More
- Looking Across the Columbia River from Cape Horn - c. 1900As low as $5.00Turning the tables on many photographs of Cape Horn, Jackson chooses here to use the overhanging bluff as a frame for a view back across the river towards Oregon. Learn More
- Looking Over Skamokawa Towards the Columbia - c. 1914As low as $5.00This view of Skamokawa, on the Washington side of the lower Columbia, shows us the residents were quite aware of variations in water levels. Many homes and even wooden sidewalks were elevated to deal with periodic flooding. Learn More
- Looking Over the Newly Completed Bonneville Dam - 1939As low as $5.00Bonneville Dam and its associated locks brought huge changes to the Columbia River, as well as the rest of the Pacific Northwest. Learn More
- Lyle, Washington, from Point over Tunnel - 1906As low as $5.00Part of James J. Hill's Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway, completed in 1908 from Spokane to Portland, this view shows the two-track trestle entering the town of Lyle from the east. Learn More
- Mt. Hood from the Columbia River - 1901As low as $5.00A pastoral scene that has everything -- flowers, water, animals, trees, a steamboat and mountain, and color, courtesy of the newly developed photochrom process. Learn More
- Mule Laden with Casks, Colville - c. 1860As low as $5.00A mule is outfitted to carry casks for the British Northwest Boundary Commission at their Colville "huts" on the Columbia River. Learn More
- Navy Ships on the Columbia River - c. 1903As low as $5.00The anchor rope from photographer White's houseboat can be seen tied to a tree in this view of Navy ships on the Columbia, taken and developed by her without having to leave her home on the water. Learn More
- Ocean Steamer on the Columbia River - 1938As low as $5.00Motorists stop along the Columbia River Highway to watch the "Charles L. Wheeler, Jr." passing upstream on the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam. This was not a typical sight; the Wheeler was the only ship of its size to travel this far up river. Learn More
- Ocean Steamer Under Bridge of the Gods - 1938As low as $5.00The "Charles L. Wheeler, Jr.", a 3,300 ton cargo ship, was the first (and only) ocean steamer to go through the newly-opened Bonneville Locks in 1938. Learn More
- On the Columbia River Near Cape Horn - c. 1900As low as $5.00This subtle view of the Columbia was created by photographer W. H. Jackson during the years he was a partner in the Detroit Photographic Company. Learn More
- Opening of Cascade Locks - 1896As low as $5.00This photo was taken to celebrate the opening of the Cascade Locks on November 5, 1896. Learn More
- Opening the Columbia, Canal & Locks at the Cascades - 1889As low as $5.00This 1889 engraving shows the construction of the Cascade Locks and Canal, which took 20 years to complete, finally opening in 1896. Learn More
- Periods of Time - 1902As low as $5.00This classic photo of different generations was taken by Oregon amateur photographer Lily White, likely somewhere along the Columbia River. Learn More
- Portland - Vancouver Ferry on the Columbia River - c. 1900As low as $5.00Part of a series of Columbia River photos created by Jackson on a visit to Oregon about 1900, this view provides a picturesque look at the trip from Vancouver to Portland at that time. Learn More
- Rooster Rock from the Bluffs - c. 1900As low as $5.00Most early views of Rooster Rock are from the river side. This glass negative by Jesse Meiser captures the view from the bluffs. Learn More
- Rowena Loops, Near The Dalles - circa 1921As low as $5.00Part of the historic Columbia River Highway, the Rowena Loops climb towards Rowena Crest utilizing a a series of sharp curves and switch-backs. Learn More
- Rowena Plateau near Mosier, circa 1910As low as $5.00
This dramatic view of the Rowena Plateau was captured by scenic photographer George Weister, before the building of the Columbia Gorge Highway.
Learn More - Rowena Plateau, Near Mosier, Before the Highway - c. 1910As low as $5.00A few years after this photo was taken, the old Columbia River Highway was built, and the point on the right of the plateau became the location of the Rowena Crest Viewpoint. Learn More
- Salmon Cannery at Rooster Rock - c. 1910As low as $5.00The Rooster Rock Cannery once existed on the west side of Rooster Rock in the small bay between Tunnel Point and Rooster Rock. Learn More
- Salmon Fishermen on the Columbia River - 1896As low as $5.00Standing along, or in, the south edge of the Columbia, this proud crew shows off the results of their labors. Learn More
- Salmon Fishermen, Columbia River - c. 1900As low as $5.00A great group portrait of a salmon fishing crew showing off their catch, likely near the mouth of the Columbia. The second fellow from the right appears to be the supervisor. Learn More
- Salmon Fishing, Upper Columbia River - c. 1885As low as $5.00This 1880s view of bank fishing in the Columbia shows three fishermen, two of them displaying what I'd call fairly small fish. Learn More
- Sam Oliver's Seining Grounds near the Mouth of the Columbia - c. 1890As low as $5.00Born about 1833 in Italy, Sam Oliver was active in taking salmon from the Columbia since at least 1875, when he put up 1200 barrels of salted salmon. Learn More
- Seining for Salmon at the Mouth of the Columbia - c. 1900As low as $5.00Seine fishing is a traditional way of taking salmon from the Columbia. When early settlers arrived here they found the Chinook people using seines made from wild grasses or fiber from tree roots. Learn More