Ice Harbor Dam and Locks

Yes, the first thing on the agenda was for Doug to visit the Ice Harbor Dam and Locks.  It is located 10 miles upstream from the mouth of the Snake River, near Tri-Cities in southwestern Washington.  The Tri-Cities are Kennewick,  Pasco and Richland.  The dam is named after an ice-free cove used for winter shelter by early stern-wheel riverboat operators making hazardous trips to the Idaho goldfields in the 1860s and 1870s.  The cove was inundated in 1961 when the lake rose behind he dam.  Lake Sacajawea is named in honor of the Shoshone Native American woman who assisted the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest.  At 1,078 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean.  Rising in western Wyoming, the river flows through the Snake River Plain then rugged Hells Canyon and the Palouse Hills to its mouth at the Tri-Cities of the state of Washington. Its drainage basin encompasses parts of six U.S. States.  The Lewis and Clark Expedition left the Clearwater River and entered the Snake, following it to the Columbia River, which took them to the Pacific Ocean.   

There is another dam and lock like this one about 40 miles upstream.  We were told we could tour the dam but found out that is only on the weekends.  We did see the fish ladder built to enable the salmon to return to their spawning grounds.  There were a few fish but the major run has not occurred yet and we were told it is expected to be a record year for the salmon passing by the dam. 

While at the dam we visited the little museum.  As we came out, a large double barge and tugboat were in the lock, so we got to see them rise and exit behind the dam heading upstream.  The picture looks like the barges and tugboat are sitting up on high ground because you can’t see the water from this side of the dam.  Looks funny.