Tag Archives: confluence

Louis Caywood at Fort Clatsop – a less than successful search.

The Archaeological Footprints of Louis R. Caywood

Archeologist Louis Caywood was a pioneer of studying the buried clues that’ll the story of the Columbia River. He represents a good starting point but modern archeologists have learned to dig deeper to unearth valuable insights to our past. more >

Western Pond Turtles, familiarly known as Mud Turtles, once thrived near Fort Vancouver. By Jerry Kirkhart via Wikimedia Commons

Vancouver: Land of the Mud Turtles

By Mary Rose One hundred miles above the mouth of the Columbia River, the Hudson’s Bay Company built its premier fort in the West. The French Canadians called it “Jolie Prairie”[1] but long before the presence of outsiders, Native Americans … more >

Celilo Canal circa 1920 postcard. Credit: A.M. Prentiss Photo. Published by Lipschuetz and Katz, Portland, Oregon. Card #401. In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.

Before The Dam, Celilo Canal Built For ‘Progress’

By Mary Rose While researching the Washington Territory town of Ainsworth, near the Confluence Story Circles in today’s Pasco, Washington, I discovered a connection between the Celilo Canal and my elementary school. I grew up at Pasco, and learned that … more >

A Russian Cossack served as overseer of the Chinese laborers at Ainsworth, WT in the 1880's. Note the "Barracks" train cars at the right that housed the thousands of workers who converged on the railroad community practically overnight. Photo courtesy Frank County Museum.

Town Vanishes: Dust, Bust and Railroads of Ainsworth

Each Confluence site has countless stories that remain invisible. The Confluence Story Circles at the convergence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers remind us that this was a trading and gathering place for indigenous people for millennia. For a very short period however, it was also the town of Ainsworth. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s because it vanished. more >

Print

Welcome to Tributaries, a Confluence History Blog

Welcome to Tributaries of Time! This blog is a way for Confluence, through the research of historian Mary Rose, to document the stories that shaped the Columbia River system. Confluence sites are a framework for understanding our region’s origins more deeply. Like streams flowing toward a big river of story, each tale helps us connect in a more meaningful way to where we’ve been and where we’re going. more >