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Corps to Move Petroglyphs from Dalles Dam to State Park by CBB Staff Columbia Basin Bulletin - May 2, 2003

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to move petroglyphs from The Dalles Dam to Horsethief State Park.

The move would return the petroglyphs to a place of honor along the river and make them accessible for public viewing and interpretation. The items were removed from Petroglyph Canyon in 1957 as The Dalles Dam was nearing completion and before the areas behind the dam were inundated.

The Corps has prepared an Environmental Assessment to address environmental impacts associated with the proposed move.

Members of the public are invited to review the document and provide written comments or forward any questions or concerns to the Corps' Lynne Hamilton by May 26 at the following address: District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Portland, Attn: CENWP-PM-E, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Ore., 97208-2946.

Copies of the document can be obtained at the same address or by calling Hamilton at (503) 808-4772. When requesting a copy of the document or when responding to it, refer to Environmental Assessment for Wetland Irrigation/Restoration Project, public notice number CENWP-PM-E-03-04.

The petroglyphs would be placed at the base of a natural rock cliff within the park. An asphalt walkway would be constructed adjacent to an existing access road and parking lot. A 2- to 3-foot high concrete retaining wall and split-rail fence would separate the trail from the petroglyph rocks. The rocks would be placed near the basalt outcropping, 20 feet to 40 feet from the trail. Interpretive panels will be displayed along the fence. The access road leading to the site would be gated and closed at night.

The Corps proposal is in keeping with agreements with the four Columbia River Treaty tribes -- the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation. The Corps is seeking comments from the Oregon and Washington state historic preservation offices.