History:
For centuries the Columbia River Gorge has been used and
inhabited by man, although not until the nineteenth century was the region
opened up to a great infux of settlers and fortune seekers. In 1850 HamiltonIsland originally named by Lewis
& Clark "StrawberryIsland",
became the site of the first portage railroad and the settlement of the
Cascades; swept away in the severe flood of 1894. Forty years later the
community of North Bonneville developed as a
construction town next to the massive Bonneville Lock, Dam and powerhouse
project begun in late 1933. Federal legislation of the 1937 also authorized a
second Powerhouse, although the need was not then immediate. North
Bonneville was incorporated in 1935.
A New North Bonneville A major accomplishment of the Corps
of Engineers second Powerhouse project was the complete relocation of the town
of North Bonneville. The seven year
effort to relocate the residents and businesses of the town marked the first
time that federal funds were spent to plan, design and develop a new community
in connection with a water resource project.
Federal responsibility for the North Bonneville
relocation was expanded in 1974 with enactment of Public Law 93-251, referred
to as the McCormack legislation. This law specifically broadened the Corps'
authority and obligation in relocation assistance to North
Bonneville. The $35 million relocation project included raising
the new town site above the 100-year flood plain, construction of streets,
utilities, lighting, sewage system, water supply and sewage treatment plant,
flood protection, parks a central business district and all public buildings.
Town sitting required highway and railway relocation. And residents and
business were furnished temporary housing until they could build their own
permanent homes and facilities. The new town was built to accommodate 1500
residents. A celebration of the successful relocation was held July 29, 1978.
