.gif)
Belle of Oregon City (sidewheeler)
Encyclopedia
The Belle of Oregon City, generally referred to as Belle was built in 1853, and was the first iron steamboat built on the west coast of North America.
.jpg)
When complete, Williams and Wells put Belle on the run on the Willamette River
from Portland
to Oregon City, with passenger fares $2 each way. Her schedule was to leave the warehouse at the based on Willamette Falls
at 7:30 every morning, was over at the Oregon City dock by 8:00 a.m., stopping at Milwaukie
at 8:30 a.m., and reached Portland at 9:30 a.m. At 2:00 p.m. Belle steamed back upriver, reaching the falls again by 4:00 p.m. (Because of a stretch of shallow water on the Willamette near the mouth of the Clackamas River
known as the Clackamas Rapids, only smaller vessels could make this run.) Belle also ran on the Cowlitz River
and to Fort Vancouver
.
By July 1855, Belle was on the route from Portland down the Willamette and then also ran up the Columbia to the lower Cascades
, making three runs a week, under Captain Wells, with J.M. Gilman as engineer and N.B. Ingalls as purser. (Ingalls would become one of the longest serving pursers on the Columbia river, serving on many of the famous vessels that ran on the river from the 1850s to his retirement in 1893). Passengers headed up river would disembark at the lower Cascades, travel on the portage road along the north bank, and then board the sidewheeler Mary bound upriver to the next head of navigation, The Dalles. Freight charges were high, $50 a ton on cargo from Portland to The Dalles, but Belle and Mary still could not handle the demand, and other steamers came on the routes, driving rates down to $30 a ton.
In the 1850s, the U.S. Army was engaged in forcing the First Nations
to cede their dominion over the vast lands of the Oregon and Washington Territories and move on to reservations. The army maintained posts at Fort Vancouver
, the Cascades, and The Dalles. In late 1855 orders arrived to move the army's main base up from the Cascades to the Dalles, to be closer to the anticipated area of war operations in the next campaign season. Movement on the river was completely halted by the severe winter in January 1856, when the Columbia froze from bank to bank from the Gorge on down well below the mouth of the Willamette. No river traffic moved anywhere on the river, even down to Astoria
. When the river was finally clear enough of ice, Belle and another boat, the Fashion started moving the Army's equipment up from Fort Vancouver.
On March 26, 1856, a war party of the First Nations
attacked the town at Upper Cascades, burned most the buildings, and laid siege to the blockhouse at Fort Cascades
, in so doing killing 11 civilians and 3 soldiers. Word soon reached Fort Vancouver, where the detachment was under the command of Lt. (later Genl.) Philip H. Sheridan, who loaded his troopers on Belle and steamed upriver to the Cascades. Meanwhile, other troops were coming downriver on Mary from The Dalles, and arrived at Upper Cascades. There was some fighting for a day or two around the lower Cascades, during which Belle acted as ammunition and supply transport. Due to military blunders the troops were not able to trap the First Nations
war party at the Upper Cascades who simply melted back into the forest.
was formed, Belle was absorbed into the monopoly and became part of O.S.N.'s near-absolute dominance of Columbia river steam navigation, but was little used by the new company. Her sturdy construction still allowed to outlast most of the steamboats built on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in the 1850s and 1860s. Belle was scrapped in 1869, her hull was dismantled and shipped to China, and her engines went to power a sawmill at Oak Point.
Design and construction
Belle was also the first steamboat to be powered by machinery built entirely in Oregon. All the iron for her, as well as all the machinery, including the boiler and steam engines, was produced by foundryman Thomas V. Smith in his ironworkers at Oregon City. Capt. William H. Troup built the vessel for two other men, Capt. W.B. Wells and Capt. Richard Williams. Because of her iron hull, she was much more durable than most early Oregon steamboats, lasting until 1869. Belle measured 90 ft (27 m) on her keel and 96 ft (29 m) measured over her guards.Operations
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
from Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
to Oregon City, with passenger fares $2 each way. Her schedule was to leave the warehouse at the based on Willamette Falls
Willamette Falls
The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall on the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, in the United States. It is the largest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest and the eighteenth largest in the world by water volume. Horseshoe in shape, it is wide and high with a flow...
at 7:30 every morning, was over at the Oregon City dock by 8:00 a.m., stopping at Milwaukie
Milwaukie, Oregon
Milwaukie is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1848 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in...
at 8:30 a.m., and reached Portland at 9:30 a.m. At 2:00 p.m. Belle steamed back upriver, reaching the falls again by 4:00 p.m. (Because of a stretch of shallow water on the Willamette near the mouth of the Clackamas River
Clackamas River
The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. As it drains an area of about , the Clackamas passes through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, and passes through agricultural and urban areas...
known as the Clackamas Rapids, only smaller vessels could make this run.) Belle also ran on the Cowlitz River
Cowlitz River
The Cowlitz River is a river in the state of Washington in the United States, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its tributaries drain a large region including the slopes of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens....
and to Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
.
By July 1855, Belle was on the route from Portland down the Willamette and then also ran up the Columbia to the lower Cascades
Cascades Rapids
The Cascades Rapids were an area of rapids along North America's Columbia River, between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. Through a stretch approximately wide, the river dropped about in .-Boat portage:Boat travelers were forced to either portage boats and supplies or pull boats up with...
, making three runs a week, under Captain Wells, with J.M. Gilman as engineer and N.B. Ingalls as purser. (Ingalls would become one of the longest serving pursers on the Columbia river, serving on many of the famous vessels that ran on the river from the 1850s to his retirement in 1893). Passengers headed up river would disembark at the lower Cascades, travel on the portage road along the north bank, and then board the sidewheeler Mary bound upriver to the next head of navigation, The Dalles. Freight charges were high, $50 a ton on cargo from Portland to The Dalles, but Belle and Mary still could not handle the demand, and other steamers came on the routes, driving rates down to $30 a ton.
Military transport
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
to cede their dominion over the vast lands of the Oregon and Washington Territories and move on to reservations. The army maintained posts at Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
, the Cascades, and The Dalles. In late 1855 orders arrived to move the army's main base up from the Cascades to the Dalles, to be closer to the anticipated area of war operations in the next campaign season. Movement on the river was completely halted by the severe winter in January 1856, when the Columbia froze from bank to bank from the Gorge on down well below the mouth of the Willamette. No river traffic moved anywhere on the river, even down to Astoria
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
. When the river was finally clear enough of ice, Belle and another boat, the Fashion started moving the Army's equipment up from Fort Vancouver.
On March 26, 1856, a war party of the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
attacked the town at Upper Cascades, burned most the buildings, and laid siege to the blockhouse at Fort Cascades
Fort Cascades
Fort Cascades was a United States Army fort constructed in 1855 to protect the portage road around the final section of the Cascades Rapids, known as the "lower cascades." It was built on the Washington side of the Columbia River, between the present site of North Bonneville and the Bonneville...
, in so doing killing 11 civilians and 3 soldiers. Word soon reached Fort Vancouver, where the detachment was under the command of Lt. (later Genl.) Philip H. Sheridan, who loaded his troopers on Belle and steamed upriver to the Cascades. Meanwhile, other troops were coming downriver on Mary from The Dalles, and arrived at Upper Cascades. There was some fighting for a day or two around the lower Cascades, during which Belle acted as ammunition and supply transport. Due to military blunders the troops were not able to trap the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
war party at the Upper Cascades who simply melted back into the forest.
Later years of service
When the Oregon Steam Navigation CompanyOregon Steam Navigation Company
The Oregon Steam Navigation Company was an American company incorporated in 1860 in Washington with partners J. S. Ruckle, Henry Olmstead, and J. O. Van Bergen...
was formed, Belle was absorbed into the monopoly and became part of O.S.N.'s near-absolute dominance of Columbia river steam navigation, but was little used by the new company. Her sturdy construction still allowed to outlast most of the steamboats built on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in the 1850s and 1860s. Belle was scrapped in 1869, her hull was dismantled and shipped to China, and her engines went to power a sawmill at Oak Point.
Further references
- "Sheridan's First Fight --The Indian Repulse at the Upper Cascades of the Columbia", New York Times, June 5, 1888 (reprinted from the Portland Oregonian May 29, 1888
- Wilma, David, "Native Americans attack Americans at the Cascades of the Columbia on March 26, 1856", HistoryLink.org Essay 5190 February 07, 2003 (revised April 16, 2007)
- Lewis and Clark's Columbia River - Fort Cascades