Tenino (sternwheeler)
Encyclopedia
The Tenino was the second steamboat to run on the Columbia River above Celilo Falls
and on the Snake River
. Following a reconstruction or major salvage in 1876 this vessel was named the New Tenino.
for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company
("OSN"). , which by the time Tenino was built was becoming the most powerful transportation company in the American part of the Oregon Country
. John Gates, the OSN principal engineer, supervised construction of Tenino and became her first engineer. The engines were new from the OSN shops.
which was the first steamer on the Columbia
above Celilo. Tenino was a bigger and more powerful vessel than Colonel Wright
the first steamboat on this stretch of the river. Both boats were owned by the powerful monopoly of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company
.
Demand for passage and freight shipments up the Columbia was very great in the early 1860s. Although only a moderate sized vessel, it was not necessary to haul large amounts of cargo for a vessel to be profitable at that that time on the river. Tenino proved to be one of the most profitable boats yet to appear on the river. As Professor Mills described it:
Teninos first captain was Leonard Wright, who had taken Colonel Wright far up the Snake River. Later captains were Charles Felton, E.W. Baughman, J.H.D. Gray, E.F. Coe and Thomas and John Stump. The company ran Tenino hard and by 1867 or 1869 the vessel had to be rebuilt.
on the Arrow Lakes
was rebuilt, in the off-season of 1909-10, the upper works were jacked up, the old hull removed, and a new hull slid underneath the old deckhouse structure, which was then lowered down onto the new hull.
Celilo Falls
Celilo Falls was a tribal fishing area on the Columbia River, just east of the Cascade Mountains, on what is today the border between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington...
and on the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
. Following a reconstruction or major salvage in 1876 this vessel was named the New Tenino.
Design and Construction
Tenino was built in 1860 by R.R. Thompson at the mouth of the Deschutes River on the upper Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company
Oregon 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...
("OSN"). , which by the time Tenino was built was becoming the most powerful transportation company in the American part of the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
. John Gates, the OSN principal engineer, supervised construction of Tenino and became her first engineer. The engines were new from the OSN shops.
Operations
OSN built Tenino to run with Colonel WrightColonel Wright (sternwheeler)
The Colonel Wright was the first steamboat to operate on the Columbia River above The Dalles in the parts of the Oregon Country that later became the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. She was the first steamboat to run on the Snake River. She was named after Colonel George Wright, an...
which was the first steamer on the Columbia
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
above Celilo. Tenino was a bigger and more powerful vessel than Colonel Wright
Colonel Wright (sternwheeler)
The Colonel Wright was the first steamboat to operate on the Columbia River above The Dalles in the parts of the Oregon Country that later became the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. She was the first steamboat to run on the Snake River. She was named after Colonel George Wright, an...
the first steamboat on this stretch of the river. Both boats were owned by the powerful monopoly of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company
Oregon 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...
.
Demand for passage and freight shipments up the Columbia was very great in the early 1860s. Although only a moderate sized vessel, it was not necessary to haul large amounts of cargo for a vessel to be profitable at that that time on the river. Tenino proved to be one of the most profitable boats yet to appear on the river. As Professor Mills described it:
Teninos first captain was Leonard Wright, who had taken Colonel Wright far up the Snake River. Later captains were Charles Felton, E.W. Baughman, J.H.D. Gray, E.F. Coe and Thomas and John Stump. The company ran Tenino hard and by 1867 or 1869 the vessel had to be rebuilt.
Salvaged or reconstructed
In 1876, Tenino struck a rock while moving down river. Her hull was too old to be worth salvaging, so OSN removed the engines and installed them in a new sternwheeler, called the New Tenino. Another source states that Tenino was rebuilt a second time in 1876, and it was this reconstructed vessel that was known as the New Tenino.. A reconstruction could be almost the same as building a new vessel, so this may be a matter of characterization of the work. For example, when RosslandRossland (sternwheeler)
The Rossland was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia. It was named after Rossland, British Columbia, once a prosperous mining town in the region.-Design and construction:...
on the Arrow Lakes
Arrow Lakes
The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beachland is fairly rare, and is interspersed with rocky...
was rebuilt, in the off-season of 1909-10, the upper works were jacked up, the old hull removed, and a new hull slid underneath the old deckhouse structure, which was then lowered down onto the new hull.