Black and white image of four men, one of whom is shoveling smelt from the bottom of a boat into wooden boxes. The boxes have the words "From the Columbia River Smelt Co. Kelso, Wash." stamped on them. The man doing the shoveling is an older man with his back to the camera. He is wearing a hat with a brim, a long-sleeved shirt, a vest with a large hole in the back, workpants and shoes. To his left, a younger man kneels, holding on to one of th boxes with his right hand. He is wearing a brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, and pants. In another boat facing the camera is an elderly man dressed in a suit, with jacket, white shirt and bowtie, and a brimmed hat. Next to him in the boat is a younger man, without a hat, wearing work pants, and a long-sleeved shirt with the collar pulled up around his neck. Behind them is the river and the opposite shore can be seen in the distance.
Black and white image of men in a boat taking fish from a fish trap on the Columbia River. The trap is constructed of tall wooden poles with nets strung in between them. There are four men in the boat, all wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, and hats. A fish can be seen on the far right as it is being pulled into the boat. In the background can be seen other fish traps and the opposite bank of the river. Trees line the riverbank. Written on the bottom left of the image are the words "278 J.F.Ford."
A black and white image of men with horses using nets to sein at the edge of the Columbia River. A small sailboat is in foreground and a steamboat is on far side of river. All of the men wear hats, some wear rubber aprons and high rubber boots. In the background can be seen the opposite shore of the river, with trees growing on the hillside and some cliffs.
Black and white image of a group of Native Americans fishing at Celilo Falls. They are in the right foreground of the image and their backs are to the camera. They all have long poles that they are thrusting into the water. They all wear hats, several of which are tall and slightly pointed, with wide brims. They wear pants or overalls, with long-sleeved shirts. The man on the far right wears what appears to be a denim jacket. The center and left foreground of the image is the water of the falls. In the background can be seen the shore, with foothills. On the far right center of the image is a wooden structure or scaffolding.
Black and white image of three Native American men fishing from rocks at Celilo Falls. All hold long poles or spears. Two are wearing caps, while one wears what looks like a knitted cap. Two of the men wear overalls; all have long sleeves and pants and wear shoes. In the middle ground of the photo are the falls, and two wooden structures, one of which may be a wooden fish wheel. Hills rise up in the background. The photo was taken before March, 1957, when the Dalles Dam began operation and covered the falls.