A black and white view that has been identified as Cascade Rapids on the Columbia River, seen before the Bonneville Dam was built. In the foreground are low white-capped waves; to the right a low, tree-lined shore. Rocks and small tree-clad islands rise out of the middle of the river. In the center of the photograph there appears to be a tugboat hauling some square cargo some distance behind. Heavily-forested hills and moutains rise up in the background; most of the trees appear to be conifers.
A dramatic black and white view of a stern wheeler identified as the "Hassalo" being taken over the Cascade Rapids by Captain J. W. Troup. The boat steams through whitecaps, plumes of smoke trailing from its smokestacks. In the foreground, a crowd is gathered among large boulders along the river. Most of the men wear dark lounge suits and boater hats; the women mostly wear light dresses, and the ties of their hats hang down their backs. Some of the men are waving hats or handkerchiefs to cheer the paddlewheeler on. It appears that there is also a large crowd on the opposite shore. The Hassalo was built at The Dalles in 1880 for the Oregon Railway & Navigation Co. She worked the river til 1888, advertised as the fastest river boat in the world. Captain Troup took her over the Cascades Rapids on May 26, 1888, after which she was sent to Puget Sound. When she returned in 1892 she was converted to a towboat.
A black and white view of three steamboats in the water approaching Cascade Locks on the Columbia River. The paddlewheel of the large stern wheeler to the left of the photo can be clearly seen. This ship is much larger than the other two at right, and has been identified as the "Bailey Gatzert". One of the other steamers has been identified as the "Charles R. Spencer". Their smokestacks all belch smoke. In the river some small islands can be seen. On the further shore, a low, well-forested riverbank with a settlement of houses rises to wooded hills. To the center right of the picture the locks are seen. The Cascade Locks were completed in 1896, and submerged in 1938 as a result of the construction of the Bonneville Dam.