Lauren Ellenbecker, “The Columbian”
KELSO — The legacy of outdated logging methods popularized more than a century ago remains etched throughout the Coweeman River.
Long before railroads and logging roads existed, massive timber stands were transported along waterways—like the Coweeman—throughout Western Oregon and Washington.
The trunks of fir trees made their way through the dense forest that covered the hilly terrain. The natural flow of the creek was successful in pushing logs downstream, but the creation and control of a reservoir sped up the journey, leading to the popular development of wooden dams.
The practice, spanning from the 1880s to the 1950s, was an impressive achievement that readily filled a timber-hungry market, according to the 1977 Cowlitz Historical Quarterly records.
But in its heyday, damming could cause explosions and is considered one of the first violations of river management in the Pacific Northwest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
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Watershed groups say the legacy of the dams can still be seen along the main stem of the Coweeman and its tributaries today – an impact they are trying to reverse by returning the waterway to its natural state.
“Every tree growing along the banks was covered with scars. Every pebble of gravel was washed away. It was just terrible,” said Bryce Crane, restoration program manager for the Lower Columbia Fish Group.
Long-term consequences
Historical documents indicate that there are as many as five spillway dams in the Coweeman River system. The river was the main way for the pioneer lumberjacks to make a living. Near the stream and its tributaries there were huge stands of spruce trees, ready to be cut down and sent to the sawmill.
The first Coweemana dam appeared in 1880 at the confluence of Mainstem and Baird Creek, and others later appeared at Moreland Creek, Mulholland Creek, Sam Smith Creek and Hill Creek.
As the water pooled, the logs floated and piled up until logging companies opened the spillway, causing explosive flooding. Loggers stood along the water with poles, orienting the logs so that they would be straight when they emerged. Downstream they will be sent to a mill pond and left for processing.
Local residents recalled seeing bulls dragging logs from where they had been cut down to the river, they wrote in the quarterly magazine. Over time, horses replaced oxen, then steam engines, and then small tractors. Dams soon became obsolete as railroads and roads became important means of transporting timber.
Today, when you stand by the river, habitat loss may seem insignificant to the untrained eye, Crane says. The pristine floodplain is teeming with life—insects, beavers, and endangered fish species. But Coeyman is not intact, he said. The dam’s surge washed away entire water systems.
Loggers removed boulders and fallen trees from the rivers, blasting them to pieces with dynamite, creating a clear path for the logs. According to Crane, by doing so they destroyed natural habitats and changed the flow of water.
Many areas have been reduced to rock, allowing water to flow easily and quickly across the ground. Cold pools of water, fine sediment and woody debris needed for salmon shelter and spawning habitat have diminished. As a result, their bright fish-like bellies are rarely seen in Cowiman currents.
The Lower Columbia Fisheries Improvement Group began working on this “simplified” habitat and channel modification in 2016, the first of their many subsequent projects.
Restoring natural habitat involves introducing bedrock, boulders and logs into the riverbed. Eventually, an alluvial layer—or a thick underwater layer of silt, sand and gravel mixed with other organic sediments—forms, which is necessary to support fish migration.
Gradually, the Lower Columbia Fisheries Improvement Group expanded its restoration efforts along the main stem of the Coweeman to surrounding streams. The project, called Baird Creek Liberation, is a collection of small pilot projects that allowed the group to learn more about the watershed and expand its approach based on the results, Crane said.
Scientists have already noticed an improvement in fish populations.
According to Cramer Fish Sciences, a consulting company involved in the Baird Creek Liberation project, preliminary data shows juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead appeared in slightly higher numbers last fall in the Coweeman River.
A more complete report on how wildlife is responding to the restoration will be available this winter.
The Kowhiman River’s response to habitat conservation efforts is already “encouraging at an early stage,” said Hans Berge, Kramer’s program manager. As the place matures, natural processes will return, and with it a mosaic of life—small like invertebrates and large like beavers. According to him, if the current development trend of the river continues, it will fully recover, which could take a couple of decades.
Regional impacts
The legacy impacts are not limited to Southwest Washington.
Remains of the dam, archival searches, and personal stories point to the history of structures throughout the region. Researchers found 232 spillway dams in Western Oregon, where most of the research is concentrated, but they existed as far north as southeast Alaska, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Every season, water flows through the canals, the sediments finding a place to stop among the brought wood debris and stones. But for the most part, water does all the work, Berge said.
Although stoppage dams are far behind, affected rivers and estuaries can recover with minimal intervention, such as the release of Baird Creek.
“If you fight nature, you won’t get results,” he said. “If you use the river as a tool to complement restoration efforts, it almost always works.”