News Release
| Release Number: | 00-162 |
| Dated: | 9/11/2000 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. – One hundred years ago this month the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the first federal lock and dam project in Oregon on the Yamhill River, 35 miles southwest of Portland.
Construction of the Lafayette Lock and Dam became a reality thanks to the effort of a group of men hoping to improve river traffic on the Yamhill River. They believed that establishment of the locks would increase the water level and extend the navigable waterway.
The Corps of Engineers evaluated the issue in 1892, 1895 and 1896, and several reports were submitted to Congress discussing the feasibility of improving the waterway on the Yamhill River. During the 1896-97 session, Congress appropriated $200,000 under the Rivers and Harbors Act for improvement to the Yamhill River. The appropriations were to be spent for locks 275 feet in length with a dam that would raise the water level 16 feet to allow for year-round transportation to McMinnville.
Construction of the locks began in 1898 and continued until 1900. The construction firm Normile, Fastabend and McGregor of Astoria, Ore., conducted the work.
The locks were officially opened Sept. 21, 1900.
The dam was a rock-filled, timber crib structure that measured 125 feet in length from the lock wall to the east bank of the river. The crest of the dam was 16 feet above the low water point and 25 feet above the rock bottom.
The locks consisted of concrete construction with a timber pile foundation. The chamber was 40 feet wide and 210 feet long. The water level in the lock, which had a 16-foot lift, was manipulated by a hand controlled butterfly valve.
The lock remained in operation until Feb. 7, 1954, when the Corps shut it down because it was not being used, and it had become too expensive to operate. Two years later, the Corps turned the structure and property over to Yamhill County for use as a park.
About that same time, the Oregon State Fish Commission began investigating the lock and dam to determine if it was a barrier to fish migration. The commission determined that a fish ladder would need to be installed for the lock to continue in use. The county determined that the expense of constructing the fish ladder was greater than the benefit to the county. Therefore, in 1965 the commission had Yamhill County dynamite the dam and remove the lock doors.
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Photos available:
Yamhill County – http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/pics/Places of Interest/
Yamhill Co. Parks – http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/Yamhillparks/9_lafayette_locks.htm