Only If You Wauna (Point) - 4 April 2010

[Grannyhiker]

Much less glamorous and exciting is the explanation in the second (1988) edition of Don and Roberta Lowe's "35 Hiking Trails: Columbia River Gorge," p. 52, in the description for Wauna Viewpoint:

The concrete structure on the viewpoint was erected as a survey marker to aid in the construction of the new powerhouse at Bonneville Dam.

[CherokeeDriver]

I was enjoying the artillery narrative, but I think you got it. This is the "Horizontal Control Mark" at the base of the pedestal (dated 1938/1976):



-Robert

[Grannyhiker]

Like others, I think "The bombs bursting in air" is more exciting, than the Lowes' more prosaic alternative, though!

[Eric Peterson]

Interesting read as always and I love how Table looked like a Pyramid with the snow on it.

[CuriousGorgeGuide]

Hey, i've been told by a BPA "de-facto historian" (Jim Runkles) that the obelisk and it's twin on Aldrich are "Triangulation Installations" to monitor the dam's construction-----fixed survey points. But Jeff Staat in his Aldrich write-up says that they had a WWII function...and i haven't personally asked him where he got his info...can someone who knows him ask him to chime in on this? I also sent an inquiry about this, via an acquaintance to Bill Willingham (who wrote the B'ville dam history book), but i've yet to hear back from him with a definitive answer whether the obelisks were built in the 30's or 40s. And FYI, Runkles told me that there's a 3rd one somewhere off the trail from Tanner to Moffett--the 3rd point of the "triangulation"...i marched around in search, but turned up nothing. i'm gonna bother JJim again when it gets nicer out and see if he'll lead me to the third!!
And, yup that "1850s Road" is the Gorge's oldest relic, advertised in the Feb 9, 1856 Oregonian as "PORTLAND, CASCADES and THE DALLES The undersigned having made arrangements for transportation of Freight over the portage at the Cascades on the Oregon side, and having the necessary teams, boats, etc.; will receive and transport with the utmost dispatch all Freights, Goods, Wares and Merchandise by the steamers Ffashion and Wasco and other companies. The road is now in complete order. My teams will always be in readiness. Good warehouses have been erected and my personal attention given to business. Feb. 9, 1856 W.R. Kilborn, Lower Cascades, Oregon Side."


All this stuff will be in my new edition of Curious Gorge , out in a couple of months. One last lil thing...I believe that the trail to Wauna Point was constructed by the CCC when they were re-doing the eagle creek campground in 1936...there's an inscribed cement trail sign at the junction where the wauna Viewpoint trail branches off and heads upwards...it's WAY easy to miss, but way worth seeing...I bet you'll now go back for a peek, won't ya??

[raven]

I have a memory of one of those truncated pyramids -- the term obelisk does not fit that shape -- on Munra Point in the 1990's. Anyone else have a similar memory?

[Lurch]

I looked up the history of the marker, just to answer a few questions for you guys. It was first made in 1938, and was subsequently partially destroyed. It was then re-established in 1976

It's exact location as of 1986, in NAD83 (same as wgs84) is listed at 48° 38' 13.29261" N 121° 55' 41.13283" W

From that mark they have multiple reference marks listed, I'll just give you a few...

GRASSY KNOLL LOOKOUT ~23.9 KM
SHERIDAN POINT LIGHT ~2.4 KM
LOCKS ~ 4.7KM
BRIDGE OF THE GODS NE PIER ~3.5 KM
CASCADE LOCKS CH NEAR SCHOOL ~4.6KM
BONNEVILLE ELEVATED TANK ~2.0 KM

There are 3 reports listed as well

1938 was the first monument, put in by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, description as follows

On the S side of Columbia River, about 1-2/3 miles E of Bonneville, about 1/3 mile S of mouth of Eagle Creek, on small prominent point known as Wauna View Point, about 1,000 feet in elevation, on a ridge leading to Wauna Point, on right-of-way on Bonneville Power Line running E to Hood River

Surface and underground marks are standard bronze disks wedged in drill holes in boulders. Reference marks are standard bronze disks in outcropping bedrock.

Reached from Eagle Creek Ranger Station as follows -- Take Wauna Viewpoint Trail, go about 2 miles to Wauna Viewpoint and station

Recovery note by National Geodetic Survey 1976

Reference Mark No. 2 was found in good condition. The surface station mark and reference mark no. 1 had been destroyed. The underground mark was uncovered and found in good condition. A new station mark was plumbed precisely over the underground mark, and reference mark no. 3 was established. A new and complete description follows.

The station is on government owned land, at the Wauna Viewpoint.

[...] Hike across the [Eagle Creek] foot bridge to the beginning of the Wauna Trail, pack southwest up the Wauna Trail to the viewpoint and station. Length of pack is 1 hour.

The station mark, stamped BRADFORD 2 1938 1976, is a standard disk set in a 10-inch square concrete monument that is flush, 28 feet north-northeast of the northern most powerline tower of three, where the power line crosses the ridge, and 3.5 feet east of the north end of the masonry sign, which reads, WAUNA VIEWPOINT.

The underground mark, stamped BRADFORD 2 1938, was left undisturbed.

Reference Mark no. 2, stamped BRADFORD 2 NO 2 1938, is a standard disk cemented in a drill hole in bedrock, 13 feet northwest of the north end of the masonry sign, and 6 feet lower than the station.

Reference Mark no. 3, stamped BRADFORD 2 1938 NO 3 1976, is a standard disk cemented in a drill hole in bedrock that projects 2-inches, 7 feet east of the trail, 6 feet south of the north tower, 5 feet north of the middle tower, and 2 feet lower than the station.

Triangulation station locks 1901 may be used for the azimuth mark.

Airline distance and direction from nearest town 2 miles southwest of Cascade Locks

Scott: In typical 'triangulation' you use two known reference points to find a third. You so you could use the two sister benchmarks to find any point on the dam visible from both, you don't need three reference points... it would be more accurate though

[Guy]

That's all very cool Lurch - where did you go to find all that!

[Lurch]

Some versions of MapTech's Terrain Navigator mapping software have all the benchmarks with complete writeups already loaded... I usually have them turned off because the icons get annoying and distracting, but they're useful sometimes!

Otherwise you can get it from the NGS website.. but it's a pain in the butt to dig through if you don't have enough info about it.. I can do a writeup on how to find them if you guys are interested. There are a couple other ways to dig it up too

[VanMarmot]

There's an identical obelisk on top of Aldrich Butte along with the foundation of a building. My best guess is that they were anti-aircraft installations to protect the dam.

One of these concrete pylons can also be found just off the 400 trail above the Wachella Falls parking lot enroute to Munra Point. You wouldn't normally site AA batteries in these positions. My suggestion is that they are part of the dam survey system - used either to align the original construction or to check for gross stuctural movements.