I understood the reason for breaching the dam but am sorry they spent so much removing all traces. The same is being done across the river, no longer can we obtain before and after pictures.

Kenn on 17th May 2017 @ 7:16am

Here's a link to the last photo I ever took of Copper Dam. This was take shortly before they started working on the removal.

http://kleinsmith.zenfolio.com/p765016412/e1569b6b9

Dan Kleinsmith on 17th May 2017 @ 8:08am

I agree with Kenn. I understand the removal, but I don't understand the time and money spent to remove every trace of the history.

L.E. on 17th May 2017 @ 11:21am

I can only assume the fish ladder worked and it appears to be located on the west side of the dam.
In 1996 ODFW constructed a fish ladder and “trap” on the east side of the dam, in order to study the Steelhead and Chinook Salmon returning to the Hood River.
The purpose of the trap was to hold back the hatchery fish by looking for the adipose fin….no fin = hatchery fish.
The wild fish were released, to continue up stream for breeding and a select few fish were kept for hatcher broodstock.
The hatchery fish caught in the trap, had a floy tag inserted near the dorsal fin. See https://www.google.com/search?q=floy+tag&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
The floy tag had a number, which identified a specific fish as part of a large study ODFW used to track these fish. It used the data, to set catch limits on specific bodies of water during the season.
Once the hatchery fish were tagged, they were transported to the mouth of the Hood and released. If the same fish came back through the trap on the third time, it was trucked to Laurence Lake, Kingsley Reservoir or Lost Lake. These fish were really a prize, if caught in one of the lakes.
ODFW augmented data collection, of the fish caught by fisherman, by employing seasonal creel checkers that interacted, real time in the field. They logged any floy tag data, species, size, location and removed a few scales for the biologists to determine the age of the fish.
I know this is a wordy posting, but it just goes to show how seriously ODFW had taken the study of Steelhead and Chinook in our local fishery, for the benefit of all us fishermen/fisherwomen. It all started with a fish ladder 

Dale Nicol on 17th May 2017 @ 7:19pm

thank you for your posting Dale. I am not a fisherman, but sure like history and your info on how we tried to protect the fish.

Arlen Sheldrake on 18th May 2017 @ 8:21am

Thank you for sharing the photo @Kenn.
I have been reminessing about all the places my dad took me fishing as a kid. It took some digging, but finally found the damn was removed. We always called this the location the "wobbly bridge" not sure what year they changed that part, but it had to have been before 1995, cause we moved away in 94. Wish I could find a photo of what this place looked like as I remember it best.
Some very fond memories fishing in this location. I once lost my dad's set of keys in the dam & had to walk home to get his spare keys. Oops ^_^

Brooke on 12th September 2020 @ 11:08pm

From the January 03, 1918 Hood River Glacier P. 8
Power Construction Man Here
J.E. Shinn of North Yakima, Wn., construction engineer for the Pacific Power & Light Co., is here superintending the replacement of the section of pipeline washed out south of Powerdale by recent Hood river freshets. The water of last week made it necessary for Mr. Shinn to lay off his men for several days. The headworks of the big power flume were badly damaged, and it will be necessary also to replace the new fish ladder over the dam.

L.E. on 4th January 2023 @ 10:14pm