Mae Silva: The first woman to sit on the first city council in Cascade Locks

The City of Cascade Locks was incorporated and its first council was elected in 1935. Captain Charles Nelson was to be the first mayor of Cascade Locks. The first city council included S.E. Perras, Carl Epping, Seth Clodfelter, Max Millsap, Julius Carlson, and Mae Silva.

Mae Silva is one of my personal pet “history mysteries.” If anyone has photos of her, we would LOVE a copy!

Mae E. Silva (née Farmer) had a jam-packed six months between June 1935 and January 1936. She was elected to the first city council in August, adopted the City Charter and first ordinances, then sat on the committee that took on the municipal water system in October-November. While the council was meeting nearly daily, she was also running the Inn at the Bridge of the Gods, which closed for remodel in October and re-opened under her management as Columbia Hotel Cafe in November. She then "surprise[d] her many friends" by marrying Harry Seymour of Seattle on December 15, and had resigned from Council and moved with him to California by January 2, 1936.

Here's her profile from the Bonneville Dam Chronicle's candidate endorsement column, Aug 8, 1935.

Mae Silva’s profile in the Bonneville Dam Chronicle, August 8, 1935

"MRS. MAE SILVA: A Native of Minnesota, Mrs. Mae Silva, the only woman seeking a seat on the city council, has been a resident of Oregon for more than a quarter-century and made her home in Cascade Locks since 1923. Generous, sympathetic and possessed of a strong sense of justice she would serve the community faithfully and well. For the past several years she has conducted the Bridge of the Gods Inn and has hundreds of friends. An experienced and successful business woman, we believe she would be a credit to her community and to her sex."

Mae was ahead of her time, but her story represents a recurring theme we see in the Cascade Locks tourism industry. Young people come, work in hospitality, make a splash in local politics, and then move away. From what I have found, we don’t see another woman on City Council until Harty Miller in 1955.

Photo of the Inn at the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, Oregon. The Inn at the Bridge of the Gods was owned by Claudia Kimmel. Mae Silva managed it from 1923-1935. The Inn at the Bridge of the Gods was closed for a full remodel while the state was doing highway 30 road improvements in 1935. It reopened it as the Columbia Hotel Cafe in November 1935. Courtesy of Ben Carscallen.

Off the Rails is the Cascade Locks Historical Museum's blog for the fascinating stories and research side quests that don't always make it onto the exhibit floor. From wayward river travelers to forgotten footnotes of Gorge history, we follow the tracks wherever they lead.

City of Cascade Locks Celebrates 88th Anniversary

On June 11, 2023, the City of Cascade Locks celebrated its 88th anniversary of the vote that transitioned the community from an unincorporated community into a municipality.

In May 1935, a group of 60 citizens, mostly business owners and long-term residents, filed for the community to be incorporated as a City. The campaign brought out two "parties" of citizens, calling themselves the Independents and Taxpayers’ League. Those in favor of incorporation (the Independents) were looking for the community to embrace several opportunities.

Opportunity 1: Municipal water and electric service. The federal government installed a 10-inch water main as part of the Cascade Locks and Canal system that would need to be turned over to a municipality after the Bonneville Dam was completed in 1938. Citizens also desired street lighting improvements with the promise of hydroelectric power.

Excerpt from The Bonneville Dam chronicle., May 23, 1935.
Courtesy of Hood River County Library, housed online at https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/

Opportunity 2: Highway service. While the Columbia River Highway 30 reached Cascade Locks by 1916, in the 1930s there was a big reconstruction project making improvements to the road. This was a point of confusion for some Cascade Locks residents, some fearful that incorporating the town would halt highway work. The highway contractors rebutted that incorporated towns actually got more resources from the government and better highway treatment.

Opportunity 3: Park land. Residents knew that the Government Locks Reservation would become available after the completion of the Bonneville Dam. The Army would be willing to turn the land over to a municipality, but not an unincorporated community.

Political ad from The Bonneville Dam chronicle., June 6, 1935.
Courtesy of Hood River County Library, housed online at https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/

Opportunity 4: School control. 123 parents signed a petition against the Cascade Locks Schools superintendent Vernon G. Henderson in 1935, charging "moral turpitude," and citing the unacceptable culture of open smoking and no discipline at the high school, and that he couldn't teach mathematics. Following these charges, the Hood River county school district made the decision to terminate the contracts with Cascade Locks School principal Frank Autrieth and teacher Averill Stewart outright, and made a "gentleman's agreement" with Henderson that while his contract would be extended for one more year, he would not teach and seek another school. This was met with public outcry, but under the county system there was no option for appeal or recall on the school board.

Opportunity 5: Fire department. In 1934, the downtown business area experienced a devastating fire when a teenager blew up a fireworks stand. Citizens desired municipal fire suppression services.

Opportunity 6: Law and speed enforcement. Municipalities can choose to implement law enforcement and speed limits.

The primary argument against incorporating was that it would increase taxes. While tax increases are always contentious, this was the Great Depression. Many newer residents in Cascade Locks at this time had to abandon their homes in other places to come to work on federal WPA and CCC projects, building on the dam, trail systems, and highways. However, the rhetoric and descriptions accuse the loudest opponents of being wealthy investors making large purchases to develop commercial property and housing.

At the resulting election on June 11, 1935, the Independents won, incorporating the City of Cascade Locks. Once incorporation was certified, a rapid campaign ensued to elect a mayor, council, treasurer, recorder, and marshal. Captain Charles Nelson was elected to be the first mayor of Cascade Locks. The first city council included S.E. Perras, Carl Epping, Seth Clodfelter, Max Millsap, Julius Carlson, and Mae Silva.