This is definitely my favorite Cascade Locks historic winter storm photo, taken January 5, 1909 by local photographer Karl A. Pierce.
At the time, Alice Tomkins Fee was the 11 year-old daughter of chief lock tender Valentine Tomkins. She recalled this winter storm fondly in an oral history she completed with the Oregon Historical Society in 1985:
"One year two boats were frozen in the locks for several weeks. We all learned to dance because the steward was an ex-Swiss dancing teacher. Father just thought we were crazy to be walking through a foot of snow to learn to dance, but we did- up in the Odd Fellow's Hall. Everybody in town learned to dance."
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.