This site will be under Continual construction for several years. New information is found all the time. We will add what we know at this point and as new material is found we will add or change.
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1860s Sauvie Island
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“A people which takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by future descendants”
Lord Macaulay
(a British Historian and Politician 1800-1859)
These are little stories that had no place to go. They all pertain to the island and the people...but not any particular person or place. We will be adding more as we find them.
DANCE CIRCLES
Stephen Bonser had a claim on Oak Island. At one time this area was a popular spot for the Indians. The locals have known of a dance circle on this property for many years. It was about 20 feet wide. After one of the recent floods a ranger was checking the island for damage. He saw the first circle, walked on in a northerly direction and was surprised to find another circle. This one was 40 feet wide. He continued on and soon came to another circle that was 60 feet wide.
An Awesome Sight
There is a story of a wagon train that came across led by a lone bagpiper. At one point the Indians were gathering to attack. As was his duty, the piper took his position at the head of the group and began to play. The Indians froze. They had never heard such a sound or seen such a sight.
The wagon train continued on unharmed.
There are many stories about the sturgeon on Sauvie Island
One story says that they were so big that when laid over the back of a horse the head hit the ground on one side and the tale hit the ground on the other side.
The early settlers claimed to have seen the sturgeon walk out of the water and pick apples off the trees.
Another story is that the salmon were so thick in the river that you could walk across to Washington on their backs.