Improvement work. Spokane Rapids, Columbia River - NARA - 298815

Scope and content: Between 1907 and 1913 the US Army Corps of Engineers undertook to survey and photograph the Columbia River. In this pre-dam era, the Corps was particularly interested in documenting hazards to navigations and parts of the river that were unnavigable. The images from this collection show the river as is was before a series of dams built in the 1930-50's tamed the river.