Slack water created by the dam submerged Celilo Falls, the economic and cultural hub of Native Americans in the region and the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America.

[5] On March 10, 1957, hundreds of observers looked on as the rising waters rapidly silenced the falls, submerged fishing platforms, and consumed the village of Celilo.

[9] The area served as a spiritual monument as well, and continues to be the site of traditional ceremonies, during which people celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of the spring salmon run.

Celilo Falls and the traditional rights of local Native American tribes to fish were protected by a government treaty,[9] but with the onset of the Cold War and the legacy of Bonneville Dam, completed in 1938,[10] the USACE looked to develop another hydro power production facility on the Columbia River.

The Dalles Dam was authorized under the 1950 Flood Control Act, with the federal government able to work around the treaty with local tribes by paying them a settlement.

However, despite assurances from the USACE that they would work to improve living conditions in Celilo as part of the settlement, these efforts failed for lack of attention by the federal government.

This plan is designed to find a location for and construct a village for members of the tribes that historically relied on Celilo Falls for fishing.