Priest Rapids

Priest Rapids was a narrow, fast-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, located in the central region of the U.S. state of Washington.

In total Priest Rapids consisted of seven separate cataracts along a 9-mile (14 km) stretch, over which the river dropped 72 feet (22 m) altogether.

[1] It was given the name Priest Rapids by Alexander Ross of the Pacific Fur Company in 1811, for a native shaman.

Ross wrote of his visit to the "strong and rocky rapid" where he met a man "called Haquilaugh, which signifies … priest."

[2] At Priest Rapids the Columbia River narrowed and flowed quickly, making it an ideal salmon fishing site.