Vantage Crossing

Crossing the Columbia River on I‐90 at Vantage is dramatic, even if routine. From either direction the highway drops over 1000 feet from the relatively lofty Columbia Plateau and crosses a 2500‐foot‐long bridge over Wanapum Dam Reservoir. You may be surprised to learn that in 1914 only two cars at a time could cross at one time on a rickety car ferry.

Quick Timeline

 Before the Settlement Era ‐ The region along the Columbia River from the Beverly Gap (10 miles south of Vantage) to the Snake River was inhabited by the Wanapum tribe of Native Americans in prehistoric times and into the early exploration and settlement era.  1805 ‐ Lewis and Clark spend two days with the Wanapum people near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.  1910 ‐ First Vantage townsite platted by Willard Van Slyke who divided it into 120 lots with a 20‐acre easement down the middle.  1914 ‐ Van Slyke establishes a two‐car ferry across the Columbia from the Vantage townsite. The Sunset Highway at this time connected Vantage and Ellensburg via the old Vantage Highway, north of I‐90.  1927 – Washington State Highway Department. (WSDOT) opens a 1,640‐foot, two‐lane cantilever bridge, replacing the car ferry.  1962 ‐ A steel tied‐arch bridge opens at Vantage as part of Interstate 90 traffic construction, above the expected level of water behind the soon to be finished Wanapum Dam.  1964 ‐ Wanapum Dam begins operations  1968 – I‐90 down and through Ryegrass Coulee is completed and traffic no longer goes through Vantage.

Vantage Crossing * APWA History Committee Blog * July 2019 * Page 1

Vantage Crossing

Wanapum Indians and Petroglyphs

The Wanapum tribe of Native Americans formerly lived along the Columbia River from above Priest Rapids down to the mouth of the Snake River. The name "Wanapum" is from the Sahaptin wánapam, meaning "river people", from wána, "river", and ‐pam, "people". The tribe made houses from tule (reeds) and cut over 300 petroglyphs into the basalt cliffs.

Lewis and Clark spent two days with the Wanapum, entertaining them and being entertained by their chief, Cutssahnem. The time gave Clark ample opportunity to write extensive descriptions of the houses, clothing, and physical characteristics of the people they met here. Crowds of Wanapum turned out on the riverbanks to watch the arrival of the white strangers. A group of 200 Wanapum and other Indians later strode into the expedition camp, singing chants of greeting and banging on drums.

Ferry Vantage goes from ferries to bridges By NANCY CLARKE for the Ellensburg Daily Record ‐ Aug 24, 2013

“Travelers across the Columbia River in Kittitas County had a tough crossing in the early 1900s.

In 1910 Willard Van Slyke, burned out of his holdings in Trinidad, rode a sternwheeler down the river 10 miles to a relatively level 80‐acre plat that he called a derivative of his name, Vantage. According to a Feb. 5, 1914, article in The Capital newspaper, he divided it into 120 lots with a 20‐acre easement down the middle.

A common complaint at the turn of the 20th century was how long it took to travel east. As detailed in “The History of Kittitas County,” Van Slyke addressed the problem by establishing a ferry in 1914, the second on the Columbia River. He and his fourth wife, Luella, continued the operation while further developing the town site.

According to The Capital, Van Slyke drew water out of the river to irrigate his lush alfalfa that grew so well from the excellent river bottom soil, as well as to provide water for the developing town.

Vantage Crossing * APWA History Committee Blog * July 2019 * Page 2

Vantage Crossing

His ferry had a two‐car limit since only the chains fastened to the front and back of the car held the vehicles in place, according to “Exploring Washington’s Past: A Road Guide to History.” The primitive brakes on the early cars that used the ferry sometimes failed to hold and frequently a vehicle would roll (sometimes with its occupants) into the river.

In September 1917, Van Slyke deeded the right of way to the state of Washington and in October, the state officially took over the ferry, as described in the bill of sale held in the state archives. Washington bought from Van Slyke the “14 by 48‐foot power ferry propelled by a 60‐horsepower stern type engine.” The state was in the ferry business.

Due to the increase in water traffic, which totaled 50,000 people in 1923, according to the Department of the Interior, the ferry was replaced on Sept. 8, 1927, by a 1,640‐foot cantilever bridge. The two‐lane bridge was built by the state Highway Department, according to “Exploring Washington’s Past.” It was the seventh bridge to span the Columbia River. It carried the Sunset Highway, a mostly gravel road, which was at the time the state’s main east‐west thoroughfare, precursor to Interstate 90. The construction of the bridge required the town to be relocated.”

[The full article is very much worth reading.]

Further Reading Car ferry service across the Columbia River at Vantage begins in 1914, HistoryLink.Org

First WSDOT Bridge

Vantage Bridge spanning the Columbia River opens on September 8, 1927, HistoryLink.Org On September 8, 1927, the Vantage Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River at Vantage, opens. It is a 1,640‐ foot, two‐lane cantilever bridge built by the Washington State Highway Department. The bridge replaces a small two‐car ferry that operated in the same spot beginning in 1914. it was half a mile long. The bridge consisted of a Pratt through truss (the truss – the steel framework ‐‐ was cross‐braced above and below traffic). The top and bottom chords of the truss were sloped. It was a cantilever bridge, one in which the center spans extend out from their end‐ supports. At center, the bridge cleared the water by 70 feet, allowing large ships to navigate beneath it. The 1927 Vantage Bridge was the first bridge in Washington that workers constructed by working in pressurized caissons sunk 70 feet under the riverbed. The workers entered the caissons through air locks. The pressure within the caissons was so great that some of the workers became seriously ill from its effects.

Vantage Crossing * APWA History Committee Blog * July 2019 * Page 3

Vantage Crossing

The Vantage Bridge was one of four cantilever bridges constructed across the Columbia during the 1920s. It carried the Sunset Highway, a mostly gravel road which was at the time the state's main east‐west thoroughfare. Eventually the Sunset Highway was completely paved, greatly Increasing speed and safety and decreasing wear and tear on the early automobiles that traveled it.

The Vantage Bridge served motoris ts until 1962, when a higher bridge was constructed over the reservoir created by the Wanapum Dam, which began operation in 1964. The old Vantage Bridge was put into storage. In 1968 it was rebuilt to cross the Snake River at Lyons Ferry and it is now (2005) the oldest extant steel cantilever bridge in the state.

Further Reading The Historic Sunset Highway in Washington: Vantage

Vantage Crossing * APWA History Committee Blog * July 2019 * Page 4

Vantage Crossing

Second WSDOT Bridge

Vantage Bridge; Revisiting Washington

Interstate 90 crosses the Columbia on the high steel Vantage Bridge. Originally, the highway crossed the Columbia River on a 1,640‐foot, two‐lane cantilever bridge built by the Washington State Highway Department in 1927 to replace a small two‐car ferry that operated in the same spot beginning in 1914. This earlier steel bridge was located approximately one mile north of the current bridge, in the vicinity of Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. Construction of Wanapum Dam in the late 1950s and early 1960s flooded the area around the original bridge crossing as a reservoir was created upriver.

In 1962, a new, higher steel bridge opened in the present location, spanning a reservoir that was higher and wider than the original river. The following year, the old bridge was dismantled and put into storage where it remained until 1968, when it was rebuilt to cross the Snake River at Lyons Ferry. Once across the Columbia River, the original highway proceeded through Vantage and continued west to Ellensburg following the route of what is now the Vantage Highway. Now, it is necessary to take exit 136 from Interstate 90 to reach Vantage after crossing the bridge.

Ryegrass Coulee

I‐90 crosses into the Columbia Plateau at the east end of the Kittitas Valley, traveling due east past Olmstead Place State Park and the town of Kittitas. The freeway travels across a series of hills while following the Ryegrass Coulee, including a rest area at Ryegrass Hill near the Wild Horse Wind Farm.

Vantage Crossing * APWA History Committee Blog * July 2019 * Page 5