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Located
on a bluff above The Dalles Dam, Celilo Inn overlooks the scenic
Columbia River Gorge and the historic city of The Dalles, and
exhibits breathtaking views of Mt. Hood. Each of the Inn’s
46 newly renovated rooms and suites feature pillow-top mattresses,
flat screen TVs, high-speed Internet, and en-suite refrigerator
and microwave.
We have several pet friendly rooms available by reservation.
Whether visiting The Dalles on business or pleasure, start your
day right at our courtesy breakfast and espresso bar. Celilo Inn
is just minutes from local area attractions and recreation. Come
and enjoy all that the Gorge has to offer, including hiking, biking,
golf, white-water rafting, skiing and windsurfing. Explore the
historic sites, museums and local wineries, or cool off and take
a dip in our seasonal outdoor pool. In the evenings, relax by
the fire on our patio as you watch the sun set and take in the
night sky.
ere
for Map Quest Link
From
I-84, Take Exit 87 and go South. Take a right at the stop Sign
(go West on Hwy 30). At the next intersection, take a right and
circle back around under the Freeway. (Circle around Big Jim's
Hamburgers and head East on 2nd st). Celilo Inn is aprox 1/4 mil
on
the bluff to the right.
HISTORY
OF CELILO 
When
choosing the name of our Inn, we borrowed from the rich cultural
heritage of the Mid-Columbia region. Celilo, or Wyam, means "echo
of falling water" or "sound of water upon the rocks."
For thousands of years, Celilo Falls was the center for the economic,
cultural and spiritual traditions of Native tribes who caught
salmon along its basalt cliffs and from wooden platforms that
extended above the raging waters of the Columbia River. Celilo
Falls - possibly the largest freshwater fishery in North America
- drew Native people from as far away as the Great Plains and
Vancouver Island to the area to trade.
It is said that roar of the 40-foot falls could be heard for miles
and that those who stood nearby could feel the earth beneath them
tremble. Although Celilo Falls was flooded when The Dalles Dam
was completed on March 10, 1957, it continues to inspire generations
of people who live and gather on the banks of the mighty Columbia
River.
HISTORY OF THE DALLES
The
Dalles, the Columbia River, and its surrounding area are rich
with Native American history and the history of the settling of
Oregon. The Dalles and Celilo Falls that used to roar down the
Columbia are steeped in the Native American tradition and myth
of the people who once populated the area. Celilo Village has
been called Oregon’s oldest town, with archeological digs
that took place before the completion of The Dalles Dam proving
that Native Americans had been living in area continuously for
over 11,000 years. Celilo Falls acted as a border between the
Chinookan and Sahaption Indians, creating a key trading post for
Native Americans with tribes coming as far as the Great Plains,
Alaska, California, and the Southwest to trade goods.
When Lewis and Clark passed through The Dalles on their grand
expedition exploring the Louisiana Purchase it was October 25,
1805. 
Lewis and Clark called Celilo Falls the “Great Falls,”
and found the navigation of the falls narrow and treacherous.
In the area that is now present day The Dalles they saw the largest
population density of their journey and described the Indian trading
posts as a “great emporiums.” The explorers stopped
and camped in The Dalles again on their return trip in April 1806.
They called their camp Rock Fort, the site is now listed in the
National Register of Historic Places and may be visited year round.
The
Dalles was a natural stopping point for The Native tribes that
inhabited the area for thousands of years, as well as for new
explorers like Lewis and Clark, fur traders, artists, and writers
alike. The name The Dalles was bestowed on the area by the French-Canadian
fur traders that passed through, after the great amount of tumultuous
water that was forced by the surrounding rocks. By the 1840’s
the Native tribes of the area were being confronted with more
and more settlers. There had not been issue with the transient
explorer stopping by on their expeditions, but people were now
showing up with domestic animals, tools, wives and children with
the intent of staying.
This shift brought new tension into the area and many conflicts
between Indian and settler arose. In response to the violence
what is now called Fort Dalles was erected in 1850, serving as
a way post for the first United States Army Troops in the area.
They protected the settler’s interests as well as helping
emigrants on the Oregon Trail.
From the small log cabin that was Fort Dalles the town of The
Dalles expanded. Wasco County was formed in 1854 and gold was
discovered near by, both of these factors attributed to more and
more settlers coming into the area and developing the town. The
Dalles was incorporated as a town in 1857 and continued to serve
as a major stopping point between Portland and Pendleton for commercial
and non-commercial travelers alike.
As the century wore on, industry grew and by 1881 talks were already
beginning regarding ways to make the Columbia River more easily
navigated. In 1915 the Celilo Canal was created, offering a by-pass
of the treacherous Celilo Falls. The focus shifted to hydroelectric
power with the onset of WWII. The Columbia River has a heavy flow
and drops in elevation over a short distance, making it extremely
powerful. The Army Corps of Engineers began working on The Dalles
Dam in 1952 and completed it five years later.
With the completion of The Dalles Dam, Celilo Falls was flooded
and the long-held tradition of fishing the falls by native people
ceased. An estimated fifteen to twenty million fish had been passing
through the falls every year, and fishing had been the sustaining
way of life for the Indians that lived in the area. On March 10,
1957 as observers watched the rising of Lake Celilo fishing platforms
became submerged underwater and Celilo Falls was silenced.
Celilo
Falls and the surrounding area still hold cultural significance
for the native people. In 2007 gatherers came in thousand to commemorate
the fifty year anniversary of the inundation of the falls. Architect
and artist Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam War Memorial in
Washington D.C., is creating a work of interpretive art for the
Celilo area as part of the Confluence Project. The project promotes
the regions history through Native American myths and journal
entries from the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Celilo Falls
installation is slated for completion in 2010.
For more information visit TheDallesChamber.com.