at the Iron Gate Narrows, April 15, 2024

On the early morning of January 11th, 2024, the Iron Gate Dam [1] on the Klamath River, California was intentionally breached, initiating a long planned drawdown to empty the reservoir as part of the Klamath River Renewal Project. [2]

Shoreline replanting began soon after breaching with hand scattered seeds, as well as by helicopter. These seeds have now sprouted in abundance and are taking root. Soon the poppies, sunflowers, and lupine will bloom and the native grasses will spread their wild seeds. [3]

Not only is river restoration in full swing but as the reservoir empties it’s revealed a world from another era. One such place, the Iron Gate Narrows, is an age old confluence of a river and its people. For thousands of years, the riverside trails were used by the Shasta and Modoc. What now remains is the old county road and the stone abutments to the Pokegama Railroad crossing. The railroad, also known as the Klamath Lake Railroad was completed in 1903 with 24.27 miles of rail. [4]

The railroad was first built by the Pokegama Sugar Pine Company to haul logs from the Pokegama Plateau in Oregon to its sawmill at Klamathon, California. Unfortunately for the railroad’s prospects, the Klamathon mill burned down before the railroad was completed. In 1905, the railroad was sold to Weyerhaeuser and in 1907 was re-named the Oregon Southern Railroad. [4]

In 1914, to aid in the building and maintaining of the Copco Powerhouses, the Siskiyou Electric Power & Light Company purchased and maintained the line to Copco Dam 1 and 2 until 1942. [5]

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Notes:

1 https://klamathrenewal.org/the-project/

2 Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River, in Northern California was completed in 1962 to produce 18,000 kilowatts of hydroelectric power. The 173 foot tall earth-filled dam “marked the end of fish migration from the Pacific Ocean”. Boyle, J. C. (1976). 50 years on the Klamath. Self-published. pg. 57.

3 Also see “Seeding Renewal on the Klamath River” by Lily Rothrock for River Partners (https://riverpartners.org/news/seedin...) and “After the dams: Restoring the Klamath River will take billions of native seeds” by Juliet Grable for Jefferson Public Radio. (https://www.opb.org/article/2023/03/2....

4 Beckham, S. D. (2006). Historical Landscape Overview of the Upper Klamath River Canyon of Oregon and California. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. pg. 127-128.

5 Beckham, S. D. (2006). Historical Landscape Overview of the Upper Klamath River Canyon of Oregon and California. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. pg. 131. (https://digital.osl.state.or.us/islan...)