COLUMBIA GORGE — “Wanda West,” a fictitious 1840s Oregon Trail traveler, will stop by Bonneville Lock and Dam’s Bradford Island visitor center Saturday and Sunday on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.
West, portrayed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park ranger Jane Jackson, will discuss women’s travels west and the Columbia River’s dangerous Cascade Rapids.
The free presentations will be at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the visitor center’s third-floor theater. Tours of the historic First Powerhouse will follow. All ages are welcome.
To reach Bonneville’s Oregon shore facilities, take exit 40 from Interstate 84. The Bradford Island visitor center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Navigation Lock visitor center is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can also stop by the Bonneville Fish Hatchery and see Herman, the 10-foot long sturgeon.
The Washington shore visitor center, about 40 miles east of Vancouver, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.