Roll on Columbia
Encyclopedia
"Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" is an American
folk song
written in 1941 by American folk singer Woody Guthrie
, who popularized the song through his own recording of it. One of the most popular songs in the history of the United States, it glamorized the harnessing of the Columbia River
in the Pacific Northwest
. The 11 hydroelectric dams
built on the American stretch of the Columbia helped farms and industry, but their construction also permanently altered the character of the river. The song became famous as an anthem about American public works
projects arising out of the New Deal
in the Great Depression
.
, a set of 26 songs written by Guthrie as part of a commission by the Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA), the federal agency created to sell and distribute power from the river's federal hydroelectric facilities, in particular the Bonneville Dam
and Grand Coulee Dam
. At the time, the agency was facing a controversy because several counties in Washington and Oregon
had begun construction of their own dams on the Columbia, outside of the federal jurisdiction. On the recommendation of Alan Lomax
, the BPA hired Guthrie to write a set of propaganda
songs about the federal projects to gain support for federal regulation of hydroelectricity.
As part of the effort, Guthrie, who was from Oklahoma
and knew little about the Pacific Northwest, was driven all around Washington and Oregon to gain inspiration from the sites of the Columbia and its tributaries
. Guthrie was glad he was able to tour and get a feel for the area, commenting that "these Pacific Northwest songs and ballads have all got these personal feelings for me because I was there on these very spots and very grounds before."
Of the Columbia River Ballads "Roll on, Columbia" was by far the most popular. Because of the song's message and popularity, it was established as the official folk song of Washington in 1987.
During every home match of the Seattle Sounders
, the Emerald City Supporters
leads the crowd in at least one rendition of 'Roll On, Columbia, Roll On.' The song is sung at 11:02 to commemorate the Sounders first MLS goal, made by Fredy Montero, or "whenever Fredy is awesome".
The song begins with the chorus and it is sung after each verse. The phrase "darkness to dawn" is a reference about how hydroelectric power was bringing electricity to homes in rural areas, which had never had it before.
The Columbia River rises in British Columbia
, in the alpine forests of the Cascades
and northern Rockies
. The river runs from southern Canada
to the Pacific Ocean
at the border between Washington and Oregon.
This verse talks about some of the Columbia's tributaries. These rivers themselves are fairly grand and they add to the Columbia's prowess.
Thomas Jefferson
's vision of what came later to be known as Manifest Destiny
, the idea that the United States would extend from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Pacific Ocean
, began to be realized when the Lewis and Clark Expedition
reached the mouth of the Columbia in 1805.
Later in the 19th century, when white settlers followed the Oregon Trail
westward, they were met with resistance from the Native Americans
. These four verses describe a battle with a congress of the northwestern tribes in the area surrounding Cascade Locks on the Washington bank of the Columbia. If the Indians had taken this blockhouse, they would have continued on into Oregon and to the Willamette Valley
. However, they were stopped when Philip Henry Sheridan sailed across from Fort Vancouver
with soldiers.
Bonneville Dam, the first dam built on the Columbia, had locks built into it so ships could navigate past it. There was a lot of concern that the dams would prevent the shipment of goods and passengers along the length of the river.
Grand Coulee Dam, the second dam built on the Columbia was the biggest slab of concrete
in existence at the time of its construction. The electricity it generated was used in many kinds of industry, and the water in Lake Roosevelt
, Grand Coulee's reservoir, was used for irrigation
.
Construction of a river-spanning dam is not easy. The river must be diverted while it's being built. The workers had to create channels for the water to flow around the construction site and make sure the areas would stay dry. For the time, building Grand Coulee and Bonneville was one of the greatest achievements of the United States.
, and disrupted salmon runs.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
written in 1941 by American folk singer Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, who popularized the song through his own recording of it. One of the most popular songs in the history of the United States, it glamorized the harnessing of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. The 11 hydroelectric dams
Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River
Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries in North America.- Mainstem Columbia dams :-Snake River:-Pend Oreille-Clark Fork–Flathead:-Kootenai River:-See also:...
built on the American stretch of the Columbia helped farms and industry, but their construction also permanently altered the character of the river. The song became famous as an anthem about American public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
projects arising out of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
History
The song was part of the Columbia River BalladsThe Columbia River Collection (Woody Guthrie Album)
The Columbia River Collection, originally released as the Columbia River Ballads, is a compilation of songs folksinger Woody Guthrie wrote during his visit to the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington in 1941...
, a set of 26 songs written by Guthrie as part of a commission by the Bonneville Power Administration
Bonneville Power Administration
The Bonneville Power Administration is an American federal agency based in the Pacific Northwest. BPA was created by an act of Congress in 1937 to market electric power from the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River and to construct facilities necessary to transmit that power...
(BPA), the federal agency created to sell and distribute power from the river's federal hydroelectric facilities, in particular the Bonneville Dam
Bonneville Dam
Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. The primary functions of...
and Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
. At the time, the agency was facing a controversy because several counties in Washington and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
had begun construction of their own dams on the Columbia, outside of the federal jurisdiction. On the recommendation of Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
, the BPA hired Guthrie to write a set of propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
songs about the federal projects to gain support for federal regulation of hydroelectricity.
As part of the effort, Guthrie, who was from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and knew little about the Pacific Northwest, was driven all around Washington and Oregon to gain inspiration from the sites of the Columbia and its tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
. Guthrie was glad he was able to tour and get a feel for the area, commenting that "these Pacific Northwest songs and ballads have all got these personal feelings for me because I was there on these very spots and very grounds before."
Of the Columbia River Ballads "Roll on, Columbia" was by far the most popular. Because of the song's message and popularity, it was established as the official folk song of Washington in 1987.
During every home match of the Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
, the Emerald City Supporters
Emerald City Supporters
Emerald City Supporters is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC.-History and name:Emerald City Supporters was founded in 2005 by the supporters of the now defunct Seattle Sounders soccer team that played in the United Soccer Leagues First Division...
leads the crowd in at least one rendition of 'Roll On, Columbia, Roll On.' The song is sung at 11:02 to commemorate the Sounders first MLS goal, made by Fredy Montero, or "whenever Fredy is awesome".
Lyrics
Chorus:- Roll on, Columbia, roll on, roll on, Columbia, roll on
- Your powerHydropowerHydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
is turning our darkness to dawn - So roll on, Columbia, roll on.
The song begins with the chorus and it is sung after each verse. The phrase "darkness to dawn" is a reference about how hydroelectric power was bringing electricity to homes in rural areas, which had never had it before.
- Green Douglas-firDouglas-firDouglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
s where the waters cut through - Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew
- Canadian NorthwestColumbia CountryThe Columbia Country is a term used in the Canadian province of British Columbia to refer to the upper basin of the Columbia River in that province. It includes a smaller region known as the Columbia Valley, near the river's headwaters at Columbia Lake in the Rocky Mountain Trench, and the Big...
to the oceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
so blue - Roll on Columbia, roll on
The Columbia River rises in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, in the alpine forests of the Cascades
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
and northern Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. The river runs from southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
at the border between Washington and Oregon.
- Other great riversTributaries of the Columbia RiverTributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.-Minor tributaries:* Skipanon River * Lewis and Clark River * Youngs River...
add power to you - YakimaYakima RiverThe Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington State, named for the indigenous Yakama people. The length of the river from headwaters to mouth is , with an average drop of .-Course:...
, SnakeSnake RiverThe Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
, and the KlickitatKlickitat RiverThe Klickitat River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in south-central Washington in the United States. It drains a rugged plateau area on the eastern side of the Cascade Range northeast of Portland, Oregon...
, too - SandySandy River (Oregon)The Sandy River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Measured by a United States Geological Survey gauge downstream of the Sandy's confluence with the Bull Run River, from the mouth, the river's average discharge is . The maximum daily recorded flow...
, WillametteWillamette RiverThe Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
and Hood River too - So roll on, Columbia, roll on
This verse talks about some of the Columbia's tributaries. These rivers themselves are fairly grand and they add to the Columbia's prowess.
- Tom JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's vision would not let him rest - An empire he saw in the Pacific NorthwestPacific NorthwestThe Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
- Sent LewisMeriwether LewisMeriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
and Clark and they did the rest - So roll on, Columbia, roll on
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's vision of what came later to be known as Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
, the idea that the United States would extend from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, began to be realized when the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
reached the mouth of the Columbia in 1805.
- It's there on your banks that we fought many a fight
- Sheridan's boys in the blockhouse that night
- They saw us in death, but never in flight
- Roll on Columbia, roll on
- Our loved ones we lost there at Coe's little store
- By fireball and rifle, a dozen or more
- We won by the MaryMarys RiverMarys River is a tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. From its source at the confluence of its east and west forks near Summit, it flows generally southeast from the Central Oregon Coast Range to Corvallis.-Name:...
and soldiers she bore - Roll on Columbia, roll on
- Remember the trial when the battle was won?
- The wild IndianNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
warriors to the tall timber run - We hung every Indian with smoke in his gun
- Roll on, Columbia, roll on
- Year after year we had tedious trials
- Fighting the rapids at CascadesCascades RapidsThe Cascades Rapids were an area of rapids along North America's Columbia River, between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. Through a stretch approximately wide, the river dropped about in .-Boat portage:Boat travelers were forced to either portage boats and supplies or pull boats up with...
and DallesThe Dalles, OregonThe Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is... - The Injuns rest peaceful on Memaloose IsleMemaloose State ParkMemaloose State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department....
- Roll on, Columbia, roll on
Later in the 19th century, when white settlers followed the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
westward, they were met with resistance from the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. These four verses describe a battle with a congress of the northwestern tribes in the area surrounding Cascade Locks on the Washington bank of the Columbia. If the Indians had taken this blockhouse, they would have continued on into Oregon and to the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
. However, they were stopped when Philip Henry Sheridan sailed across from Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
with soldiers.
- At BonnevilleBonneville DamBonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. The primary functions of...
now there are ships in the locksLock (water transport)A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is... - The waters have risen and cleared all the rocks
- ShiploadsSteamboats of the Columbia RiverMany steamboats operated on the Columbia River and its tributaries, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, from about 1850 to 1981. Major tributaries of the Columbia that formed steamboat routes included the Willamette and Snake rivers...
of plenty will steam past the docks - So roll on, Columbia, roll on
Bonneville Dam, the first dam built on the Columbia, had locks built into it so ships could navigate past it. There was a lot of concern that the dams would prevent the shipment of goods and passengers along the length of the river.
- And on up the river is Grand Coulee DamGrand Coulee DamGrand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
- The mightiest thing ever built by a man
- To run the great factories and water the land (in some versions reads "To run the great factories for Ol' Uncle SamUncle SamUncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
") - So roll on, Columbia, roll on
Grand Coulee Dam, the second dam built on the Columbia was the biggest slab of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
in existence at the time of its construction. The electricity it generated was used in many kinds of industry, and the water in Lake Roosevelt
Lake Roosevelt
Lake Roosevelt is the name of multiple places:in the United States:*Theodore Roosevelt Lake on the Salt River in Arizona*Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake on the Columbia River in Washington...
, Grand Coulee's reservoir, was used for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
- These mighty men labored by day and by night
- Matching their strength 'gainst the river's wild flight
- Through rapids and fallsKettle FallsKettle Falls was an ancient and important salmon fishing site on the upper reaches of the Columbia River, in what is today the U.S. state of Washington, near the Canadian border...
, they won the hard fight - So roll on, Columbia, roll on
Construction of a river-spanning dam is not easy. The river must be diverted while it's being built. The workers had to create channels for the water to flow around the construction site and make sure the areas would stay dry. For the time, building Grand Coulee and Bonneville was one of the greatest achievements of the United States.
Cultural References
"Roll On, Columbia (part 2)" by Washington band June Madrona references Guthrie's song then runs down negative impacts of the dams, including deaths during their construction, the flooding of the native village at Celilo FallsCelilo Falls
Celilo Falls was a tribal fishing area on the Columbia River, just east of the Cascade Mountains, on what is today the border between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington...
, and disrupted salmon runs.