I'm a displaced Oregonian, but even after all the years living in Spain I still have vivid memories of the Colombia River. From living near Astoria and sturgeon fishing, to rafting, boating and Croppie/Crappie fishing trips, to living in Eastern Oregon and always passing through The Gorge - the Colombia River truly was the river that plays in the background of many of my memories.

But I wonder how many people - Oregonians amongst them - realize that the actual name for this mighty river is Catholic in origen, and relates to St. Columba (see the post on St. Columbkille: There Is A Grey Eye) and the Virgin Mary.


In 1775, the Spaniard Bruno de Heceta was placed in charge of three boats, the Santiago (St James), San Carlos (Saint Charles) and the Sonora. His mission was to sail up the Pacific Coast to not only discover new land for the Spanish crown, but to also offset the encroachment of the Russians.

Initially, Bruno de Heceta thought the Columbia River was the Juan de Fuca Straits, however he quickly realized that in fact it was the mouth of a large river. However, Bruno de Heceta was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the river, which as any local knows that the Columbia bar can be particularily difficult to navegate.

Neverthless, Bruno de Heceta named the area the "Bahía de la Asunción" or "Assumption Bay," in honor of the Virgin Mary's Assumption into Heaven.

Bruno de Heceta went on to explore the coastal lands of Oregon and Washington, naming them for Spain.

It is upon that backdrop that, as as many school-children know, Captain Robert Gray in 1792 sailed into the Pacific Northwest aboard a ship called the Columbia, (although more correctly called the Columbia Rediviva) to trade for fur and "discovered" the mightiest river of the west.

The Columbia Rediviva was, according to Wikipedia, "originally built in 1773 by James Briggs at Hobart’s Landing on North River and named simply the Columbia. The ship was then rebuilt in 1787, this is where the rediviva comes from as this means revived. The ship was decommissioned and salvaged in 1806. A replica of Lady Washington and is located at Grays Harbor Historical Seaport in Aberdeen, Washington. The name was re-used by the Space Shuttle Columbia by NASA."

What is often forgotten - or perhaps overlooked in history courses - is that the Columbia Rediviva was named after the Irish and Scottish patron saint St Columba (St Columbkille), in recognition of the Gaelic saint also being viewed as a sailor - after all he did sail in the sixth century AD from Ireland to found a monastery on the island of Iona in Scotland (for the full story on this read St. Columbkille: There Is A Grey Eye).

As an aside, the song Roll on Columbia was ...

part of the Columbia River Ballads, 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 the State of Washington in 1987.

Lyrics
Chorus:


Roll on, Columbia, roll on

Your power 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 firs where the waters cut through

Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew

Canadian Northwest to the oceans so blue

Roll on Columbia, roll on

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.


Other great rivers add power to you

Yakima, Snake, and the Klickitat, too

Sandy, Willamette 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 Jefferson's vision would not let him rest

An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest

Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest

So roll on, Columbia, roll on


Thomas Jefferson's vision of Manifest Destiny, the idea that the United State 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.


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

So roll on Columbia, roll on


Later in the 19th century, when white settlers followed the Oregon Trail westward, they were met with resistance from the Native Americans. This verse talks about 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 the river from Fort Vancouver with reinforcements and cannon.


At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks

The waters have risen and cleared all the rocks

Shiploads 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 Dam

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 Sam")

So roll on, Columbia, roll on


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.


These mighty men labored by day and by night

Matching their strength 'gainst the river's wild flight

Through rapids and falls, 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.

by St. Columbkille
(6th century Ireland)

There is a grey eye that tears are thronging
Fixed with longing on Eire's shore.
It shall never see o'er the waste of waters
The sons and daughters of Eire more.

Its glance goes forth, o'er the brine wave-broken,
Away from the firm-set oaken seat;
Many the tears from that grey eye streaming
The faint far gleaming of Eire to meet.

For indeed my soul is set upon Erin
And all joys therin from Linnhe to Lene,
On each fair prospect of proud Ultonia,
Mild Momonia and Meath, the Green.

Who Was St. Columbkille?

If you haven't heard of St. Columbkille, or Colmcille, perhaps St Columba - or even Columba of Iona - might ring a bell. St. Columba is known as the Saint of the Picts.

According to Wikipedia, "In 563 he traveled to Scotland with twelve companions, where according to his legend he first landed at the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, near Southend. However, being still in sight of his native land he moved further north up the west coast of Scotland. In 563 he was granted land on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland which became the centre of his evangelising mission to the Picts."

According to the St. Columbkille Parish website, "St. Columbkille is Scotland's most revered saint and, in Ireland, he is honored second only to St. Patrick. A missionary, St. Columbkille is credited with taking Christianity to Scotland. His memorial day is June 9."

"Born of royal bloodlines in northern Ireland on December 5, 521, his proper name was Colum MacFehlin MacFergus. The name Colum means dove. As a young boy he spent much time in church and soon the suffix "cille," the Gaelic word for church, was added to his name. He was called "Colum-cille"--Dove of the Church."

"Well educated, he was a man of great faith who could have become a king but instead chose a life of service to God. After ordination, he worked among the poor in his native Ireland and was famous for his works of charity. He was a great preacher and a man of gigantic stature whose voice, it is said, was so loud and melodious that he could be heard a mile off."

Incidentally, according to tradition, Saint Columbkille is buried in the same grave as Saint Patrick, and Saint Bridget - the spritual daughter of Saint Patrick.

For a 360 view of St. Patrick's grave, click here.

Relatedly, the Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick is an interpretive exhibition telling the story of Ireland's patron saint. "Visitors can see Saint Patrick's grave, which lies in the churchyard next to the centre, before exploring the interactive exhibits that show how the Saint's legacy developed in early Christian times. Another section examines the major impact of Irish missionaries during Dark Age Europe."

War Over A Psalter

Interestingly, St Columba was also partially responsible for a war that broke out in old Ireland - over such a thing as a psalter, or book that contained the Book of Psalms or a version of it set for music.

According to Wikipedia, "He was born to Fedlimid and Eithne of the Uí Néill clan in Gartan, near Lough Gartan, County Donegal. On his father's side he was great-great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish king of the 5th century. He became a monk and was ordained as a priest. Tradition asserts that, sometime around 560, he became involved in a dispute with Saint Finnian over a psalter. Columba copied the manuscript at the scriptorium under Saint Finnian, intending to keep the copy. Saint Finnian disputed his right to keep the copy. The dispute eventually led to the pitched Battle of Cúl Dreimhne in 561, during which many men were killed. (Columba's copy of the psalter has been traditionally associated with the Cathach of St. Columba.) As penance for these deaths, Columba suggested that he work as a missionary in Scotland to help convert as many people as had been killed in the battle. He exiled himself from Ireland, to return only once again, several years later."

Of course, there are slightly different versions of the same story, such as the following account from a Scottish history site.

Columba did not come to these shores (Scotland) out of choice. As a matter of fact he ended up here due to one of the first copyright disputes ever.


Columba was a monk at the monastery of Moville in Ireland. The Abbot there was named Finnian and he had been to Rome and returned with a copy of the four Gospels. At that time religious manuscripts were very rare because they were all written by hand.


Columba asked Finnian if he could make a copy of the manuscript but Finnian refused. Columba, however, was a prince of the O’Neills and thus was a proud and independent minded man so, undeterred by Finnian’s warning, he got up in the middle of the night and copied a small piece of the manuscript. He repeated this act every night, copying a small piece of the manuscript each time. On the last night Finnian walked in on Columba and flew into a rage. He demanded the copy from Columba who refused and retreated to the country of his tribe.


Finnian appealed to the High King of Ireland who summoned both to appear before him on a set date for the judgement. When they appeared the King’s judgement was "To the cow her calf." Finnian had won but Columba was not to be deterred.


Once again he ran home to his tribe and raised an army and marched south. The High King, angry that his judgement had been defied, raised his army and marched north. There was a huge battle. Columba won but 2000 men were killed and he was seized with remorse. He went to see his Father Confessor who told him that he must leave Ireland and win as many souls for Christ as had been lost at the battle. This was a terrible sentence known as white martyrdom.

Following is a poem written on the subject of the dispute between Finnian and Columba.

Saint Columbkille
by E. J. V. Huiginn
Anthology of Massachusetts Poets. 1922

COLUMBKILLE! Saint Columbkille!
You naughty man, Saint Columbkille!
Why did you Finnian’s Psalter take
And secretly a copy make?
You know ’twas such a naughty thing 5
For one descended from a king
To lock himself into a cell,
’Twas far from right,—you knew it well,—
And copy Finnian’s Psalter through,
Against his will as well you knew. 10
And then to think a common bird
Should feel such shame, that when he heard
The breathing spy outside your door,
And felt your sainthood was no more,
Should through the crack attack the spy, 15
And in a rage pluck out his eye,
As if that saintly Irish crane
Would hide from all your Saintship’s stain.
I grieve to think that you did add
Sin unto sin; it is too bad. 20
For Finnian could not you persuade
To yield the copy that you made,
Until the King in his behalf
Ruled—“To each cow belongs her calf”:
And then you grew so mad you swore 25
On Erin’s face you’d look no more.
And crossed the sea the Picts to save,
Because you so did misbehave
To dear Saint Finnian: faith, ’twas ill
For you to act so, Columbkille! 30
A saint you were no doubt, no doubt!
What pity ’twas you were found out!
We know an angel (snob or fool?)
To Kiaran showed a common rule,
An axe, an auger, and a saw, 35
And told that saint it was the law
Of Heaven that Columbkille should be
Far, far above such saints as he;
For Columbkille contemned a crown,
While he these homely tools laid down, 40
To serve the Lord, and that the Lord
To each would give his due reward.
I wonder if that angel knew
That Christ these tools had laid down too.
O Columbkille! O Columbkille! 45
A saint like you must have his will,
But for myself I’d rather be
The common sinner that you see
Than make a crane ashamed of me,
And angels talk such idiocy. 50

Related Reading
St. Columba