The McCord wheel was built in 1882, the third one built on the Columbia. This wheel was soon joined by
seventy-plus more built on both banks of the river from The Dalles to North Bonneville. The McCord
Fishwheel was built by William R. McCord and Frank Warren, and was located on the south side of
Bradford Island, approximately near Columbia River Mile (RM) 145.5, near the location where today the
salmon enter Bonneville Reservoir above the powerhouse.
A replica of the McCord Fishwheel can be seen at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center museum, in
Stevenson, Washington.
"... Patent #257,960 issued in May 1882 was used to design the replicated fishwheel as well as a
1914 US Army Corps of Engineers drawing, photographs of the original wheel, and the advice of
fishwheel expert, Fritz Cramer. ..." ... [Information sign, McCord Fishwheel replica, 2011] ~ The
Columbia River: A Photographic Journey