Surprisingly, few Douglas County residents are aware that unidentified individuals dynamited the fish ladder at Winchester Dam.
The fish ladder at the Winchester Dam, five miles north of Roseburg, was destroyed before dawn on Monday, March 26, 1928, by a charge of dynamite—one whole section of the fishway being destroyed and blown into the stream completely blocking the progress of the fish upstream.
The work was evidently done by persons who approached the dam by boat, as there were no tracks in the soil near the ladder. The charge was placed on the north side of the river. A time fuse was evidently used, permitting the boat and its occupants to get out of sight before the explosion occurred around 3:00 AM.
It was believed that the fish poachers were responsible for the crime, as the officers had a great deal of trouble in the past over illegal fishing at Winchester Dam. With the salmon run just starting it was believed that the fish ladder was destroyed for the purpose of preventing the fish from getting over the dam so the greater catch would be possible in the Winchester vicinity. Douglas County sportsmen immediately appealed to the fish commission and the game commission for an investigation of the crime.
The owners of the dam said no repairs could be made until low water during the slate summer months. The culprits were never identified or arrested.
It is indeed a cautionary tale.
(From an article published in the Monday, March 26, 1928, Capital Journal, Salem Oregon)
