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The roar of Celilo Falls in Eastern Oregon could be heard from miles around before the sound was silenced by construction of The Dalles Dam in 1957.

For centuries, the falls now submerged under the Columbia River near Celilo Park east of The Dalles served as productive salmon fishing grounds and a much revered site for nearby Native American tribes. A park restoration project conceived by renowned designer Maya Lin is intended to remind visitors of this history.

Lin’s designs for the Celilo Park Confluence Project include a curved, wooden structure inspired by traditional Native American fishing platforms used at the site. The elevated walkway will overlook the now calm stretch of river where the basalt rock formation the falls once cascaded over still exists underwater.

鈥淭his was such a sacred space, and it was so powerful,鈥� Lin said last week during a City Club of Portland talk. 鈥淭he falls are still there. They’re just hidden from view.鈥�

She spoke last week in Portland and Eugene about designing the Celilo Park project and other portions of Confluence, a series of six public art installations at historically significant points along the Columbia River system in Oregon and Washington.

When the $10.5 million Celilo Park restoration is completed in 2017, the project will be Lin’s final contribution to Confluence, a 12-year collaborative effort between Pacific Northwest tribes, civic groups, artists, architects and landscape architects. A recent $1 million donation from the Schnitzer family, $1.5 million from the state of Oregon and grants from various charitable organizations will help pay for the 鈥淐elilo Arc鈥� elevated walkway, an interpretive pavilion with information about the site’s history, and park facility improvements, Confluence Executive Director Colin Fogarty said.

Currently, there are three interpretive signs at the Celilo Park rest area and picnic grounds operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers off of Interstate 84, Fogarty said. The signs mostly talk about the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s and only briefly mention the site’s significance to Native American tribes, he said.

鈥淭his 10,000-year history of Native American culture and commerce (is discussed), but not enough,鈥� he said.

The Confluence sites are spread out along a 438-mile stretch from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Hells Canyon area in Eastern Oregon. Each installation includes educational components with information about both the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. The aim of the Celilo Park Confluence Project is to educate visitors about Celilo Falls and pay homage to the site’s importance to Native American tribes, Fogarty said.

鈥淲e want it to be as culturally sensitive as possible and we want it to be for them,鈥� he said.

When Lin first conferred with tribal members about designing the various Confluence sites they expressed hesitancy about anything being built at Celilo Park.

鈥淲hen we first started, we met with the tribes and we were told it was too painful a site,鈥� she said.

After the success of Confluence installations at Cape Disappointment State Park on the Washington Coast and Sandy River Delta Park near Troutdale, the tribes returned to Lin to help tell the story of Celilo Falls. The elevated walkway arc will catalog the history of the Celilo site, beginning with Native Americans and concluding with the falls disappearing because of construction.

鈥淭his will be a journey 鈥� a kind of a journey and a memory,鈥� Lin said.

The project acknowledges that although Celilo Falls no longer roars, it hasn’t been forgotten by the tribes, she said.

鈥淐elilo Falls, I think it’s a symbol, but it’s not just a symbol,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s still one of the sacred places for the tribes. It’s still there, which I think is a fantastic fact that came out.鈥�

Celilo Park Confluence Project

Location: Celilo Park, The Dalles

Estimated cost: $10.4 million

Anticipated construction completion date: 2017

Developer: Confluence

Architect: Maya Lin Studio

Landscape architect: GreenWorks