ColumbiaRiverImages.com: Broughton Flume, Washington

The nine-mile-long, 1,000-foot drop Broughton Flume was the last operating flume in the United States, floating rough-hewn lumber ("cants") from Willard, Washington, to the Broughton Lumber Mill at Hood, Washington, a rail station two miles west of Bingen. At the Broughton Mill the planks were processed into finished lumber and shipped east or west on the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway. Sections of the old flume can be seen along Washington State Highway 14, between Drano Lake and Hood. At the boat ramp at Drano Lake a section can be seen on the side of Chemawa Hill on the east side of Drano Lake. On the Oregon side, Mitchell Point and Ruthton Park are good spots to look across the Columbia at the flume.

According to the Historic American Engineering Record HAER No. WA-170 (O'Connor, 2000, National Park Service):

The Broughton Flume was built between 1921 and 1923 by the Drano Flume and Lumber Co. to transport cants (rough sawn logs) from the Little Salmon River nine miles to Hood, Washington and the Columbia River. Leased on completion by Broughton Lumber, the company assumed ownership in 1927 and continued to transport cants over the flume until both the company and the flume closed in 1986. ... Note that discrepancies in flume construction dates exist among several sources. The company pamphlet gives a starting date of 1913, while the Ely and Pomeroy article lists 1923 (D. Ely and T. Pomeroy, 1988, "The Broughton Lumber Company Flume and Railroad," appearing in Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette, vol.14, no.5, Nov/Dec 1988). During the HAER survey of the site in 2000, several sources indicated the 1923 date was likely correct.

Most of the nine-mile long Broughton flume was built of wood sawn at the Broughton Mill at Willard. Wood portions were 16 feet long and consisted of 2-inch-thick troughs of Douglass fir, which had the strength to withstand the relentless pounding of the cants. Troughs rested on bracing of cedar, which resisted rot. ...

Where the flume descended at a steep angle, it was made of metal. ... (Note, image captions with this report state the sections of flume crossing roads were metal.)

A dam built by the Pacific Power & Light Company on Little White Salmon river above Willard, Washington, provided head for the flume at approximately 30 cubic feet per second. From the Little White Salmon river, cants moved at approximately 9 mph, completing the trip in 55 minutes over terrain that necessitated trestles up to 80 feet high. The flume was capable of transporting 40/50 million board feet of lumber/year, or 125,000 to 150,000 board feet/day, in lengths of less than 32 feet. Anything 32 feet and over was trucked to the mill. ...

A 12-inch-wide walkway, resting on the flume's leg bracing, ran parallel to the trough for the full length of the flume to facilitate repairs. The flume was patrolled weekly on Friday by a worker wearing special "calk" boots - with sharp points on the soles. ... [Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), 2000, National Park Service, HAER No. WA-170, "Broughton Flume", Richard O'Connor (historian)]

A restored section of the Broughton Flume can be seen at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, a museum devoted to the history of the Columbia River Gorge. The Center is located in Stevenson, Washington. In 2005 this section was restored by Don Yarnell and the Broughton Mill donated it.

Video (By Others...)

Curious Gorge Guide: Lassie rides the Broughton Log Flume in 1967 "Ride the Mountain" episode

Comment by Darlisa Black, 2017

They made that flume boat just for this film, and after that the kids wanted to ride it so bad. A few actually got to, and in the Gorge Heritage Museum in Bingen we have a couple pics of the filming process and the crowd watching. We also have a little card saying "This certifies that __ has ridden the flume and is a member in good standing of FLUMERS UNITED "In Trestles we Trust" ~ Hal Broughton, President." It was card number 109. Can you imagine what OSHA would say in this day and age? LOL...

We also have a photo of Charlie the Cougar on the flume. Pretty cool stuff!

Comment by Armen Woosley, 2016

It was filmed the summer of of 66 and aired the spring of 67. I had just graduated from the 8th grade at the Mill-A grade school and a few weeks latter the movie production came to the Willard mill. It was really something to watch it being filmed. When it was aired though and all the clips put together it didn't resemble the actual place or the Broughton Lumber Company.

YouTube: Broughton Washington KANT (Log )Flume

A short KATU 2 report from the 1970s(?) on the flume, filmed while it was still in operation. Follow the link below to watch:

https://youtu.be/D_payIaCemA

Comment by Lynn Point, 2021

"Kant" usually refers to Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher.

What the narrator is referring to in this video are "cants." The word "cant" has a lot of definitions, but the one that applies here is "a log with one or more squared sides," which also includes a rough board that hasn't been fully squared up.

Comment by GypsyDog, 2021

This one was decommissioned in 1986. … Not much of it exists now, due to time and mother nature.

KOIN 6 - Where We Live: The Broughton Lumber flume

Comment by Damon Santillan, 2020

I am connected to the flume so many ways. My great grandfather worked for Broughton and my grandfather worked for them too. My family lived on Chinowith road just above Drano lake. To get to the house you had to go over the flume. My aunt and uncles poked a hole in the side of it to fill a swimming hole during the summer time. Robert Peterson is my brother in law and a good friend. "Local For Life"

Links

ColumbiaRiverImages.com: Broughton Flume, Washington

Much more to learn at this site than what I've shared here!

http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/broughton_flume.html

CLICK HERE to continue exploring the highway