Roll On, Columbia, Roll On facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Roll On Columbia"
Woody Guthrie
Song by Woody Guthrie
Written	1941
Songwriter(s)	Woody Guthrie
Composer(s)	based on "Goodnight, Irene"
Lyricist(s)	Woody Guthrie

"Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" is a famous American folk song written in 1941 by Woody Guthrie. He made the song very popular through his own recordings. The song celebrates the powerful Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest and the amazing dams built there.

These 11 hydroelectric dams on the American part of the Columbia River helped farms and businesses grow. They brought electricity and jobs. The song became a symbol of big public works projects that helped America during the Great Depression. In 1987, it was chosen as the official folk song of Washington State.

How the Song Was Made

"Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" was part of a larger group of songs called the Columbia River Ballads. Woody Guthrie wrote these 26 songs for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The BPA is a government agency that sells and delivers electricity from the dams on the Columbia River.

At the time, there was a disagreement. Some counties in Washington and Oregon were building their own dams. These dams were not under federal government control. A music expert named Alan Lomax suggested that the BPA hire Guthrie. They wanted him to write songs that would help people support the federal dam projects.

Guthrie was from Oklahoma and didn't know much about the Pacific Northwest. So, he was driven all around Washington and Oregon. He visited the Columbia River and its smaller rivers, called tributaries. Guthrie was happy to see the area for himself. He said that these songs felt very personal because he had been to the exact places he was singing about.

Of all the Columbia River Ballads, "Roll On, Columbia" became the most famous. Guthrie used a changed version of Huddie Ledbetter's song "Goodnight, Irene" for the tune. Because of its important message and popularity, it was made the official folk song of Washington in 1987.

What the Song Is About

The main part of "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" says the Columbia River is "turning the darkness to dawn." This means the electricity from the New Deal hydropower projects brought light to homes in rural areas. Before, many homes in the countryside did not have electricity.

The River's Journey

The first part of the song describes the Columbia River's path. It flows from the Canadian Northwest all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The next part lists some of the Columbia's important tributaries. These include the Yakima, the Snake, the Klickitat, the Sandy, the Willamette, and the Hood.

In some later versions of the song, a verse was added. It talks about how Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore this region. Lewis and Clark reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805. However, this verse was not in Woody Guthrie's original recording.

Early Conflicts and Settlers

The song then describes the American Indian Wars that happened in the late 1800s. These wars took place in the Columbia River area. White settlers followed the Oregon Trail westward. They met resistance from the Native American tribes who already lived there.

Three verses describe a battle near Cascade Locks on the Washington side of the Columbia. Native American tribes fought to take a small fort called a blockhouse. If they had taken it, they might have continued into Oregon. But Philip Henry Sheridan arrived with soldiers from Fort Vancouver and stopped them. Another verse mentions more conflicts that happened "year after year." It talks about battles near Cascades Rapids, in The Dalles, and on Memaloose Isle.

Building the Great Dams

The last three verses of the song describe the building of two major Columbia River dams: Bonneville Dam and Grand Coulee Dam. Bonneville Dam has special locks built into it. These locks allow ships to pass by the dam. This was important so that goods and people could still travel along the river.

Guthrie's song calls Grand Coulee Dam "the mightiest thing ever built by a man." When it was finished, it was the largest concrete dam in the world. Even today, it is the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States. It is also one of the biggest concrete structures anywhere in the world.