Fort Raines
Marked private. Do not count on getting in.
Fort Raines is a historic site in Washington, at a recorded elevation of 26 m. Mount Defiance stands 1,504 m to the east, 9.5 miles off. The nearest named place is Lower Ruckel Creek Falls, a waterfall 0.6 miles away. Historic Columbia River passes 6.7 miles off.
The story
Fort Raines (spelled "Rains" on interpretive signs) was a United States Army blockhouse built in October 1855 to protect the portage road around the Cascades Rapids. It is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River, west of the Bridge of the Gods, at the "middle cascades." It was abandoned by 1857. The interpretive sign at the former site states that the post was "damp and lonely." Fort Raines was named for Brigadier General Gabriel J. Raines, who created anti-personnel mines for the Confederacy. Fort Raines had withstood the Cascades Massacre in 1856; but it was later destroyed in 1876. The only thing to remember Fort Raines was the Memorial Blockhouse that was erected near the original location in 1927. That too was destroyed and now there are only two informational signs near the site. Fort Raines was one of several of forts built to protect this portage road. Others included Fort Cascades, located near present-day North Bonneville, Washington, and Fort Lugenbeel.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q5471887, matched on coordinates and name (145 m apart).
What the record says
- Elevation
- 26 m
How to reach it
- 6.7 mi off the Historic Columbia River, National
- 18.2 mi off the Mount Hood, National
Overlooks nearby
- Buck Point · 1 mi
- Wauna Viewpoint · 1 mi
- Hardy Falls Viewpoint · 5 mi
- Franz Lake Viewpoint · 8 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lower Ruckel Creek Falls: 0.6 mi
- Wauna Falls: 1.7 mi
- Metlako Falls: 2.2 mi
- Upper Munra Falls: 2.2 mi
- Sorenson Falls: 2.2 mi
- Washington Shore Visitor Facility: 0.8 mi
- Tollbridge Park: 1.2 mi
- Bradford Island Visitor Center: 1.4 mi
- North Shore Recreation Area: 1.5 mi
- Thunder Island: 1.5 mi
- Wauna Point: 1.5 mi
- Aldrich Butte: 2.9 mi
- Munra Point: 3.0 mi
- Sacagawea and Papoose Rocks: 3.0 mi
- Cedar Mountain: 3.4 mi
- Pacific Crest Trail Cascade Locks: 1.4 mi
- Win S. Acton: 1.8 mi
- Hadley Grove: 5.1 mi
- Construction of the Columbia River Highway: 9.5 mi
- Summit Creek Viaduct: 9.6 mi
- Running Free: 2.3 mi
- Reflections of a Cultural Landscape: 19.3 mi
- Hood River Housing: 19.4 mi
- Sayre Taft Colt: 19.6 mi
- Horse: 19.8 mi
- East Spring: 3.2 mi
- Teakettle Spring: 3.8 mi
- Tanner Spring: 6.6 mi
- Big Cedar Spring: 7.3 mi
- Indian Springs: 8.0 mi
- Red Bluffs: 4.1 mi
- Waespe Point: 9.3 mi
- Cape Horn: 14.6 mi
- Farside: 15.0 mi
- Ozone Wall: 15.3 mi
- Pierce Island: 4.8 mi
- Great Camas Patch: 6.5 mi
- Starvation Creek State Park: 11.3 mi
- Toll Bridge County Park: 19.2 mi
- Oxbow Regional Park: 21.0 mi
- Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge: 1.8 mi
- Bonneville Fish Hatchery: 2.4 mi
- Skamania County Fairgrounds: 2.9 mi
- Oxbow Fish Hatchery: 3.2 mi
- The Henderson Monument: 20.3 mi
- Bradford Island Visitors Center: 1.4 mi
- Cascade Locks Historical Museum: 1.5 mi
- Hutson Museum: 18.2 mi
- Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum: 18.3 mi
- The History Museum: 20.3 mi
- Home Valley Beach: 7.8 mi
- Windboarding Beachhead: 19.8 mi
- Slackwater Beach: 20.1 mi
- Marina Beach: 20.4 mi
- Cottonwood Beach: 21.2 mi
- Rose Garden Labyrinth: 18.6 mi
- Westside Community Garden: 18.9 mi
- Scott Johnson Community Garden: 19.1 mi
- Thomsen Orchard Community Garden: 20.4 mi
- Lela Hudson Memorial Garden: 21.7 mi
- Eagle Creek Day Use Area: 1.0 mi
- Ainsworth Day Use Area: 8.0 mi
- Hemlock Picnic Area: 10.4 mi
- Wahkeena Picnic Site: 11.4 mi
- Sunset Falls Day Use Area: 19.6 mi
- Dodson: 6.6 mi
- Bridal Veil: 13.9 mi
- Latourell: 16.4 mi
- Ed's Trail Arch: 17.1 mi
- Natural Bridges: 24.6 mi
- Kodak Point Highway Pullout: 20.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 13.2 miles of Fort Raines. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Defiance | E 92° | 1,504 m | 9.5 mi |
| Indian Mountain | SSE 149° | 1,491 m | 8.5 mi |
| Green Point Mountain | ESE 106° | 1,444 m | 7.5 mi |
| Buck Peak | SSE 165° | 1,443 m | 11.1 mi |
| Chinidere Mountain | SE 132° | 1,416 m | 7.0 mi |
| Preachers Peak | SSE 162° | 1,389 m | 13.1 mi |
| Tomlike Mountain | ESE 118° | 1,387 m | 6.5 mi |
| Lost Lake Butte | SSE 151° | 1,362 m | 12.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:41 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:19 | 20:15 | 21:01 |
| September equinox | 06:55 | 18:28 | 19:07 |
| December solstice | 07:46 | 15:37 | 16:27 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 39 | 41 | 46 | 51 | 57 | 62 | 68 | 69 | 64 | 55 | 45 | 39 |
| Precip in | 11.3 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 6.5 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 7.3 | 12.5 | 13.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Bonneville DAM, 2 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element node/150966904
Day trips start here
- Cascade Locks · 3 mi
- Stevenson · 3 mi
- Mount Hood · 19 mi
- Hood River · 20 mi
- Washougal · 21 mi
- Camas · 24 mi
Take the scenic way.
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