Flooded Marmes, 1970

A look at the top few feet of the coffer dam built to protect the site. As soon as the backed-up river began to surround the coffer dam, it also began to seep under the hastily built dam. Not taking into account the loose silt and gravel underneath the riverbed, WSU archeologists cringed as they watched the Rockshelter inundate.

Image courtesy of Washington State University, Museum of Anthropology.