#8: The Broughton Lumber Flume, Hood River Junction, Washington

So here’s the funny thing about this image. Most of us looking at it today take a quick glance and conclude that we are looking at a waterslide, a flume. This would appear correct, yet the picture hides the story behind the flume or even flumes.

This is the Broughton Lumber flume, which was built to transport logs. The water carried the freshly chopped tree trunks over distances that were too far for a horse and carriage. So next time you ride a flume at an amusement park, think about how it is this wonderful invention came to be.