Audio recording and transcript of an oral history interview with Chuck Williams that was conducted by Clark Hansen in three sessions, from January 22 to March 17, 1999, as part of the Columbia River Dissenters Oral History Series. Accompanying the audio and transcript are two color photographs of Williams that were taken at the time of the interview. The first two interview sessions were conducted at Williams’s gallery in The Dalles, Oregon, and the third session was conducted at Hansen’s home in Portland. A portion of the audio recording for the first interview session was corrupted due to warping of the tape, and was unrecoverable during digitization in 2021. However, the content is included in the interview transcript.

In this interview, Williams speaks extensively about his family background, starting with his great-great-grandfather, Chief Ta-hon-nah Tumulth of the Cascades tribe, who signed the 1855 Willamette Valley Treaty, and talks about his Native identity. He discusses his involvement with Friends of the Earth, and speaks extensively about his involvement with the campaign to designate the Columbia River Gorge as a National Scenic Area. He describes opposition he faced, and explains why he now feels that the scenic area designation is inadequate. He talks about the exclusion of Native people from discussions around the future of the Gorge. He discusses the involvement of the Oregon and Washington congressional delegations in the passage of legislation to protect the Gorge, and speaks extensively about his work with the Salmon Corps, an AmeriCorps salmon restoration program for Native youth. He closes by reflecting on his successes and failures in his efforts to protect the Columbia River Gorge.