The town of Umatilla was founded in 1860 as Columbia City, changed to Umatilla Landing in 1863,and finally to Umatilla City in 1865. Umatilla Landing was an important steamboat landing on the Columbia for mines in Oregon and Idaho. The present town was surveyed by Timothy K. Davenport in 1863 with the post office being established on May 28, 1863. This was not the first post office called Umatilla however. Previously, a Umatilla Post Office was established and existed for four months between 1851 and 1852 on the Umatilla Reservation five miles east of Pendleton. This Umatilla Post Office was the first post office in eastern Oregon. The word Umatilla is Indian, and is translated as "rippling waters". Umatilla (the city) was named after the Umatilla River. Umatilla is located one mile downstream of the McNary Dam. The Interstate 82/395 Bridge connects Umatilla with Plymouth, Washington.