1825–35, < Canadian French, plural of French dial. (Normandy) dalle literally, sink ≪ Germanic; compare Old English dæl dale
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The preglacial course of the Wisconsin south of the dalles has never been determined with certainty, but rational conjectures as to its position have been made.
From The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin by Atwood, Wallace W.
Continuing our road in the afternoon, we ascended to the uplands, where the river passes round a point of great beauty, and goes through very remarkable dalles, in character resembling those of the Columbia.
From The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California To which is Added a Description of the Physical Geography of California, with Recent Notices of the Gold Region from the Latest and Most Authentic Sources by Frémont, John Charles
These plates, in French, dalles, give the spot its name.
From Oregon and Eldorado or, Romance of the Rivers by Bulfinch, Thomas
But the early French hunters and trappers called a chasm or a defile or gorge, "dalles," meaning in their vernacular "a trough"—and "Dalles" it has remained.
From Oregon, Washington and Alaska; Sights and Scenes for the Tourist by Lomax, E. L. (Edward Lloyd)
The walls of sandstone weather in a peculiar manner at some points in the Lower dalles, as shown on Plate XXX.
From The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin by Atwood, Wallace W.
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