The Volcanoes of Lewis and ClarkNovember 15, 1805
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-- The Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark Map of the Journey -- Volcanoes, Basalt Plateaus, Major Rivers, etc. CALENDAR of the Journey -- October 1805 to June 1806 Along the Journey -- Pacific Northwest Maps - Columbia River, Volcanoes, Flood Basalts, Missoula Floods, Geology, etc. The Corps of Discovery -- The Journey of Lewis and Clark About the Reference Materials -- The Journals, Biddle/Allen, DeVoto, Gass, Moulton, Topo Maps, and others USGS Lewis and Clark Links -- Links to USGS Websites highlighting the Lewis and Clark Journey Resources Publications Referenced and Websites Visited |
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November 10-14 Nearing the Pacific, Grays Point to Megler Cove |
November 15
Reaching the Pacific, Station Camp to the Pacific Ocean Megler Cove and Rain, Point Ellice, Baker Bay, Station Camp and Station Camp State Park, Reaching the Pacific |
CONTINUE
November 16-24 At the Pacific, Station Camp, Fort Canby, Long Beach |
| On October 7, 1805, Lewis and Clark and the "Corps of Discovery" began their journey down the Clearwater River and into the volcanics of the Pacific Northwest. The Corps travelled from the Clearwater to the Snake and down the "Great Columbia", finally reaching the Pacific Ocean on November 15, 1805. Along the journey they encountered the lava flows of the Columbia Plateau, river channels carved by the great "Missoula Floods", and the awesome beauty of five Cascade Range volcanoes. |
| The Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark |
| To the Pacific - November 1805 |
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Reaching the Pacific Ocean Station Camp to the Pacific Ocean |
| It continued raining all night, but in the morning the weather became calm and fair: we therefore began to prepare for setting out, but before we were ready a high wind sprang up from the southeast, and obliged us to remain [Their camp at Megler Cove]. |
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Megler Cove
Megler Cove: Megler Cove is just west of the Megler Visitors Information Center. Clark gave the spot the name "Dismal nitch", which no doubt reflected the state of mind of the entire party. -- Pacific County Friends of Lewis & Clark Website, 2002 |
| The sun shone until one o'clock, and we were thus enabled to dry our bedding and examine our baggage. The rain, which has continued for the last ten days without an interval of more than two hours, has completely wet all our merchandise, and spoiled some of our fish, destroyed the robes, and rotted nearly one half of our few remaining articles of clothing, particularly the leather dresses. |
| "... The rainey weather continued without a longer intermition than 2 hours at a time, from the 5th in the morng. untill the 16th is eleven days rain, and the most disagreeable time I have experenced confined on a tempiest coast wet, where I can neither git out to hunt, return to a better situation, or proceed on: in this situation have we been for Six days past ..." [Clark, November 15, 1805] |
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Rain:
The lower Columbia River area has a marine climate. The summers are cool, with highs around 70, and the winters are mild, with few nights of freezing temperatures. The area gets about 75 inches of rain per year, which accounts for its vivid greenness and crystal clear air. Winter storms can be dramatic with winds reaching 70 to 100 miles per hour on the ocean bluffs. -- Astoria and Warrenton Chamber of Commerce Website, 2002 |
| About three o'clock the wind fell, and we instantly loaded the canoes, and left the miserable spot to which we have been confined the last six days. On turning the point [Point Ellice] we came to the sand beach, through which runs a small stream from the hills [???]; at the mouth of which is an ancient village of thirty-six houses; which has at present no inhabitants except fleas. Here we met Shannon, who had been sent back to meet us by captain Lewis. ...... |
| "... About 3 oClock the wind luled, and the river became calm, I had the canoes loaded in great haste and Set Out, from this dismal nitich where we have been confined for 6 days passed, without the possibility of proceeding on, returning to a better Situation, or get out to hunt, Scerce of Provisions, and torents of rain poreing on us all the time -- proceeded on passed the blustering point below which I found a butifull Sand beech thro which runs a Small below the mouth of this Stream is a 'village' of 36 houses uninhabited by anything except flees ..." [Clark, November 15, 1805] |
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Point Ellice:
Point Ellice: Point Ellice, on the Washington side of the Columbia River (11 miles inside it's entrance) is a large mountainous promontory projecting into the Columbia River. It is the termination of a spur from the mountain ridge back of Scarboro Hill. The point is rounding and rocky, but not high. Two high hillocks lie behind the point. Scarboro Hill is a long, gradually rising ridge, 820 feet high, covered with grass, fern, and some trees. During a seasonal storm that raged inward from the coast, the corps was forced to stay for a week on the east side of Point Ellice. Wind lacerated, waves lashed, and the roaring sea attacked them from every quarter. Gale-force winds threatened to thrust the party into the seething water. "Point Distress," "Stormy Point," and "Blustering Point" were names used to describe the site of the corps' plight during their attempt to reach the mouth of the Columbia. Point Ellice was named by fur traders of the North West Company to honor Edward Ellice, a London agent of the company. -- NOAA Office of Coast Survey Website, 2003, and Washington State Historical Society Website, 2002 
Astoria-Megler Bridge:
Astoria-Megler Bridge: In 1805 Lewis and Clark camped for 5 nights near Megler, Washington, before proceeding on towards the coast. To get to the Oregon side, they had to backtrack to Pillar Rock to cross the Columbia River. For the next 161 years folks either took a ferry (in 1840 the first ferry service began) or drove upriver to the nearest bridge. In 1962 the "Astoria-Megler Bridge" was begun and four years later, in 1966, the bridge was completed, becoming the largest continuous three-span through-truss bridge in the world. More than 30,000 people watched the dedication of the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The Oregon Governor, Mark Hatfield and the Washington Governor, Dan Evans cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening. The toll which was created to pay off the debt for the bridge. It was thought that the bridge would never pay itself off, and that the toll would have to be enforced indefinitely. But on December 24th, 1993 the bonds were paid off and full two years early. The toll was removed. The bridge crosses the Columbia River linking Astoria, Oregon to Point Ellice and Megler, Washington, making U.S. 101 as an unbroken link between the Canadian and the Mexican borders. This photograph, taken from the Astoria side, shows the Washington shore of the Columbia River. -- Oregon Department of Transportation Website, 2002, Clatsop County Historical Society, and "StateofOregon.com" Website, 2002 |
| It was now apparent that the sea was at all times too rough for us to proceed further down the bay [Baker Bay] by water: |
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Baker Bay:
Baker Bay: In 1792, William Broughton named the bay, "Baker's Bay," to give credit to a British merchant, Captain James Baker, whose ship was anchored inside the Columbia's mouth when Broughton crossed the bar to explore the river for Vancouver. Lewis and Clark named the bay "Haley's Bay", for the Indians' favorite trader, as reported to the captains. -- Washington State Historical Society Website, 2002 |
| we therefore landed, and having chosen the best spot we could select, made our camp of boards from the old village. [Station Camp, site of today's McGowan, Washington] |
| "... as the tide was Comeing in and the Seas became verry high imediately from the 'Ocian' (imediately faceing us) I landed and formed a camp on the highest Spot I could find between the hight of the tides, and the Slashers in a Small bottom this I could plainly See would be the extent of our journey by water, as the waves were too high at any Stage for our Canoes to proceed any further down. ..." [Clark, November 15, 1805] |
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Station Camp:
Station Camp: "Station Camp" was near a Chinook fishing village. At the highest spot they could find, the Corps landed and, using boards from the village houses, created a campsite which they named "Station Camp." Early photographs of this area, now called McGowan, indicate that the shoreline was as much as several hundred feet south of the present location on US 101. The actual campsite was about 1.2 miles east of what is now Fort Columbia [see November 15 entry]. There is a current small roadside park just west of St. Mary's Church in the general area, but this is not the actual location of the campsite. -- Pacific County Friends of Lewis & Clark Website, 2002, Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in Oregon Website, 2002, and Washington State Historical Society Website, 2002 Station Camp State Park: On February 20, 2002, the Washington State Senate passed its Capital Budget with a line item expense of $2.5 million for the moving of Highway 101 and creation of a six-acre park. The park will commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Station Camp -- one of the most significant historic sites in the Western United States -- and will be located along the Columbia River, near Chinook, on the Washington side of the Astoria Bridge, in Pacific County. In addition to this recommended capital expenditure by the Washington State Senate, the U.S. Congress is working to authorize the National Park Service to include Station Camp in the expansion of Fort Clatsop, thus making it a regional National Park. Last March, both the Washington State Senate and House passed resolutions to officially acknowledge that the western end of the Lewis and Clark expedition is located in Pacific County, Washington. The Senate Resolution goes on to recognize the western terminus of the trail as "one of the most important historic sites in the western United States." Station Camp marks the site of the final camp of the Corps of Discovery's westward exploration. On November 15, 1805, the Corps arrived at Station Camp and, with that move, brought to completion the remarkable achievement of the Expedition. Here they realized President Thomas Jefferson's directive of "finding those waters communicating with the Pacific Ocean". Present day Station Camp is a modest roadside park along side busy State Route 101. The expansion to a larger commemorative park requires relocation of a portion of the highway. A multi-agency planning and development process began in 1999, led by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Washington State Historical Society. The Station Camp improvement has been the top priority of all Lewis and Clark projects in the State of Washington. The project's completion is targeted for 2005, in time for the area's Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Signature Event. -- Long Beach Peninsula Visitor's Bureau Website, 2002, Press Release of February 26, 2002 |
| "... in full view of the 'Ocian' from 'Point Adams' to Cape Diaspointment, I could not See any Island in the mouth of this river as laid down by Vancouver. The Bay which he laies down in the mouth is imediately below me. This Bay we call Haleys bay [Baker Bay] from a favourate Trader with the Indians which they Say comes into this Bay and trades with them Course to Point adams is S.35o W. about 8 miles To Cape Disapointment is S.86o W. about 14 miles ..." [Clark, November 15, 1805] |
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Reaching the Pacific:
Reaching the Pacific: Lewis reached the Pacific Ocean near modern Seaview, Washington, November 15, 1805. Clark noted that it rained until 3 p.m.; there were 11 straight days of rain; he moved camp once more to Haley's Bay, where they stayed until November 24. -- U.S. National Park Service, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Website, 2002 |
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The Camp - November 15 through November 24, 1805:
"Station Camp", near today's McGowan, Washington, site of today's Lewis & Clark Campsite State Park. |
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