The Volcanoes of Lewis and ClarkOctober 8 - 9, 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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October 7 On the Clearwater, Canoe Camp to Jacks Creek |
October 8-9
On the Clearwater, Jacks Creek to the Potlatch River Jack's Creek, Potlatch River and Nez Perce County |
CONTINUE
October 10 Reaching the Snake River, Clearwater Confluence with the Snake River |
| 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 - October 1805 |
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On the Clearwater Jacks Creek to the Potlatch River |
| Camp of October 7, 1805, was opposite to the mouth Jacks Creek, near Lenore, Idaho. |
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Jack's Creek:
In the Journey notes written at Fort Clatsop (about the Journey to the Pacific in 1805), Clark refers to this creek as "Canister run", 19 miles from Canoe Camp, passed 16 rapids. Moulton (v.6, 1990) lists Canister Run as today's Canyon Creek, but later, on the return journey, Moulton lists Canister Run as Jacks Creek (v.7, 1991). The Clearwater Historical Society lists Canister Run as Jacks Creek: "The return trip in 1806 brought the Corps of Discovery up the Clearwater River to Canister Creek (Jacks Creek at Lenore, Idaho) near where they had camped the year before." -- Moulton, v.6, 1990, and v.7, 1991, and Clearwater Historical Society Website, 2002 |
| We set out at nine o'clock. At eight and a half miles we passed an island [Fir Island]: four and a half miles lower a second island [Upper Cottonwood Island], opposite a small creek on the left side of the river [Cottonwood Creek]. Five miles lower is another island on the left [Lower Cottonwood Island]: a mile and a half below which is a fourth [Church Island]. At a short distance from this is a large creek from the right [Potlatch River], to which we gave the name of Colter's creek, from Colter one of the men. |
| "... A Cloudy morning loaded our Canoes which was unloaded last night and Set out at 9 oClock passed 15 rapids four Islands and a Creek on the Stard Side at 16 miles just below which one canoe in which Serjt. Gass was Stearing and was nearle turning over ..." [Clark, October 8, 1805] |
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Potlatch River:
Potlatch River: The Potlatch River forms a portion of the northern boundary of Idaho's Nez Perce County. It enters from the north and flows southerly in a fairly deep canyon to a confluence with the Clearwater about 10 miles east of Lewiston. -- Nez Perce County Website, 2002 Geology of Nez Perce County: Nez Perce County is on the eastern margin of the Columbia River Plateau, a large area that was covered by lava (basalt) flows in Miocene times. The terrain covered by the flows was very irregular; therefore, the depth of the lava varies widely from place to place. Elevated portions of the old pre-lava surfaces are exposed in places, like islands surrounded by basalt. There were several flows laid down over an epoch of thousands of years. Between some of the lava flows there were long periods of inactivity in which weathered surfaces developed. Sediment washed from the weathered surfaces and was deposited in lakes, streambeds, or depressions along the eastern margins of the basaltic plain. Later, lava flows covered these weathered slopes and deposits of sediment, forming a layer of sand, gravel, silt, and volcanic ash known as the "Latah beds", but they are exposed on canyon walls below the elevation of the present plateaus. Deposits of sand, gravel, and clay, of economic value, are found in some of these Latah beds. Along the Snake and Salmon Rivers on the southwestern border of Nez Perce County erosion has uncovered metamorphosed rhyolite and pyroclastics related to the Seven Devils volcano. The color of these rocks is predominately green and they are commonly designated greenstone. Recent stream action has produced and and gravel bars along the present course of the rivers. Deposits of sand, gravel, silt, and boulders in former stream channels are found in the Lewiston area. These deposits are worked to some extent for the sand and gravel. Other deposits are on the floor of the Lapwai Valley and in the Cow Creek area south of Genesee. -- Nez Perce County Website, 2002 |
| We had left this creek [Potlatch River] about a mile and a half, and were passing the last of fifteen rapids which we had been fortunate enough to escape, when one of the canoes struck, and a hole being made in her side, she immediately filled and sunk. The men, several of whom could not swim, clung to the boat till one of our canoes could be unloaded, and with the assistance of an Indian boat, they were all brought to shore. All the goods were so much wet, that we were obliged to halt for the night [downstream of the Potlatch River and upstream of Spaulding, Idaho], and spread them out to dry. ...... We passed during our route of twenty miles to-day ...... |
| "... Camped on the Stard. Side at high plains ..." [Ordway, October 8, 1805] |
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The Camp - October 8 and 9, 1805:
About a mile and one half below the confluence of the Potlatch and Clearwater Rivers, upstream of today's Spalding, Idaho. |
| The morning was as usual, cool; but as the weather both yesterday and to day was cloudy, our merchandise dried but slowly. The boat, though much injured, was repaired by ten o'clock so as to be perfectly fit for service; but we were obliged to remain during the day till the articles were sufficiently dry to be reloaded. ...... |
| "... All the country around is high prairie, or open plains. ..." [Gass, October 9, 1805] |
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The Camp - October 8 and 9, 1805:
About a mile and one half downstream of the mouth of the Potlatch River, upstream of today's Spalding, Idaho. |
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