The Volcanoes of Lewis and ClarkOctober 12, 1805
|
|
Home
-- 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 |
PREVIOUS
October 11 On the Snake, Clearwater Confluence to Almota Creek |
October 12
On the Snake, Almota Creek to Texas Rapids Almota Creek, Penawawa Creek, Deadman's Creek and Central Ferry, Central Ferry State Park, Alakali Flat Creek, Little Goose Dam and Lake Bryan, Texas Rapids |
CONTINUE
October 13 On the Snake, Texas Rapids to Ayer Junction |
| 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 |
|
On the Snake River Almota Creek to Texas Rapids |
| Lewis and Clark's camp of October 11, 1805, was located near the mouth of Almota Creek, approximately 4 miles downstream of the Lower Granite Dam. |
|
|
Almota Creek:
Almota: Almota, on the north side of the Snake River almost 40 miles above Clarkston (and approximately 4 miles downstream of today's Lower Granite Dam), was early on used by Nez Perce Indians as a fishing site. "Allamotin", "Almotine", and even "Alto Motin" have been given as Nez Perce names for the area, meaning "torchlight" or "moonlight fishing". Almota, soon became the trading/shipping center for all of Inland Empire, but lost some of its business when rail lines arrived in Colfax in 1883. The Oregon, Washington and Idaho Railroad and the Snake River Valley Railroad would not arrive in Almota until 1907. Today it is located near Lake Bryan, the reservoir formed from the construction of the Little Goose Dam. -- Washington State University Library Archives Website, 2002 |
| In the morning it shifted to the east, and we had a fair cool morning. After purchasing all the provisions these Indians would spare, which amounted to only three dogs and a few fish, we proceeded. We soon reached a small island, and in the course of three miles passed three other islands nearly opposite to each other, and a bad rapid on the left in the neighbourhood of them. Within the following seven miles we passed a small rapid, and an island on the left, another stony island and a rapid on the right, just below which a brook comes in on the same side, [Penawawa Creek] and came to a bend towards the right opposite to a small island. |
|
|
|
Penawawa Creek:
Part of the Middle Snake River Watershed, Penawawa Creek is a small stream with steelhead use that has very little water in the summer and fall. . -- Washington State Department of Ecology Website, 2003 |
| From this place we saw some Indians on the hills, but they were too far off for us to have any intercourse, and showed no disposition to approach us. After going on two miles to a bend towards the left, we found the plains, which till now had formed rugged cliffs over the river, leaving small and narrow bottoms, become much lower on both sides, and the river itself widens to the space of four hundred yards, and continues for the same width, the country rising by a gentle ascent towards the high plains. At two and a half miles is a small creek on the left [Deadman Creek/Meadow Creek], |
|
|
Deadman Creek:
Deadman Creek: Several small tributaries with perennial water flow that likely contain fish populations are included in the Lower Snake River Basin. They generally drain an arid landscape and they have similar climate and land use. Some of these streams drain the north side of the Snake River in Whitman County, Washington, (e.g. Alkali Flat Creek, Penawawa, Almota, Wawawai and Steptoe Canyon creeks) others drain from the south, primarily in Garfield County (Alpowa, Deadman and Meadow creeks). Little is known about most of these streams, but there is a recent effort by several agencies to sample fish populations and habitat conditions in them. -- Columbia Fish and Wildlife Authority Website, 2003 Deadman Creek Watershed: Topography of the Deadman watershed is primarily long slopes intersected by steep canyons. Landforms are mainly flat to moderately sloping. Slopes are complex, being irregular, concave and convex in shape. Elevations range from 650 feet above sea level at the confluence of Deadman Creek with the Snake River to 2,800. -- Columbia Fish and Wildlife Authority Website, 2003 |
| opposite to an island. [today opposite to Central Ferry State Park] |
| "... at 14 1/2 miles passed the mouth of a large Creek on the Lard Side opposit a Small Island here the Countrey assends with a gentle assent to the high plains, and the River is 400 yards wide ..." [Clark, October 12, 1805] |
|
|
Central Ferry and Central Ferry State Park:
Central Ferry State Park: Central Ferry State Park is a 185-acre camping park on 10,000-acre Lake Bryan, the backwater of the Snake River behind Little Goose Dam. The park is a popular destination for campers and visitors who enjoy boating, fishing and skiing during hot summer days and warm evenings. The park is named for a ferry that operated in the park's location on the Snake River, linking Whitman and Garfield counties. Today a bridge spans the river where the ferry once ran. Central Ferry State Park is in desert surroundings on a large, backwater lake. The temperature gets above 100 degrees in the summer, with evenings cooling to 80 degrees, and there is an average annual rainfall of eight inches. -- Washington State Parks and Recreation Website, 2002 Geology of Central Ferry State Park: The park features evidence of basaltic lava flows, Pleistocene glaciation and prehistoric mammal habitation. -- Washington State Parks and Recreation Website, 2002 |
| For the three following miles, the country is low and open on both sides, after which it gradually rises till we reached a bend of the river towards the right, three and a half miles further, in the course of which we passed a rapid and an island. |
| This vicinity now is the location of the U.S. Corps of Engineers "Little Goose" Dam. |
|
|
Little Goose Dam:
Little Goose Dam: Today, the Lower Snake River has four dams and navigation locks along it: The uppermost dam is Lower Granite, followed downstream by Little Goose, Lower Monumental, and Ice Harbor. Little Goose Dam is located on the Snake River at River Mile 70.3. Construction began in June 1963, and the filling of Lake Bryan began on February 16, 1970, with the project was open to navigation in May 1970. Additional power units 4 through 6 were installed and power came online in July 1978. The Little Goose Dam features a fish viewing rooms that allows you an up close look at the many species of fish in the Lower Snake River. The dam is 2,655 feet long with an effective height of 98 feet. It is located at the head of Lake West, the reservoir formed by Lower Monumental Dam. The dam is the concrete gravity type, with an earthfill right abutment embankment. It includes a navigation lock with clear dimensions of 86 by 675 feet; and an eight-bay spillway that is 512 feet long and has eight 50-foot by 60-foot tainter gates. There is currently one fish ladder in operation at the dam. -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, 2002, and Columbia Basin Research Website, 2002 Lake Bryan: Lake Bryan lies directly behind Little Goose Dam. It extends about 37.2 miles up the Snake River, until it reaches Lower Granite Dam. It lies at elevation 638 feet, and has a surface area of 10,025 acres. Congress, 2d Session, approved December 31, 1970, designated the lake behind Little Goose Dam as "Lake Bryan" in honor of the late Doctor Enoch A. Bryan. -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, 2002 |
| The wind now changed to the southwest,and became violent. We passed an island at the distance of four miles, another one mile beyond it, where the water was swift and shallow, and two miles further, a rapid at the upper point of a small stony island. We went along this island by the mouth of a brook on the right [Alkali Flat Creek], |
|
|
|
Alkali Flat Creek:
Alkali Flat Creek is part of the Middle Snake River Watershed, with flows very limiting to summer steelhead. -- Washington State Department of Ecology Website, 2003 |
| and encamped on the same side opposite to a small island close under the left shore [near Riparia, Washington]. Our day's journey had been thirty miles, and we might have gone still further, but as the evening was coming on we halted at the head of a rapid, which the Indians represented as dangerous to pass [Texas Rapids], for the purpose of examining it before we set out in the morning. |
|
|
Texas Rapids:
|
| The country has much the same appearance as that we passed yesterday, consisting of open plains, which when they approach the water are faced with a dark-coloured rugged stone. The river is as usual much obstructed by islands and rapids, some of which are difficult to pass. Neither the plains nor the borders of the river possess any timber, except a few hackberry bushes and willows, and as there is not much driftwood, fuel is very scarce. |
| "... Country as yesterday open plains, no timber of any king ... The hills or assents from the water is faced with a dark ruged Stone ..." [Clark, October 12, 1805] |
|
|
|
The Camp - October 12, 1805
At the mouth of Alkali Flat Creek, near the town of Riparia, Washington, just west of Little Goose Dam. The campsite was at the head of Texas Rapids which is now below the backwater of Lower Monumental Dam. |
Return to:
[Volcanoes and History Menu] ...
[Living With Volcanoes Menu] ...
