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The Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark

October 18, 1805

Down the "Great" Columbia River -
Snake/Columbia Confluence to Spring Gulch
 
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-- October 1805 to June 1806

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The Corps of Discovery
-- The Journey of Lewis and Clark

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PREVIOUS

October 17
Side-Trip Up the Columbia, Tri-Cities and the Yakima River 		October 18

Down the "Great Columbia",
Columbia/Snake Confluence to Spring Gulch

Snake River and the Columbia River, Islands at the Mouth, McNary NWR, Walla Walla River, Wallula Gap, Two Sisters, first view of Mount Hood, Spring Gulch and Port Kelly 		CONTINUE

October 19
Down the "Great Columbia", Spring Gulch to Umatilla
 

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.


Map, Lewis and Clark in the Pacific Northwest
(Click map for brief summary about the area)



The Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark
To the Pacific - October 1805
Down the "Great Columbia"
Snake/Columbia Confluence to Spring Gulch

Friday, October 18, 1805

The Corps of Discovery camped for two days (October 16 and 17, 1805) at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers at what is now known as Sacajawea State Park just outside Pasco on U.S. Route 12 heading towards Walla Walla. The original campsite is now under the waters of Lake Wallula, behind McNary Dam.


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Map, 1917 USGS topo map of Columbia River near Kennewick and Pasco, click to enlarge Sacajawea State Park:
  1. 1917 Map (section of original), from Pasco 1:125,000 topographic quadrangle. (Click to enlarge). Sacajawea State Park, while not named on the map, is located at the junction of the Snake River with the Columbia River (triangle tip, below "Ainsworth Junc." words). Original map surveyed in 1904 and 1914, contour interval of 50 feet. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002

Sacajawea State Park:
The Corps of Discovery camped for two days (October 16 and 17, 1805) at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers at what is now known as Sacajawea State Park just outside Pasco on U.S. Route 12 heading towards Walla Walla. Sacajawea State Park is a 284-acre marine, day-use park at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. It features 9,100 feet of freshwater shoreline. The area is spread out with a big sky and excellent views of the two rivers as they flow together. The park's lands are sand dunes interspersed with wetland ponds. The park is on the plain of the great Lake Missoula floods, which swept through the area 12,000 years ago. The property was deeded to Washington State Parks in 1931. The park is named for Sacajawea, a Shoshoni Indian woman who traveled with the Lewis and Clark expedition. The original campsite is now under the waters of Lake Wallula, behind McNary Dam. -- Washington State Parks and Recreation Website, 2002


We were visited this morning by several canoes of Indians, who joined those who were already with us, and soon opened a numerous council. ...... We now procured from the principal chief and one of the Cuimnapum nation a sketch of the Columbia [Columbia River], and the tribes of his nation living along its banks and those of the Tapteet [Yakima River]. They drew it with a piece of coal on a robe, and as we afterwards transferred to paper, it exhibited a valuable specimen of Indian delineation.

Having completed the purposes of our stay, we now began to lay in our stores ...... The morning was cool and fair, and the wind from the southeast.

"... at 4 oClock we set out down the Great Columbia accompanied by our two old Chiefs, one young man wished to accompany us, but we had no room for more, & he could be of no service to us ..." [Clark, October 18, 1805]
"... Capt. Lewis had an observation at noon, which gave 46o 15 13.9 north latitude. At one we proceeded on down the Great Columbia, which is a very beautiful river. The course is something to the east of south for about 12 miles and then winds round to almost a west course ..." [Gass, October 18, 1805]
"... a clear pleasant morning. we delayed here until after 12 oClock to day Capt. Clark measured Columbia River and the Ki mo e nem Rivers and found the Columbia River to be 860 yards wide, and the ki moo enem R. to be 475 yards wide at the forks. Capt. Lewis Compleated his observations and found the Latitude to produce ... North ... about 2 oClock P.M. we Set out. two chiefs continued on with us ..." [Ordway, October 18, 1805]


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Map, the Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark, click to enlarge Map, 1855, Clearwater and Snake from Canoe Camp to the Columbia, click to enlarge Map, 1858 Military recon map, Snake River entering the Columbia River, click to enlarge Map, 1882, Snake River at Confluence with the Columbia, click to enlarge Map, 1893, Snake River showing Fish-Hook Rapids, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River and the confluence of the Snake River, click to enlarge Junction of the Columbia River and Snake River:
  1. Map, Junction Snake River with the Columbia River (#9), October 16, 1805
  2. 1855 Map, Clearwater and Snake Rivers, including the Confluence of the Snake River (Lewis Fork) and Columbia River (not named) (section of original). (Click to enlarge). Original Map: "Map of Oregon and Washington Territories: showing the proposed Northern Railroad route to the Pacific Ocean, by John Disturnell, 1855. University of Washington Archives #UW155. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002
  3. 1858 Military Recon Map (section of original), Snake River entering the Columbia River. (Click to enlarge). Map of military reconnaissance from Fort Dalles, Oregon, via Fort Wallah-Wallah, to Fort Taylor, Washington Territory, 1858. Shows approximate location of military road constructed 1859 to 1862. From the report and maps of Captain John Mullan, United States Army, G.P.O., 1863. University of Washington Archives #UW85. -- University of Washington Library Archives Website, 2002
  4. 1882 Map, Snake River Confluence with the Columbia River (section of original). (Click to enlarge). Original Map: "Map of the Upper Columbia River from the international boundary line to Snake River, on a scale of one inch to two miles, 1882, Sheet 25." U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1882. Washington State University Historical Maps Collection #WSU505. -- Washington State University Library Archives Website, 2002
  5. 1893 Map, part of the Snake River showing location of principal rapids (section of original). Includes Fishhook Rapids. (Click to enlarge). Original Map: "Part of the Snake River from its mouth to the Grande Ronde, showing location of principal rapids". U.S. Engineers Office, 1893. Washington State University Historical Maps Collection #WSU586. -- Washington State University Library Archives Website, 2002
  6. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River, Walla Walla River, Umatilla River, Crow Butte and Wallula Gap, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  7. 1994, NASA Image, Closer-in view Columbia River and the junction of the Snake River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River and the Snake River, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
The Columbia River pours more water into the Pacific Ocean than any other river in North or South America. In its 1,270 mile course to the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia flows through four mountain ranges -- the Rockies, Selkirks, Cascades, and coastal mountains -- and drains 258,000 square miles. The mainstem of the Columbia rises in Columbia Lake on the west slope of the Rocky Mountain Range in Canada. The major framework of the basin is established by a few primary physical features. On the east the broad north-south trending belt of the Rocky Mountains constitutes the chief water supply of the Columbia and three of its largest tributaries: The Kootenai, Pend Oreille-Clark Fork, and Snake Rivers. Westward from the Rockies in the United States are the Columbia Plateaus through which the Columbia and Snake flow in deeply incised canyons. These plateaus are bounded on the west by the Cascade Range, above which tower Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, and other volcanic peaks, and through which the Columbia has cut the spectacular gorge which bears its name. Between the Cascades and the lower Coast Range lies the southern part of the Puget Trough, a lowland along which the Willamette, Lewis, and Cowlitz Rivers flow to the Columbia from sources in the Cascades. This vast river basin was formed near the end of the last Ice Age, 12,000 to 19,000 years ago. Immense ice dams half a mile high held back melting ice, creating a huge lake in northwest Montana, called Lake Missoula. Each time the ice gave way, massive walls of water as high as four hundred feet hurled boulders and icebergs seaward with a great destructive force. These floods generally followed the route of the present day Columbia River and came at least 40 times. When Lewis and Clark explored the region in the early 19th century, huge numbers of fish (salmon) returned to spawn every year. "The multitudes of this fish are almost inconceivable," Clark wrote in the autumn of 1805. At that time, the Columbia and its tributaries provided 12,935 miles of pristine river habitat. The Columbia's largest tributary, the Snake, travels 1,038 miles from its source in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming before joining the Columbia. -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, North Pacific Division, 2002, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 1947.


The Columbia River before Lewis and Clark:
On May 12, 1792, the American Captain Robert Gray, became the first explorer to enter the Columbia River by crossing over the sandbar that blocked its mouth. Gray sailed about 20 miles up the estuary of the river, traded with the Indians for a few days, and then left after drawing a chart of the mouth of the river. He named the river the Columbia after his ship, and claimed it for the United States. British Captain George Vancouver obtained a copy of Gray's chart from the Spanish governor at Nootka Sound and sailed to the mouth of the Columbia River in October 1792. He was unable to get his flagship Discovery over the sandbar, but Lt. William Robert Broughton succeeded with his smaller ship, the Chatham. Broughton advanced nearly 100 miles to a site opposite present-day Portland, Oregon, which he named Point Vancouver. To the east he saw a majestic mountain peak which he named Mount Hood. -- University of Virginia Library Special Collections Website, 2002


Image, Snake River, Washington, click to enlarge Image, ca.1900, Steamer on the Snake River, near Asotin, Washington, click to enlarge Snake River:
  1. An arid region along the Snake River, Washington. (Click to enlarge). Photograph Date: between 1891 and 1936. Photographer: unknown. American Environmental Photographs Collection #AEP-WAS141, Department of Special Collections, University of Chicago Library. -- U.S. Library of Congress, American Memories Website, 2002
  2. ca.1900, Steamer on the Snake River, near Asotin, Washington. (Click to enlarge). Steam rises from atop the 'Lewiston' steamboat as it passes Asotin, Washington, approximately 8 miles downstream of the confluence of the Clearwater River and the Snake River. Photographer: Wilkin Photo Service, Lewiston, Idaho. Photograph date: ca. 1900. Washington State University Libraries Archives, #11108 -- Washington State University Library Archives Website, 2002

The Snake River originates in Yellowstone National Park at 9,500 feet and winds through southern Idaho before turn0 feet and winds through southern Idaho before turning north to form the boundary between Idaho and Oregon. It finally joins the Columbia River near Pasco, Washington, at 340 feet in elevation, 1,036 miles from its source. How did it get its name? To identify themselves, Indians living along the river in southern Idaho used a hand sign that resembled the movement of a snake. Although it didn't mean "Snake", that name was given to this group of people, now known as Shoshone. The river flowing through the Snake Indian lands was given the tribal name. Lewis and Clark traveled through this area on their journey to find an inland waterway to the Pacific. Many miles upriver from Hells Gate State Park, the Snake River winds through Hells Canyon, one of the deepest gorges in North America. This wild and spectacular area is best visited by boat; there are no roads leading through the canyon. Old homesteads, long-forgotten prospector cabins, and Native American petroglyphs offer a fascinating human story in the midst of the spectacular scenery. -- U.S. National Park Service, Wild and Scenic Rivers Website, 2002, and Idaho State Parks and Recreation Website, 2002


Soon after proceeding, We passed the island in the mouth of Lewis river [Snake River], and at eight miles reached a larger island, which extends three miles in length. On going down by this island there is another on the right, which commences about the middle of it, and continues for three and a half miles. While they continue parallel to each other, they occasion a rapid near the lower extremity of the first island, opposite to which on the second island are nine lodges built of mats, and intended for the accommodation of the fishermen, of whom we saw great numbers, and vast quantities of dried fish on their scaffolds. [These Islands are most likely Rabbit Island and Goat Island, now under the waters of Lake Wallula.]


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Map, 1858 Military recon map, Snake River entering the Columbia River, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River and the junction of the Snake River, click to enlarge Islands at the Mouth:
  1. 1858 Military Recon Map (section of original), Snake River entering the Columbia River. (Click to enlarge). Map of military reconnaissance from Fort Dalles, Oregon, via Fort Wallah-Wallah, to Fort Taylor, Washington Territory, 1858. Shows approximate location of military road constructed 1859 to 1862. From the report and maps of Captain John Mullan, United States Army, G.P.O., 1863. University of Washington Archives #UW85. -- University of Washington Library Archives Website, 2002
  2. 1994, NASA Image, Closer-in view Columbia River and the junction of the Snake River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River and the Snake River, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002


On reaching the lower point of the island, we landed to examine a bad rapid, and then undertook the passage which is very difficult, as the channel lies between two small islands, with two others still smaller near the left side of the river. Here are two Indian houses, the inhabitants of the river. Here are two Indian houses, the inhabitants of which were as usual drying fish. We passed the rapid without injury, and fourteen and a half miles from the mouth of Lewis's river [Snake River], came to an island near the right shore, on which were two other houses of Indians pursuing the customary occupation. [This entire east bank of the Columbia, from downstream the Snake River to the Walla River, is now a part of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge.]
"... we proceeded on down the great Calumbia River which is now verry wide about 3/4 of a mile in General the country in general Smooth plains for about 10 miles down then the barron hills make close to the River on each Side. passed Several Smooth Islands on which was large fishing Camps. large quantity of Sammon on their Scaffels. ..." [Ordway, October 18, 1805]


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
NASA Image, 1994, Columbia River and the junction of the Snake River, click to enlarge McNary National Wildlife Refuge:
  1. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River and the junction of the Snake River, including the McNary National Wildlife Refuge (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Snake River, and the McNary National Wildlife Refuge, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002

McNary National Wildlife Refuge:
The McNary National Wildlife Refuge spans the east bank of the Columbia from the Snake River to the Wallula Gap. The Refuge now has 7 Units: Strawberry Island, Burbank Slough (original McNary NWR), Peninsula, Two Rivers, Wallula, Stateline, and Juniper Canyon. Originally established at 3,600 acres, the Refuge now encompasses over 15,000 acres of backwater sloughs, seasonal wetlands, shrub-steppe uplands, irrigated farmlands, river islands, delta mudflats, and riparian areas. The Refuge also includes riverine wetlands and shoreline bays that serve as an important nursery for developing fall chinook salmon. The Refuge has trails, wildlife viewing, and an education center. and is located southeast of Pasco off U.S. Highway 12 just south of the Snake River. Refuge Visitor facilities are a quarter mile east of Highway 12 on Maple Street. -- Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in Oregon Website, 2002, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Website, 2002


One mile and a half beyond this place, is a mouth of a small brook [Walla Walla River]. under a high hill on the left. It seems to run during its whole course through the high country, which at this place begins,


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Map, 1855, Clearwater and Snake from Canoe Camp to the Columbia, click to enlarge Map, 1858 Military recon map, mouth of the Walla Walla River, click to enlarge Map, 1863, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Touchet Rivers, etc., click to enlarge Map, 1893, Columbia, Snake, and Walla Walla Rivers, click to enlarge Map, 1918 USGS topo map of Walla Walla River area, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River and the junction of the Walla Walla River, click to enlarge Engraving, 1853, Old Fort Walla Walla, click to enlarge Walla Walla River:
  1. 1855 Map, Clearwater and Snake Rivers, including the Walla Walla River (Wahlah Wahlah R.) (section of original). (Click to enlarge). Original Map: "Map of Oregon and Washington Territories: showing the proposed Northern Railroad route to the Pacific Ocean, by John Disturnell, 1855. University of Washington Archives #UW155. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002
  2. 1858 Military Recon Map (section of original), Mouth of the Walla Walla River. (Click to enlarge). Map of military reconnaissance from Fort Dalles, Oregon, via Fort Wallah-Wallah, to Fort Taylor, Washington Territory, 1858. Shows approximate location of military road constructed 1859 to 1862. From the report and maps of Captain John Mullan, United States Army, G.P.O., 1863. University of Washington Archives #UW85. -- University of Washington Library Archives Website, 2002
  3. 1863 Map (section of original), Columbia River, Umatilla Rapids, Monumental Rocks, Umatilla River, Walla Walla River, Touchet River, etc. (Click to enlarge). Original map by John Mullan, Julius Bien, and Edward Freyhold, United State Office of Explorations and Surveys. Prepared from field notes from 1858-1863. Scale 1:1,000,000. Original map from: report and maps of Captain John Mullan, United States Army, of his operations while engaged in the construction of a military road from Fort Walla-Walla, on the Columbia River, to Fort Benton, on the Missouri River, 1863. -- University of Washington Library Archives Website, 2002
  4. 1893 Map part of the Columbia River showing junctions with the Snake and Walla Walla Rivers (section of original). (Click to enlarge). Original Map: "Part of the Snake River from its mouth to the Grande Ronde, showing location of principal rapids". U.S. Engineers Office, 1893. Washington State University Historical Maps Collection #WSU586. -- Washington State University Library Archives Website, 2002
  5. 1918 Map (section of original), from Wallula 1:125,000 topographic quadrangle. (Click to enlarge). Original map surveyed in 1915, contour interval of 50 feet. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002
  6. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River, Walla Walla River, Umatilla River, Crow Butte and Wallula Gap, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  7. 1994, NASA Image, Closer-in view Columbia River and the junction of the Walla Walla River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River and the Walla Walla River, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  8. 1853 Engraving, Nez Perce camp outside walls of Old Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia River, Washington. (Click to enlarge). Engraving by John M. Stanley, 1853. From: University of Washington Library Collection #NA4169. Original from U.S. War Department's Reports of explorations and surveys to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, 1860, v.12, pt.1, pl.42. -- University of Washington Library Collection Website, 2002

Walla Walla River:
The Walla Walla River flows out of the Blue Mountains, originating at nearly 6,000 feet and flows through narrow, well-defined canyons. After it leaves the mountains it flows through broad valleys that drain low, rolling lands. The principle tributaries of the Walla Walla River include the Touchet River, Mill Creek, and the North and South Forks of the Walla Walla River. The Walla Walla River basin drains an area of 1,758 square miles. According to Coues (History of the Expedition of Lewis and Clark, page 969), walla means running water, and redupliction of a word diminutizes it, so Wallawalla is the small rapid river. Lewis and Clark use the name Wallow Wallow, with several variations. Old Fort Walla Walla (For Nez Perce), at the mouth of the Walla Walla River, in Washington, was established in 1818 by the North West Company, and was abandoned in 1855. The city of Walla Walla, 33 miles east, came into importance in 1860-61, amid placer gold mining activities. It was first settled in 1855. -- Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority Website, 2002, and McArthur, 1982, Oregon Geographic Names


Geology of the Walla Walla River Basin:
As the river winds its way through the Walla Walla watershed, it crosses two major physiologic provinces: the Blue Mountains and the valley lowland. The Blue Mountains dominate the topography of the basin with an average elevation of 5,000 feet along the subbasin boundary, the highest point being Table Mountain at 6,000 feet. The topography of the Blue Mountains province consists of flat-topped ridges and steep stair-stepped valley walls formed by thousands of feet of Miocene basalt flows that engulfed the folded, faulted, and uplifted granitic core of the mountains. As mountains were uplifted, streams and glaciers carved canyons through the basalt layers. The valley lowland extends from the center of the basin north to the divide between the Touchet and Snake Rivers and south to the Horse Heaven Hills. Land surface elevations of the lowland province range from 2,500 feet at the base of the Blue Mountains to less than 270 feet at the confluence with the Columbia River. The dominant bedrock across the region consists of a series of basalt flows known as the Columbia River basalt that are stacked like a layer cake across much of eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho. Dating from 10 to 17 million years before present, the basalt is divided into formations, each an aggregation of individual flows sharing similar flow histories and geochemistry. The three major formations that occur in the Walla Walla subbasin are the Saddle Mountains, Wanapum, and Grande Ronde. The flow thickness can range from five feet to as much as 150 feet, and collectively is estimated to be hundreds to thousands of feet thick. The topography of the basin is directly related to the folding, faulting, and erosion of these formations, creating a regional structure that dips westward from the Blue Mountains, southward down the Touchet Slope (the area between the Walla Walla and Touchet Rivers), northward from Horse Heaven Ridge, and eastward from a dividing ridge in the lower Walla Walla valley. Fertile soils formed from Pleistocene silt and sand blanket the subbasin. During the Pleistocene ice ages, the region underwent severe change as the continental glaciers advanced and retreated to the north, and valley glaciers carved channels in the higher elevations. Massive floods swept through the Columbia basin periodically through the Quaternary era, bringing vast amounts of sediment into the region. Wind, intensified by the expanse of glacial ice, piled the sand and silt known as loess into dunes that spread across much of central and southeastern Washington. These dunes characterize the region known as the Palouse, and can be seen throughout the Walla Walla subbasin. The Touchet beds are another reflection of Pleistocene glaciation and climate. They represent cyclic slow water deposits laid down when massive floods resulting from the breaching of an ice dam located near Missoula, Montana scoured the area and backed up into the mouth of the Walla Walla River. -- Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority Website, 2002


and rising to the height of two hundred feet form cliffs of rugged black rocks which project a considerable distance into the river [Wallula Gap].
"... at 16 miles from the point the river passes into the range of high Countrey at which place the rocks project into the river from the high clifts which is on the Lard. Side about 2/3 of the way across and those of the Stard. Side about the Same distance, the Countrey rises here about 200 feet above The water and is bordered with black rugid rocks, at the Commencement of this high Countrey on Lard Side a Small riverlet falls in which appears to passed under the high Country in its whole cose ..." [Clark, October 18, 1805]


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River and Wallula Gap, click to enlarge Wallula Gap:
  1. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River, Walla Walla River, Umatilla River, Crow Butte and Wallula Gap, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  2. 1994, NASA Image, Closer-in view Columbia River and Wallula Gap (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Snake River, Lake Wallula, and the Wallula Gap, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002

Wallula Gap:
Glacial-outburst waters that crossed the Channeled Scablands during the Spokane floods (Missoula Floods) were channeled through Wallula Gap. For several weeks, as much as 200 cubic miles of water per day were delivered to a gap that could discharge less than 40 cubic miles per day. Ponded water filled the Pasco Basin and the Yakima and Touchet valleys to form temporary Lake Lewis. -- U.S. National Park Service, National Natural Landmarks Program Website, 2002


Wallula Gap National Natural Landmark:


Prominent Lava Flows seen from Wallula Gap vicinity:
Horse Heaven Hills anticline sections show excellent exposures of the thick Frenchman Springs member overlain by the Umatilla Member of the Saddle Mountains Basalt -- the Roza and Priest Rapids Members are missing. A Martindale flow caps the highest visible point west of the river; it overlies imbricated Snake River gravel, compositionally similar to that at Lower Monumental Dam, showing that an ancestral Wallula Gap existed at least 8.5 million years ago. The Saddle Mountains Basalt formation is the youngest in the Columbia River Basalt Group. It is about 13.5 to 6 million years old and contains flows erupted sporadically during a period of waning volcanism, deformation, canyon cutting, and development of thick but local sedimentary deposits between flows. The Saddle Mountains Basalt has a volume of only about 700 cubic miles, less than one percent of the total volume of basalt, yet contains by far the greatest chemical and isotopic diversity of any formation in the group. -- Swanson and Wright, 1981


On the left bank of the Columbia River, within the Wallula Gap, lies a basalt feature known as the "Two Sisters".


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Engraving, 1853, Old Fort Walla Walla, click to enlarge Two Sisters:
  1. 1853 Engraving, Nez Perce camp outside walls of Old Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia River, Washington. (Click to enlarge). Engraving by John M. Stanley, 1853. From: University of Washington Library Collection #NA4169. Original from U.S. War Department's Reports of explorations and surveys to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, 1860, v.12, pt.1, pl.42. -- University of Washington Library Collection Website, 2002

Two Sisters:
A natural Native American monument overlooks the Columbia River two miles southwest from Wallula Junction on Highway 730. The Two Sisters are actually two basalt pillars (Frenchman Springs) which were formed by the Missoula Floods about 15,000 years ago. The Two Sisters are from a single lava flow that stood up to the ravages of the floodwaters, which completely surrounded and submerged them. Apparently the basalt here is slightly harder and/or more resistant to erosion than the basalt around them. Cayuse legend has it that Coyote, an animal spirit, turned two beautiful sisters to stone in a rage of jealousy. There is a nice pullout from Highway 730 with a new sign by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that describes the legend and the surrounding area. -- Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce Website, 2002, Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in Oregon Website, 2002, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, 2002, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Website, 2003


At this place too we observed a mountain to the S. W. the form of which is conical, and its top covered with snow [Mount Hood].
"... Saw a mountain bearing S. W. Conocal form Covered with Snow. ..." [Clark, October 18, 1805]


The conical mountain, which Clark does not identify from his maps, is Mount Hood. In this stretch of the river it is only occasionally visible.


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Map, the Volcanoes of Lewis and Clark, click to enlarge Map, 1855, Columbia River, Vancouver to the Pacific, click to enlarge Map, 1911 USGS topo map of Mount Hood, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1997, Columbia River, Mount Hood, and Mount Adams, click to enlarge Engraving, 1848, Mount Hood and Oregon City, Oregon, click to enlarge Engraving, 1853, The Dalles, Oregon, with Mount Hood, click to enlarge Engraving detail, 1884, The Dalles and Mount Hood, with Mill Creek, click to enlarge Engraving detail, 1879, Portland Oregon and Mount Hood, click to enlarge Engraving detail, 1890, Portland Oregon and Mount Hood, click to enlarge Penny Postcard, ca.1915, Mount Hood from The Dalles, click to enlarge Penny Postcard, ca1930, Mount Hood as seen from White Salmon, Washington, click to enlarge Penny Postcard, ca.1930, Portland, Oregon and Mount Hood, click to enlarge Image, Mount Hood from Timberline, click to enlarge Mount Hood:
  1. Map, "Volcano Siting", October 18, 1805, "conical form covered with snow" (Mount Hood) (#8)
  2. 1855 Map, Columbia River from Vancouver to the Pacific, including Mount Hood (although not named) (section of original). (Click to enlarge). Original Map: "Map of Oregon and Washington Territories: showing the proposed Northern Railroad route to the Pacific Ocean, by John Disturnell, 1855. University of Washington Archives #UW155. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002
  3. 1911 Map of Mount Hood (section of original), from Mount Hood and Vicinity 1:125,000 topographic quadrangle. (Click to enlarge). Original map surveyed in 1907 and 1909-1911, contour interval of 100 feet. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002
  4. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River Gorge (section of original). (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River and the Columbia River Gorge, west-northwest-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. The Columbia River is running from the bottom (east) to the top (west). The Cascade Range is the dark color through the middle of the image, with Mount Hood on the Oregon side of the Columbia and Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens on the Washington side of the Columbia. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-092. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  5. 1997, NASA Image, Columbia River looking northeast, with Mount Adams and Mount Hood (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Willamette Valley, Columbia Plateau, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood. In this northeast-looking photograph the Columbia River flows right (east) to left (west). NASA Earth from Space #STS085-734-085. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  6. 1848, Etching of Mount Hood and American Village (Oregon City). (Click to enlarge). Etching by Henry James Warre, 1848. Oregon City was first settled in 1829. Dr. John McLoughlin is generally credited as the town's founding father, having contructed an early lumber mill there. Oregon City was an early capitol of the territory, until the territorial capitol was finally moved to Salem in 1851. In his book, the artist (Henry Warre) notes that a rival city had sprung up further down the Willamette during the summer of 1845 - this would become Portland, Oregon. Washington State University Archives Collection #WSU554. -- Washington State University Libray Archives Website, 2002
  7. 1853 Engraving, Columbia River area indian camp at The Dalles, Oregon, with Mount Hood in the background. (Click to enlarge). Engraving by John M. Stanley, 1853. From the U.S. War Department's Reports of explorations and surveys to ascertain the most practicable and econmical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, 1860, v.12, pt.1, pl.43. University of Washington Libraries Collection, #NA4170. -- University of Washington Libraries Website, 2002
  8. 1884, Closer-in detail from engraving of The Dalles, Oregon, and Mount Hood. (Click to enlarge). Created by H. Wellge. Published 1884, J.J. Stoner, Madison, Wisconsin. Panoramic view of the city of The Dalles, Oregon, county seat of Wasco County, 1884. Original lithograph shows The Dalles, Mount Hood, the Columbia River, and the mouth of Mill Creek. Reference #LC Panoramic Maps #727. -- Library of Congress American Memories Website, 2002
  9. 1879, Detail of engraving of Portland, Oregon and Mount Hood. (Click to enlarge). Created by E.S. Glover. Published 1879, San Francisco. "Bird's-eye-veiw, looking east to the Cascade Mountains. Original lithograph shows Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood, and also the Columbia River and the Willamette River. Reference #LC Panoramic Maps #722. -- Library of Congress American Memories Website, 2002
  10. 1890, Detail from engraving of Portland, Oregon with Mount Hood. (Click to enlarge). Created by Clohessy & Strengele. Published 1890, San Francisco. "Bird's-eye-view", Portland, Oregon, 1890. Original lithograph shows Mount Rainier (???), Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood, and also the Columbia River and the Willamette River. Reference #75694939. -- Library of Congress American Memories Website, 2002
  11. ca.1915, Penny Postcard, Mount Hood from near The Dalles. (Click to enlarge). "Mount Hood as seend from bank of the Columbia River near The Dalles, Ore.", A.M. Prentiss Photo. #447, Lipschuetz of Katz, Portland, Oregon. -- L.Topinka private collection, 2003, used with permission.
  12. ca.1930, Penny Postcard, Mount Hood as seen from White Salmon, Washington. (Click to enlarge). "Mount Hood and Interstate Bridge to Columbia River Highway from Evergreen Highway, White Salmon, Wash. to Hood River, Oregon." #826. -- L.Topinka private collection, 2003, used with permission
  13. ca.1930, Penny Postcard. Portland, Oregon and Mount Hood. (Click to enlarge). Angelus Commercial studio, Portland, Oregon. -- L.Topinka private collection, 2003, used with permission.
  14. Mount Hood, as seen from Timberline. (Click to enlarge). USGS photo by Lyn Topinka. -- USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory Photo Archives, 2002
Snow-clad Mount Hood dominates the Cascade skyline from the Portland metropolitan area to the wheat fields of Wasco and Sherman Counties. The mountain contributes valuable water, scenic, and recreational resources that help sustain the agricultural and tourist segments of the economies of surrounding cities and counties. Mount Hood is also one of the major volcanoes of the Cascade Range, having erupted repeatedly for hundreds of thousands of years, most recently during two episodes in the past 1,500 years. The last episode ended shortly before the arrival of Lewis and Clark in 1805, and consisted of growth and collapse of a lava dome that sent numerous pyroclastic flows down the south and west flanks. Crater Rock is the remnant of that dome. Mount Hood is 11,245 feet high, is the fourth highest peak in the Cascades, and the highest in Oregon. It was named after a British admiral and first described in 1792 by William Broughton, a member of an expedition under command of Captain George Vancouver. -- DeVoto, (ed.), 1953, Scott, et.al., 1997, Gardner, et.al., 2000, and Swanson, et.al., 1989



We followed the river as it entered these highlands, and at the distance of two miles reached three islands, one on each side of the river, and a third in the middle, on which were two houses, where the Indians were drying fish opposite a small rapid. Near these a fourth island begins, close to the right shore, where were nine lodges of Indians, all employed with their fish. As we passed they called to us to land, but as night was coming on, and there was no appearance of wood in the neighbourhood, we went on about a mile further, till observing a log that had drifted down the river, we landed near it on the left side, and formed our camp under a high hill [near Port Kelley and Spring Gulch Creek], after having made twenty miles today.
"... We went 21 miles and halted close below an Indian camp; where they have thirty canoes; and a great quantity of dried fish." [Gass, October 18, 1805]
"... we passed over Several rapids. no timber along the Shores. we Camped on the Lard Side at a fiew willows which we got to burn ..." [Ordway, October 18, 1805]


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
Map, 1918 USGS topo map of Walla Walla River and Spring Gulch area, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River, including Umatilla River, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1994, Aerial view Columbia River and Spring Gulch, click to enlarge NASA Image, 1941, Port Kelley, click to enlarge Port Kelly and Spring Gulch:
  1. 1918 Map (section of original), from Wallula 1:125,000 topographic quadrangle. (Click to enlarge). Original map surveyed in 1915, contour interval of 50 feet. -- University of Washington Library Collections Website, 2002
  2. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River from Crow Butte to the Snake River (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River, Walla Walla River, Umatilla River, Crow Butte and Wallula Gap, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  3. 1994, NASA Image, Columbia River from McNary to Spring Gulch (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, McNary Dam, Umatilla River, Sillusi Butte vicinity, Juniper Canyon, and Spring Gulch, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  4. 1994, NASA Image, Closer-in view Columbia River, Walla Walla River, and Spring Gulch (section of original) (Click to enlarge). View from space - Columbia River, Wallula Gap, Walla Walla River, and Spring Gulch, north-looking, low-oblique photograph, September 1994. McNary Dam is in the lower left corner. NASA Earth from Space #STS064-112-093. -- NASA Earth from Space Website, 2002
  5. 1941, Image, Port Kelly on the Columbia River, Walla Walla, Washington (Click to enlarge). Bulk wheat belonging to members of the Walla Walla Grain Growers is shipped from this point to Portland. American Library of Congress American Memories Archives #LC-USF34- 039901-D, Photographer: Lee Russell, July, 1941, Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress. -- Library of Congress Website, 2004

Port Kelley and Spring Gulch:
Port Kelley is on the East side of the Columbia River, 16 miles above McNary Dam. Lewis and Clark's campsite of October 18, 1805 was located about 1 miles downstream from Port Kelley. Today the location of the campsite is under the waters of Lake Wallula, behind McNary Dam. -- NOAA, Office of Coast Survey Website, 2003, and Fort Walla Walla Museum Website, 2003


Along the Journey - October 18, 1805
The Camp - October 18, 1805:
Lewis and Clark camped near Port Kelley, at Spring Gulch Creek, just south of the confluence of the Walla Walla River and the Columbia River. Port Kelley is on the East side of the Columbia River, 16 miles above McNary Dam. The campsite was located about 1 mile downstream from Port Kelley. Today the location of the campsite along with the islands the Corp passed, is under the waters of Lake Wallula, behind McNary Dam.



 

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03/22/04, Lyn Topinka