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Terrible Rapids and Treacherous Narrows

By: LC200 staff

Having reached another milestone in their trek across the continent, the Expedition camped for the night at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Although the river was now bigger than the Clearwater they were soon to discover it to be every bit as treacherous. They had successfully navigated the Clearwater, which was filled with rocky shoals and rapids. During the next week the Snake was to prove even more difficult. The rapids they were to encounter would severely test the Expedition and their canoes. Clark noted they encountered nine rapids during the thirty miles traveled on October 11, 1805.

That night’s camp was near Almota, Washington. Clark said there were several Indian houses made of slabs and split timber near the river here. He also found a sweat lodge and carefully described it construction and how it was used. This area was the scene of two archaeological excavations during a period of time when there was a considerable amount of work being done along the Columbia River to learn more about the early day people who called the area home. These people had been living here for the last 8,000 – 12, 000 years much like they were at the time the Expedition passed through.

Clark has been the primary journal keeper since the Expedition left Traveler’s Rest. His entries for each day are getting more and more detailed. Although he doesn’t go into as much detail on a particular subject as Lewis, he covers a wider variety of subjects. Clark says that at every rapid they encounter Indians have established a fishing site. They usually build a wooden structure for a lodge, but it is only occupied at certain times of the year. We later find out that these river Indians live in a few large villages then travel in small groups to these fishing sites.

The following day the Expedition goes another thirty miles, again successfully negotiating a number of difficult rapids. Towards evening they reach a rapid the Indians have said is very dangerous. Clark determines to camp above it and scout it out before continuing. They are at Raparia. In the morning light Clark finds this rapid to be two miles long with large rocks strewn throughout and indeed very dangerous. However time is getting short before winter sets in so they decide to try to run the rapids. With a certain skill and definitely luck all the canoes make it through without incident. These canoes are definitely not made for such adventures. They ride very low in the water and are about as maneuverable as a water-soaked drift log floating down the river; nothing like the light canoes of today.

Another bad rapid Clark describes as being two miles of rocky channel, then the channel is squeezed to twenty yards in width in between solid rock walls for another 1 ½ miles. This narrow channel works like a shoot with the water running very fast and not giving a canoe any chance to avoid any obstacles that are encountered. This rapid was just below a river mouth Clark names “Drewyer’s River” and is today known as the Palouse River.

By now Clark had given up on listing all the rapids. He only discusses the major ones or where they have a problem. He does describe a large rock on the shore “that looks like a ship’s hull.” It is now known as Monumental Rock and is northeast of Magallon.

They pass through another rapid three miles long that Clark says they “had troubles but passed ok.” Yet at a short, simple rapid one canoe hung up and sank. The canoe was retrieved, but a small amount of baggage was lost. Of course everything got wet. This was at Pine Tree Rapids which is just downstream from Burr Canyon, but now covered by Lake Sacajawea. On Clark’s map of the area he shows “Indian Caves” near the camp. This has been the subject of considerable discussion as to exactly what caves he referred to. Some say it was the Windust Caves that were the site of very significant archaeological finds on prehistoric cultures of the area. If so, Clark actually mislocated them; they were actually several miles upstream from the camp. On the island they stopped on to dry things out was a timber house covered with stone.

While the baggage was being dried out Clark made a very interesting entry in his journal. “We have made it a point at all times not to take anything belonging to the Indians, not even their wood. But at this time we are compelled to violate that rule and take part of the split timber for firewood.”

The next day the Expedition encountered what was probably the worst rapid so far. However, with three Indians piloting them everyone made it through without incident. Today this is Fishhook Rapids, which are some six miles long.

As if the river was saving its best for last, when the Expedition encountered Five Mile Rapids later that day they had to portage them. These rapids were just too much to put their clumsy canoes through. A short seven miles later the Corps of Discovery reached the Columbia River and camped just southeast of Pasco, Washington. That area is now Sacajawea State Park.

The junction of the Snake and Columbia Rivers at what is know referred to as the Tri Cities had become an important trade center with the Indians long before the Expedition arrived on October 16, 1805. Lewis and Clark counciled with many Indians who lived in this area, giving out a large peace medal and two small ones. An primary difference of this council from the ones on the Missouri was Lewis’ speech at the Columbia was very much abbreviated. His earlier speech spent much time talking about living in peace with neighboring tribes. However the Columbia River people were very much at peace already.

October 17th was a day spent in camp drying baggage, repairing equipment and otherwise getting ready to proceed on. Clark took two men and went up the Columbia ten miles where he found three very big lodges with many scaffolds for drying fish. The Indians were literally scooping fish out of the river. Clark could not figure out why so many dead fish were floating on the river. He knew nothing of the annual spawning run of these salmon. All he saw were dead fish which he did not think right to take when offered by the Indians. Clark received a map of the Columbia River from the chiefs. On it were located the villages of the tribes who lived there.

Clark wrote an extended entry of several pages this day about the dress and customs of the Indians. He noted some key differences between these river people and the tribes further east. These people were quite peaceful and had very little use for horses. Most of their livelihood came from the river and trading. But they paid the price for spending so much time on the water. Clark speculated that the widespread eye problems, including blindness, originated from long exposure to the sun’s glare on the water.