Columbia and Snake Rivers
For many of us, the exploration we have embarked on is into unfamiliar territory. Crumbling basaltic cliffs and tree-less landscapes are not the normal morning sights greeting us outside our bedroom windows. The shapes and contortions of the landscape as well as the names that have been attached to these features acted as a prompt for our questions.
We started the morning on a river named Columbia. Oregon Geographic Names tells us Columbia is one of the most abundantly used geographic names in America. The book also tells us the river acquired its name from Captain Robert Gray’s ship, Columbia Rediviva. Captain Gray sailed his ship through the breakers of the great river of the west and anchored ten miles in from the mouth. On May 19, 1792, one day short of two hundred and thirteen years ago today, he gave the river its name.
Our first lockage of the morning was through John Day Dam, named for the river just upstream from the dam. John Day was a member of the 1811-12 Astor overland party. Along with Ramsay Crooks, John Day fell behind the main party and experienced what has been described as “several terrible experiences.” The unfortunate experiences for these two men included being robbed of their clothes and left to wander naked with hopes of finding their way back to their party.
McNary Dam was next, named for Charles Linza McNary. McNary was a United States senator from Oregon from 1917 to 1944. A little further upstream came Hat Rock State Park. This park is named for a prominent monolith of basalt. On October 19, 1805 it was noted in the journals of the Corps of Discovery as “resembling a hat.”
As we turned northward on the Columbia the cliffs steepened on either side forming what we call today Wallula Gap. “Wallula” is a Walla Walla Indian word which makes reference to “plenty of water” or “place of many waters,” a fitting description for a mighty river. We next enjoyed a wine and food feast featuring Northwest wines and specialty foods. The balmy evening was too hard to resist, so with wine glasses in hand we poured outside to bask in the warmth and view the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. William Clark had named the Snake River as “Lewis River” for his friend and co-Captain Meriwether Lewis. It was later called Snake River, reflecting the presence of the Snake Indians who once eked out a living along the stream.
From the comfort of our dining room we viewed our last daytime lockage. Ice Harbor is the first of four lockages we will make as we head east on the Snake River. It was named for a tiny bay in the river where small craft formerly tied up to await the break- up and passage of upstream ice-jams.
Today was the first full day of our voyage, and we have five more to go. When we leave, this will no longer be unfamiliar territory. The pictures we carry in our minds, along with the new names, will become a part of our own personal reference library, something familiar we can share and a point of reference we can then compare to our next destination.
For many of us, the exploration we have embarked on is into unfamiliar territory. Crumbling basaltic cliffs and tree-less landscapes are not the normal morning sights greeting us outside our bedroom windows. The shapes and contortions of the landscape as well as the names that have been attached to these features acted as a prompt for our questions.
We started the morning on a river named Columbia. Oregon Geographic Names tells us Columbia is one of the most abundantly used geographic names in America. The book also tells us the river acquired its name from Captain Robert Gray’s ship, Columbia Rediviva. Captain Gray sailed his ship through the breakers of the great river of the west and anchored ten miles in from the mouth. On May 19, 1792, one day short of two hundred and thirteen years ago today, he gave the river its name.
Our first lockage of the morning was through John Day Dam, named for the river just upstream from the dam. John Day was a member of the 1811-12 Astor overland party. Along with Ramsay Crooks, John Day fell behind the main party and experienced what has been described as “several terrible experiences.” The unfortunate experiences for these two men included being robbed of their clothes and left to wander naked with hopes of finding their way back to their party.
McNary Dam was next, named for Charles Linza McNary. McNary was a United States senator from Oregon from 1917 to 1944. A little further upstream came Hat Rock State Park. This park is named for a prominent monolith of basalt. On October 19, 1805 it was noted in the journals of the Corps of Discovery as “resembling a hat.”
As we turned northward on the Columbia the cliffs steepened on either side forming what we call today Wallula Gap. “Wallula” is a Walla Walla Indian word which makes reference to “plenty of water” or “place of many waters,” a fitting description for a mighty river. We next enjoyed a wine and food feast featuring Northwest wines and specialty foods. The balmy evening was too hard to resist, so with wine glasses in hand we poured outside to bask in the warmth and view the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. William Clark had named the Snake River as “Lewis River” for his friend and co-Captain Meriwether Lewis. It was later called Snake River, reflecting the presence of the Snake Indians who once eked out a living along the stream.
From the comfort of our dining room we viewed our last daytime lockage. Ice Harbor is the first of four lockages we will make as we head east on the Snake River. It was named for a tiny bay in the river where small craft formerly tied up to await the break- up and passage of upstream ice-jams.
Today was the first full day of our voyage, and we have five more to go. When we leave, this will no longer be unfamiliar territory. The pictures we carry in our minds, along with the new names, will become a part of our own personal reference library, something familiar we can share and a point of reference we can then compare to our next destination.
