1805 To the Pacific – Down the Columbia River, always seeking food
On Oct. 29, 1805, the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition stopped at the
site of Doug's Beach State Park.
"Came too on the Stard. Side at a village of 7 houses built in the Same
form and materials of those above, here we found the Chief we had Seen at the long
narrows," wrote Clark. "We entered his lodge and he gave us to eate
Pounded fish, bread made of roots, Filberts nuts, & the berries of Sackecomme. we
gave to each woman of the lodge a brace of Ribon of which they were much pleased…
we call this the friendly village."
1806 The Return Home – Up the Columbia River, begin the trade for horses
On their return trip, as the members of the Corps approached the site of Friendly
Village, they began the long process of trading for horses from the local American
Indians. Lewis and Clark knew they could not portage their canoes upstream through
the narrows and falls. They needed horses to continue their trip, and the local
inhabitants had horses – but trading for them was not easy. When they arrived
at the Friendly Village they had not yet been successful in obtaining any horses.
At the village they tried again, "with no better success" lamented Lewis.
Today, there is still much activity at this site. On windy days, hundreds of
sailboarders gather to catch some wind and test their skills against world-famous
Columbia River waves. Lewis and Clark noticed wind, too. A few miles downstream of
this site Clark noted, "the wind rose and raised the wavs to Such a hight
that I could not proceed any further."
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