Native Americans have been camping here for ten thousand years. Lewis and Clark camped here in 1805 and 1806. Everyone from pioneers to soldiers, miners, adventurers, gun-slingers, floozies and scallywags became the norm during the time of the Oregon Trail emigration.
Now, more decisions need to be made: continue west by river? by road? or just stay put in The Dalles?
- By boat was expensive and the Columbia River Gorge was extremely dangerous - but it was the fastest way.
- By road was less expensive, but slow, and they, their equipment, and their livestock were worn out. Winter was fast approaching, so to continue to travel meant snow, extremely cold nights, and lots of mud and muck.
- Staying put was always an option, but you must remember the kind of folks that embarked on this epic journey in the first place. They were looking for a better life, the best land, and the very best opportunities for success that America had to offer. Hardship was no obstacle.
- They might choose to "winter over" in The Dalles and continue on in the spring. It would be just as cold, but they wouldn't be on the move, they could use the time to rest, repair, refresh the livestock -- but then those that do go on would have first pick of the land...
Even so, they had made it. Good Lord! They made it to the end of the Oregon Trail !!
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A friend had told us of The Dalles and the Columbia River Gourge years ago. "Dalles" is French for flagstone or slab. It describes the large, smooth, flat slabs of basalt rock at this point in the Columbia that formed a narrow channel in the river. He said it was a must see piece of amazing beauty. The Gourge was carved by the Missoula Flood 15,000 years ago. The ice dam at Glacial Lake Missoula broke and a 400 foot wall of water traveling at Interstate speeds of 65-70 mph scooped out everything in it's path. This scenario repeated itself several times.
It was about 13,000 years ago that Mongols began crossing the land bridge at the Bering Straits and humans established themselves in what would become known as the Americas. (Just think, Gengis Khan might be in your DNA somewhere!)
In 1579, the famous Sir Francis Drake is said to have landed here. Was he the first European to see the west coast?
Throughout the 1700's there were numerous explorations of the northwest by the Danes, Russian, Spainish, English... It was Captain James Cook, the English sea captain that discovered the Hawaiian Islands in the 1700's, that landed at Cape Foulweather in 1778 and discovered the wealth of furs waiting there for the trappers.
Then, of course, President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase which reached all the way up here, and sent Lewis and Clark on their incredible Expedition in 1804. Fur trappers began trickling in and a flood of pioneers soon followed. And now, we're here!
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| Our 2004 vacation |
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