The Corps of Discovery descended the Columbia River in five dugout canoes made from pines felled at the mouth of the North Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho.
Before McNary Dam harnessed this segment of the mighty Columbia, the river plunged through the fierce Umatilla Rapids. William Clark observed
"banks of Mussle Shels" here and called it "Muscle Shell rapid."
While the canoes carefully shot the rapids, Clark climbed a nearby cliff and "descovered a high mountain of emence hight covered with Snow," which he incorrectly identified as Mt. St. Helens - it was actually Mt. Adams.
On a clear day Mt. Adams is visible to the northwest from this overlook.
Sighting the snow-capped peaks of the Cascade Range, some of which were named by George Vancouver in 1792, indicated the expedition was approaching charted territory.
"We arrived at the head of a verry bad rapid, we came too on the Lard Side to view the rapid before we would venter to run it..."
William Clark, October 19, 1805
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