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Prescott Beach, Oregon, upstream view.
Image taken, August 29, 2003.
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Prescott Beach ...
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Prescott Beach, Oregon, as seen from the Kalama shore, Washington.
Prescott Beach is on the left, with a shipping dock located just downstream of Kalama, Washington, on the right.
Image taken, April 7, 2006.
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Early Prescott Beach ...
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In 1792 Lieutenant Broughton of the British Vancouver Expedition quite possibly camped at Prescott Beach, or on the Washington side of the Columbia across from Prescott Beach.
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After dinner the party proceeded up the reach, extending S. 18 E. passing a low sandy island at its entrance against a very strong stream; and having advanced about four miles, they took up their residence for the night ..."
[Broughton, October 27, 1792]
The "low sandy island" is today's Cottonwood Island and the "entrance" refers to the Cowlitz River.
Lewis and Clark camped at Prescott Beach in November 5, 1805, on their journey to the Pacific.
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Campsite of November 5, 1805 ...
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Lewis and Clark spent the night of November 5, 1805, near today's Prescott Beach, Oregon. In Clark's notes in his first draft he places the camp three miles below the mouth of the Kalama River.
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"... 5 miles to a point of high piney land on the Lard Side the Stard. Shore bold and rockey passed a Creek at 2 miles on the Stard Side, below which is an old village."
[Clark, November 5, 1805, first draft]
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"... we Came too and Encamped on the Lard. Side under a high ridgey land, the high land come to the river on each Side. the river about 1 1/2 mile wide. those high lands rise gradually from the river & bottoms ..."
[Clark, November 5, 1805, first draft]
Lewis and Clark's previous campsite was a Post Office Lake, now a part of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Their campsite of November 6, 1805, was near Cape Horn in Wahkiakum County, Washington.
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Prescott Beach, Oregon, downstream view.
Image taken, August 29, 2003.
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Prescott Beach, Oregon, downstream view of bluff.
Image taken, February 28, 2004.
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Prescott ...
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According to Oregon Geographic Names (McArthur and McArthur, 2003), the town of Prescott was named around 1905 after the owners of the local sawmill, and the Prescott Post Office was in operation from 1907 to 1946.
However, according to the Columbia County Historian Homepage (2004) as gather from the Rainier Review, Christmas Edition, 1925:
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"... The spot now called Prescott used to be known as Danby's Landing. When the mill was built the name was changed to Prescott, probably because the mill uses a large quantity of what is known as Prescott machinery ..."
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Prescott Beach and the Missoula Floods ...
The constriction at Carrolls Bluff on the Washington side of the Columbia and the bluff on the Oregon side just north of Prescott Beach backed up flood waters from the Missoula Floods into the Willamette Valley. This constriction is known as "Kalama Gap".
[More]
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Prescott Beach County Park ...
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Prescott Beach County Park is a 71-acre day-use park hosting one of the Columbia River's finest fishing and windsurfing sites. The park features a covered picnic shelter, playground equipment, a beautiful gazebo, a horse shoe pit and sand volleyball courts. The park is located 14 miles downstream of St. Helens, Oregon, and five miles upstream of
Rainier, Oregon. Turn off U.S. 30 onto Graham Road. 1.75 miles to park entrance.
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Prescott Beach County Park, Oregon.
Looking upstream.
Image taken, February 28, 2004.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, November 5, 1805 ...
Rained all the after part of last night, rain continues this morning, I [s]lept but verry little last night [Post Office Lake, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge] for the noise Kept dureing the whole of the night by the Swans, Geese, white & Grey Brant Ducks &c. on a Small Sand Island [one of the islands of the Ridgefield Refuge] close under the Lard. Side; they were emensely noumerous, and their noise horid- we Set out <at about Sun rise> early here the river is not more than 3/4 of a mile in width, passed a Small Prarie on the Stard. Side [quite possibly the location of today's Campbell Lake] passed 2 houses about 1/2 a mile from each other on the Lard. Side a Canoe came from the upper house, with 3 men in its mearly to view us, passed an Isld. Covered with tall trees & green briers [Bachelor Island] Seperated from the Stard. Shore by a narrow Chanel [Lake River or Bachelor Island Slough] at 9 [8?] miles I observed on the Chanel [Lake River or Bachelor Island Slough] which passes on the Stard Side of this Island [Bachelor Island] a Short distance above its lower point is Situated a large village [Cathlapotle Village, near where Lewis and Clark camped on March 29, 1806, a place now known as Wapato Portage], the front of which occupies nearly 1/4 of a mile fronting the Chanel, and closely Connected, I counted 14 houses in front here the river widens to about 1 1/2 miles.
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about 1 1/2 miles below this village on the Lard Side behind a rockey Sharp point [Warrior Point, Sauvie Island], we passed a Chanel 1/4 of a mile wide [Multnomah Channel] which I take to be the one the Indian Canoe entered yesterday from the lower point of Immage Canoe Island [Hayden Island, at this point Lewis and Clark had not discovered Hayden Island and Sauvie Island were two separate islands]
a Some low clifts of rocks below this Chanel [St. Helens, Oregon],
a large Island Close under the Stard Side opposit [Lewis River floodplain, home of Woodland, Washington, possibly more of an "island" in 1805 ???], and 2 Small Islands, below [today's Burke and Martin Islands], here we met 2 canoes from below,- below those Islands a range of high hills form the Stard. Bank of the river [Martin Bluff], the Shore bold and rockey, Covered with a thick groth of Pine
an extensive low Island [Deer Island], Seperated from the Lard side by a narrow Chanel, on this Island we Stoped to Dine I walked out found it open & covered with <Small> grass interspersed with Small ponds, in which was great numbr. of foul, the remains of an old village on the lower part of this Island, I saw Several deer
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below the lower point of this Island [Deer Island] a range of high hills which runs S. E. forms the Lard. bank of the river the Shores bold and rockey & hills Covered with pine,
[Lewis and Clark are passing Goble, Oregon, and the area around the Trojan Nuclear Power Facility
The high hills leave the river on the Stard. Side a high bottom between the hill & river [Kalama, Washington]. We met 4 Canoes of Indians from below, in which there is 26 Indians, one of those Canoes is large, and ornimented with Images on the bow & Stern. That in the Bow the likeness of a Bear, and in Stern the picture of a man- we landed on the Lard. Side & camped [near Prescott Beach, Oregon] a little below the mouth of a creek [Kalama River] on the Stard. Side a little below the mouth of which is an Old Village which is now abandaned-;
here the river is about one and a half miles wide. and deep, The high Hills which run in a N W. & S E. derection form both banks of the river the Shore boald and rockey, the hills rise gradually & are Covered with a thick groth of pine &c. The valley [Columbian Valley] which is from above the mouth of Quick Sand River [Sandy River] to this place may be computed at 60 miles wide on a Derect line, & extends a great Distanc to the right & left rich thickly Covered with tall timber, with a fiew Small Praries bordering on the river and on the Islands; Some fiew Standing Ponds & Several Small Streams of running water on either Side of the river; This is certainly a fertill and a handsom valley, at this time Crouded with Indians. The day proved Cloudy with rain the greater part of it, we are all wet cold and disagreeable- I saw but little appearance of frost in this valley which we call <Wap-pa-too Columbia> from the root or plants growing Spontaniously in this valley only
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We made 32 miles to day by estimation-
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Clark, March 27, 1806 ...
a rainey disagreeable night
rained the greater part of the night
we Set out this morning verry early
[from their camp on Walker Island]
and proceeded on to two houses of the Skil-lute Indians on the South Side
[downstream of Rainier, Oregon]
here we found our hunters who had Seperated from us last evening.
the wind rose and the rain became very hard Soon after we landed here we were very friendly receved by the natives who gave all our party as much fish as they Could eate,
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resumed our voyage at 12 oClock. The principal village of the Skil-lutes is Situated on the lower Side of the Cow-e-lis kee river
[Cowlitz River]
a fiew miles from it's enterance into the Columbia.
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The Cow e lis kee river
[Cowlitz River]
is 150 yards wide, is deep and from Indian information navigable a very conslderable distance for canoes.
it discharges itself into the Columbia about 3 miles above a remarkable knob
[Mount Coffin]
which is high and rocky and Situated on the North Side of the Columbia, and Seperated from the Northern hills of the river by a Wide bottom of Several Miles, to which it united
[today the cities of Longview and Kelso, Washington].
I Suspect that this river Waters the Country lying west of a range of Mountains which passes the Columbia between the Great falls and rapids, and North of the Same nearly to the low country which Commences on the N W. Coast about Latitude 4o [blank] North.
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at the distance of 2 miles above the village at which we brackfast we passed the enterance of this river
[Cowlitz River];
we Saw Several fishing camps of the Skillutes on both Sides of the Columbia, and also on both Sides of this river.
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late in the evening we passed the place we Camped the 5th of Novr.
[Prescott Beach]
and Encamped about 4 miles above at the Commencement of the Columbian Vally on the Stard. Side
[near Goble, Oregon]
below Deer Island
[Deer Island, Oregon].
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[between Prescott Beach and Goble lies Coffin Rock, a basalt feature on the south side of the Columbia, now located on property owned by the Trojan Nuclear Facility]
Saw Cotton wood, Sweet Willow, w[hite] oake, ash and the broad leafed ash the Growth which resembles the bark &c. these form the groth of the bottom lands, whilst the Hills are almost exclusively Covered with the various Species of fir heretofore discribed. the black alder appears on Maney parts of the hills Sides as on the bottoms. before we Set out from the 2 houses where we brackfast we Sent on two Canoes with the best hunters, with orders to pro ceed as fast as they Could to Deer island
[Deer Island, Oregon]
and there to hunt and wait our arrival. we wish to halt at that place and repare 2 of our Canoes if possible. the Indians that visited us this evining remained but a Short time, they passed over to an Island
[Sandy Island ???]
and encamped. the night as well as the day proved Cold wet and excessively disagreeable. we Came 20 miles in the Course of this day.
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