Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
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Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Spring Creek, Washington"
Includes ... Spring Creek ... Spring Creek Fish Hatchery ... Hood, Washington ...
Image, 2005, Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington. Image taken February 26, 2005.


Spring Creek Fish Hatchery ...
Spring Creek Fish Hatchery is located at Hood, Washington, at Columbia River Mile (RM) 167.5. The White Salmon River is located upstream and the town of Hood, also home of the Broughton Lumber Mill, is located downstream. A nice view of the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery can be had from across the Columbia at the Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Lewis and Clark and Spring Creek ...
Lewis and Clark passed by the springs located here on October 29, 1805. While they make no mention of it in their journals, they did locate it as "c___ spring" on their route map (Map#78, Moulton, Vol.I).

As Lewis and Clark canoed through this area, Captain Clark wrote in his journal:

"... Here the mountains are high on each Side, those to the Lard. Side has Some Snow on them at this time, more timber than above and of greater variety ..." [Clark, October 29, 1805]

Image, 2006, Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington, as seen from the Columbia Gorge Hotel, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington, as seen from the Columbia Gorge Hotel, Hood River, Oregon. Image taken May 10, 2006.


Hood, Washington ...

The Spring Creek Fish Hatchery is located in Hood, Washington. Hood is a rail station and the lower end of the Broughton Log Flume. The small community was named by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company for Mount Hood, which can be seen across the river in Oregon.
[More]

Image, 2003, Hood, Washington, from Ruthton Overlook, Oregon, click to enlarge
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Hood, Washington, as seen from Ruthton Overlook, Oregon. Hood, Washington, was the end of the line for the Broughton Flume. Image taken October 25, 2003.


Views from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery ...

The area around the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery provides nice views of the Columbia River, including the Hood River Valley upstream, and Mitchell Point downstream. Across the river is the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Image, 2005, View downstream from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
View downstream from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington. Mitchell Point, Oregon, is on the left. Image taken May 1, 2005.
Image, 2005, View downstream from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
View downstream from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington. Image taken February 26, 2005.
Image, 2006, Columbia Gorge Hotel, Hood River, Oregon, as seen from Washington State, click to enlarge
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Columbia Gorge Hotel and Wah Gwin Gwin Falls, as seen from Washington State. View from near the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington. Image taken May 10, 2006.
Image, 2006, Downstream Columbia River, as seen from Spring Creek, click to enlarge
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Columbia River looking downstream, as seen from near Spring Creek. Image taken May 10, 2006.
Image, 2006, Mitchell Point, as seen from Spring Creek, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Mitchell Point, Oregon, as seen from near Spring Creek, Washington. Image taken May 10, 2006.


Canadian Geese ... with young ...

Image, 2005, from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Canadian Geese, from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington. Image taken March 1, 2005.
Image, 2005, from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Canadian Geese with goslings, from Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, Washington. Image taken March 1, 2005.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, October 29, 1805 ...
A cloudy morning wind from the West but not hard, we Set out at day light [from their camp on Rocky Island at Crates Point], and proceeded on about five miles 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 [The Dalles] ...     they are hospitable and good humered Speak the Same language of the inhabitants of the last village, we call this the friendly village [vicinity of Dougs Beach]. ...     after brackfast we proceeded on, the mountains are high on each Side [high basalt cliffs of the Rowena Gap, with Rowena Crest on the south and the Chamberlain Lake area on the north], containing Scattering pine white oake & under groth, hill Sides Steep and rockey; at 4 miles lower we observed a Small river falling in with great rapidity on the Stard. Side [Klickitat River] below which is a village of 11 houses [today the town of Lyle is on the upstream side of the Klickitat], here we landed to Smoke a pipe with the nativs and examine the mouth of the river, which I found to be 60 yards wide rapid and deep, The inhabitants of the village are friendly and Chearfull; those people inform us also those at the last village that this little river is long and full of falls, no Salmon pass up it, it runs from N. N. E. that ten nations live on this river and its waters, on buries, and what game that Can kill with their Bow & arrows

we purchased 4 dogs and Set out- (this village is the of the Same nation of the one we last passed) and proceeded on The Countrey on each side begin to be thicker timbered with Pine and low white Oake; verry rockey and broken [passing Mayer State Park on the Oregon side]. passed three large rocks in The river the middle rock is large long and has Several Squar vaults on it. we call this rockey Island the Sepulchar [Memaloose Island] - The last river we passed we Shall Call the Cataract River [Klickitat River] from the number of falls which the Indians say is on it- passed 2 Lodges of Indians a Short distance below the Sepulchar Island [Memaloose Island] on the Stard. Side river wide, at 4 mile passed 2 houses on the Stard. Side, Six miles lower passed 4 houses above the mouth of a Small river 40 yards wide on the Lard. Side [Hood River] a thick timbered bottom above & back of those houses; those are the first houses which we have Seen on the South Side of the Columbia River, (and the axess to those dificuelt) for fear of the approach of their common enemies the Snake Indians, passed 14 houses on the Std. Side Scattered on the bank- from the mouth of this little river which we shall Call Labeasche River [Hood River], the falls mountain [Mount Hood] is South and the top is covered with Snow. one mile below pass the mouth of a large rapid Stream on the Stard. Side [White Salmon River], opposit to a large Sand bar [from Hood River], in this creek the Indians above take their fish, here we Saw Several canoes, which induced us to call this Canoe Creek [White Salmon River] it is 28 yards wide, about 4 miles lower and below the Sand bar is a butifull cascade falling over a rock of about 100 feet [Wah Gwin Gwin Falls, location of the Columbia Gorge Hotel],

[On the route map (Map#78, Moulton, Vol.1) a "C___ Spring" is shown on the north side of the river, today the location of Spring Creek and Spring Creek Fish Hatchery, with no mention of it in any text. On the south side, at the location of Wah Gwin Gwin Falls, only "Cascade" is labeled and "4 Houses of Indians".]

a Short distance lower passed 4 Indian houses on the Lard. Side in a timbered bottom, a fiew miles further we came too at 3 houses on Stard. Side, back of which is a pond [today the location of Drano Lake. The Little White Salmon River empties into Drano Lake.] in which I Saw Great numbers of Small Swan, Capt. Lewis and went into the houses of those people ...     Here the mountains are high on each Side, those to the Lard. Side has Some Snow on them at this time, more timber than above and of greater variety.





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*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, 2003

Sources:

All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.
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© 2009, Lyn Topinka, EnglishRiverWebsite, All rights reserved.
Images are NOT to be downloaded from this website.
March 2007