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Marker Text:
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Here the
Columbia River, the
mightiest river flowing into
the Pacific Ocean from the
American continents, ends
its journey. Native people
have lived along the banks
of this river and fished its
waters for thousands of
years.
Euro-American
exploration of the river
began in 1775, when the
Spanish explorer Bruno de
Heceta sailed within sight
of its mouth. Treacherous
waves breaking over the
river bar prevented him from
entering; nevertheless he
placed the river mouth on
Spanish charts.
Robert
Gray, a Yankee sea captain,
brought the first ship over
the bar and into the river
on May 11, 1792. Gray traded
for sea otter and beaver
pelts with the Chinooks, who
received items in return
that would ????? in their
wide trading network. Before
leaving, Gray named the
river after his ship, the
Columbia.
Later that
fall, British naval
lieutenant William Broughton
traveled and charted 100
miles upriver. His
commander, Captain George
Vancouver, used "Columbia
River" on charts he
published in 1798. Seven
years later, these charts
helped the overland
explorers Lewis and Clark
confirm their exact location
when they reached the mouth
of the Columbia. |
