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Crates Point, Oregon.
As seen from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken July 5, 2003.
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Crates Point ...
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Crates Point, Oregon, is located between Columbia River Mile (RM) 185 and 186, with Rocky Island another half mile upstream. The Crates Point Light, at RM 186.5, is located on Rocky Island. The downstream end of the point, at RM 185, is labeled "Squally Point" . A railroad station known as Crates is located near the point. Crates Point marks the upper end of the Columbia River Gorge. The Dalles, Oregon lies another few miles upstream, and downstream are the basalts of the
Rowena Gap and Mayer State Park, with Dougs Beach State Park located on the Washington side of the Columbia.
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Crates Point, Oregon.
As seen from Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, The Dalles, Oregon.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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Campsite of October 28, 1805 ...
Lewis and Clark's campsite of October 28, 1805, was on the Oregon side of the river, under a "clift of rocks", in the vicinity of Crates Point, Oregon. The route map [Map#78, Moulton, Vol.1] shows the camp nearly in the middle of Crates Point.
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"... We continued on our way a short distance further down the River, when the Wind rose so high from the Westward, & the Waves ran also so high, that our officers thought it dangerous to proceed. We came too with our Canoes under a Clift of rocks, which lay on the South side of the River. We had several squalls of wind during this day. We encamped on the So. side of the River. One of our party killed one Deer, & wounded another; in the Evening, near a small pond; a short distance back from the River, which deer he brought to our Camp. ..."
[Whitehouse, October 28, 1805]
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"... North 1 mile to a rock Island on the Stard. Side. we had not landed long eer an Indian Canoe Came from below with 3 Indians in it, those Indians make verry nice Canoes of Pine. Thin with aporns & Carve on the head imitation of animals & other heads; ... great many Indians came down from the uppr Village & Sat with us, Smoked, rained all the evenig & blew hard from the West encamped on the Lard Side opsd. an Rock in a verry Bad place ... "
[Clark, October 28, 1805, first draft]
Gary Moulton states Lewis and Clark's camp was located in Wasco County, Oregon, a few miles below today's city of The Dalles, in the vicinity of Crates Point, and above Rowena. It is near the archaeological site of Bad Place (after Lewis and Clark), an area occupied primarily after 1400 A.D.
Lewis and Clark's previous campsite was at Rock Fort, and their campsite of October 29, 1805, was on the Washington side near the Little White Salmon River.
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Crates Point, Oregon, as seen from downstream.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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Rocky Island ...
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Rocky Island is located along the Oregon shore at Columbia River Mile (RM) 186.5. The two small islands across from Rocky Island which hug the Washington shore are called "Squaw Islands". Transmission lines from Bonneville Power cross the Columbia on these islands. Only one island is shown on Lewis and Clark's route map [Map#78, Moulton, Vol.1].
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Columbia River, Rocky Island, near Crates Point, Oregon.
View from Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, The Dalles, Oregon.
Image taken March 20, 2004.
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Early Crates Point ...
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Crates Point and Crates were named for Edward Crate, a French Canadian who came to Oregon in 1838 as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. Edward Crate settled in the area in 1850, and in 1851 filed a land claim (under the spelling "Crete") for the area of Crates Point, which he selected because it was adapted to landing boats.
On an Oregon 1860 cadastral survey (tax survey) for T2N R13E, "Rocky Island" was depicted and named and the peak at Crates Point was depicted but not named.
On the 1865 cadastral survey, Edward Crate had 640.93 acres as Claim No.38 in the Crates Point area. Rocky Island was depicted but not named and the peak of Crates Point was not depicted nor named.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, show a Edward Crete and Sophia Crete being issued a land title for 640.94 acres on January 16, 1882, for parts of T2N R13E Sections 16, 17, 20, and 21, under the 1850 "Oregon-Donation Act".
According to Lewis L. McArthur (Oregon Geographic Names, 2003):
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"... the Indian name of the locality of Crates Point was Thleyap Kamoon, which referred to a variety of freshwater mussels. These were gathered and used for a great feast and general good time. ..."
McArthur also writes:
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"... In a list of Indian names for localities near The Dalles, Doctor McKay gives Kat-ka Talth for the mountain at Crates Point. ..."
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Slopes, Crates Point, Oregon.
As seen from Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, The Dalles, Oregon.
Image taken March 20, 2004.
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Columbia Gorge Discovery Center ...
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Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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Wagon, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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Covered Wagon, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, October 28, 1805, first draft ...
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a windey morning loaded our Canoes and Set out at 9 oClock a m ...
Wind from West
N. 50° W. 2 miles Cove in a Lard. bend Clift of rocks on each Side of
90 feet high, fiew pine
N. 10° W. 2 miles to an Indian village of the Chee-luck-it-te-quar nation of
8 houses in the form of those above, passed the mouth of a
Small Creek
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the wind rose and we were obliged to lie by about 1 mile below on the Lard. Side
North 1 mile to a rock Island on the Stard. Side. we had not landed long eer an Indian Canoe Came from below with 3 Indians in it, those Indians make verry nice Canoes of Pine. Thin with aporns & Carve on the head imitation of animals & other heads;
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rained all the evenig & blew hard from the West encamped on the Lard Side opsd. an Rock in a verry Bad place
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Clark, October 28, 1805 ...
A cool windey morning we loaded our Canoes and Set out at 9 oClock, a. m. [Rock Fort] ...
we proceeded on river inclosed on each Side in high Clifts of about 90 feet of loose dark coloured rocks
at four miles we landed at a village of 8 houses on the Stard. Side under Some rugid rocks, Those people call themselves Chil-luckit-te-quaw, ...
here we purchased five Small Dogs, Some dried buries, & white bread made of roots, the wind rose and we were obliged to lie by all day at 1 mile below on the Lard. Side.
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wind blew hard accompanied with rain all the evening, our Situation not a verry good one for an encampment, but Such as it is we are obliged to put up with, the harbor is a Safe one [Rocky Island at Crates Point], we encamped on the Sand wet and disagreeable ...
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Gass, October 28, 1805 ...
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Just before day light there was a shower of rain; but at sun rise the morning was fine and clear. At 8 o'clock we embarked, went about 4 miles, and halted at a small village of the natives and got some dogs from them. Here we stayed about an hour and proceeded on again for about a mile, when we were compelled to stop on account of the wind, which blew so hard ahead that we were unable to continue our voyage. In the course of the day there were some showers of rain. In the evening one of the men went out and killed a fine deer. We were in good safe harbour and remained there all night, accompanied by the natives.
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Ordway, October 28, 1805 ...
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rained hard the later part of last night. cleared up this morning we then loaded the canoes and Set out proceeded on down a fiew miles and halted at a Small village on the Stard side where we bought several dogs Some berrys &C. Saw a british musket copper tea kittles &C. among them. we then went on a Short distance further the wind rose So high N W that obledged us to halt on the Lard. Side under Some clifts of rocks. the Indians came in their canoes to our camps. one of the party killed a Deer and wounded another this evening a Short distance back near a pond. a little rain this evening.
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Whitehouse, October 28, 1805 ...
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We continued on our way a short distance further down the River, when the Wind rose so high from the Westward, & the Waves ran also so high, that our officers thought it dangerous to proceed. We came too with our Canoes under a Clift of rocks, which lay on the South side of the River. We had several squalls of wind during this day. We encamped on the So. side of the River. One of our party killed one Deer, & wounded another; in the Evening, near a small pond; a short distance back from the River, which deer he brought to our Camp.
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