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Crow Butte, Washington, as seen from the west.
View from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken May 24, 2005.
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Crow Butte ...
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Crow Butte lies on the Washington side of the Columbia River at River Mile (RM) 262. Just downstream is Alder Creek, where Lewis and Clark spent the night of April 24, 1806. Upstream lies Canoe Ridge, and across from Crow Butte on the Oregon side lies the site of the historic community of Castle Rock. Before flooding of the valley behind the John Day Dam, Crow Butte was a part of the Washington shore. Now it is an island with a causeway connecting it to shore. Crow Butte Park (formerly Crow Butte State Park) is located on the island.
Crow Butte and Crow Butte Park are 28 miles downstream (west) of
Plymouth, Washington, and can be reached from Washington State Highway 14.
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Crow Butte, Washington, as seen from Tower Road, Oregon.
Image taken September 24, 2004.
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Crow Butte Park ...
(Crow Butte State Park)
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Crow Butte Park (formerly Crow Butte State Park) is a 397-acre camping, day-use, and boating park administered by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
In August 2002 Crow Butte State Park closed to the public due to budget cuts. It re-opened as Crow Butte Park in August 2003, with a private manager. The land is owned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Crow Butte, along with three other eastern Washington state parks which closed in 2002, were on land leased to the State of Washington by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. The Corps built the parks in the 1960s and 1970s as
compensation for recreational opportunities that were lost when the Snake
and Columbia rivers were dammed. It then handed them over to the state
to operate.
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Crow Butte Park, Washington.
View from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken May 24, 2005.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, October 20, 1805 ...
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A cool morning wind S. W. we concluded to delay untill after brackfast which we were obliged to make on the flesh of dog. after brackfast we gave all the Indian men Smoke, and we Set out leaveing about 200 of the nativs at our Encampment [near Irrigon, Oregon]; passd. three Indian Lodges on the Lard Side a little below our Camp [Irrigon, Oregon] which lodges <we> I did not discover last evening, passed a rapid at Seven miles one at a Short distance below we passed a verry bad rapid, a chane or rocks makeing from the Stard. Side and nearly Chokeing the river up entirely with hugh black rocks, an Island below close under the Stard. Side on which was four Lodges of Indians drying fish,- here I Saw a great number of pelicons on the wing, and black Comerants. at one oClock we landed on the lower point of <Some> an Island at Some Indian Lodges, a large Island on the Stard Side nearly opposit and a Small one a little below on the Lard Side on those three Island I counted Seventeen Indian Lodges,
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[Lewis and Clark are passing through the Blalock Islands area. Today most of the islands are beneath the waters of Lake Umatilla, the reservoir behind the John Day Dam. In this vicinity are today's Boardman, Whitcomb Island, Canoe Ridge, slightly downstream is Crow Butte and historic Castle Rock, along with the many lands of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge.]
after diner we proceeded on to a bad rapid at the lower point of a Small Island on which four Lodges of Indians were Situated drying fish; here the high countrey Commences again on the Stard. Side [Alder Ridge] leaveing a vallie of 40 miles in width, from the mustle Shel rapid [Umatilla Rapids at the McNary Dam]. examined and passed this rapid close to the Island at 8 miles lower passed a large Island near the middle of the river a brook on the Stard. Side [Alder Creek] and 11 Islds. all in view of each other below, a riverlit [Willow Creek] falls in on the Lard. Side behind a Small Island a Small rapid below. The Star Side is high rugid hills [Alder Ridge], the Lard. Side a low plain and not a tree to be Seen in any Direction except a fiew Small willow bushes which are Scattered partially on the Sides of the bank
The river to day is about ¼ of a mile in width; this evening the Countrey on the Lard. Side [area around Arlington, Oregon] rises to the hight of that on the Starboard Side [Columbia Hills], and is wavering- we made 42 <days> miles to day [to Roosevelt, Washington]; the current much more uniform than yesterday or the day before. Killed 2 Speckle guls Severl. ducks of a delicious flavour.
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