Excerpts from:
Brevet Captain J.C. Fremont, 1845, Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-'44.
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Under Construction ...
The weather was pleasant, with a sunrise temperature of 36o.
Our road to-day had in it nothing of interest; and the country offered to
the eye only a sandy, undulating plain, through which a scantily timbered
river [Walla Walla River] takes its course.
We halted about three miles above the mouth, on account of grass;
and the next morning arrived at the Nez Perce fort ["Old" Fort Walla Walla],
one of the trading
establishments of the Hudson Bay Company, a few hundred yards above the
junction of the Walahwalah [Walla Walla
River] with the Columbia river. Here we had the first view of this
river, and found it about 1,200 yards wide, and presenting the appearance
of a fine navigable stream. We made our camp in a little grove of willows
on the Walahwalah [Walla Walla River], which are the only trees to be seen in the
neighborhood; but were obliged to send the animals back to the encampment
we had left, as there was scarcely a blade of grass to be found. The post
is on the bank of the Columbia, on a plain of bare sands, from which the
air was literally filled with clouds of dust and sand, during one of the
few days we remained here; this place being one of the several points on
the river which are distinguished for prevailing high winds, which come
from the sea. The appearance of the post and country was without
interest, except that we here saw, for the first time, the great river on
which the course of events for the last half century has been directing
attention and conferring historical fame. The river is, indeed, a noble
object, and has here attained its full magnitude. About nine miles above,
and in sight from the hieghts about the post, is the junction of the two
great forks which constitute the main stream -- that on which we had been
travelling from Fort hall, and known by the names of Lewis's for,
Shoshonee, and Snake river [Snake River]; and the North fork, which has retained the
name of Columbia, as being the main stream. ...
The road continued along the river, and in the course of the day Mount St.
Helens, another snowy peak of the Cascade range, was visible [most likely Mount Adams], another snowy peak of
the Cascade range, was visible. We crossed the Umatilah river [Umatilla River] at a fall
near its mouth. This stream is of the same class as the Walahwalah river [Walla Walla River],
with a bed of volcanic rock, in places split into fissures. ...
In a few miles we descended to the river [Columbia River], which we reached at one of
its remarkably interesting features, known as the Dalles of the
Columbia [the rapids at The Dalles, Oregon].
The whole volume of the river at this place passed between
the walls of a chasm, which has the appearance of having been rent through
the basaltic strata, which form the valley of rock of the region. At the
narrowest place we found the breadth, by measurement, 58 yards, and the
average height of the walls above the water 25 feet; forming a trough
between the rocks --- whence the name, probably applied by a Canadian
voyageur. The mass of water, in the present low state of the river,
passed swiftly between, deep and black, and curled into many small
whirlpools and counter currents, but unbroken by foam, and so still that
scarcely the sound of a ripple was heard. The rock, for a considerable
distance from the river, was worn over a large portion of its surface into
circular holes and well-like cavities, by the abrasion of the river,
which, at the season of high waters, is spread out over the adjoining
bottoms.
In the recent passage through this chasm, an unfortunate event had occured
to Mr. Applegate's party, in the loss of one of their boats, which had
been carried under water in the midst of the Dalles, and two of Mr.
Applegate's children and one man drowned. This misfortune was attributed
only to want of skill in the steersman, as at this season there is no
impediment to navigation; although the place is entirely impassable at
high water, when boats pass safely over the great falls above, in the
submerged state in which they then find themselves.
We passed rapidly three or four miles down the level valley, and encamped
near the mission. [Methodist Mission at The Dalles, Oregon] ...
We glided on without further interruption between very rocky and high steep mountains, which sweep along the river valley at a little distance, covered with forests of pine, and showing occasionally lofty escarpments of red rock. Nearer, the shore is bordered by steep escarped hills and huge vertical rocks, from which the waters of the mountain reach the river in a variety of beautiful falls, sometimes several hundred feet in height. Occasionally along the river occurred pretty bottoms, covered with the greenest verdure of the spring. ...
A few miles below the cascades we passed a singular isolated hill [Beacon Rock]; and in the course of the next six miles occurred five very pretty falls from the heights on the left bank, one of them being of a very picturesque character [Multnomah Falls vicinity]; and towards sunset we reached a remarkable point of rocks, distinguished, on account of prevailing high winds, and the delay it frequently occasions to the canoe navigation, by the name of Cape Horn [Cape Horn, Washington]. It borders the river in a high wall of rock, which comes boldly down into deep water; and in violent gales down the river, and from the opposite shore [Dalton Point, Oregon], which is the prevailing direction of strong winds, the water is dashed against it with considerable violence. It appears to form a serious obstacle to canoe travelling; and I was informed by Mr. Perkins, that in a voyage up the river he had been detained two weeks at this place, and was finally obliged to return to Vancouver.
...
Wherever we came in contact with the rocks of these mountains, we found them volcanic, which is probably the character of the range; and at the time, two of the great snowy cones, Mount Regnier [Mount Rainier] and St. Helens [Mount St. Helens], were in action. On the 23d of the proceding November, St. Helens had scattered its ashes, like a light fall of snow, over the Dalles of the Columbia [The Dalles, Oregon], 50 miles distant. A specimen of these ashes was given to me by Mr. Brewer, one of the clergymen at the Dalles.
...
We had to-day an opportunity to complete the sketch of that portion of the river down which we had come by night, and of which I will not give a particular description, which the small scale of our map would not illustrate. Many places occur along the river, where the stumps, or rather portions of the trunks of pine trees, are standing along the shore, and in the water, where they may be seen at a considerable depth below the surface, in the beautifully clear water. These collections of dead trees are called on the Columbia the submerged forest [such as the Submerged Forest at Wind Mountain], and are supposed to have been created by the effects of some convulsion whch formed the cascades [Cascade Locks vicinity], and which, by damming up the river, placed these trees under water and destroyed them. But I venture to presume that the cascades are older than the trees; and as these submerged forests occur at five or six places along the river, I had an opportunity to satisfy myself that they have been formed by immense land slides from the mountains, which here closely shut in the river, and which brought down with them into the river the pines of the mountain. At one place, on the right bank, I remarked a place where a portion of one of these slides seemed to have planted itself, with all the evergreen foliage, and the vegetation of the neighboring hill, directly amidst the falling and yellow leaves of the river trees. It occurred to me that this would have been a beautiful illustration to the eye of a botanist.
Following the course of a slide, which was very plainly marked along the mountain, I found that in the interior parts the trees were in their usual erect position; but at the extremity of the slide they were rocked about, and thrown into a confusion of inclinations.
About 4 o'clock in the afternoon we passed a sandy bar in the river, whence we had an unexpected view of Mount Hood, bearing directly south by compass [probably Hood River vicinity].
During the day we used oar and sail, and at night had again a delightful camping ground, and a dry place to sleep upon.
The day again was pleasant and bright. At 10 o'clock we passed a rock island, on the right shore of the river, which the Indians use as a burial ground [probably Memaloose Island]; and, halting for a short time, about an hour afterwards, at the village of our Indian friends, early in the afternoon we arrived again at the Dalles [The Dalles, Oregon].
...
We made, in the mean time, several excursions in the vicinity [The Dalles, Oregon, preparing for their journey south along the banks the The Deschutes River to Klamath Lake, and onward to California]. Mr. Perkins walked with Mr. Preuss and myself to the heights, about nine miles distant, on the opposite side of the river, whence, in fine weather, an extensive view may be had over the mountains, including seven great peaks of the Cascade Range; but clouds, on this occasion, destroyed the anticipated pleasure, and we obtained bearings only to three that were visible: Mount Regnier [Mount Rainier, Washington, although most likely Fremont was seeing Mount Adams, Washington], St. Helens [Mount St. Helens, Washington], and Mount Hood [Mount Hood, Oregon]. On the heights, about one mile south of the mission [The mission at The Dalles was towards the southwest in today's city], a very fine view may be had of Mount Hood and St. Helens. In order to determine their positions with as much accuracy as possible, the angular distances of the peaks were measured with the sextant, at different fixed points from which they could be seen.
This morning we had a grand view of St. Helens [Mount St. Helens] and Regnier [Mount Rainier, would suspect however that Fremont actually was looking at Mount Adams]: the latter appeared of a conical form, and very lofty, leading the eye far up into the sky. ...
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