Click image to enlarge
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Mill Creek, Cowlitz County, Washington.
View from near mouth, off of Washington Highway 4.
Image taken November 9, 2005.
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Mill Creek ...
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Mill Creek, Washington, begins in Wahkiakum County, and then flows east to Cowlitz County, where it enters the Columbia River at River Mile (RM) 54, on the east side of
Oak Point. Mill Creek was named for a water-powered mill which was built at the mouth of the creek in 1848 by Alexander S. Abernethy.
A bit upstream of Mill Creek is Abernethy Creek. Good views of Crims Island and Mount St. Helens can be had from the mouth of Mill Creek.
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Early Mill Creek ...
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The 1858 Cadastral Survey (tax survey) for T8N R4W had Mill Creek named "North Fork of Abernethy's Mill Creek" and "South Fork of Abernethy's Mill Creek", while today's Abernethy Creek was depicted but not named. A "Store" was shown on the right bank of "Abernethy's Mill Creek" at its mouth, and the Abernethy home was shown upstream, about half way between today's Mill Creek and today's Abernethy Creek. Germany Creek, upstream of today's Abernethy Creek, was labeled "Nequally Creek".
The 1878 U.S. Coast Survey's Chart No.6142, "Columbia River, Sheet No.3", had today's Mill Creek labeled "Negisticook Cr." and today's Abernethy Creek labeled "Nequally Cr.". Germany Creek was depicted but not named. A "Light (White)" was located at the location of today's Stella.
In 1937 the U.S. Board of Geographic Names made "Mill Creek" the official name.
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Columbia River from Mill Creek ...
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Gull Island and Crims Island, downstream tips.
Downstream tips of Gull Island (left) and Crims Island (right), as seen from
Washington State, just downstream of Mill Creek.
Image taken November 9, 2003.
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Mount St. Helens from Mill Creek ...
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Click image to enlarge
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Mount St. Helens from Mill Creek, Washington.
View from downsteam Mill Creek near Oak Point.
Bunker Hill is on the left and Gull Island is on the right.
Image taken June 16, 2004.
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Click image to enlarge
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Mount St. Helens from Mill Creek, Washington.
View from downsteam Mill Creek near Oak Point. Bunker Hill is on the left.
Image taken July 28, 2005.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, November 6, 1805 ...
A cool wet raney morning we Set out [from their camp at Prescott Beach] early at 4 miles pass 2 Lodges of Indians in a Small bottom on the Lard Side I believe those Indians to be travelers. opposit is <the head of a long narrow Island close under the Starboard Side [Cottonwood Island], back of this Island two Creeks fall in about 6 miles apart,>
[Cowlitz River delta, Longview, Washington. Today the "two Creeks" are the Cowlitz River and Coal Creek Slough.]
and appear to head in the high hilley countrey to the N. E. opposit <this long Island is 2 others one Small and about the middle of the river> the other larger and nearly opposit its lower point [today the location of Walker Island and Lord Island complex], and opposit a high clift of Black rocks [Green Point, location of Mayger, Oregon] on the Lard. Side at 14 miles;
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here the hills leave the river on the Lard. Side, a butifull open and extensive bottom [Clatskanie River delta] in which there is an old Village, one also on the Stard. Side a little above both of which are abandened by all their inhabitents except Two Small dogs nearly Starved, and an unreasonable portion of flees—
The Hills and mountains are covered with Sever kinds of Pine—
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Some willow on the waters edge, passed an Island 3 miles long and one mile wide [Crims Island], <one> close under the Stard. Side below the <long narrow Island> below which the Stard Hills are verry from the river bank and Continues high and rugid on that Side all day,
...
[Lewis and Clark pass, but do not mention today's Germany Creek, Abernethy Creek, and Mill Creek]
we came too to Dine on the long narrow Island [Crims Island] found the woods So thick with under groth that the hunters could not get any distance into the Isld.
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river about one mile wide hills high and Steep on the Std. [cliffs of Oak Point] no place for several Miles suffcently large and leavil for our camp we at length Landed at a place [Eagle Cliff and Cape Horn, Wahkiakum County] which by moveing the Stones we made a place Sufficently large for the party to lie leavil on the Smaller Stones Clear of the Tide Cloudy with rain all day we are all wet and disagreeable, had large fires made on the Stone and dried our bedding and Kill the flees, which collected in our blankets at every old village we encamped near
I had like to have forgotten a verry remarkable Knob [Mount Coffin, Longview, Washington, now destroyed] riseing from the edge of the water to about 80 feet high, and about 200 paces around at its Base and Situated <on the long narrow Island> [Longview, Washington area, the Cowlitz River delta]
above and nearly opposit to the 2 Lodges we passed to day, it is Some distance from the high land & in a low part of the Island [Cowlitz River delta]
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Lewis, March 26, 1806 ...
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