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Point Vancouver and Steigerwald Lake NWR, Washington (background) and Rooster Rock, Oregon (foreground).
View from Vista House at Crown Point, Oregon.
Image taken October 10, 2004.
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Point Vancouver ...
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Point Vancouver, Washington.
Point Vancouver, Washington (treed area at river bank), as seen from Interstate-84, Tunnel Pullout, Oregon.
Image taken June 27, 2004.
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"Most beautiful scene" ...
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From Washington Irving's "Astoria" [Washington Irving, 1836, Astoria, or Anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains]:
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"About eight miles above the mouth of the Wallamot the little squadron arrived at Vancouver's Point, so called in honor of that celebrated voyager by his lieutenant when he explored the river. This point is said to present one of the most beautiful scenes on the Columbia; a lovely meadow, with a silver sheet of limpid water in the center, enlivened by wild-fowl, a range of hills crowned by forests, while the prospect is closed by
Mount Hood, a magnificent mountain rising into a lofty peak, and covered with snow; the ultimate landmark of the first explorers of the river.
Point Vancouver is about one hundred miles from Astoria. Here the reflux of the tide ceases to be perceptible. To this place vessels of two and three hundred tons burden may ascend."
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Steigerwald Lake and Point Vancouver, as seen from
Vista House, Crown Point, Oregon.
The Historic Columbia River Highway is in the foreground.
Image taken June 27, 2004.
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Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, looking towards Point Vancouver.
View from Washington State Highway 14, with Mount Hood and Crown Point, Oregon, in the distance.
Image taken, June 29, 2005.
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Early History ...
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In 1792, Lieutenant Broughton, with the Captain George Vancouver expedition, was the first European to travel at any length up the Columbia River. On October 20, 1792, his crew arrived at Point Vancouver and named it after their Captain.
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"Having now passed the sand bank," says Mr. Broughton, "I landed for the purpose of taking our last bearings; a sandy point on the opposite shore bore S.80E., distant about 2 miles; this point terminating our view of the river, I named it after Captain Vancouver; it is situated in latitude 45 degrees 27 minutes, longitude 237 degrees 50 minutes."
In 1841
Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Exploring Expedition surveyed this area, and while Point Vancouver is depicted on his 1841 map, Captain Wilkes did not give the point a name. He did however label today's
Cottonwood Point (downstream approximately 3 miles) "Point Broughton".
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, November 3, 1805 ...
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The Fog So thick [typical of the Pacific Northwest in the fall and spring] this morning that we could not See a man 50 Steps off, this fog detained us untill 10 oClock at which time we Set out [from their camp at Rooster Rock], ...
I walked on the Sand beech Lard. Side, opposit the canoes as they passed allong. The under groth rushes, vines &c. in the bottoms too thick to pass through, at 3 miles I arrived at the enterance of a river [Sandy River] which appeared to Scatter over a Sand bar, the bottom of which I could See quite across and did not appear to be 4 Inches deep in any part; I attempted to wade this Stream and to my astonishment found the bottom a quick Sand, and impassable- I called to the Canoes to put to Shore, I got into the Canoe and landed below the mouth, & Capt Lewis and my Self walked up this river about 1½ miles to examine this river which we found to be a verry Considerable Stream Dischargeing its waters through 2 Chanels which forms an Island [Sandy River Delta, which has had various names throughout history] of about 3 miles in length on the river and 1½ miles wide, composed of Corse Sand which is thrown out of this quick Sand river Compressing the waters of the Columbia and throwing the whole Current of its waters against its Northern banks, within a Chanel of ½ a mile wide, Several Small Islands 1 mile up this river, This Stream has much the appearance of the River Platt: roleing its quick Sands into the bottoms with great velocity after which it is divided into 2 Chanels by a large Sand bar before mentioned, the narrowest part of this River is 120 yards-on the Opposit Side of the Columbia a <large Creek> falls in [Washougal River] above this Creek on the Same Side is a Small prarie [location of Washougal, Washington, and Cottonwood Beach, now the home of Captain William Clark Park]. extensive low country on each Side thickly timbered
[low area upstream of Cottonwood Beach and Captain William Clark Park is the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge].
The Quick Sand river [Sandy River] appears to pass through the low countrey at the foot of those high range of mountains in a Southerly direction,- The large Creeks which fall into the Columbia on the Stard. Side [Washougal River] rise in the Same range of mountains to the N. N. E. and pass through Some ridgey land- A Mountain which we Suppose to be Mt. Hood [Mount Hood, Oregon] is S. 85° E about 47 miles distant from the mouth of quick sand river [Sandy River] This mtn. is Covered with Snow and in the range of mountains which we have passed through and is of a Conical form but rugid- after takeing dinner at the mouth of this river [Sandy River] we proceeded on passed the head of a Island [Lady Island] near the lard Side [???] back of which on the Same Side and near the head a large Creek falls in [Washougal River, today the town of Camas, Washington, lies between Lady Island and the Washougal River], and nearly opposit & 3 miles below the upper mouth of quick Sand river is the lower mouth, [for?] This Island is 3½ miles long, has rocks at the upper point, Some timber on the borders of this Island in the middle open and ponney. Some rugid rocks in the middle of the Stream opposit this Island. <proceeded in> to Center of a large Island in the middle of the river which we call Dimond Isld. [Government Island] from its appearance, here we met 15 Indn men in 2 canoes from below, they informed us they Saw 3 vestles below &c. &c. we landed on the North Side of this Dimond Island and Encamped [on the north side of Government Island, perhaps opposite Fishers Landing], Capt. L walked out with his gun on the Island, Sent out hunters & fowlers- below quick Sand River [Sandy River] the Countrey is low rich and thickly timbered on each Side of the river [on the Oregon side this area is the eastern end of the Columbia Slough, located on the floodplain of the Willamette River with the Columbia River], the Islands open & Some ponds river wide and emence numbers of fowls flying in every direction Such as Swan, geese, Brants, Cranes, Stalks, white guls, comerants & plevers &c. also great numbers of Sea Otter in the river [Harbor Seals] -
a Canoe arrived from the village below the last rapid ...
Capt Lewis borrowed a Small Canoe of those Indians & 4 men took her across to a Small lake in the Isld. ...
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note the mountain we Saw from near the forks proves to be Mount Hood
[Mount Hood, Oregon]
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