Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Baker Bay, Washington"
Includes ... Baker Bay ... "Haleys Bay" ... Sand Island ... Ilwaco ...
Image, 2005, Baker Bay from Chinook Point, Washington, from Cape Disappointmetn, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay from Chinook Point, Washington. At high tide. Image taken April 19, 2005.


Baker Bay ...
Baker Bay, Washington, is the first large indentation on the Washington side of the Columbia River after passing Cape Disappointment. The town of Ilwaco, Washington is located inside of Baker Bay, as well as the mouth of the Wallacut River and the mouth of the Chinook River. The upstream end of Baker Bay is at Chinook Point, home of Fort Columbia and Fort Columbia State Park. At the entrance to Baker Bay is located Sand Island.

Captain James Baker ...
The name "Baker Bay" comes from 1792, when William Broughton, of the Captain George Vancouver expedition, named the bay, "Baker's Bay", after a British merchant, Captain James Baker, whose ship was anchored inside the Columbia's mouth when Broughton crossed the bar to explore the river.

"Haley's Bay" ...
As Lewis and Clark left their Megler camp and rounded Point Ellice, they reached a spot which was to become Station Camp. They saw Baker Bay in front of them, with Cape Disappointment in the distance, and Point Adams across the way.

"... as the tide was Comeing in and the Seas became verry high imediately from the Ocian (imediately faceing us) I landed and formed a camp on the highest Spot I could find between the hight of the tides, and the Slashers in a Small bottom     this I could plainly See would be the extent of our journey by water, as the waves were too high at any Stage for our Canoes to proceed any further down.     in full view of the Ocian from Point Adams to Cape Disapointment, I could not See any Island in the mouth of this river as laid down by Vancouver. The Bay which he laies down in the mouth is imediately below me. This Bay we call Haleys bay from a favourate Trader with the Indians which they Say comes into this Bay and trades with them ..." [Clark, November 15, 1805]

They called the bay "Haley's Bay", after the Indians favorite trader, as reported, had anchored in the protected inlet behind Cape Disappointment.


Early Baker Bay ...
Lewis and Clark named Baker Bay "Haley's Bay" on November 15, 1805.

"This Bay we call Haleys bay from a favourate Trader with the Indians which they Say comes into this Bay and trades with them." [Clark, November 15, 1805]

Views ...

Image, 2005, Baker Bay as seen from Fort Columbia, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay as seen from Fort Columbia. The tide is out. Cape Disappointment is in the far distance. Image taken April 19, 2005.
Image, 2004, looking downstream from Station Camp, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Looking downstream from Station Camp. Chinook Point is visible on the right, with Baker Bay just behind. Cape Disappointment is in the far distance. Image taken April 9, 2004.
Image, 2004, Baker Bay from Chinook Point, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay, as seen from Chinook Point, Washington. View from outside Fort Columbia State Park. Image taken April 9, 2004.
Image, 2005, Baker Bay from Chinook Point, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay, as seen from Chinook Point, Washington. View from outside Fort Columbia State Park. Image taken February 19, 2005.
Image, 2004, Baker Bay from Ilwaco, Washington, from Cape Disappointmetn, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay from Ilwaco, Washington. At low tide. Saddle Mountain, Oregon, is visible in the distance. Sand Island is on the right. Image taken April 9, 2004.
Image, 2004, Baker Bay and Ilwaco, Washington, from Cape Disappointmetn, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay and Ilwaco, Washington, from Cape Disappointment. Image taken April 9, 2004.
Image, 2005, Baker Bay from Cape Disappointmetn, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Baker Bay from road to Cape Disappointment. Image taken November 9, 2005.


Baker Bay, etc.

  • Baker Bay - from the "Coast Pilots" ...
  • Chinook River ...
  • Ilwaco ...
  • Sand Island ...
  • Wallacut River ...


Baker Bay - from the "Coast Pilots" ...
The 1858 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot":

"... Baker's Bay lies between Cape Disappointment and Chinook Point. It runs 2 1/2 miles to the northward of the cape, and receives the waters of the small streams which head toward Shoalwater bay, and connect with it by a small portage. The western and largest stream is the Wal-la-khut; the eastern, half-way between the cape and Chinook Point, is the Wap-pa-loo-che. Two or three houses on the shore of the bay, and a saw-mill, are all that remain of the settlement once designated as "Pacific City". The bay was named in honor of Captain Baker, whom Broughton found anchored here in the schooner Jenny, of Bristol, when he entered. ... "

The 1862 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot" also lists the Chinook River as simply the "Wap-pa-loo-che".

The 1889 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot" identifies the river as the "Chinook River" with "Wap-pa-loo-chee" in parentheses.

"... Baker's Bay -- This is the deep recession of the shore to the northward of Sand Island between the extremity of Cape Disappointment and Chinook Point. The western shore of this bay is the east side of the Cape for nearly three miles in a general northerly direction; thence the shore sweeps to the eastward and southeastward for six miles to Chinook Point. The latter stretch of shore is low, bordered by extensive marshes, and receives the waters of the Wallacut and the Chinook Rivers. The Wallacut River (Wal-la-khut) enters at the northernmost bend of the bay shore; it is a small stream coming through marshes from the direction of Shoalwater Bay, which it very nearly reaches. The Chinook River (Wap-pa-loo-chee) enters two miles farther to the eastward; it has more character of a slough, three or four miles long. ..."

From the 1909 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot":

"... Baker Bay is a shoal, open bight eastward of Cape Disappointment formed by the cape and the recession of the land northward. Sand Island, low, lies in front of the bay; a narrow channel immediately eastward and northward of the island leads to Ilwaco, a small town, the terminus of the railroad extending northward to Willapa Bay. The bay is full of shoals and fish traps, and the channel is not navigable at low tide even for light=draft steamers. ..."

From the 1942 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot":

"... Baker Bay is a shoal, open bight, eastward of Cape Disappointment, formed by the cape and the recession of the land northward. Sand Island, low and flat, lies in front of the bay. A channel redredged to 10 feet in 1939 lies eastward and northward of the island. In July 1942, the controlling depth was 8 feet. This channel leads to Ilwaco, a small town on the northern shore. ... Ilwaco is the base for a large fishing fleet. Fuel oil, gas, and water are available; there are facilities for hoisting out 8- to 10-ton fish boats on small marine railways and for making some repairs. There is another channel of shoal depths to the westward of Sand Island. The remainder of the bay is covered with shoals and old, abandoned fish traps, and at low tide, is not navigable even for light-draft river steamers. ..."


Chinook River ...
The Chinook River is a small salmon bearing stream in Southwest Washington that flows into Baker Bay at approximately Columbia River Mile (RM) 6, three miles (as the crow flies) upstream of Ilwaco, Washington, and four miles (along the shoreline) from Chinook Point. Just downstream from the Chinook River is the Wallacut River. The Chinook Indians controlled trade on the Columbia from their village on the north shore; during the winter they migrated to Willapa Bay, protected from southwesterly storms. The name "Chinook" came from the Chehalis Indian name for the Chinook summer village, "cinuk." A hybrid version of the Chinook language came to be known as the Chinook jargon, the language of maritime and river traders.
[More]

Image, 2004, Chinook River, looking upstream, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chinook River, looking upstream. Image taken April 9, 2004.


Ilwaco ...
Ilwaco, Washington, is located in Baker Bay, approximately three miles from the mouth of the Columbia River. Just upstream are the mouths of the Wallacut and Chinook Rivers, and further upstream is Chinook Point. Downstream the Baker Bay shoreline curves towards Cape Disappointment, and Sand Island is located in Baker Bay south from Ilwaco and Black Lake lies to the north.
[More]

Image, 2012, Ilwaco, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ilwaco, Washington. View from the boat dock looking back towards the town. Image taken March 8, 2012.
Image, 2005, House, Baker Bay, from Ilwaco, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		House on Baker Bay, from Ilwaco, Washington. View from the Ilwaco Marina. Image taken April 19, 2005.


Sand Island ...
Sand Island, Washington, is located in Baker Bay across from Ilwaco, Washington and Point Adams, Oregon. Cape Disappointment is located to the west of Sand Island. It was often depicted as "Sandy Island" on early maps. Good views of Sand Island can be had from Chinook Point on the east side of Baker Bay, and from the boat dock below Cape Disappointment.
[More]

Image, 2005, Sand Island at Baker Bay, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sand Island at Baker Bay. Image taken April 19, 2005.


Wallacut River ...
The mouth of the Wallacut River enters Baker Bay just upsream of Ilwaco, Washington. The Chinook River and Chinook Point are upstream. The name "Wallacut" is from the Indian "Walihut" meaning "place of stones". The north side of the river near its mouth is lined with small smooth stones. The Hudsons Bay Company used the short 3-mile stream as a portage to Willapa Bay.
[More]

Image, 2005, Wallacut River looking upstream, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Wallacut River, Washington, looking upsteam. View from Stringtown Road Bridge. Image taken April 19, 2005.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, November 18, 1805 ...


Ordway, November 18, 1805 ...
Cloudy. Capt. Clark myself and 10 more of the party Set out [from their camp at Station Camp] in order to go down and see the passiffic ocean [Pacific Ocean]. we proceeded on round Hailys bay [Bakers Bay] crossed two Rivers [Chinook River and Wallacut River] in Sd. bay [Bakers Bay] . ...     we proceeded on round high clifts of rocks where we had much trouble to pass.- towards evening we arived at the Cape disapointment [Cape Disappointment] on the Sea Shore. went over a bald hill [McKenzie Head] where we had a handsom view of the ocean. we went on a Short distance on the coast and Camped for the night.



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*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, 2003

Sources:
  • NOAA Office of Coast Survey website, 2004;


All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.
/Regions/Places/baker_bay.html
September 2008