Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Dog Creek, Washington"
Includes ... Dog Creek ... Campsite of April 13, 1806 ... Dog Creek ... Dog Creek Falls ... "Western Star" Excursion Train, July 6, 2005 ...
Image, 2012, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Dog Creek Falls, Washington. Dog Creek is on the east side of Dog Mountain. Image taken June 15, 2012.


Dog Creek ...
Dog Creek is located on the Washington side of the Columbia at River Mile (RM) 161, just upstream of Collins Creek. It follows the east side of Dog Mountain.

Dog Creek Falls ...
Dog Creek Falls is 30 feet high and 10 feet wide, and can be seen from Washington State Highway 14. Dog Creek Falls is one of many falls in the Columbia River Gorge.

Lewis and Clark and Dog Creek ...
Lewis and Clark pass the Dog Creek area on October 30, 1805, but make no mention of the creek. On their return however, they camped on its right bank on April 13, 1806.

Campsite of April 13, 1806 ...
On April 13, 1806, while Captain Lewis was on the Oregon side of the Columbia trying to purchase a canoe to replace one of their damaged canoes, Captain Clark proceeded up the Washington shore to the mouth of the Wind River, a river Lewis and Clark called "Cruzats River". Here he expected to find a party of hunters they had sent out two days earlier. Not finding them at Wind River, Clark and his men proceeded on upstream and set up camp at a spot at the base of Dog Mountain, between Collins Creek and Dog Creek, two creeks marked on the route map but not named [Moulton, vol.1, map#78]. Clark's campsite flag shows the camp to be very near the western (right bank) mouth of Dog Creek.

"... I with the two large Canoes proceeded on up the N.W. Side with the intention of gitting to the Encampment of our hunters who was derected to hunt in the bottom above Crusats River, and there wait the arival of Capt. Lewis. I proceeded on to the bottom in which I expected to find the hunters but Could See nothing of them.    the wind rose and raised the waves to Such a hight that I could not proceed any further.     we landed and I sent out Shields and Colter to hunt ... I walkd to Crusats river and up in 1/2 a mile     on my return to the party found that the wind had lulled and as we Could See nothing of our hunters. I deturmined to proceed on to the next bottom where I thought it probable they had halted     at the next bottom formed a Camp and Sent out all the hunters. I also walked out my self on the hills but saw nothing. ..." [Clark, April 13, 1806]

Lewis and Clark's previous campsite was on the Washington side of the Columbia River near Ashes Lake, and their campsite of April 14, 1806, was also on the Washington side of the Columbia River near Major Creek.


Image, 2012, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		View towards right bank of Dog Creek, Washington. View from the left bank of Dog Creek, towards Washington State Highway 14, near its mouth with the Columbia. Image taken June 15, 2012.


Views ...
Dog Creek and Dog Creek Falls can be reached from Washington State Highway 14. There is a parking lot to the east and an easy walking path to the creek and falls. The Falls can also be seen from the Highway heading west.

Image, 2004, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Dog Creek Falls, Washington, as seen from Washington Highway 14. Image taken November 4, 2004.
Image, 2012, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Dog Creek at falls. Image taken June 15, 2012.
Image, 2012, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		View upstream, Dog Creek, Washington. View from the left bank of Dog Creek near its mouth with the Columbia, looking upstream/ Image taken June 15, 2012.
Image, 2004, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Dog Creek, Washington, as seen from Washington Highway 14. Image taken November 4, 2004.
Image, 2012, Dog Creek Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Dog Creek from below falls, looking downstream. Image taken June 15, 2012.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, October 30, 1805 ...




Clark, April 13, 1806 ...



Columbia River GorgeReturn to
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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:
  • McArthur, L.A., and McArthur, L.L., 2003, Oregon Geographic Names, Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland;
  • Tolan, T.L., Beeson, M.H., and Vogt, B.F., 1984, Exploring the Neogene History of the Columbia River: Discussion and Geologic Field Trip Guide to the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Geology, Vol.46, No.8, August 1984, and Vol.46, No.9, September 1984, Published by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries;
  • U.S. Forest Service website, 2004, Pacific Northwest Region;
  • Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest 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/dog_creek.html
June 2012