Grays Point was named after American Captain Robert Gray, who, in 1792, became the first European to explore the Columbia River.

Portuguese Point is the eastern tip of the broad Grays Point, and is the west entrance point of Grays Bay.

Robert Hitchman wrote in "Place Names of Washington" (1985, Washington State Historical Society):

"Portuguese Point (T9N R9W, Sec. 11) ... A west entrance point of Grays Bay, north bank of Columbia River, south central Pacific County. It was named by early Columbia River navigators, with some evidence that the name ties in with a shipwreck."

Lewis and Clark's route map (Moulton, vol.1, map#82) shows the camp of November 8 and 9, 1805 at Portuguese Point.

Downstream of Grays Point is the old Knappton site and the small Washington community of Megler. Also downstream is Chinook Point, and McGowan and Station Camp, where Lewis and Clark spent ten nights in 1805.

"... We went about 5 miles and came to a bay 12 or 14 miles wide. We had to coast round it, as the wind raised the waves so high we could go no other way. We halted and dined at a point on the north side of the bay, where a small river comes in. We again proceeded on coasting, till we came to a point of land where the bay becomes much narrower; and the water quite salt. The waves here ran so high we were obliged to lie to, and let the tide leave our canoes on dry ground. This point we called Cape Swell; and the bay above, Shallow Bay, as there is no great depth of water. ..." [Gass, November 8, 1805]

"The morning was windy, rainy and disagreeable, and we were obliged to remain at Cape Swell all day ..." [Gass, November 9, 1805]

Lewis and Clark's previous campsite was across from Pillar Rock, and their campsite of November 10 and 11, 1805, was at Hungry Harbor.

"... This bay terminated the researches of Mr. Gray; and to commemorate his discovery it was named after him Gray's Bay. ..." [Broughton, October 23, 1792]

Edmund S. Meany wrote in "Origin of Washington Geographic Names" (1923, University of Washington Press):

"Grays Point ... on the north bank of the lower Columbia River, in Pacific County. Sir Edward Belcher, in 1839, named it "Cape Broughton" in honor of Vancouver's associate, Lieutenant W.R. Broughton, of the 1792 expedition. Captain George Davidson says the Wilkes Expedition, 1841, called it Grays Point. Also that the earliest United States Coast Survey charts showed it as Cape Broughton, while on later ones it is designated Grays Point. (Pacific Coast Pilot, page 463.) One item is a little confused, since Chart 2 in the atlas accompanying the Wilkes Vollume, Hydrography, shows the feature as "Burnie Point", evidently an honor intended for James Birnie, representing the Hudson's Bay Company at Astoria. The name that has prevailed is another honor for the American Captain Robert Gray and naturally arose from the name given the adjacent bay and river."

Lewis and Clark spent the nights of November 8 and 9, 1805 on the Grays Bay side of Grays Point (today called Portuguese Point). They called the point "Cape Swell", after the high tidal waves.

"... The waves here ran so high we were obliged to lie to, and let the tide leave our canoes on dry ground. This point we called Cape Swell ..." [Gass, November 8, 1805]

In 1839, Sir Edward Belcher of the British Admiralty Survey, mapped the point as "Cape Broughton", after British explorer Lieutenant William Broughton of the Captain George Vancouver expedition.

In 1841, Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, called the point "Grays Point" for American Captain Robert Gray who, in May 1792, was the first European to explore the mouth of the Columbia River. Wilkes' map "Sheet No.2 of Columbia River from Astoria to Katalamet Head" shows Portuguese Point labeled as "Burnie Point" and Rocky Point labeled as "Kutzule Pt.". Grays Point is not labeled on the map.

The 1851 map "Mouth of Columbia River", by the Survey of the Coast of the United States" has Grays Point labeled as "Pt. Gray".

"... Cape Broughton is on the north side of the river, N. NW. 3 1/4 miles from Tongue Point, and NE. 1/4 E. 5 3/5 miles from Ellis Point. It was named by Belcher in 1839, but was called Gray's Point by the United States Exploring Expedition. This last designation was also applied by the Coast Survey in 1852. The head between Ellis Point and Cape Broughton was named Chatham Head in 1839. Gray's Bay lies to the NE. of Cape Broughton, and was named, in 1792, in honor of Captain Gray. ... "

From the 1869 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot":

"... It was named by Belcher in 1839, but was called Gray's Point by the United States exploring expedition. On the Coast Survey charts it is called Cape Broughton ..."

In 1875, on the U.S. Coast Survey's Chart No.641, "Columbia River, Sheet No.2", Grays Point and Portuguese Point were labeled "Gray's Pt." and "Portuguese Pt." respectively.

From the 1889 U.S. Coast Survey "Coast Pilot":

"... Gray's Point -- This is the moderately high wooded point on the north side of the river three and five-eighths miles north twenty-eight degrees west (N. 28^o W.) from Tongue Point. It lies four and seven-eighths miles north forty-five degrees east (N. 45^o E.) from Point Ellice. There is as much as ten fathoms of water immediately under the point, but there is no deep channel to the east or to the west. Yellow Bluffs lie four miles north seventy-three degrees east (N. 73^o E.) from this point, and between them lies Gray's Bay. It was named Cape Broughton by Belcher in 1839, but was called Gray's Point by the U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1841. On the earliest Coast Survey charts it was called Cape Broughton, but on the later ones it is designated Gray's Point. The point in the bight between Point Ellice and Gray's Point, now called Cliff Point, was named Chatham Head by Belcher in 1839. There is no name to this bight, but near its deepest part there is a large establishment embracing a cannery and a saw-mill at Knappton, formerly Cementville. The easternmost projection of Gray's Point is known as Portuguese Point. ..."

NOTE: "Yellow Bluffs" is the location of today's Pigeon Bluff, on the eastern point of Grays Bay, downstream of Altoona and Harrington Point.

The 1890 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey's Chart No.6141, "Columbia River, Sheet No.2", matched the 1858 printing with "Gray's Pt." and "Portuguese Pt.". "Gray's Bay" and "Gray's River" were also labeled. However, Deep River was listed as "Alamicut River".