Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Pierce Island and Ives Island, Washington"
Includes ... Pierce Island ... Ives Island ... "Mosquito Island" ...
Image, 2004, Pierce Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pierce Island, Washington. Pierce Island as seen from boat launch at Beacon Rock State Park, Washington, off of Washington State Highway 14. Image taken October 27, 2004.


Pierce Island and Ives Island ...
Pierce Island (westernmost) and Ives Island (easternmost) lie on the Washington side of the Columbia River just downstream (south) of Beacon Rock and Pierce National Wildlife Refuge. Behind Pierce Island lies Woodard Creek where it merges with the Columbia River. Pierce Island and Ives Island are remnants of the Bonneville Landslide.

How Many Islands ? ...
On their journey downstream towards the Pacific Ocean, Lewis and Clark noted three islands near the north shore of the Columbia River near Beacon Rock. In his journal Clark wrote --

"... passed the Lowr. point of Strawberry Isd.     at 3 miles, a Isd Covd with wood below on Stard. Side     a remarkable high rock on Stard. Side about 800 feet high & 400 yds round, the 'Beaten' Rock. The mountains and bottoms thickly timbered with Pine Spruce Cotton and a kind of maple     Passed 2 Small wooded Islands on Std. Side, below the lower Island on the Stard. Side ..." [Clark, November 2, 1805, first draft]

This matches with their route map [Moulton, vol.1, map#79] which shows three small islands just off the Washington shore by "Beatin Rock" (Beacon Rock), just downstream of a much larger island, "Strawberry Island", known today as Hamilton Island.

"... passed three Islands covered with tall timber opposit the Beatin rock Those Islands are nearest the Starboard Side ..." [Clark, November 2, 1805]

However, in April, 1806, on the journey back home Lewis and Clark mention only two islands:

"... passed under the beacon rock on the north side, to the left of two small islands situated near the shore ..." [Lewis, April 9, 1806]

"... and passed under the Beacon rock on the North Side of two Small Islds. Situated nearest the N. side ..." [Clark, April 9, 1806]

The 1860 Cadastral Survey by the Surveyor General's Office, Washington Territory, shows two islands in this area. On the T2N, R6E, survey Beacon Rock shown but not labeled, with a large island just offshore labeled "Pierce's Island". On the T2N, R7E survey, a smaller island just upstream (today's Ives Island) is shown but not named.

The 1911 USGS topographic map of the area, the Mount Hood Quadrangle (1911, 1:125,000) shows two islands, the upstream-most one not identified, while the downstream-most one is identified as "Pierce I.".


Bonneville Landslide ...
Pierce Island and Ives Island, along with Hamilton Island (located just upstream), are remnants of the Bonneville Landslide which temporarily blocked the Columbia River and was birth to the legend of the Bridge of the Gods.
[More]

Views ...

Image, 2004, Pierce Island and Woodard Creek, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pierce Island and Woodard Creek, Washington. Pierce Island (left), Woodard Creek (running through lower middle ground), the Columbia River (left to center) with Warrendale, Oregon, in the background. View from boat launch at Beacon Rock State Park, Washington, off of Washington State Highway 14. Image taken October 27, 2004.
Image, 2016, Columbia River at Beacon Rock, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Columbia River from Beacon Rock. Pierce Island is on the right and Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is on the left. Aldrich Butte is just visible on the left. Image taken September 26, 2016.
Image, 2005, Ives Island from Hamilton Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ives Island from Hamilton Island, Washington. Pierce Island is in the background, right. Image taken April 2, 2005.
Image, 2005, Ives Island and Beacon Rock, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ives Island and Beacon Rock, Washington. View from Hamilton Island, looking downstream. Image taken April 2, 2005.


Pierce and Ives Islands, etc.

  • Pierce Island ...
  • Ives Island ...


Pierce Island ...
Pierce Island is a 200-acre Nature Conservancy preserve dedicated to protecting native riverine flora and fauna. The island is home to a variety of birds and mammals, including geese, ducks, ospreys, and beavers. No camping, pets, or fires are permitted on Pierce Island, and visitors are requested to only stay for a brief time and leave no trace.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office (GLO) Records database shows a Thomas Pierce being issued a land title on July 2, 1866, for 147.34 acres of parts of T1N R6E Section 5, under the 1820 "Sale-Cash Entry".

The 1860 cadastral survey map (tax map) has the island labeled "Pierce's Island".

An early name for Pierce Island was "Mosquito Island". In 1899 "The Dalles Daily Chronicle" posted (October 19, 1899, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2016):

"The plaintiff in the case alleged that his wife took passage on the steamer Inland Flyer for Washougal. The master of the steamer refused to land at that place, and carried her to Mosquito island, about twenty miles above, and put her ashore with the understanding that the Dalles City would stop and pick her up."

According to THe Nature Conservancy website (2016):

"A Columbia River refuge: WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT. A mighty river. Shady woodlands of black cottonwood, willow and ash. And sometimes the insects that gave this special place its original name: Mosquito Island. Situated in one of the last major free-flowing stretches of the Columbia River, the Pierce Island Preserve offers spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge and Beacon Rock."

Image, 2004, Pierce Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pierce Island, Washington. Pierce Island as seen from boat launch at Beacon Rock State Park, Washington, off of Washington State Highway 14. Image taken August 1, 2004.
Image, 2005, Pierce Island, Dodson boat ramp, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pierce Island, Washington, and the boat ramp near Dodson, Oregon. Downstream tip of Pierce Island. The Bonneville Dam area can be seen in the background. Image taken October 22, 2005.
Image, 2005, Pierce Island, Dodson boat ramp, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pierce Island, Washington, from the boat ramp near Dodson, Oregon. Downstream tip of Pierce Island. Image taken October 22, 2005.
Image, 2016, Pierce NWR and Pierce Island from Beacon Rock, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pierce National Wildlife Refuge (left) and Pierce Island (right) as seen from Beacon Rock boat ramp, Skamania County, Washington. Aldrich Butte is also visible on the left. Image taken September 26, 2016.


Ives Island ...
Ives Island is part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and is managed by the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Camping is permitted on Ives Island only.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office (GLO) Records database also shows Sherman B. Ives being issued a land title on July 11, 1892, for 54 acres of parts of T2N R7E, Section 30, under the 1862 "Homestead Entry Original".

The 1860 cadastral survey map (tax survey) shows an un-named island in the location of today's Ives Island.


Image, 2006, Ives Island from Hamilton Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ives Island from Hamilton Island, Washington. Image taken July 2, 2006.
Image, 2006, Ives Island and Beacon Rock, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ives Island. View from Hamilton Island, looking downstream. Image taken July 2, 2006.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, November 2, 1805 ...




Clark, April 9, 1806 ...


Lewis, April 9, 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:
  • Hay, K.G., 2004, The Lewis and Clark Columbia River Trail, Timber Press, Portland;
  • Hill, R., 1999, A New Look at an Old Landslide, from the Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, September 29, 1999, and presented on the U.S. Geological Survey Landslides Hazards website, 2004;
  • Oregon Bureau of Land Management website, 2005;
  • The Nature Conservancy website, 2011;
  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management website, 2006, General Land Office Records;
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, 2004;
  • Washington State University Library website, 2004, "Early Washington Maps: A Digital Collection";


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/pierce_island.html
October 2016