Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Sillusi Butte, Washington"
Includes ... Sillusi Butte ... "Dumbarton Castle" ... McNary Wildlife Nature Area ...
Image, 2003, Sillusi Butte, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sillusi Butte, Washington, as seen from McNary Wildlife Nature Area, Oregon. View from just off of Highway 730, at Columbia River Mile 291, just east of Umatilla, Oregon. Image taken September 26, 2003.

"... I observed a great number of Lodges on the opposit Side at Some distance below and Several Indians on the opposit bank passing up to where Capt. Lewis was with the Canoes, other I Saw on a knob nearly opposit to me ..."
[Clark, October 19, 1805]


Sillusi Butte ...
Sillusi Butte is 927 feet elevation, and located on the Washington State side of the Columbia at River Mile (RM) 291. Sillusi Butte overlooks McNary Dam and is just upstream of the Interstate 82/395 Bridge linking Umatilla, Oregon, with Plymouth, Washington. Across the river from Sillusi Butte is the McNary Wildlife Nature Area, and two miles downstream is the mouth of the Umatilla River.

Early Sillusi Butte ...
From the Tacoma Public Library's "Washington Place Names" database (2019):

"This butte with an elevation of 1017 is on the north side of the Columbia River above the site of Umatilla Rapids in southern Benton County. "The name is that of an Indian maiden of Umatilla legend who traveled up the river to find her warrior lover had been buried head first in the ground..." to form the butte. She jumped from the butte and her body turned into the point of rock that is known as nearby Sillusi Point."

Early Maps ...

Historic Map, 1907, Plymouth and Umatilla, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		1907 Topographic map detail, Plymouth, Washington, and Umatilla, Oregon. Includes Umatilla and the Umatilla River, Oregon, and Plymouth and Sillusi Butte, Washington, along with the Columbia River and the "Devils Bend Rapids" and "Umatilla Rapids". Original map 1:125,000 "Umatilla Quadrangle", Washington-Oregon, U.S. Geological Survey, 1908 edition.


Lewis and Clark and Sillusi Butte ...
Lewis and Clark first passed through the Sillusi Butte area on October 19, 1805. Captain Clark commented on the "knob" across the river.

"... I observed a great number of Lodges on the opposit Side at Some distance below and Several Indians on the opposit bank passing up to where Capt. Lewis was with the Canoes, other I Saw on a knob nearly opposit to me ..." [Clark, October 19, 1805]

"Dumbarton Castle" ...
Alexander Ross (Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River, published in 1849) journeyed upstream on the Columbia River in 1811 and reached the Umatilla River on August 10th, arriving at the foot of the Umatilla Rapids. From camp they viewed what presumably was Sillusi Butte across the river.

"... On the 10th, at an early hour, we proceeded on our voyage, and met with no obstacle till the evening, when we arrived at the foot of a long and strong rapid, where we encamped near the mouth of a considerable river called Umatallow, which enters the Columbia here. This river takes its rise in a long range of blue mountains, which runs nearly east and west, and forms the northern boundary of the great Snake nation. Opposite to our encampment, on the west side, is situated a large mound or hill of considerable height, which, from its lonely situation and peculiar form, we called Dumbarton Castle. ..." [Ross, August 10, 1811]

Views ...

Image, 2005, McNary Dam and Sillusi Butte from McNary Beach, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		McNary Dam and Sillusi Butte, from McNary Beach, Oregon. Image taken September 25, 2005.
Image, 2004, Sillusi Butte from McNary Dam Overlook, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sillusi Butte, Washington, as seen from McNary Dam Overlook, Oregon. Image taken September 24, 2004.
Image, 2003, Columbia River, Sillusi Butte, Washington, and Interstate 82/395, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Columbia River, Sillusi Butte, Washington, and Interstate 82/395 Bridge. Sillusi Butte and the Interstate 82/395 Bridge crossing the Columbia River, as seen from Umatilla, Oregon. Image taken September 26, 2003.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, October 19, 1805 ...



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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:
  • Mountain Men and the Fur Trade website, 2007;
  • Tacoma Public Library's "Washington Place Names" database, 2019;
  • Umatilla Chamber of Commerce website, 2004;
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District 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/sillusi_butte.html
September 2008