Cape Disappointment
"This Emence Ocian"
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Private Whitehouse thought his captains had named Cape Disappointment “on account of not finding Vessells there,” but it had received the name years earlier.
Search Results for: Cape Disappointment
Douglas in the PNW
Following Lewis and Clark
by Jack Nisbet
Douglas recognized landmarks from Vancouver’s and William Clark’s maps as soon as he sighted Cape Disappointment at the Columbia River’s fearsome bar. The collector continued to name familiar sentinels as he moved inland including “Mount Jefferson of Lewis and Clarke.”
November 19, 1805
Exploring a long beach
Long Beach and Station Camp, WA Clark and his group continue over rugged hills from Cape Disappointment to present-day Long Beach, Washington. At Station Camp, one of the men trades his old razor for a Chinookan woven hat.
November 17, 1805
A disappointing cape
Station Camp near Chinook, WA Having explored Cape Disappointment, Lewis returns to Station Camp without finding any trading ships. Despite his report of a very bad road, several men volunteer to go there with Clark tomorrow.
The Beached Whale
Sacagawea's 'Monstrous fish'
by John W. Fisher
Private Whitehouse and Sergeant Gass recorded that passing Indians told of a whale washed ashore south along today’s Oregon coast. Several days later, Clark set out with twelve men in two canoes to trade for as much blubber as their small amount of merchandise would allow.
Day by Day Radio Episodes
By Yellowstone Public Radio
Originally aired by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial observance in 2004-2006, these 627 episodes parallel the expedition dates starting 14 May 1804 and ending 25 September 1806.
Tillamook Head by Air
Delightful view
by Joseph A. Mussulman
After two hours of “labour and fatigue,” at one point drawing themselves up by bushes and roots, they reached the summit of Bald Mountain. Clark’s description paraphrased by Biddle states, “Here one of the most delightful views in nature presents itself.”
Over Tillamook Head
Clark's point of view
by Joseph A. Mussulman
After passing the salt works and continuing along the “round Slippery Stones under a high hill,” Clark related, “my guide made a Sudin halt, pointed to the top of the mountain and uttered the word Pe Shack which means bad, and made Signs that we . . . must pass over that mountain.
Fort Clatsop
Looking for a winter camp
by Joseph A. Mussulman
They had sketched out a plan for their fort, but it seemed that finding a level spot at least fifty feet square would be next to impossible.
Arrival at the Pacific
Exploring Long Beach
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Clark was pleased that his men appeared “much Satisfied with their trip beholding with estonishment the high waves dashing against the rocks & this emence ocean.”
Station Camp
"the extent of our journey"
by Joseph A. Mussulman
“…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 ….”
Wheeler’s “Trail of Lewis and Clark”
The trail 100 years later
by Barbara Fifer
The story Wheeler wished to tell can be found in his book’s subtitle: “A story of the great exploration across the Continent in 1804-06; with a description of the old trail, based upon actual travel over it, and of the changes found a century later.”
Becoming an American Epic
The connection to children's literature
by Doug Erickson
A reason for their continuing popularity may be traced to nineteenth century literature and the stimulation of interest in reading and teaching that brought fictionalized versions of the Lewis and Clark story to generations of young readers.
The Station Camp Observations
16–24 November 1805
by Robert N. Bergantino
The morning of 16 November 1805 dawned “Clear and butifull.” At noon Clark took advantage of the conditions and made an observation of the sun’s altitude for latitude. He used the sextant and artificial horizon.
The Empty Anchorage
No trade ships at the Columbia
by Arlen J. Large
“the Ocian is imedeately in front and gives us an extensive view of it from Cape disapointment to Point addams,” reported William Clark on 15 November 1805. But he saw no ships at anchor. Nothing.
David Thompson
A convergence with Lewis, Clark, and Jefferson
by Jack Nisbet
The life and times of these three explorers intertwined in a number of odd and interesting ways, often brought together by far-reaching hand of Thomas Jefferson. Tracing these connections opens a window onto every conceivable aspect of the period.
Douglas’s Six Firs
David Douglas's "American Pines"
by James L. Reveal
James Reveal explains how two copies of a Douglas manuscript show he used Lewis and Clark as a reference in his descriptions of six “American Pines.”
The Issues
Chapter 1
by William W. Bevis
Most of the “replica” Lewis and Clark dugout canoes used by re-enactors and sitting in parks or museums are roughly carved, crudely shaped, and weigh from 800 to 3,000 pounds. Actual nineteenth century dugouts can be smoothly finished, finely shaped, and weigh under 200 pounds.
Flag Presentations
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Lewis and Clark usually distributed flags at councils with the chiefs and headmen of the tribes they encountered—one flag for each tribe or independent band.
François Labiche
(unknown–late 1830s), Private
by Robert E. Gatten
Labiche performed all the regular duties of an army private, but also performed well as a French and English interpreter. He would continue serving as an escort with Lewis for Chief Sheheke’s delegation to Washington City.
This page was funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service's Challenge Cost Share Program.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).