Near Cannon Beach in Clatsop County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Ekkoli: A Whale of a Tale
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 24, 2017
1. Ekkoli: A Whale of a Tale Marker
Captions: (bottom right) "The Clat sops brought for Sale Some roots berries and 3 Dogs also a small quantity of fresh blubber this blubber the Indians eat and esteem it excellent food." -- William Clark's journal January 3, 1806; (bottom of the Side-bar) The dense salmonberry fern and salad dominate the understory. It is easy to see why Clark's party took the Indian trail rather than push through such a tangle. The 100-year-old Sitka spruce along the trail today, interspersed with older trees, resemble the forest William Clark saw.
Weary of boiled elk and dog meat, Captain William Clark and a dozen other explorers left their winter encampment at Fort Clatsop on January 6, 1806, in search of the whale beached on present day Cannon Beach. This trek was the farthest west that any member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled. Led along Indian trails by a native guide, the party scaled the north slope of Tillamook Head. In his journal (January 7, 1806) Clark called it "the Steepest worst and highest mountain I ever ascended." Once past Ecola Creek (which Clark named ekkoli, the Chinook word for whale), the party continued south to where they found the "monstrous fish". Clark described it as nothing more than a Sceleton, of 150 feet long.
Local villagers were boiling the blubber and extracting oil from it, and Clark managed to barter for 300 pounds of blubber and a few gallons of oil.
(Side-bar on left:)
Sacagawea eagerly joined the exploration party. As Lewis wrote, "the Indian woman... observed that She had traveled a long way with us to See the great waters, and that now that monstrous fish was also
this page online
Erected by Oregon State Parks.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Native Americans. In addition, it is included in the Lewis & Clark Expedition series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 6, 1806.
Location. 45° 55.907′ N, 123° 58.745′ W. Marker is near Cannon Beach, Oregon, in Clatsop County. Marker can be reached from Ecola State Park Road, on the right when traveling west. This marker is in Ecola State Park on the Tillamook Head Trail; access from the Indian Beach parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cannon Beach OR 97110, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Ecola (approx. 2 miles away); "Cannon Beach" (approx. 2 miles away); A Convenient Place for Making Salt (approx. 4 miles away); Lewis & Clark Salt Cairn (approx. 4.3 miles away); The Saltworks (approx. 4.3 miles away); Site of the Lewis and Clark Salt Camp (approx. 4.3 miles away); Tsunami (approx. 4.8 miles away); Gilbert Inn - 1892 (approx. 4.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cannon Beach.
Additional keywords.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 24, 2017
2. Ekkoli: A Whale of a Tale Marker
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 23, 2017
3. Indian Beach
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2018. It was originally submitted on February 2, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 235 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 2, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
