Columbia River Explorers

Columbia River Explorers. . Here the Columbia River, the mightiest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the American continents, ends its journey. Native people have lived along the banks of this river and fished its waters for thousands of years., Euro-American exploration of the river began in 1775, when the Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta sailed within sight of its mouth. Treacherous waves breaking over the river bar prevented him from entering; nevertheless he placed the river mouth on Spanish charts., Robert Gray, a Yankee sea captain, brought the first ship over the bar and into the river on May 11, 1792. Gray traded for sea otter and beaver pelts with the Chinooks, who received items in return that were valuable in their wide trading network. Before leaving, Gray named the river after his ship, the Columbia., Later that fall, British naval lieutenant William Broughton traveled and charted 100 miles upriver. His commander, Captain George Vancouver, used "Columbia River" on charts he published in 1798. Seven years later, these charts helped overland explorers Lewis and Clark confirm their exact location when they reached the mouth of the Columbia.,

"About 20 Canoes came off, and brought a good lot of Furs and Salmon -- which last they sold, two for a board nail -- the furs we likewise bought cheap, for copper and cloth." , John Boit's journal, May 11, 1792

, Captions (clockwise from top left): , . Vancouver's chart A Voyage of Discovery, London, 1798. , . Captain Robert Gray Washington State Historical Society , . Chinook lodges and canoes , . The Columbia crossing the bar