The brass monument nearby is provided by the Idaho Society of Professional Land Surveyors in cooperation with the National Geodetic Survey to commemorate the “Lewis and Clark” Corps of Discovery campsite at Canoe Camp, Idaho.
. . . — — Map (db m110468) HM
Lewis and Clark called this place Canoe Camp.
For 11 days in 1805 the Corps of Discovery camped here in the company of Nez Perce while building five canoes for the journey to the Pacific.
For thousands of years before that, this riverbank was . . . — — Map (db m110465) HM
Guided by Twisted Hair and several other Nez Perce, Capt. William Clark selected this as a camp site because of the many large ponderosa pines that grew here then. The canoe makers chopped out small portions of the pine logs, then used fire or . . . — — Map (db m109875) HM
Welcome to
Canoe Camp
One of 38 sites of Nez Perce National Historical Park
These grounds have been inhabited for thousands of years by the Nez Perce people, but are best known as the place where the Lewis and Clark . . . — — Map (db m109872) HM
Ever since the first cross-cut saws were heard in the remote forests of Clearwater County in the late 1800s, the Clearwater River played a major role in the timber industry of this area. The river served as a means of transportation and by the early . . . — — Map (db m159486) HM
After more than a month’s search, they finally had reached a westward river where they could use canoes.
From here they continued another 16 miles with their pack horses before they found a campsite with trees suitable for making canoes.
But at . . . — — Map (db m109757) HM
When the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery entered this area in September 1805, they were not only hungry, but still anxious to locate a water route to the Pacific Ocean.
Under the direction of a Nez Perce headman, Twisted Hair, the explorers . . . — — Map (db m159484) HM
Orofino is situated on the north and south banks of the Clearwater River.
The area’s mild climate and convenient location made it a thriving Nez Perce village site long before Lewis and Clark stopped here in 1805.
Lumberjack Days
. . . — — Map (db m109888) HM
Low mounds and depression in the ground here give only the faintest impression of villages that stood on both banks of the river. These are the remains of pit houses, built 1,500 to 2,000 years ago. Imagine the scene then: people spearing fish, . . . — — Map (db m109876) HM
...then crossed the River at a shole place the water to the horses bellies." - Sgt. John Ordway, Sept. 26, 1805
Clearwater Crossings
Long before we had highways and bridges, people crossed the river at this location. What . . . — — Map (db m159488) HM
Routes Through History
Travel through the rugged Clearwater River region has not always been on smooth, paved highways. Routes on land began as game trails, then foot paths which grew into horse paths. Many of these historic routes paid . . . — — Map (db m159490) HM
Canoe Camp is part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park and a key site along the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway
An Interesting Drive
The 202-mile Northwest Passage Scenic Byway stretches from Lewiston to Lolo Pass on US Highway . . . — — Map (db m109886) HM
