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April 2, 1806: William Clark and Men Camp Near Cathedral Park

April 2, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

Cathedral Park St Johns Bridge - Portland Oregon
By Ian Poellet (User:Werewombat) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

William Clark and seven men took a small side trip down the Willamette River on their way back East. They spent the night of April 2, 1806 camped just downstream of the current location the St. Johns Bridge and Cathedral Park, across the river from Linnton.

Clark wrote in his journal of the spot:

The Current of the Multnomar is as jentle as that of the Columbia glides Smoothly [26] with an eavin surface, and appears to be Sufficiently deep for the largest Ship. I attempted fathom it with a Cord of 5 fathom which was the only Cord I had, could not find bottom ⅓ of the distance across. I proceeded up this river 10 miles from it’s enterance into the Columbia to a large house on the N E. Side and Encamped near the house, the flees being So noumerous in the house that we could not Sleep in it.

Not fond of the fleas, the group turned around the next day and made their way back towards the Columbia.

Filed Under: History, Oregon, Portland, This Day in History

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