Snake River and Clearwater River
We reached our farthest point upstream aboard the Sea Lion in Clarkston, Washington, early this morning. The town is located about 140 miles up the Snake River and is on the opposite bank from Lewiston, Idaho. I think everyone figured out where the town names came from without being told. While our beloved ship remained berthed at Clarkston all day, we divided into two groups and went off in different directions, with different quests. One group went off in a coach to explore the Clearwater River Valley and visit several sites associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. We also spent some time at Heart of the Monster, a Nez Perce sacred site near Kamiah (pronounced KAM-ee-ai), Idaho, where Lee Hamilton, a wilderness survival teacher, taught us how to start a fire with two sticks, brain-tan an animal hide, make cordage from cattails, and other useful survival techniques.
The second group boarded a jet boat docked right next to the ship and proceeded about 60 miles farther up the Snake River into the famous Hell’s Canyon. As expected, we saw some truly gorgeous scenery in the heavily eroded gorge (is that where the word ‘gorgeous’ comes from?) as we maneuvered at high speed through white water, eddies, upwellings, fast-moving water, and even a few quiet stretches. Our helmsman, Frank, was very gung-ho and seemed to know everyone on the river. Perhaps the highlight was a great view of a small herd of mountain sheep, which included three large rams with impressive horns.
Everyone from both groups ended up at the Nez Perce Historical Park, near Spalding, in the late afternoon in order to view its magnificent collection of Indian artifacts. We learned that in 1836, Henry Spalding established a Presbyterian mission nearby to evangelize and minister the Nez Perce Indians living at the confluence of Clearwater River and Lapwai Creek. Over the next 10 years, Reverend Spalding collected many beautiful examples of Nez Perce clothing, tools, weapons, musical instruments, and other artifacts. See the accompanying photo of a man’s decorated elk hide shirt. He gave the collection to his friend, Dr. Dudley Allen, and after half a century or so, it ended up in Oberlin College. In the mid-20th century, it was procured by the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus and became known as the Spalding-Allen Collection. The Nez Perce people, with help from the U.S. National Park Service, borrowed the collection and put it on temporary display at the Nez Perce Historical Park from 1981 to 1995. When it came time to return the items to Ohio, the Nez Perce Tribe offered to buy the entire collection in order to keep these important artifacts among the people from whence they originated. A fund raising event was formed in Seattle and enough money was procured (with help from Lindblad Expeditions, I’m proud to say) to satisfy the assessed value and it is now back in the hands of the Nez Perce people.
We reached our farthest point upstream aboard the Sea Lion in Clarkston, Washington, early this morning. The town is located about 140 miles up the Snake River and is on the opposite bank from Lewiston, Idaho. I think everyone figured out where the town names came from without being told. While our beloved ship remained berthed at Clarkston all day, we divided into two groups and went off in different directions, with different quests. One group went off in a coach to explore the Clearwater River Valley and visit several sites associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. We also spent some time at Heart of the Monster, a Nez Perce sacred site near Kamiah (pronounced KAM-ee-ai), Idaho, where Lee Hamilton, a wilderness survival teacher, taught us how to start a fire with two sticks, brain-tan an animal hide, make cordage from cattails, and other useful survival techniques.
The second group boarded a jet boat docked right next to the ship and proceeded about 60 miles farther up the Snake River into the famous Hell’s Canyon. As expected, we saw some truly gorgeous scenery in the heavily eroded gorge (is that where the word ‘gorgeous’ comes from?) as we maneuvered at high speed through white water, eddies, upwellings, fast-moving water, and even a few quiet stretches. Our helmsman, Frank, was very gung-ho and seemed to know everyone on the river. Perhaps the highlight was a great view of a small herd of mountain sheep, which included three large rams with impressive horns.
Everyone from both groups ended up at the Nez Perce Historical Park, near Spalding, in the late afternoon in order to view its magnificent collection of Indian artifacts. We learned that in 1836, Henry Spalding established a Presbyterian mission nearby to evangelize and minister the Nez Perce Indians living at the confluence of Clearwater River and Lapwai Creek. Over the next 10 years, Reverend Spalding collected many beautiful examples of Nez Perce clothing, tools, weapons, musical instruments, and other artifacts. See the accompanying photo of a man’s decorated elk hide shirt. He gave the collection to his friend, Dr. Dudley Allen, and after half a century or so, it ended up in Oberlin College. In the mid-20th century, it was procured by the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus and became known as the Spalding-Allen Collection. The Nez Perce people, with help from the U.S. National Park Service, borrowed the collection and put it on temporary display at the Nez Perce Historical Park from 1981 to 1995. When it came time to return the items to Ohio, the Nez Perce Tribe offered to buy the entire collection in order to keep these important artifacts among the people from whence they originated. A fund raising event was formed in Seattle and enough money was procured (with help from Lindblad Expeditions, I’m proud to say) to satisfy the assessed value and it is now back in the hands of the Nez Perce people.
