Lewis and Clark Alpowa Summit

The board's roadless area was crossed on a shortcut the Walla Walla people had told the captains about, and on the morning of May 4, 1806, the party came down what is now Alpowa Creek to the Snake. A pack horse carrying mostly ammunition slid off one of the steep slopes into the creek; neither horse nor load was hurt. At a lodge of six Nez Perce families they bought two lean dogs with much difficulty and made soup of half-cured root bread. Tetoharsky, who had guided them downriver the autumn before, met them there.

What the plaque says

Lewis and Clark Early in May, 1806, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with a 30-man party and 23 pack horses passed eastward through this roadless area after wintering near the ocean at their western terminus - Fort Clatsop. They were short of food, horses and trade goods, living on the land from day to day. From the Snake River crossing, these intrepid explorers crossed the Rocky Mountains and were boisterously welcomed at St Louis on September 23. Their overland trip to the Pacific Ocean was a factor in establishing American claims to the "Oregon Country." Erected by - Historical Sites and Markers Commission State Highway Commission

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Lewis and Clark Enter Washington — 16 mi
• Lewiston's Chinese Community — 19 mi
• Tsceminicum — 19 mi
• John Silcott — 19 mi