Lewis and Clark River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lewis and Clark River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 20 mi (32 km) long, in northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains a part of the Coast Range in the extreme northwest corner of the state, entering the Columbia near its mouth. The river is the site of the former Fort Clatsop of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and is named for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
It rises in the mountains of central Clatsop County south of Saddle Mountain State Natural Area. It flows WNW then north, parallel to the coast and approximately 5 mi (8 km) inland. It enters the Youngs Bay on the Columbia at Astoria. The site of Fort Clatsop is located approximately 1.5 mi (2.5 km) upstream from the mouth of the river.
The river was called the Netul River by Lewis and Clark, and the Native American Clatsop people who were living in the area at the time. The river flows through Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, designated as a National Historical Park in 2004.
The river is widely known in the region as an excellent place to catch the bottom-feeding sturgeon, which is a popular sport fish in the area, and is home to an extensive salmon repopulation program, just outside of Astoria, Oregon proper, that is currently run by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The salmon fry, called "fingerlings" can be seen writhing and jumping within their net-lined pens along the river's eastern banks.
