Past & Present

Cultural and historical context for the Northwest Discovery Water Trail — the tribal nations, expeditions, and industries whose stories are bound up with the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia. Originally published on ndwt.org; reused with permission from the Washington Water Trails Association.

1. Tribal CommunitiesIndigenous heritage along the corridor, visiting protocols, tribal sovereignty, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Pending WWTA review.
2. Early Western ExplorersRobert Gray, Lewis & Clark, David Thompson, and the early non-Native expeditions that documented the corridor between 1792 and 1811.
3. Trade & IndustryIndigenous trade networks, Celilo Falls, sternwheelers and railroads, and the federal locks-and-dams that shape the modern corridor.