Two Rivers Heritage Sculpture Historical Markers

The Washougal area was originally home to the Chinookan and other Indigenous peoples who lived along the Columbia River for thousands of years, using the river as a major transportation and trade corridor from the Pacific Ocean to the interior Columbia Plateau. The population varied over time as tribes settled in the area for the abundant salmon runs on the Washougal and Columbia rivers and for the camas lilies whose roots were a common food source.  During salmon runs people gathered from numerous regional tribes to trade, developing long term relationships and often intermarrying, strengthening their ties. Dentalium and other shells were used as a form of currency and ornamentation.  In a region that became a center of Native American culture, the Chinookan peoples of the lower Columbia became known as master carvers and canoe builders.   Canoes were integral to their lives for fishing, transportation, and trade, becoming a symbol of their deep connection to the rivers and of their rich culture.  On shore, Plank houses were common Chinookan structures used for centuries before European arrival and they are still used today.  The center of the community, these structures were made of cedar logs and planks with the floor typically excavated so that entry required a step down through a circular opening.  Bunks, hearths, food storage, and areas for ceremonies were all encompassed by these structures.

Visit the Two Rivers Heritage Museum to see the Gathering Place, with a design based on Native American tribes along the Columbia River.

In the age of exploration, as expedition leaders of the young nation of the United States of America, founded just 28 years earlier in 1776, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on an epic journey across a land known well to the indigenous peoples, but wild and unknown to the European settlers in the east.  The Louisiana Purchase had been completed in 1803 and in 1804 Lewis and Clark set out to find a route across the newly acquired land, document its geography, create maps, keep records of plants and animals encountered and establish relationships with the native tribes across the land.

On their cross country journey, Lewis and Clark camped near present day Cottonwood Beach in Washougal, between March 31 and April 5, 1806, on their return trip to Independence, Missouri.

Lewis and Clark observed that Cascade peoples to the east built circular pit houses while Chinookan peoples of the tidewater Columbia to the west lived in large multi-family longhouses.  At Cottonwood Beach, both styles were found.

From their campsite at Cottonwood Beach, William Clark led a group of men back down the Columbia to discover the Willamette River, which they had missed on both their outward and return voyages.   

Be sure to visit Cottonwood Beach, just a few short miles from here, to walk along the river near Lewis and Clark’s campsite.

The founding of the town of Washougal depended on acquiring land from two early settlers, an Englishman of the Hudson’s Bay Company and a daughter of Schleyhoos, a Cascade Indigenous Chief.

“The Indian father agreed to give his daughter to the persistent suitor provided that Richard build a house on the river and stay there for all time.”

Richard Ough married White Wing and they were granted a land claim for 640 acres which included much of present-day Washougal.  White Wing, who became known as Betsy, was the mother of 11 children, 6 of whom survived. She and Richard farmed their land and raised 6 children together.  Over time they earned a reputation for being generous in offering food to new settlers and to travelers who passed through. In 1880 they sold a portion of their acreage to Lewis Love, captain of the steamboat Calliope, and Joseph Durgan who then donated a piece of that acreage to establish Washougal.

Walk just up the street to the Washougal Library, adjacent to City Hall,  to view the White Wing mural by artist Toma Villa, honoring “the mother of Washougal.”

In 1880 Durgan and Love built the first dock, call A Good Warf, on 200 feet of waterfront leased from Ough.  In addition to the Calliope, the dock serviced several steamships which loaded and unloaded freight and passengers.  By 1887 there was a mud track from Washougal’s Main Street to the dock, providing farmers with a world market and year-round shipping, helping the town to thrive.  In 1909 Jesse Harkins built Steamboat Landing at the Washougal dock for the first boat of the Harkins Transportation Company.  Once the railroad came to town and good wagon roads were opened to Vancouver, steamboat transportation faded and the landing was used for different purposes.  In the 1920s, Pendleton used a dock on the shoreline for oil barges to deliver oil for heat, then in 1945, the mill deeded the shoreline property to the City of Washougal.  In the 1950s it was called Chet’s Landing and was used for pontoon airplanes.  Then in 1992, the City of Washougal dedicated Steamboat Landing Park with a wooden dock much like the one currently there today. It was and remains a popular spot for fishing, kayaking, and sightseeing. 

Be sure to visit Steamboat Landing Park.  From Reflection Plaza, walk down Pendleton way, through the Pedestrian Tunnel and out to the landing.

Rich soil in the area and access to steamboat transportation to Portland supported farms and dairies in Washougal.  Two notable local families were:

Albert Goot, Sr., a native of Switzerland, rented part of the Ough land claim and part of the land claim of David C Parker, after whom Parker’s Landing is named, and bought additional land, farming about 150 acres.  He raised potatoes, oats, and hay and ran the well-known Goot Swiss Dairy.  Albert Jr. continued the dairy until selling it in 1943. A portion of his land is now Goot Park near the Washougal River Waterway.

In 1914 the Steigerwald family operated a dairy on flood plains where the wildlife refuge is located today.  They kept cattle in a large barn located where the present day  Bi-Mart store is located.

The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway came to Washougal in 1908. Before this,  trade with the rest of the United States relied on steamboat service between Washougal and the Northern Pacific Railway in Portland.

From article that appeared in The Coast magazine in April 1909:

“Washougal, while incorporated as a town less than one year ago, now has its waterworks and fire department; an up-to-date telephone system with lines extended through all the surrounding farming districts. Electric light wires are now being strung, the power for the electric current being taken from the Washougal river inside the corporate limits by the Cottrell Manufacturing Company … . Two new churches have been built within the past year… The order of Odd Fellows have recently erected one of the best equipped lodge buildings in the state. The city has a good school with four teachers. … . A condensed milk factory was erected by our home people the past year . The Clarke County bank has recently erected a handsome concrete building, while many beautiful homes have also been built and are in course of construction. Four large general stores and many other business enterprises of different kinds are enjoying an ever-increasing trade. We have good modern hotels, and reliable real estate agents. The Washougal Sun, edited by Mr. J. A. Hart, a splendid weekly paper, covers a large field.”      

“The electrical era was officially launched in the Camas-Washougal area in 1909. This was when C W Cottrell of Washougal obtained a franchise to provide electric service to the two communities…Cottrell, a pioneer flour miller and merchant and one-time postmaster at Mt Pleasant and Washougal … built a dam on the Washougal River and called his company Western Power and Light…A generating plant was hurriedly installed in the basement of his flour mill…Lines were built to the Washougal post office and to the Camas telephone office.”

In 1909, the Bishop brothers, Clarence, Roy, and Chauncey purchased a defunct mill in the Eastern Oregon frontier town of Pendleton. By September of that year, the first product, Indian Trade Blankets were produced and sold to the local Native Americans of the Columbia Plateau.

Pendleton’s first blanket designer, Joe Rawnsley, often spent months with local tribes, learning their preferences for elements in their blankets.

In 1912  Pendleton Woolen Mills was enlarged with the acquisition of a mill in Washougal, Washington, expanding the fabric variety.  Weaving of tribal blankets takes place at the mill in Pendleton. But the finishing of the blankets — including trimming and sewing on fabric edges as well as tribal patches — takes place at Washougal.

Pendleton blanket patterns are developed by in-house; some based on historic designs created to serve the Native American market.  Others are commissioned Native American artists.

Today, Pendleton is in its sixth generation of family ownership.  While the traditional Pendleton blankets remain a central iconic product, the woolen mills have expanded the product line significantly.

Head south from Reflection Plaza along Pendleton Way to visit the Pendleton Outlet Store and to take a tour of the still operating mill.

The Washougal MX Park is often described as America’s Most Scenic Raceway.

As one of only three natural terrain raceways in America, the Washougal Motocross has been used as the backdrop for National races and television commercials.  With rolling hills surrounded by lush forests, it is a stunning setting that has been home to Pro Motocross Championship series for over 40 years.  It has been operated by the Huffman Family since the 1980’s.

The motocross track is located in rural Washougal, about 20 minutes from Reflection Plaza.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area was established in 1986.  In 1987, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge was created to offset lowland habitat loss caused by construction at the Bonneville dam. These lands were established to mitigate the impact of this loss and provide more habitat for migrating and resident wildlife.  The refuge is the western gateway to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and a major waypoint on east-west migrations.

Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Be sure to visit Steigerwald Lake Wildlife Refuge, located a short distance east of this plaza, directly off highway 14.  Click here for a map.

Levee construction in the 1960s and State Route 14 in the 1970s severed the connection between the town of Washougal and the Columbia River.  In 2009, Washougal residents were reconnected with the river through the newly constructed Pedestrian Tunnel.

The SR-14 Pedestrian Tunnel connects Pendleton Way to the Levee Trail to the east, and the connector trail to Washougal Waterfront Park to the west. The Levee Trail is a path from Steamboat Landing to William Clark Regional Park and Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge.

Walk directly  south on Pendleton Way from Reflection Plaza. The pedestrian tunnel is just past the Pendleton Building. 

For millennia the Washougal River provided an abundance of salmon, steelhead, trout, and other fish. Logging in the early 20^th century, which used a series of dams along the river to ferry logs downstream, severely damaged fish spawning beds. Today’s river has recovered from the disruptions of that era, and is now considered one of the most pristine rivers in the west.  The river is a major recreational attraction. In high water drift boats and kayaks frequent the river. In warm weather swimmers flock to sites such as the Sandy Swimming Hole, the Big Eddy, Dougan Falls, and Naked Falls farther upstream.  In 2024 the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Columbia Land Trust removed the only remaining dam in the entire Washougal watershed, meaning the entire basin allows barrier free fish passage to the ocean and back. 

Please visit the Two Rivers Heritage Museum, 1 Durgan St, Washougal in person to see the amazing collection of historical artifacts and photographs of from our region’s past.  Until you can make it there, here is a brief video introducing you to the museum.