Columbia River to Pacific Ocean Oct 1805-April 1806

The Lewis and Clark expedition approached the End of the Trail in the Fall 1805 where the Columbia finally reached the Pacific! The team dynamics were so strong that Lewis and Clark organized a vote on whether to stay on the Northwest coast for the damp and cold winter or to attempt a late Fall return to the East which is what many on the expedition were yearning for. Contrasted to the stern command and punishing lashes of the British Navy at the time, this approach exemplified the early democracy of the USA and enabled the buy-in needed to last the winter.

They smartly voted for a winter camp which was built on the banks of a tributary of the Columbia near what is now Astoria, Oregon. They spent the long winter documenting their journey and kept structure with daily tasks such as boiling seawater to make salt to season their bland meat diet. This complimented the more dependable salmon diet. The best methods of fishing and smoking the fish were learned from the local Indians.

Miraculously the expedition completed the entire journey with only one loss of life (from suspected appendicitis.) The corps made the journey in Spring 1806 all the way back to St Charles and St Louis, Missouri.