On May 5, 1806, after taking an overland shortcut from present-day Wallula to the vicinity of Clarkston, the Lewis and Clark Expedition leaves the confines of what is now the state of Washington. From...
In the summer of 1808, Jacques Raphael "Jaco" Finlay (1768-1828) guides five Iroquois trappers from eastern Canada across the Continental Divide. Finlay, a "free hunter" and former and future clerk fo...
On November 1, 1808, the Russian brig Saint Nicholas wrecks just south of the mouth of the Quillayute River at latitude 47 degrees 56 minutes. Although the crew of 20 men and women makes it to shore s...
From September 27 through October 6, 1809, Canadian explorer David Thompson (1770-1857) scouts the Pend Oreille River from Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, downstream through what is now Pend Oreille Count...
In 1810, the Canadian North West Company establishes a fur-trading post called Spokane House where the Little Spokane River joins the Spokane River, about 10 miles downstream from the current location...
On June 23, 1810, Pacific Fur Company partners sign articles of agreement in New York City. This new enterprise aims to monopolize the American fur trade from coast to coast. The wealthy New York merc...
On March 22, 1811, the ship Tonquin out of New York City sights the mouth of the Columbia River. The Tonquin is owned by fur baron John Jacob Astor (1763-1848) of New York and carries charter members ...
On March 26, 1811, on the shore of Cape Disappointment, six Hawaiian Islanders conduct a traditional funeral for one of their countrymen who drowned near the mouth of the Columbia River. The mourners ...
During the first weeks of April 1811, members of the Pacific Fur Company trade with the local Chinook and Clatsop Indians while a small party scouts the north shore of the Columbia River and journeys ...
In early June 1811, David Thompson (1770-1857), Canadian explorer, geographer, and fur trader, visits a village of Kalispel Indians on the Pend Oreille River, then travels to Spokane House, the North ...
On June 17, 1811, David Thompson (1770-1857), Canadian explorer, geographer, and fur trader, sets off north from Spokane House, the North West Company's trading post on the Spokane River. Along the wa...
On June 19, 1811, a party of Canadian fur traders from the North West Company, led by explorer and mapmaker David Thompson (1770-1857), reaches Kettle Falls on the Columbia River. For many years, the ...