The Historic Pacific Highway
in Washington
The Cowlitz Trail
The Historic Pacific Highway
in Washington
The Cowlitz Trail
The Cowlitz Trail
The Cowlitz River Valley is a natural transportation corridor for travel between the Columbia River and Puget Sound. The corridor has been in continuous use for thousands of years and is the ancestral home of the Cowlitz Tribe. The river, begins near Mt. Rainier and flows westward through deep canyons and emerges at Toledo where it follows in a much smoother course southward to the Columbia. The Cowlitz People called the river, the “Coweliske” meaning, “spirit seeker.” They lived along the river and were experts with a canoe. The Cowlitz canoemen were the people who transported practically all the incoming emigrants who were looking for a place to settle on Puget Sound, from the late 1840's until the steamers began to ply the river in the 1860's.
In the book Pioneer Days of Oregon History by Samuel Clarke written in 1905, gives a description of the Cowlitz tribe's territory; "East of the coast mountains on the north of the Columbia, in Washington, and extending to the Cascades, was the domain of the Cowlitz Indians. They had little space on the Columbia, but occupied the wooded valleys and the mountain ranges for a hundred miles north. They fished some, but were chiefly hunters, for there was an immense supply of game in that region, as well as vast stores of acorns, camas roots and berries."
The Cowlitz Trail was the overland route that connected the Cowlitz Corridor to Puget Sound. The Trail began at the Cowlitz Landing, which was located about a mile downstream from Toledo, and terminated at Budd's Inlet on Puget Sound, which is now the city of Tumwater. By 1913, the Cowlitz Trail will have evolved into a section of the Pacific Highway between Toledo and Olympia.
The Cowlitz Landing was at the end of the long and grueling canoe ride up the Cowlitz River, which could take 2 to 4 days to complete. The landing was located about a mile downstream from Toledo. From the landing, the Cowlitz Trail was then used as the overland route to the Chehalis River and further north to Tenino where the trail forked. The left fork was the Cowlitz Trail continuing north to the Puget Sound and the right fork was the trail that led to the Puyallup River and the Naches Trail.
In 1839, the HBC established the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC) as they expanded their operations into farming and started a large farm operation on the Cowlitz Prairie. The prairie is located a few miles north of the Cowlitz Landing. This new operation became known as the Cowlitz Farm. The Cowlitz Farm employed many people and they cultivated more acreage each year, and at it’s peak in 1846, 1,200 acres were fenced and the entire farm encompassed 4,000 acres with 11 barns, 1,000 head of cattle, 2,000 sheep, 200 horses and 100 hogs.
The first mass held on the Cowlitz prairie was in Simon Plamondon’s cabin on December 16, 1838. This is when the missionaries arrived on the Cowlitz. Rev. Francois Norbert Blanchet and Rev. Modeste Demers, settled on land between the Plamondon claim and the Cowlitz Farms. St. Francis Xavier Mission, as it was officially named, became known as the Cowlitz Mission. This is the oldest Catholic church in Washington and is still an active church today. The cemetery next to the mission was first used by the Hudson's Bay Company and Puget Sound Agricultural Company employees.
In 1844, John R. Jackson, took a claim 9 miles north of the Cowlitz Landing on a high plain that is located between the Cowlitz and Newaukum valleys. Jackson’s place would become known as the Highlands and his cabin was the first stopping place for weary travelers going north on the Cowlitz Trail to Puget Sound. In 1850, his cabin became the first courthouse in Washington Territory.
The Newaukum river is a tributary of the Chehalis river, and has 3 branches; the North Fork, the South Fork, and the Middle Fork. All 3 branches of the river converge near the Pacific Highway at the village of Forest on the northeastern side of the Newaukum prairie.
The Cowlitz Trail between the Highlands and the Skookum Chuck ran through the Newaukum and Chehalis river valleys. The low lands between Chehalis and Centralia was first known by the settlers as "Saunders' Bottom" and was almost impassible during the wet season, which can be as long as 9 months a year. This "soggy bottom" land had mud that was so deep it would sink a horse up past its knees.
The Skookumchuck river's headwaters are found in the Huckleberry Mountains , which lie southwest of Mount Rainier between Puget Sound and the Cowlitz river, and flows westward to join the Chehalis at Centralia. Before the massive 1,000 foot thick Puget Sound glacier covered the region during the Ice Age, it is theorized that the Skookumchuck river did not flow through Bucoda but continued northwest across the Frost and Rock prairies and followed Scatter creek to the Chehalis river at Grand Mound.
Before the arrival of the farmer, the plains of Western Washington were covered with large fir and cedar forests. The open places known as prairies, were created a long time ago by the Upper Chehalis, the Cowlitz, and the Nisqually people who burnt the forests to open up areas of land. This was done to create places for their horses to graze, to hunt wild game and to gather camas bulbs. Camas bulbs were a major source of carbohydrates and protein. The prairies would become covered with wildflowers and luxuriant grasses.
The area that surrounds the city of Tenino was originally called Kla-pe-ad-am. This name is said to have been given by the Nisqually people, as this was the southern part of their territory. The Upper Chehalis also used the prairies in the area to hunt wild game, and they fished for salmon in Scatter creek during the spawning season. There is an old legend that Tenino was once a meeting place for the tribes from the Columbia, Willapa, Chehalis, and Cowlitz rivers, and from the Puget Sound, Snoqualmie area, and Eastern Washington. Here they would gather to discuss politics, trade, gamble and socialize. Because of where Tenino is situated this legend is most likely true.
Chain Hill as it is known today is located north of Tenino and lies between two large glacial drainage paths. At the north end of Chain hill is Rocky prairie. During the Ice Age, the Puget Sound glacier was advancing south and overrode the hills north of Tenino, and filled the valley more than 300 feet above it. The glacier did not advance any further than the south hills of Tenino. As the glacier crossed over the top of Chain hill it deposited rocky till on its north side. The rock and gravel raised the elevation of the prairie, and the ensuing melt eroded the prairie leaving the rocky terrain that gives the prairie its name.
After leaving Hodgdon's Station, the Cowlitz Trail crossed over Chain hill and then bumped across the cobblestones of Rocky prairie. After being jostled around in a mud wagon for 8 hard miles, the trail comes to the open grassy fields of the Bush prairie. The prairie is located 5 miles south of Olympia and comprises about 4,000 acres. The prairie has been farmed since the early 1850's. William Owen Bush, son of George Bush had by 1891, cultivated 200 acres of oats, wheat and potatoes. He said his crops improved each year during the 40+ years he farmed on the prairie. The soil was so fertile that William became world champion for his wheat at the Centennial Expo in 1876. Today, Bush prairie is home to the Olympia Regional Airport.
The Deschutes river is one of the largest rivers in Thurston county, and begins its journey to Puget Sound in the Cascade mountains a few miles west of Alder lake near Elbe. The river is a part of the 170 square mile Deschutes watershed. The watershed has 52 river miles and 143 tributaries, and flows through; forests, wetlands, prairies, farmland, and residential communities. As the river descends down the mountain, it flows through ancient volcanic rock and then follows along the north side of the Northcraft Formation, through the town of Vail, before reaching Western Junction and Eaton prairie. Here the river begins to drain through a narrow valley and then cascades over 3 waterfalls and empties into Puget Sound at Budd's Inlet.
Before the city of Olympia was founded in 1850, the area was home to the "Stehtsasamish." They are also known as Statca'sabsh. The Nisqually, who they are related to, called them Steh-chass. Their principle villages were along the shores of Budd's Inlet. Their main village was at Tumwater falls. The village of Bus-chut-hwud was located near 4th Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Olympia. When Sylvester and Smith arrived, there was a bustling village of people going about their business. The Steh-chass lived in huts made from cedar planks that would be located along the shoreline. The beaches would be lined with canoes.
The Nisqually river begins its journey on the southern slopes of Mt. Rainier and flows in a northwest direction and empties into Puget Sound just south of Anderson island at what is known as Nisqually Reach. The Nisqually Reach is a portion of Puget Sound south of the Tacoma Narrows, at the mouth of the Nisqually river and is classified as a bay by the United States Government. It was originally defined as "the portion of the Sound lying between Anderson Island and the mainland." The river is approximately 81 miles long and has a drainage area of 675 square miles. There are a number of creeks and rivers feeding it including the Paradise and Mashel rivers, and Mineral, Ohop, Pyramid and Kautz creeks.
The Steilacoom Plains, encompass an area of about 250 square miles and is located in south Pierce county between the Puyallup river on the north and east, the Puget Sound on the west and the Nisqually river on the south. The Puget Sound Agricultural Company's farms, ranches and sheep stations were all located within the Steilacoom plains, which they called the Nisqually plains. The Steilacoom plains consist of 8 smaller plains or prairies, which the British named; Puyallup plain, American plain, Dairy plain, Squally plain, Elk plain, Muck plain, Canadian plain and Long plain.
In 1833, Fort Nisqually was established. This fort was built near the shores of the Puget Sound a few miles north of the Nisqually river. This post was halfway between Forts Vancouver and Langley. Overland travel to Fort Nisqually used the Cowlitz portage route to the Sound, but not long after, the Hudson's Bay Company began to use the Indian Trail that ran between Tenino and the Nisqually river crossing, which was located new the Red Wind Casino, where it then followed in a NE direction to the fort.
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