The Hells Canyon massacre (also known as the Snake River massacre ) was a massacre where thirty-four Chinese goldminers were ambushed and murdered in May 1887. In 2005, the area was renamed Chinese Massacre Cove , and a memorial was placed there in 2012 in three languages, Chinese , English , and Nez Perce .
150-619: Two groups of Chinese miners, led by Chea Po and Lee She, departed Lewiston in October 1886 and headed upriver along the Snake into Oregon's Hells Canyon to search for gold. Chea's group stopped on the Oregon side of the Snake, near Robinson Gulch and the cove where Deep Creek empties into the Snake. Lee's group continued upriver to Salt Creek. Chea Po had chosen a location just upstream of Dug Bar,
300-533: A ford used by horse and cattle thieves to cross the Snake. Dug Bar was named for Thomas J. Douglas, a thief who had used the area to graze his horses. Douglas was killed in 1883, and a gang led by Bruce Evans, known locally as "Old Blue", began using Douglas's abandoned cabin in the spring of 1887, approximately 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) downstream from Chea Po's camp. The gang consisted of Evans, J.T. ("Tigh") Canfield, C.O. (Homer) LaRue, Frank Vaughn, Carl (or Hezekiah) Hughes, Hiram Maynard and Robert McMillan,
450-516: A 27-minute documentary Massacre At Hells Canyon . The television show Leverage aired an episode on Jan.1, 2012 called The Gold Job using the story of the Snake River Massacre as the back story for their con. 45°46′48″N 116°39′18″W / 45.780°N 116.655°W / 45.780; -116.655 Lewiston, Idaho Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho , United States, in
600-721: A day through each season. Every year, with cooperation from the city, Lewis-Clark State College hosts the Avista NAIA ;World Series for college baseball in May, and the Lewiston Round Up rodeo in September. The Lewiston Round Up is a member of the Big ;4 or Big Money 4 (along with Pendleton Round-Up , Walla Walla Fair and Rodeo, and Ellensburg Rodeo ) and a top 50 PRCA rodeo. Lewiston had
750-579: A drainage area of 1,250 square miles (3,200 km ), or 30 percent of the entire watershed. The Grande Ronde River's watershed is located mostly in Union and Wallowa Counties in Oregon and Asotin County in Washington, with small parts extending into Umatilla County, Oregon and Columbia and Garfield counties in Washington. The Blue Mountains, mostly rising to about 7,700 feet (2,300 m), form
900-693: A farmer would delight to establish himself, if he were content to live in the seclusion it imposes." Starting in the 1840s, settlers began to move through the area on the Oregon Trail , which passed through northeast Oregon roughly following the route of the Hunt expedition. From Idaho, the trail traveled up the Burnt River and through Baker Valley before entering the Grande Ronde Valley via Ladd Canyon. Passing through La Grande, it crossed
1050-540: A federal official who investigated the crime, later wrote "every one was shot, cut up and stripped and thrown in the River." Lee She's group went to visit Chea Po's group at Robinson Gulch in early June 1887, and found three bodies in the deserted, ransacked camp; they fled in terror to Lewiston, where they reported the crimes. A news article published in July 1887 called the corpses a "severe warning to Chinese miners" and blamed
1200-641: A few streams due to the effects of logging, mining and agriculture. The Grande Ronde, Wenaha, and Wallowa Rivers and their tributaries host eleven surviving bull trout populations. Redband trout and Pacific lamprey are federally designated species of concern . Other native and introduced fish species in the Grande Ronde watershed include mountain whitefish , brook trout , northern pikeminnow , peamouth chub , longnose dace , speckled dace , redside shiner , largescale sucker , bridgelip sucker and mountain sucker . The Grande Ronde watershed occupies
1350-491: A fifteen-year-old boy. In late May 1887, May 25 according to Stratton, the gang of seven white horse gang members robbed, murdered, and mutilated between 10 and 34 Chinese employees of the Sam Yup Company , reportedly for their gold. Estimates of the value of gold stolen range from $ 4,000 to $ 50,000. According to a contemporaneous news article, the gold dust was given to Canfield for safekeeping, but he double-crossed
1500-506: A granite monument measuring 4 by 5 feet (1.2 by 1.5 m) in May 2012. It was engraved with words in three languages: English , Nez Perce , and Chinese . It was dedicated on June 22, 2012. Chinese Massacre Cove. Site of the 1887 massacre of as many as 34 Chinese gold miners. No one was held accountable. Celmen Waptamaawnin' Toqooxpa 1887 wiwapciyaawnin' Mita' aptit wax piilept celmenm maqsmaqs kicuy pi'lyaw'aat Weet'u 'isii wepsisukin' 華工浴血灘 一八八七年 三十多名金礦華工 在此慘遭殺戳 至今無人入罪 Two episodes of
1650-536: A large geologic depression , the "Troy basin". A landscape of shallow lakes and peat bogs developed; over millions of years, layers of peat were buried under sediment, forming lignite (low-grade coal) seams which appear in the Grouse Creek area near Troy. By 10 Ma the area had begun to drain northeast down an ancestral Grande Ronde river channel. Some of the later basalt eruptions flowed down this channel and spread over southeastern Washington. At this time,
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#17327797694631800-524: A major factor in forming wetlands, creating a diversity of water depths and vegetation communities that provided shade and food sources for salmon and other fish. Robert Stuart , a member of Hunt's 1811 expedition, described the wetlands as such: "This plot is at least six miles in circumference, in but few places swampy, of an excellent soil, and almost a dead level; with the Glaize [Grande Ronde] and its two branches meandering in every direction through it –
1950-406: A modern account, Vaughn stayed behind to prepare dinner while the other six rode to ambush the miners. McMillan minded the horses; Canfield and LaRue shot from the rim of Robinson Gulch, while Evans shot from the river level; Hughes and Maynard were positioned upstream and downstream to catch any miner who tried to flee along the river. Their surprise attack was successful, and all ten of the miners at
2100-559: A motive to steal gold from the Chinese miners. He believed the arrested culprits wanted to eliminate the Chinese miners from the area as well, which they successfully accomplished. In contrast to most accounts, Findley recalled only 31 confirmed victims, and there was no mention of a trial. On the other hand, Horner believed that the event was a spur-of-the-moment event and affected 34 confirmed victims. The schoolboys initially only planned to steal horses, but they experienced difficulty crossing
2250-399: A narrow canyon before entering the Grande Ronde Valley at the city of La Grande . The Grande Ronde Valley, measuring about 35 miles (56 km) from north to south and up to 15 miles (24 km) from east to west, consists mostly of irrigated farmland and also includes the communities of Union , Cove , Imbler and Summerville . The river once flowed in a large U-shaped bend through
2400-670: A popular Northwest League professional baseball franchise from 1952 through 1974. The Lewis-Clark Broncs were affiliated with various major league parent clubs, including the Philadelphia Phillies , Kansas City Athletics , St. Louis Cardinals , Baltimore Orioles , and Oakland Athletics (or A's). A roster check in 1967 showed that 40% of the players and coaches of the Kansas City Athletics had been in Lewiston at one time or another. Reggie Jackson
2550-478: A regular passenger service until 1960. The Wallowa Union Railroad Authority now operates the line; since 2004 it has hosted a heritage rail service, the Eagle Cap Excursion Train , between Elgin and Joseph. During the 1860s, gold prospecting from Lewiston soon extended up the Snake to the Grande Ronde's mouth, following rumors of a massive gold discovery on Shovel Creek , which flows into
2700-556: A reporter for The Oregonian , he began his own research into the massacre, going on to publish a journal article in 2006 and a nonfiction book, Massacred for Gold. The Chinese in Hells Canyon in 2009 after his retirement in 2003 allowed him to conduct research full-time. The United States Board on Geographic Names officially named the five-acre Deep Creek massacre site to the Chinese Massacre Cove in 2005 over
2850-553: A resolution to move the capital south to Boise was passed by the Idaho Territorial Legislature on December 7, 1864. Lewiston's main industries are agriculture, paper, and timber products, and light manufacturing. Ammunition manufacturing maintains a very important and growing presence in Lewiston, being the headquarters of ammunition makers CCI and Speer Bullet. The city is the primary regional transportation, retail, health care, and entertainment center of
3000-528: A second treaty that greatly shrank the size of their reservation, eliminating all the lands in Washington and Oregon, and thus the Grande Ronde watershed, from their use. Several Nez Perce bands, including that led by Chief Joseph, refused to leave their lands in northeast Oregon. Joseph's band held out in the Wallowa Valley until the Nez Perce War of 1877, when they were forced to flee ahead of
3150-590: A show and shine for collectible cars, followed by a night parade along Main Street. During the fall , a number of cottonwood trees release cotton-like clouds of seeds that blow through the air and streets, blanketing them with a snow-like cover. The town has a large Christmas festival that includes a number of lighted displays in the downtown area. At the site of what was originally the Johann D. C. Thiessen mansion and ranch, now Locomotive Park, so named because of
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#17327797694633300-691: A treatment facility in Lewiston. The Lewiston School District is Independent School District #1. Lewis-Clark State College is also the athletic home to the Warriors of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); LCSC's Harris Field ballpark hosts the NAIA World Series , of which the Warriors have won 19 national titles in baseball ; the first sixteen were under head coach Ed Cheff . Lewiston's newspaper
3450-477: A trip marked by the alleged theft of the treasury from his steamship cabin. The territorial secretary departed southward for Boise to avoid the public outrage that was sure to erupt. North Idahoans were somewhat placated in 1889 when the University of Idaho was awarded to nearby Moscow , thirty miles (50 km) north, and began instruction in 1892. Lewiston State Normal School, now Lewis-Clark State College,
3600-545: A way down the Snake through Hells Canyon. Bonneville's party crossed the Wallowa Mountains and down Joseph Canyon to reach the Grande Ronde, recording the name "Way-lee-way". At the confluence they encountered the winter camp of Chief Tuekakas and the Wallowa Nez Perce. Bonneville also called the river Fourche de Glace , "river of ice". In 1843, John C. Frémont surveyed the Grande Ronde Valley for
3750-399: Is 1,517 square miles (3,930 km ), or about 37 percent. The Wallowa River sub-basin accounts for the remaining 953 square miles (2,470 km ), or 23 percent of the whole. The watershed is mostly rangeland and forest, with agriculture limited to the Grande Ronde and Wallowa Valleys. Population density is light at about 16.6 persons per square mile (6.4/km ). The largest city
3900-551: Is Freedom Munitions LLC. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories , based in Pullman , has a manufacturing facility in Lewiston. As the metropolitan hub of the Lewis-Clark Valley, Lewiston is the primary regional transportation, retail, health care, wholesale and professional services, and entertainment center. In 2017, the Lewiston, ID–Clarkston, WA metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of $ 2.5 billion. With
4050-413: Is La Grande, which as of the 2020 census had a population of 13,026. Other major towns include Union (2,152) in the southern Grande Ronde Valley, and Enterprise (2,052) in the Wallowa Valley. About 46 percent of the watershed is public land, managed primarily by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management . Most of the Wallowa Mountains, and the Grande Ronde's headwaters in
4200-588: Is a 210-mile (340 km) long tributary of the Snake River , flowing through northeast Oregon and southeast Washington in the United States. Its watershed is situated in the eastern Columbia Plateau , bounded by the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains to the west of Hells Canyon . The river flows generally northeast from its forested headwaters west of La Grande, Oregon , through
4350-781: Is an alpine meadow in southern Union County, Oregon , west of Anthony Lakes and the Anthony Lakes Ski Area , about 7,460 feet (2,270 m) above sea level. The headwaters are in the Elkhorn Mountains , a sub-range of the Blue Mountains. The river initially flows north through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest , turning east where Meadow Creek joins it from the left near Camp Elkanah . It then flows through Red Bridge and Hilgard Junction state parks, passing through
4500-675: Is in Oregon; only 341 square miles (880 km ), or 8 percent, are in Washington. The U.S. Geological Survey considers the Upper Grande Ronde sub-basin to be the section upstream of the Wallowa River, with the Lower Grande Ronde sub-basin extending from there to the Snake River. The Upper Grande Ronde is 1,635 square miles (4,230 km ), or about 40 percent of the total; the Lower Grande Ronde
4650-419: Is known about these identified men. Frank Vaughn confessed to the crime in 1888 and his testimony led to the indictment of the other six gang members on March 23, 1888. In follow-up testimony given on April 16, Vaughn blamed Evans, Canfield, and LaRue for the massacre, and said that he, Hughes, Maynard, and McMillan had not participated. Vaughn himself was arrested on April 18. By the time he was arrested, almost
Hells Canyon massacre - Misplaced Pages Continue
4800-539: Is located at the confluence of the Snake River and Clearwater River , thirty miles (50 km) upstream and southeast of the Lower Granite Dam . Dams and locks on the Snake and Columbia Rivers make Lewiston reachable by some ocean-going vessels. The Port of Lewiston is Idaho's only seaport, and is the farthest inland port linked to the Pacific Ocean. The Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport serves
4950-432: Is only slightly higher in elevation than the river, about 741 ft (226 m), which was thirty feet (9 m) lower prior to the completion of the Lower Granite Dam . Away from downtown the terrain gains elevation quickly, as the steep riverbank highway of U.S. 95 north of Lewiston ascends to 2,756 feet (840 m). The lowest point in the state of Idaho is located on the Snake River in Lewiston, where it meets
5100-688: Is the Lewiston Morning Tribune , founded 132 years ago in 1892. The local television station is KLEW-TV , a CBS affiliate which signed-on December 7, 1955. Nonstop scheduled passenger airline service to Denver (DEN) via United Express , Salt Lake City (SLC) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) via Delta Connection is operated from the Lewiston - Nez Perce County Airport (LWS) with both air carriers operating regional jet aircraft on behalf of their respective major airline partners, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines . Because of
5250-618: The Bonneville Power Administration , it has coordinated hundreds of projects in the Grande Ronde River basin to conserve instream flows, remove fish passage barriers, mitigate erosion and restore riparian habitats. However, chinook salmon and steelhead returns have not increased substantially in the 1992–2023 period, due to the effects of the Snake and Columbia River dams on fish migration. Bull trout, once widely distributed in Oregon, now inhabit only
5400-451: The Corps of Topographical Engineers . Emphasizing the agricultural potential of the valley, he described it thus: "... a beautiful level basin, or mountain valley, covered with good grass on a rich soil, abundantly watered, and surrounded by high and well timbered mountains; and its name descriptive of its form the great circle. It is a place one of few we have seen in our journey so far where
5550-568: The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (OR&N) built its tracks through the valley, connecting the area to Portland by rail. By 1890 the OR&;N had constructed a branch line to Elgin; in 1907 it was extended to Joseph in the Wallowa Valley. The rail line follows the winding Grande Ronde River canyon from Elgin to Rondowa, where it turns east up the Wallowa River canyon. It was primarily used to haul wood, grain and livestock and had
5700-497: The Pacific Fur Company chartered an expedition, led by Wilson Price Hunt , to find a passage from the upper Snake River to the Pacific Ocean. Finding Hells Canyon to be impassable for boats, the expedition followed Native American trails on an overland route through the Blue Mountains. Starving and exhausted, they stumbled across the Grande Ronde Valley on Christmas Day, and replenished their supplies by trading with
5850-692: The Southway Bridge into Clarkston. Lewiston experiences a semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ) with occasionally cold, but short, winters, mostly influenced by mild Pacific air, and hot, dry summers. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 35.2 °F (1.8 °C) in December to 75.8 °F (24.3 °C) in July; the temperature reaches 100 °F (38 °C) on 7.7 afternoons, 90 °F (32 °C) on 42 afternoons, and does not rise above freezing on 14 afternoons annually. The last year that Lewiston did not reach 100 °F (37.8 °C)
6000-582: The Wall-low-how or Wallowa River formed the Way-lee-way , or the lower section of what is now the Grande Ronde. An important fishing village, Qapqápa, was located at present-day La Grande. Upstream of there, the river was known as ʔIyéexeteš, "foaling area", by the Cayuse. The Cayuse and Walla Walla had a fishing village on the Grande Ronde called ʔUnéhe, near Courtney Creek upstream of the mouth of
6150-725: The Walla Walla Valley . A major trail used by the Nez Perce ran from their villages at the Snake and Clearwater River confluence (modern-day Lewiston) up Asotin Creek and down to the Grande Ronde near the Wenaha River. From there it followed the Grande Ronde to Indian Valley where a branch crossed east towards the Wallowa Valley. The Wallowa Valley was a favorite hunting ground for the Wallowa band of Nez Perce, which in
Hells Canyon massacre - Misplaced Pages Continue
6300-495: The 1870s was led by Chief Joseph . The Wallowa migrated seasonally on this route from winter villages on the lower Grande Ronde and Snake, gathering roots on high prairies in spring, and hunting and fishing in the Wallowa Valley in late summer and fall. The Nez Perce and Cayuse called the upper section of the Grande Ronde Qapqápnim Wéele , meaning "cottonwood stream". The joining of this stream with
6450-505: The 1930s, many of the original homesteaders had sold out, and ranches consolidated into fewer, larger operations. Although livestock is still one of the region's main industries, some parts of the Grande Ronde watershed have since been closed to grazing. In what would become the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness , grazing allotments were cancelled around 1965. A number of dams were proposed for the Grande Ronde throughout
6600-513: The 1960s to 11,000 in the 1990s. Water quality in the Grande Ronde basin has been impacted by logging, livestock grazing and agriculture, which have led to increased sedimentation rates and stream temperatures, and reduced water flows in late summer. In 1982 the Lookingglass Fish Hatchery was built to rear chinook salmon on Lookingglass Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde. The hatchery was one of several built throughout
6750-589: The 20th century, though none were built. In 1944 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposed several dams on the upper Grande Ronde and Catherine Creek in response to repeated flooding in the Grande Ronde Valley. Congress authorized the flood control dams in 1968, but they were delayed due to environmental concerns. After the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation sued in 1974,
6900-451: The Blue Mountains to the west were used by the Nez Perce and multiple Columbia Plateau tribes, who traveled to these areas in summer to hunt, fish and gather roots and berries. The Grande Ronde headwaters above the valley were considered Cayuse territory. The Grande Ronde Valley itself was a major rendezvous site for the Nez Perce and tribes west of the Blue Mountains such as the Cayuse, Umatilla , and Walla Walla . The Shoshone from
7050-670: The Blue and Wallowa Mountains. As elevation increases, principal tree species transition from ponderosa pine to Douglas-fir , grand fir , subalpine fir and mountain hemlock . The Grande Ronde Valley was once home to extensive wetlands. The perennial Tule Lake was located in the southern part of the valley, where the Grande Ronde and Catherine Creek converged to form the most significant area of wetlands. The lake fluctuated from 1,600 to 2,300 acres (650 to 930 ha) in size, expanding to more than 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) in especially wet years. Beaver were widespread, and their ponds were
7200-619: The Clearwater and flows west into Washington. The populated areas in Idaho with the lowest elevations are along (or near) the Clearwater River, from Lowell at 1,486 feet (453 m) to Lewiston. The heavily residential southern half of the city is referred to as "The Orchards". This area is much higher in elevation than downtown, at about 1,400 ft (425 m), and is named for the fruit orchards that previously covered
7350-600: The Columbia River basin and its tributaries began to take shape about 40 Ma. The ancestral topography and drainage patterns were completely altered between 17–6 Ma with the eruption of the Columbia River basalts , a series of massive flood basalt events that engulfed much of eastern Washington and Oregon in the region now known as the Columbia Plateau . In parts of the Grande Ronde River basin,
7500-610: The Columbia River basin. To the west are the watersheds of the Walla Walla , Umatilla and John Day Rivers , which all flow directly into the Columbia River. The Tucannon River and Asotin Creek to the north, the Imnaha River to the east, and the Powder River to the south are all tributaries of the Snake River. The Grande Ronde River basin is founded on multiple terranes , or crustal fragments, that accreted onto
7650-585: The Columbia and Snake Rivers and habitat degradation in the Grande Ronde river system. Sockeye salmon , which primarily spawned in Wallowa Lake, have been extirpated from the basin since the early 1900s, though Kokanee (landlocked sockeye) are still present in Wallowa Lake. The Grande Ronde was once the largest producer of coho salmon in the Snake River system, but the wild coho run had also disappeared by 1986. Hatchery coho were reintroduced to
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#17327797694637800-749: The Elkhorn Mountains, are in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The Blue Mountains to the north are mostly in the Umatilla National Forest. The Grande Ronde watershed experiences a continental climate with warm, dry summers and cold, moderately snowy winters. Mean temperatures range from a daily minimum 24 °F (−4 °C) in January to a daily maximum of 84 °F (29 °C) in July. Annual precipitation ranges from 14 inches (360 mm) in
7950-451: The Grande Ronde River upstream at what is now Hilgard Junction State Park, before diverging northwest along what is now the I-84 route towards present-day Pendleton . Moses "Black" Harris led the first wagon train through the Grande Ronde Valley in 1844. The fertile, well-watered valley, with its grasslands offering rich forage for animals, was a welcome respite after traveling through
8100-424: The Grande Ronde Valley for trade. European exploration began with the fur trade in the early 1800s; later, the Grande Ronde Valley provided a key resting point along the Oregon Trail . By the 1850s, the wave of settlement had spread to northeast Oregon, and the river was the scene of several conflicts, including the 1856 Grande Ronde massacre . Nearby gold discoveries drove emerging farming and logging industries in
8250-539: The Grande Ronde Valley represents only about 9 percent of its flow at the mouth, and with no large dams regulating its flow, the Grande Ronde runs high with spring snowmelt and reaches its lowest level in the fall. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has only one operational stream gage on the Grande Ronde, located downstream of the Wenaha confluence near Troy. The station measures runoff from an area of 3,275 square miles (8,480 km ), or about 80 percent of
8400-508: The Grande Ronde Valley. Logging has been a major industry in the Grande Ronde watershed since settlement in the 1860s. A water-powered sawmill was first built on the river in 1862 at Oro Dell, just upstream of La Grande. By 1890, the Grande Ronde Lumber Company had acquired large tracts of timberland in the upper Grande Ronde watershed. Several splash dams were constructed to store water for annual log drives down
8550-596: The Grande Ronde Valley. Water deficits are most severe in the southern part of the valley, in the Catherine Creek sub-basin. On the other hand, spring snowmelt presents a high flood risk, due to the area's naturally flat topography and the redevelopment of wetlands and floodplains that once buffered high flows. As of 2022, the state of Oregon was funding plans for off-stream reservoirs , groundwater recharge , water conservation and floodplain restoration in order to mitigate spring flooding and summer water shortages in
8700-491: The Grande Ronde in Oregon are federally protected as a National Wild and Scenic River , in addition to parts of several tributaries including the Wallowa and Wenaha Rivers . Much of the Wild and Scenic section in Oregon, as well as the lowermost stretches of the river in Washington, can only be reached by water. The river's undeveloped surroundings and abundant wildlife make it a popular location for sport fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, and boating. The Grande Ronde's source
8850-407: The Grande Ronde region, and by the 1880s most indigenous peoples had been forced away from the area and onto reservations, though several tribes maintain subsistence fishing rights along the river. While the Grande Ronde and Wallowa Valleys developed into productive farming areas, further efforts to regulate and dam the river in the 20th century proved unsuccessful. Due to its free-flowing nature,
9000-420: The Grande Ronde remained inaccessible by road until 1937. The rugged, relatively inaccessible area around Troy was not settled until near the turn of the 20th century. William Adams and his wife Lou homesteaded near the Grande Ronde in 1893; their isolation in the wilderness prompted comparisons to Adam and Eve, and the well-timbered plateau between the Grande Ronde and Wenaha became known as "Eden Ridge". Over
9150-522: The Grande Ronde watershed in 2017. The Grande Ronde River watershed has between 3,000 and 4,000 miles (4,800 and 6,400 km) of current or former salmon-bearing streams. Historically, twenty-one tributaries of the Grande Ronde supported salmon spawning, but by 1995, only eight tributaries did so. Before the turn of the 20th century, an estimated 20,000 spring chinook salmon spawned in the river, which had declined to 12,200 by 1957 and to just over 1,000 in 1992. Steelhead returns fell from about 16,000 in
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#17327797694639300-456: The Grande Ronde watershed, is situated just north of the Wallowa Mountains; the Wallowa River drains this area into the Grande Ronde. The northeastern part of the Grande Ronde watershed, north of the Wallowa Valley and west of Hells Canyon , is defined by extensive flat-topped plateaus through which the river and its tributaries have cut canyons, creating a dissected plateau . Most of the river's 4,105-square-mile (10,630 km ) watershed
9450-403: The Lewiston Hill (technically, the Washington side, and specifically, in Whitman County, above Clarkston in Washington state), visible from nearly everywhere in the valley. The display consists of long strings of ordinary light bulbs, arranged in the shape of a star (Christmas) and a cross (Easter). The same strings of lights are used in both displays, which, when lit, are left burning 24 hours
9600-464: The Lewiston area were members of the David Thompson expedition of 1803. Thompson was looking to establish fur trading posts for the Hudson's Bay Company of British North America (now Canada). Thompson established the first white settlement in Idaho, MacKenzie's Post. But it soon failed as the local Nez Perce tribe's men considered beaver trapping to be women's work, the tribe was migratory and apparently women thought they already had enough to do. This
9750-403: The North American continent during the Mesozoic 248–65 million years ago (Ma). At that time, the area was still part of a shallow inland sea. About 160–100 Ma, multiple igneous plutons intruded into the crust beneath this area, the largest of which would eventually form the Wallowa Mountains as the region experienced tectonic uplift that raised the land above sea level. The general outline of
9900-440: The Port of Lewiston has the distinction of being the most inland seaport east of the West Coast , and Idaho's only seaport. Also, along much of the Snake River is a system of levees to protect against flooding; most are maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . Grande Ronde River The Grande Ronde River ( / ɡ r æ n d r ɑː n d / or, less commonly, / ɡ r æ n d r aʊ n d / )
10050-506: The Snake River system as part of the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan, to mitigate anadromous fish losses caused by dam projects. In 1992, the Northwest Power Planning Council organized the Grande Ronde Model Watershed (GRMW) project to develop a comprehensive management strategy for the Grande Ronde and adjacent Imnaha River watersheds. The GRMW is intended to foster cooperation between public agencies, private landowners, fisheries management and environmental interests. Funded primarily by
10200-550: The Snake a short distance upstream from the Grande Ronde. By 1865 the Rogers brothers had established Rogersburg at the confluence of the Grande Ronde and Snake. Although the Rogers laid out the townsite with plans to sell lots, the town failed to grow because of the lack of road access. Steamboats on the Snake River were the primary means of transportation between Lewiston, the mouth of the Grande Ronde and points upstream. Mining traffic ceased in 1904, though boats started carrying passengers and mail again around 1910. The mouth of
10350-428: The US Army's arrival. The Grande Ronde Valley became well established as an agricultural center in the 1860s and 1870s, providing food to gold mining districts in Idaho to the east. La Grande, founded in 1862, was the first permanent American settlement in northeast Oregon. Within a few years, farmers and ranchers had dug ditches, rerouted and channelized streams to drain the area's natural wetlands . Timber cut in
10500-547: The Wallowa Valley. A dam regulates the level of Wallowa Lake to store up to 42,750 acre-feet (52,730,000 m ); this is the largest surface water storage facility in the Grande Ronde River system. While water flows in the Upper Grande Ronde River Basin typically peak in March and April, agricultural water demand is highest in June and July. On average, the valley experiences an annual water supply deficit between about June and November. In late summers of dry years, irrigation diversions often leave very little water to flow out of
10650-430: The Wenaha Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest) was established in 1905, about 200,000 sheep, 40,000 cattle and 15,000 horses grazed in the area. The forest reserve was established in order to settle land disputes between cattle and sheep ranchers, and to protect the watershed from overgrazing. The canyons of the lower Grande Ronde were used for wintering livestock as well as growing fruits and vegetables. By
10800-511: The Wenaha River. The Nez Perce had several villages on the Grande Ronde below the Wenaha, including Híinezpu at the mouth of Bear Creek, and Qemúynem at the confluence with the Snake River. A Nez Perce legend tells that the course of the lower Grande Ronde was created by Beaver, after he stole fire from the pine trees in the Blue Mountains to bring to the other animals so they could warm themselves. "The Pine trees started after him. When they were close behind him, Beaver darted from one side of
10950-561: The age of 89. The city's stint as a seat of the new territory's government was short-lived. As the gold rush quieted in northern Idaho, it heated up in a new mineral rush in southwestern Idaho , centered in Idaho City , which became the largest city in the Northwest in the mid-1860s. A resolution in late 1864 to have the capital moved from Lewiston to Boise was passed by the Idaho Territorial Legislature on December 7, six weeks before
11100-423: The agricultural Grande Ronde Valley in its middle course, and through rugged canyons cut from ancient basalt lava flows in its lower course. While it joins the Snake River upstream of Asotin, Washington , more than 90 percent of the river's watershed is in Oregon. The river was used for centuries by multiple Native American tribes, who fished, gathered and hunted across much of the watershed and convened in
11250-553: The area. Formerly unincorporated, it was annexed in late 1969, which nearly doubled the city's population and doubled the area of the city. There is little sign of any orchards today, although there is a wide proliferation of fruit trees in the backyards of many residences in this area of town. The Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport is located on the western edge of the Orchards plateau at 1,438 feet (438 m) above sea level, with Bryden Canyon Road providing westbound access via
11400-404: The average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. The median income for a household in the city
11550-470: The banks of these streams are high and muddy, covered in particular places with dwarf Cottonwoods, and the residue in a large growth of Willows, which afford an inexhaustible stock of food for the incredible multitudes of Furr'd race who reside in their bosoms, but the S. East fork [Catherine Creek] excels both the others, particularly in the number of its inhabitants of the Otter tribe – a few Deer and Racoon are
11700-400: The basalt layers are more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) thick. The Grande Ronde basalt sub-group erupted between 17 and 15.5 Ma and accounts for more than 80 percent of the total volume of the flows. The outline of the Grande Ronde watershed began to take shape about 14 Ma, as tectonic uplift combined with the effects of basalt eruptions blocked westward drainage from the region to form
11850-464: The basalt layers. In contrast, the Grande Ronde Valley was formed as a large graben , or fault-block, dropped below rising mountains on either side. Alluvial sediment deposits, up to 2,000 feet (610 m) thick in places, form the flat valley floor. The lower Grande Ronde watershed downstream of the Grande Ronde Valley was once within the territory of the Nez Perce . The higher elevations in
12000-551: The bodies were mangled in the course of human manslaughter or was the aftermath of being thrown into turbulent waters. The rapids and brute force of the current could have mangled the bodies against the rocks. However, it was confirmed that the Chinese men were shot because gunshot wounds were found on their bodies. Only ten bodies were identified on February 16, 1888: Chea-po, Chea-Sun, Chea-Yow, Chea-Shun, Chea Cheong, Chea Ling, Chea Chow, Chea Lin Chung, Kong Mun Kow, and Kong Ngan. Little
12150-418: The camp by boat, where the gang shot and killed them, throwing the 21 bodies into the Snake River. The gang then stole the boat and traveled 4 miles (6.4 km) to the next Chinese camp, where they killed 13 more and retrieved $ 50,000 in gold. Hugh McMillan stated that Robert was present only for the first day's events, but the gang had discussed the next day's plans before Robert left the others. According to
12300-536: The camp were killed, the last with a rock after the gang had run out of ammunition. The remainder of the modern account agrees with McMillan's deathbed confession: the gang returned to the Douglas cabin and restocked their ammunition; then on next day, Evans, Canfield, and LaRue ambushed a group of eight Chinese miners who returned to the cove, and finally sailed to a second camp, where they killed thirteen more miners. Recently, attempts to formulate an accurate picture of
12450-492: The city by air. Lewiston was founded in 1861 in the wake of a gold rush which began the previous year near Pierce , northeast of Lewiston. The city was incorporated by the Washington Territorial Legislature in January 1863. In March 1863, Lewiston became the first capital of the newly created Idaho Territory . Its stint as seat of the new territory's government was short-lived, inasmuch as
12600-550: The city of Lewiston, Washington Territory in 1862, and was joined by the present (and only) newspaper, the Lewiston Morning Tribune in September 1892. In March 1863 Lewiston became the capital of the newly created Idaho Territory . Thomas J. Beall, one of the first three white settlers in Lewiston, wrote many of the Lewiston Tribune ' s first articles, and continued to do so until his death at
12750-422: The city. The population density was 1,851.1 inhabitants per square mile (714.7/km ). There were 14,057 housing units at an average density of 815.8 per square mile (315.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 93.9% White , 0.3% African American , 1.7% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.7% from other races , and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of
12900-412: The city. The population density was 1,873.0 inhabitants per square mile (723.2/km ). There were 13,394 housing units at an average density of 811.8 per square mile (313.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 95.14% White, 0.30% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of
13050-447: The confluence of the Snake River and Clearwater River made it a natural distribution point due to its seaport . The Port of Lewiston is Idaho's only seaport and is navigable for barges which transport grain, fuel, legumes, paper, lumber and other goods up and down the Columbia River and out to the Pacific Ocean. About ten percent of the United States' wheat exports transits through the port. The first barge went to Portland ; it
13200-543: The dam projects were "indefinitely postponed". Downstream of Troy, the Wenaha Dam was proposed in 1963 for flood control and power generation. This 550-foot (170 m) high rockfill dam would have backed water more than 30 miles (48 km) up the Grande Ronde River. On October 28, 1988, the Grande Ronde was designated a Wild and Scenic River from the Wallowa River to near the Oregon–Washington border, making
13350-399: The deserts of eastern Oregon and Idaho. Native Americans in the valley engaged in a lucrative trade of oxen, trading one healthy, well-fed animal for every two exhausted, starving ones. They let the oxen graze and fatten up in the valley before selling them to the next party of travelers. An estimated 300,000 emigrants traveled through the Grande Ronde Valley from the 1840s to the 1870s. As
13500-424: The dispute ended up killing four Umatilla men, causing the rest of the group to flee. This brought an end to tribal resistance of settlement in the valley. The Nez Perce retained control of their lands along the lower Grande Ronde River in the 1855 treaty. However, gold strikes near Lewiston led to a flood of prospectors onto Nez Perce treaty lands in the 1860s. Some Nez Perce leaders were pressured into signing
13650-501: The east side of the valley, but is now artificially diverted to the north via the State Ditch, bypassing the long meandering section to the east. At the end of the ditch the original channel – which now carries water from Catherine Creek – rejoins from the right. At the northern end of the valley, the Grande Ronde flows through Rhinehart Gap into the smaller Indian Valley and the city of Elgin , where it receives Clark Creek from
13800-431: The eastern part of the Blue Mountains ecoregion , which is home to about 13 amphibian species, 285 bird species, 92 mammal species, and 21 reptile species. Rocky Mountain elk were widespread in the region for thousands of years, but their populations were almost eliminated by the 1880s due to hunting and habitat encroachment. Elk were reintroduced in the early 1900s. As of 2020, the Blue Mountains elk herd which ranges in
13950-541: The entire gang had left America, save Vaughn and Hughes. I guess if they had killed 31 white men something would have been done about it, but none of the jury knew the Chinamen or cared much about it, so they turned the men loose. —George S. Craig, undated newspaper interview Three of the gang (Maynard, McMillan, and Hughes) were brought to trial but none were convicted. The trio were arraigned on August 28, 1888, and pleaded not guilty on August 29. Their testimony
14100-524: The entire watershed. The mean annual discharge between 1944 and 2023 was 3,016 cubic feet per second (85.4 m /s), with a record high of 51,800 cubic feet per second (1,470 m /s) on February 9, 1996, and a low of 344 cubic feet per second (9.7 m /s) on August 20, 1977. Mean monthly discharge ranged from a high of 7,329 cubic feet per second (207.5 m /s) in May to a low of 721 cubic feet per second (20.4 m /s) in September. The USGS also measured stream flow at several other locations along
14250-424: The event were drawn from hidden copies of trial documents that contained grand jury indictment, depositions given by the accused, notes from the trial, and historical accounts of Wallowa County by J. Harland Horner and H. Ross Findley. Horner and Findley were both schoolboys at the time of the massacre but their accounts had glaring discrepancies. Findley believed the massacre was a planned event with more than just
14400-418: The festival. During and shortly after the festival these pink blossoms blow through yards and streets like drifts of snow. The festival also hosts the "Show and Shine" classic car show alongside the other attractions. During late summer, "Hot August Nights" takes place. This celebration includes concerts by popular 1950s to 1980s musicians, such as .38 Special , Eddie Money , and Loverboy . There's also
14550-449: The four dams on the lower Snake River. It was completed 49 years ago in 1975, creating a reservoir, Lower Granite Lake that stretches to Lewiston. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 18.04 square miles (46.72 km ), of which 17.23 square miles (44.63 km ) is land and 0.81 square miles (2.10 km ) is water. Downtown Lewiston, at elevations between 740 feet (230 m) and 780 feet (240 m),
14700-405: The land was still relatively flat and the river formed a meandering course through the developing soils atop the basalt layers. From the end of the basalt eruptions around 6 Ma, the rate of uplift greatly increased as the present-day Blue Mountains began to rise. As the land rose, the river's gradient increased and it began to incise into the landscape, entrenching its meanders and resulting in
14850-535: The left and Wildcat, Mud and Courtney Creeks from the right, then the Wenaha River from the left at the settlement of Troy . From Troy, the terrain around the river becomes more open, with forests giving way to grassy ridges and rangeland . The 27-mile (43 km) stretch between the Wallowa River confluence and Wildcat Creek is inaccessible by road. The Grande Ronde flows northeast, entering Asotin County, Washington at Horseshoe Bend, where it crosses
15000-466: The natives. French-Canadian fur trappers who subsequently visited the area dubbed it Grande Ronde , meaning "great circle", a name which was recorded by Peter Skene Ogden in 1827. Ogden also referred to the river as the "Clay River", the origin of which is not known. U.S. Army officer Benjamin Bonneville explored the lower Grande Ronde River on an 1834 expedition, after also failing to find
15150-541: The next few years more settlers arrived, and the first building in Troy was established in 1902. By 1904, a rough road had been constructed from Elgin to Eden. The 40-mile (64 km) route through mountainous terrain was "a huge job for the small number of settlers". With most of this land unsuitable for agriculture, the primary industry became livestock grazing. By the time the Wenaha Forest Reserve (now
15300-575: The northern part of the Grande Ronde and Wenaha drainages numbered just over 4,000 head. Much of the Grande Ronde is also located within gray wolf range in Oregon. Union and Wallowa Counties each have eight known wolf packs. The range of four wolf packs in Washington also extends into or adjacent to the Grande Ronde watershed. The river bottoms also provide wintering habitat for bighorn sheep , elk, mule deer , white-tailed deer and bald eagles . Grasslands dominated by bluebunch wheatgrass , sheep fescue and giant wildrye were once widespread across
15450-571: The objections of Wallowa County commissioners. This was the first ever official recognition of the crime. Deep Creek , a fictionalized account of the massacre and its aftermath written by William Howarth and Anne Matthews under the pen name "Dana Hand" was published in 2010. It was selected by The Washington Post as one of the best novels of 2010. In 2012, Nokes organized the Chinese Massacre Memorial Committee (with private funds and donations) to install
15600-460: The only animals you may add to the Elk, Beaver and otter as being natives of this tract." Fur trappers eradicated beaver from the area and settlers drained most of the wetlands for agriculture in the 19th century. The State Ditch diverted the Grande Ronde River away from this flood-prone lowland area, leaving Catherine and Ladd Creeks as the only surface water inflows. In 1949, Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area
15750-485: The only significant tornado was an F2 in Lapwai on May 8, 1962. As of the 2020 census, there were 34,203 people, and 13,895 households in the city. The population density was 1,974.4 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White , 0.1% African American , 0.9% Native American , 1.0% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.0% of
15900-426: The others, but did not participate in the ambush. Canfield and Larue first attacked the camp of thirteen Chinese from the bluffs overlooking the cove, driving them towards Evans and Vaughn, who were in the path of their retreat. Twelve Chinese were killed in the initial fusillade; then the remaining man had "his brains beaten out". The assailants stole gold dust worth $ 5,500. The next day, eight more Chinese returned to
16050-422: The population. 21.4% of the population were under 18, and 5.4% were under 5. 19.4% of the population was over 65. The gender makeup was 51.4% female, 48.6% male. The median household income was $ 60,581 in the city, and the per capita income was $ 33,255. 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line . As of the census of 2010, there were 31,894 people, 13,324 households, and 8,201 families residing in
16200-404: The population. There were 12,795 households, out of which 28.7% included children under the age of 18, 51.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% were a single person living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and
16350-443: The population. There were 13,324 households, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
16500-592: The presence of Lewis–Clark State College , it is also a center for education and workforce training. Lewiston's economy is slowly diversifying, which has helped keep the economy stable. Lewiston serves as a recreation destination for the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area . In springtime, Lewiston hosts the Dogwood Festival. This celebration is named for the abundant dogwood trees that are in fragrant bloom during
16650-548: The reservation." On July 17, 1856, a U.S. Army detachment led by Col. Benjamin F. Shaw killed fifty or sixty mostly unarmed Walla Walla, Umatilla and Cayuse near present-day Elgin, in what is now known as the Grande Ronde Massacre. This further inflamed tensions and led to the failure of peace talks in 1856. In 1862, settlers began homesteading in the Grande Ronde Valley and a group of Umatilla attempted to prevent them from claiming land. Soldiers sent to deal with
16800-477: The rest of the gang and fled the county. The brutality of the Snake River atrocity was probably unexcelled, whether by whites or Indians, in all the anti-Chinese violence of the American West. After the first day's onslaught at Robinson Gulch, the killers wrecked and burned the camp and then threw the mutilated corpses into the Snake River. The bodies of the other Chinese received similar treatment. Since it
16950-623: The retired locomotive Steam Engine 92 and Camas Prairie RR Caboose on display in the middle, large trees and pathways are decorated with lights from Thanksgiving to New Year's . These events are sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce , and the displays involved are typically quite impressive and often attract many visitors. During the Christmas and Easter seasons, the Lewiston Jaycees have two large lighted displays on
17100-600: The right and Phillips Creek from the left. Below Elgin, the Grande Ronde enters a series of deep, winding canyons for the remaining 95 miles (153 km) of its course to the Snake River. It receives Lookingglass Creek from the left then crosses into Wallowa County at Rondowa, where it is joined from the right by its largest tributary, the Wallowa River . Entering the Umatilla National Forest , it turns east, receiving Bear and Elbow Creeks from
17250-410: The right before emptying into the Snake River at the unincorporated community of Rogersburg , 24 miles (39 km) upstream of Asotin, Washington and 169 miles (272 km) upstream of the Snake's confluence with the Columbia River . By discharge, the Grande Ronde is the third largest tributary of the Snake River. Although water is diverted off the upper river for irrigation, water consumption in
17400-488: The river provides a significant amount of spawning habitat for anadromous fish ( salmon and steelhead ) in the Columbia River system. These populations have declined due to the building of dams downstream on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, as well as habitat degradation in the Grande Ronde watershed. Despite efforts to protect and restore aquatic habitat, anadromous fish populations in the 21st century remain much lower than historical levels. About 44 miles (71 km) of
17550-404: The river to the other, from one bank to the other. When they stopped for breath, he swam straight ahead. That is why the Grande Ronde River today winds and winds in some places and flows straight along in other places. It follows the directions Beaver took when he was running with the coal of fire." The Grande Ronde Valley was explored and named by fur trappers in the early 19th century. In 1811
17700-548: The river via irrigation return flows . There are eighteen small reservoirs in the upper Grande Ronde basin upstream of the Wallowa River, most of which store water for irrigation or recreation purposes. None of these reservoirs are on the main stem of the river, and their impact on the river's overall flow is negligible. As a consequence, irrigators mostly depend on the natural availability of water, which can vary significantly from year to year. Another 183,000 acre-feet (226,000,000 m ) of surface water are used for irrigation in
17850-584: The river with the stolen horses. When the Chinese miners refused to loan their boats, the boys decided to take the boats by force. The bodies of some murder victims began washing ashore soon afterward, swept downstream to places as far away as Lime Point (south of the mouth of the Grande Ronde River ), Log Cabin Island (now the site of the Lower Granite Dam ), and Penawawa, Washington. Each body bore unmistakable markings of great violence; J.K. Vincent,
18000-439: The river's twisting course through its lower canyons. Along the lower Grande Ronde, the canyons have cut through and exposed the horizontal basalt layers, forming distinctive terraced cliffs. Although the Columbia River basalts encompass almost all the surface geology of the area, older rocks are exposed in a few places, including the Wallowa and Elkhorn mountains, and along the lower river in Washington where it cuts into rock below
18150-407: The river. At La Grande, just before the river enters the Grande Ronde Valley, the average discharge was 389 cubic feet per second (11.0 m /s) for the period 1903–1989. This was from a drainage area of 678 square miles (1,760 km ), or 16 percent of the entire Grande Ronde watershed. At Elgin, the average discharge was 670 cubic feet per second (19 m /s) for the period 1955–1981, from
18300-636: The section off limits to new dams. The Grande Ronde River supports an estimated 38 fish species, of which 15 are introduced. Like many rivers in the Columbia Basin, it once supported large runs of anadromous fish , which migrate from the Pacific to spawn in freshwater streams. These fish formed a major part of the diet for indigenous peoples in the region. Chinook salmon , steelhead and bull trout are federally listed as threatened species ; their numbers have fallen due to dam construction along
18450-546: The south would also visit the area. The valley was a place to trade and peacefully settle disputes, as well as to fish, bathe in hot springs, and bring the elderly and sick to recuperate. People came to the Grande Ronde region via an extensive network of trails that laced the Blue Mountains. Trails connected the Grande Ronde Valley southeast to the Baker Valley , west to the Umatilla River valley, and north to
18600-505: The state border three times (into Washington, back into Oregon and into Washington again). It receives Menatchee and Cottonwood Creeks from the left, then is crossed by State Route 129 on the Grande Ronde River Bridge at Boggan's Oasis southwest of Anatone . Below here, the river cuts through progressively more arid, sparsely vegetated landscapes with large areas of exposed rock. It is joined by Joseph Creek from
18750-404: The state boundary with Washington , while west-flowing Clearwater River defines the northern border of the city. At their confluence at the city's northwest corner, the lower Snake River turns west into Washington, and after passing four dams, empties into the Columbia River at Burbank . About Thirty miles (50 km) northwest of the city is the Lower Granite Dam , the last and upper-most of
18900-435: The state's north central region . It is the third-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene , and the twelfth-largest in the state. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , which includes all of Nez Perce County and Asotin County, Washington . As of the 2020 census , the population of Lewiston was 34,203, up from 31,894 in 2010. Lewiston
19050-494: The surrounding area and serves as a recreation destination for the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area . Lewiston is home to Lewis–Clark State College , a public undergraduate college. Community events in Lewiston include the Dogwood Festival, Hot August Nights, and the Lewiston Roundup. The Nimiipuu ( Nez Perce ) have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The first people of European ancestry to visit
19200-503: The surrounding mountains was floated down the Grande Ronde and Catherine Creek to sawmills in the valley. Gold was also discovered in Tanner Gulch near the river's headwaters in 1862, and from the 1870s to the early 1900s the area hosted placer mining operations. The community of Hilgard developed on the old Oregon Trail about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of La Grande, as a supply point for miners, ranchers and loggers. In 1884
19350-694: The system of locks and dams on the Columbia River such as the Lower Granite Dam, Lewiston is navigable by some ocean-going vessels and is the eastern terminus of Marine Highway M-84 of the United States Marine Highway Program which connects to the M-5 along the coast at Astoria, Oregon . At 465 miles (750 km) upstream of the Pacific Ocean (at the mouth of the Columbia River, adjacent to Astoria, Oregon),
19500-694: The team was shut down in Lewiston in January 1975, and resurfaced in June in southwestern Idaho as the Boise ;A's for two seasons. Lewiston is home to Lewis-Clark State College and the Lewiston School District ; the latter operates public secondary schools , which are Lewiston High School , Jenifer Middle School, and Sacajawea Middle School. The seven elementary schools are Whitman, Webster, Centennial, Orchards, Camelot, McGhee, and McSorley. The Northwest Children´s Home has
19650-491: The television show Ghost Mine , first aired in October 2013, covered the investigation of paranormal activity at Chinese Massacre Cove. Peter Ludwin wrote and published a collection of poetry in 2016, Gone to Gold Mountain . He states he was inspired after reading Massacred for Gold , the 2009 book by R. Gregory Nokes. In 2016, the Oregon Historical Society and Oregon Public Broadcasting produced
19800-487: The territorial legislature's session legally began, and after litigation, on a split decision decided by one vote on the territorial supreme court on geographic lines. Boise became the capital in 1866; the move was very unpopular in northern Idaho and in violation of a court order. So, the territorial governor, Caleb Lyon and the territorial secretary, secretly took the territorial seal, archives, and treasury, and fled from Lewiston. Lyon went down river to Portland, Oregon ,
19950-455: The valleys to 60 inches (1,500 mm) at higher elevations. Most precipitation in the Grande Ronde watershed falls as snow. Due to the lower elevation of the Blue Mountains, snowmelt occurs earlier in the upper Grande Ronde drainage, typically peaking in March or April; the Wallowa River, by contrast, peaks in May or June. The Grande Ronde watershed is bordered by several other watersheds of
20100-400: The victims had been "shot in the back and mutilated by cleavers, a weapon in general use by the Chinese." George S. Craig owned the Douglas cabin and discovered numerous skeletons in the area when he returned to winter his stock in the fall of 1887. Disagreements can be attributed to the fact that the bodies of the Chinese miners were found downstream after only two weeks. It is unclear whether
20250-510: The victims: "More than likely it was the whites who look with an evil eye upon Chinese intrusion in American mines. The American miner kicks hard at the Chinese miner." Other local Chinese Americans believed that all Chinese miners along the Snake had been killed once the mutilated bodies began to surface. Initially, "a thorough investigation" described in a July 17, 1887 article concluded the Chinese had been murdered by rival Chinese miners, since
20400-516: The watershed. Most of the original grasslands have been replaced by agriculture or heavily altered by livestock grazing, which has caused erosion and introduced invasive plants such as cheatgrass . The Grande Ronde watershed includes part of the 146,000-acre (59,000 ha) Zumwalt Prairie , the largest intact bunchgrass prairie in the Pacific Northwest . Higher elevations transition into shrubland and eventually coniferous forest in
20550-541: The wave of settlement spread to northeast Oregon, the 1850s saw increasing hostilities between Native Americans and settlers, particularly after the 1847 Whitman Massacre . The Walla Walla, Cayuse and Umatilla surrendered their lands in the upper Grande Ronde River in the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla in exchange for the Umatilla Indian Reservation , although they "reserved their right to hunt, fish and gather at all usual and accustomed areas on and off
20700-540: The western boundary of the watershed as they extend through northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. East of the Grande Ronde Valley are the Wallowa Mountains , whose highest peaks reach almost 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Due to their higher elevation, the Wallowas were shaped by heavy Ice Age glaciation, leading to their nickname of the "Oregon Alps". The Wallowa Valley, the second major mountain valley in
20850-446: Was $ 36,606, and the median income for a family was $ 45,410. Males had a median income of $ 35,121 versus $ 22,805 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 19,091. About 8.4% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those aged 65 or over. Lewiston's economy has historically been driven by agriculture and manufacturing activity. Lewiston's location at
21000-438: Was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 30,905 people, 12,795 households, and 8,278 families residing in
21150-714: Was back in 1995. Precipitation averages 12.31 inches (31 cm) annually, including an average seasonal snowfall of 10.5 inches (27 cm). At 195 days, the growing season is relatively long, with the average window for freezing temperatures being October 23 thru April 10. The plant hardiness zone of Lewiston is 7b with some pockets of 8a. Temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are quite rare. Extreme temperatures range from −23 °F (−31 °C) on December 13, 1919 to 117 °F (47 °C) on July 27, 1939. Tornadoes are very rare with only three tornadoes being reported in Nez Perce County since 1950, and
21300-482: Was consistent with Vaughn's, namely, that blame for the crime fell squarely on Evans, Canfield, and LaRue, all absent. The jury found the three men not guilty on September 1, 1888, following a short trial. In 1995, Charlotte McIver discovered a cache of documents relating to the 1888 trial in an old safe being donated to the Wallowa County Museum. When the news came to the attention of R. Gregory Nokes,
21450-483: Was established in 1893, as was another normal school or teacher education college, now defunct, in the south at Albion . These were the state's first three institutions of higher education. Lewiston was the site of the first public school in Idaho, in 1862. In December 1880, the district was the first to be chartered by the Legislature and thus carries the designation of Lewiston Independent School District #1. (Boise
21600-619: Was established in the southern part of the valley to conserve wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl. This is now the largest tule wetland remaining in northeast Oregon. Irrigation is the largest consumer of Grande Ronde River water. The Grande Ronde Valley has about 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) of irrigated farmland, consuming 211,000 acre-feet (260,000,000 m ) of surface water and 87,000 acre-feet (107,000,000 m ) of groundwater each year. Municipal and industrial users consume about 10,000 acre-feet (12,000,000 m ) of combined surface and groundwater. Some of this water re-enters
21750-455: Was followed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in October 1805 . At the future townsite, they encountered settlements of the native Nez Perce, and they returned to the valley on their eastward trip from the Pacific in the spring of 1806. The town is believed to have been named after Meriwether Lewis and after Victor Trevitt's hometown of Lewiston, Maine , but people did not know that
21900-846: Was loaded with wheat and departed Lewiston on August 9, 1975. Lewiston's main industries are agriculture, the paper and timber products from the mill owned and operated by the Clearwater Paper Corporation (until December 2008, a part of the Potlatch Corporation ), and light manufacturing. Paper product manufacturer, Clearwater Paper is the largest employer in the manufacturing sector; its pulp and paper mill began operations in late 1950. Ammunition manufacturing maintains an important and growing presence in Lewiston. Ammunition maker CCI , and Speer Bullet (both now brands of Vista Outdoor ) are headquartered in Lewiston. Another ammunition company in Lewiston
22050-461: Was perhaps the most famous Lewiston Bronc of all-time; Mr. October played twelve games for Lewiston at age 20 in 1966. The Broncs' rosters included Rick Monday , manager John McNamara , Vearl ("Snag") Moore, Thorton ("Kip") Kipper, Antonio Perez, Ron Koepper, Delmer Owen, Dick Green , Bud Swan, Bert Campaneris , John Israel, Dave Duncan , Al Heist, and as a player, later coach-manager Robert ("Gabby") Williams. After years of financial losses,
22200-430: Was second, opening school doors in 1865.) The City of Lewiston’s high reservoir failed on January 18, 2023. The failure caused flooding with the release of approximately three million gallons of water. Lewiston is located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. Immediately west of Lewiston is the smaller twin city of Clarkston, Washington . The north-flowing Snake River departs Hells Canyon and forms
22350-510: Was the high-water stage of the spring runoff, the dead Chinese were found for months (some accounts say for years) afterwards along the lower river. Robert McMillan made a deathbed confession to his father Hugh recounting details of the massacre, which were published in 1891. According to Hugh McMillan, the Chinese miners were ambushed by a party consisting of Robert McMillan, Bruce Evans, J. T. Canfield, Max Larue, and Frank Vaughn in late April 1887. Hiram Maynard and Carl Hughes were traveling with
22500-411: Was the reason Trevitt shouted the idea out. He simply stated the "Journal of Lewis and Clark" talked about being in the valley. The town was founded 163 years ago in 1861, in the wake of a gold rush which began the previous year near Pierce , northeast of Lewiston leading to the Nez Perce War and the removal of Nez Perce. The first newspaper in present-day Idaho, The Golden Age , began publication in
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