CONFLUENCE - Clearwater River - Snake River - Lewiston ID-Clarkston WA USA
N 46° 25.483 W 117° 02.033
11T E 497395 N 5141239
The Confluence of the Clearwater River and the Snake River in Lewiston ID-Clarkston WA USA, "discovered" by Lewis & Clark, serves as the border marker between the US States of Idaho and Washington
Waymark Code: WM15Q65
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 02/08/2022
Views: 4
The waymark coordinates are taken at the 2003 Corps of Discovery National Geodetic Survey disk monumented into the base of a 1955 Daughters of the American Revolution marker at the point of land created by the confluence, a few yards away from the 1975 open-air Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. There is a parking lot here.
From Wikipedia: (
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"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 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."
The "official" border of the US states of Idaho and Washington is the 117th meridian, that runs straight through the confluence of the Clearwater River and the Snake River. The Snake River forms the border between these two adjacent cities. Source: Wikipedia (
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That border was set in 1863, when Idaho Territory was created from Washington Territory, which had itself been created by Congress in 1853 out of Oregon Territory (1848). Source: (
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This confluence is deeply historic, having been "discovered" by Lewis and Clark on their famous exploration to the Columbia River. Of course, local Native American tribes had been aware of this place for uncounted generations.
From Lewis & Clark Journals Online, the journal entry of Patrick Gass, a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, describing the day the expedition arrived at this confluence: (
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"[Gass] Thursday 10th. We had a fine morning; embarked early, and passed over some very bad rapids. In passing over one a canoe sprung a leak, but did not sink; though the greater part of the loading was wet; and we had to halt and dry it. We stopped a short distance above the junction of this with another large river. The natives call this eastern branch Koos-koos-ke, and the western Ki-mo-ee-nem. [21] Yesterday evening I had a fit of the ague, and have been very unwell to day; so much so that I am unable to steer my canoe. In about 2 hours we continued our voyage again; we found the southwest branch very large, and of a goslin-green colour. About a mile below the confluence we halted on the north side and encamped [22] for the night, as the wind blew so hard we could not proceed. We came 20 miles to day."