Coboway in the Lewis and Clark journals | Lewis & Clark Research Database

Coboway

Chief Coboway (also spelled Comowool) was a leader of the Clatsop people who inhabited the area near the mouth of the Columbia River where the Lewis and Clark Expedition built Fort Clatsop for their winter quarters in 1805–1806. He was a frequent and welcome visitor to the fort, trading food and supplies with the expedition. When the Corps departed in March 1806, Clark gave Coboway the fort itself as a gesture of goodwill. The Clatsop people's knowledge of the local environment and their trade goods helped sustain the expedition through a difficult winter.

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Biography

Coboway was the principal chief of the Clatsop people at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s winter on the Pacific coast (1805-1806). He maintained a diplomatic relationship with the expedition throughout their stay at Fort Clatsop.

The Clatsop traded food and goods with the expedition during the difficult winter months. Coboway visited the fort frequently and provided information about the local area. When the expedition departed in March 1806, Lewis gave Coboway a certificate and left a copy of the expedition roster posted at the fort.

Coboway was later given an English name, “Commissioner,” by American traders. The Clatsop people suffered devastating population decline in the early 19th century due to introduced diseases, and their territory was eventually absorbed by the broader Chinookan cultural sphere.