Wishram-Wasco
The Wishram and Wasco were closely related Chinookan-speaking peoples who lived on opposite banks of the Columbia River at and near The Dalles and Celilo Falls—the Wishram on the north (Washington) bank and the Wasco on the south (Oregon) bank—controlling one of the most important fishing and trading sites in all of North America. Lewis and Clark passed through this area in October 1805 and April 1806, witnessing the great autumn salmon fishery and the intertribal trade fair that drew peoples from across the Plateau, the coast, and the interior. The Dalles was the economic crossroads of the Pacific Northwest, where dried salmon, roots, bear grass, and coastal goods like shells and whale products were exchanged for horses, bison products, and other Plains commodities.
Portrait: Edward S. Curtis, A Wishham Bride, 1910 (public domain) / Wikimedia Commons
Most Mentioned in Wishram-Wasco-tagged Entries
People
- Capt. Lewis (1)
- Cap* Clark (1)
- Cap* Lewis (1)
- Patrick Gass (1)
Places
- Mill Creek (2)
- Wasco County (2)
- Klickitat County (2)
- Great Narrows (1)
- quick Sand river (1)
- Rocky Mountains (1)
- old Village (1)
- The Dalles (1)
- White Salmon River (1)
- Major Creek (1)
Wildlife
- Deer (3)
- Sheep (1)
- Elk (1)
- turkey buzzard (1)
- Salmon (1)
- Sammon Trout (1)
- goose (1)
- gray Squerrell (1)
- Squerrells (1)
- grey Squerrell (1)
Territory & Encounter Locations
Note: the longest gap between tagged appearances is about 6 months (Oct 26, 1805 → Apr 23, 1806). No journal entries during that window were explicitly tagged with this nation.
Tent of Many Voices (3)
Cross-Narrator Analyses
Analyses that cite or discuss Wishram-Wasco — showing 1 of the most recent matches.
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