When William Clark and Meriwether Lewis arrived at Chinook village in 1802, they found a thriving community of the Chinook people along the Columbia River in what is now Washington state. The village was an important trading hub, and the residents engaged in fishing, hunting, and gathering, benefiting from the rich resources of the area.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition's visit marked one of the early interactions between American explorers and the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The expedition members noted the Chinook's advanced capabilities in trade and their established social structure. They were particularly impressed by the canoes, fishing practices, and the widespread use of trade networks with other tribes and European traders. This stop was significant in understanding the region's inhabitants before further American expansion.
Overall, the encounter highlighted both the cultural richness of the Chinook and the complexities of early interactions between Indigenous peoples and European-American explorers.