On Oct. 22, 1805, the Corps of Discovery paddled quickly by the present site of Maryhill State Park. Clark noted they "passed a very bad rapid at the head of an Island close under the starboard side; above this rapid on the starboard side are six lodges of natives drying fish." It is likely that the six lodges stood somewhere within the present-day state park.
The return home
By the time the expedition reached the site of Maryhill State Park on their 1806 return journey, they had traded away most of the canoes. The majority of the expedition members were now on foot, leading pack horses loaded with their baggage. Men in the last two canoes paddled against the spring current. These canoes would be traded for horses in a few more miles.
Just west of today's state park, steep cliffs next to the river forced the land-based explorers to follow Indian trails up and over the high cliffs. When they dropped back down to the level of the river, they passed through the landscape now known as Maryhill State Park.
Today, visitors can walk, picnic, camp, and enjoy the beautiful setting, where the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition walked in 1806.