Clark’s Dismal Nitch is a cove in the lower Columbia River where Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery sought shelter from dangerous weather conditions for six days in November of 1805. By the time of their arrival at the lower Columbia River, the expedition had traveled for over a year and a half and across thousands of miles.

Their goal, to reach the Pacific Ocean, was in sight. The travelers hoped to locate a trading ship that could transport their journals and specimens east to Washington, D.C. and to President Thomas Jefferson. Near the mouth of the Columbia River, a dangerous winter storm arose, halting the Corps of Discovery’s progress. The corpsmen sought shelter in a cove for several days awaiting safe travel conditions. Wind, rain, lightening and hail destroyed one of the canoes and left the Corps cold, hungry, and wet. After the weather finally cleared, William Clark wrote in his journal that the group loaded their canoes and left “that dismal nitch” as quickly as possible.

Long occupied by the Chinnook Nation, fur traders settled near the Dismal Nitch in what is today the town of Astoria only a few years after the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through. Joseph Meggler established one of several fish canneries in the area. Most canneries were located in Astoria, but Meggler’s cannery and “fish buying station” were located near Point Ellice in Meggler Cove, which Meggler also referred to as Clark’s Dismal Nitch.

Today, Clark’s Dismal Nitch is a Washington State Safety Rest Area and is a part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Stephanie Powell.