Places: Lewis and Clark Travois Trail, Pomeroy, Washington

The wilderness that became the American west wasn't as trackless as people would think.  True, there were no established roads and European-American information about the area was superficial at best.  However, the Native people had long established trails for trading, hunting, warfare and other needs and used landmarks such as rocks, rivers and mountain passes as we would use modern road signs.  One of these surviving areas is a National Historic Place known as the Lewis and Clark Trail-Travois Road.

When Lewis and Clark set out to return to Missouri and civilization in 1805-06, they would have to recross the Rocky Mountains.  To do so they would have to connect with one of the Native tribes on the western slopes.  The Nez Perce were as hospitable and willing to trade horses as the Shoshone had been.  Lewis and Clark used a portion of a path long known to the Nez Perce tribe.  Portions of the Lewis and Clark Trail run along an established Nez Perce path that includes the ruts of travois used by the Nez Perce people.  And they would use the trail again during their epic retreat during the 1877 Nez Perce War.

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