Living at the Confluence of Rivers, History, and Nature
I walk near where Lewis & Clark camped on their voyage of Discovery to and from the Pacific Ocean; I walk where the Nez Perce Indians have hunted and fished for generations and where wildlife and birds return year after year to mate and nest. Not only do I live at the confluence of two great rivers of the northwest in the Snake and Clearwater rivers, but at the confluence of history and nature.
I tread lightly knowing sacred echoes from history surround me. This beautiful, rugged area of basalt and river have fed the people and wild life for thousands of years. The native Nez Perce who call themselves the Nimiipuu, or translated as ‘The People’ have survived and flourished by living off this plentiful land. They found wild game to eat, fresh salmon and lamprey eel to catch, and they dug roots that grew on the hillsides. They gathered to pow-wow, feast, and practice their sacred traditions. Here on this land, they were free to laugh, to love, to compete, to learn the arts of hunting and fishing and to pass on their skills to the next generations. They felt the winds swirl through the canyon, felt the rain drops from the billowing thunder clouds, and in summer they felt the stinging heat of the sun as it radiated off the hot rocks along the river. They looked at the same stunning full moons, and the same starry constellations that we do. And they practiced their philosophy of equality meaning that no human or creature is superior or inferior to another.
Perhaps that is the reason that they were welcoming to the Corps of Discovery when they met the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805. After barely surviving their trek through the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana near Lolo Pass on the Montana/Idaho border Lewis & Clark met their first Nez Perce. Soon they were welcomed by the tribe and they lived among the Nez Perce for four weeks. The People helped them build canoes, they housed and fed them and let them recover and refresh their bodies after the grueling trek across the mountains. In October, the Corps of Discovery left the Nez Perce encampment and pushed on floating their dugout canoes on the Clearwater River and arrived at an island at the confluence of the Clearwater River and the Snake River at present day Clarkston, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho where I live. Here William Clark described our area when he wrote in his journal: “I can observe at a distance…a high ridge of thinly timbered country the water of the south fork is greenish blue, the north as clear as crystial.”
On their return trip from the Pacific Ocean in May of 1806, the Lewis & Clark expedition once again traveled through this area and camped near Clarkston, WA. Again, they were joined by members of the Nez Perce tribe who resumed guiding them through our territory. Pivotal history occurred here in the surroundings where I live. I walk in the footsteps of legends.
It is my hope that you will join me and walk beside me as I record the beauty of this area that we find today. Perhaps not much has changed in nearly 220 years and at the same time everything has changed. Today the Nez Perce nation lives on a reservation with the headquarters at Lapwai, ID. Lewis and Clark are long passed, yet the Corps of Discovery opened the west to trappers, miners, pioneers, and eventually modern society.
Perhaps one of the most important things that has not changed is the natural world of this area. The migrating birds from the south return each year to nest and raise their young. At the first of April the Osprey return to soar above the rivers then dive down to plunge their talons into the water and grip an unlucky fish, the cliff swallows appear with the first hatchings of the May flies and begin their graceful dance as they swoop and soar feeding on the insects in flight. So much wildlife call this place their home. Along the hills and ridges live the big game like elk, black bears, moose, big horned sheep, both mule and white-tailed deer and the smaller animals like muskrats, racoons, badgers, pine martens, marmots, and skunks. Then there are the predators that hunt for their living like the coyotes, foxes, wolves, cougars, and bob cats. All of them living together pass over the same trails and come down to the river and creeks to drink. In the warm days the snakes sun themselves on the hot rocks and it is common to come upon rattlesnakes, bull snakes, and blue tailed skinks. Relying on the river for life are the beavers who feast on the willows and the river otter who play and dive and bob up and down along the current. But I think my favorite of the wildlife are the birds and there is so much variety. When I walk on winter days it is so quiet and still, then as the weather warms, my heart feels joy as the sound of the song bird returns. The song sparrow begins its trill, then the Red Wing Blackbirds arrive and soon the Robins. The Canada Geese make a raucous chorus of honking as though there is a heated argument in the flock among the cliffs. The white pelicans appear and gather to feast on the steelhead smolts. I love to see them gracefully soar in a spiraling pattern as the flock rises higher and higher into the sky until they become a tiny white speck. Other birds that live in the canyon are golden eagles, the bald eagle, the seagulls, the red legged chucker, wild turkeys, ducks of all kinds, coots, pheasants, grouse, quail, owls, and the Great Blue Heron. I have loved capturing photos of many of these amazing feathered friends. And finally, what is a mighty river without fish? Fisherman travel from all over the world to experience Hells Canyon. Here they fish for the white sturgeon that can live up to 100 years and grow to over 10 feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds. The river teems with many fish including small mouthed bass, trout, channel and bullhead catfish, pea mouth, pike minnows, silver, chinook, and pink salmon plus the bottom feeders like suckers and carp.
Also unchanged along the river are the plants and flowers that reseed and bloom year after year. I especially love capturing their exquisite beauty with the camera lens.
I feel as though I live in a magical place with its own unique beauty nestled between the history of the proud and dignified nation of the Nez Perce and the story of the American discovery of the west. So much of importance has happened here in this spot and I invite you to join me as I tell my story of love for this treasured land through my photos.
I welcome you to leave comments and explore the beauty of this area which I have captured through images on my website. You may follow my daily walks on Instagram at #broumleyjudy. If you would like updates on my photographic and art journey please subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
