Recreation - Plankhouse & Cultural Resources
Cathlapotle
Plankhouse
Along the Oaks to Wetlands Trail of the Carty Unit, see the cedar
Cathlapotle Plankhouse. Archaeological evidence, historic documents,
and the Lewis and Clark journals suggest that the plankhouses of
the lower Columbia River were magnificant structures, standing for
hundreds of years. In 2005 the Refuge, its partners, and volunteers
united to construct a replica Plankhouse to interpret, educate,
and recover the natural and cultural hertiage of the Refuge. The
Cathlapotle Plankhouse is 
generally
staffed on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 pm during the summer.
Arrangements can be scheduled for group and educational tours throughout
the year. Please visit www.plankhouse.org
for a scheduled hours of operation and other special events.
Cathlapotle - Ancient Village on the Lewis & Clark National
Historic Trail
Many years before Europeans arrived to the lower Columbia River,
the area's rich natural resources such as those found on present
day Ridgefield NWR had been sustaining people for thousands of years.
Over the last decade, archaeological research on the Refuge - conducted
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the Chinook
Tribe and Portland State University - revealed fascinating information
about the area's ancient environment and the importance of the plants
and animals to the native people. Scientists uncovered the remains
of a large ancient village bearing testimony to an enduring and
intimate relationship between people and the land.
Explorers Lewis & Clark documented the village of Cathalpotle
(Cath-la-poo-tuhl or Cath-la-poe-tuhl) in their journals while on
their way to the Pacific Ocean on November 5, 1805. They counted
14 cedar plankhouses belonging to the people of the "Quathlapotle
nation" and estimated some 900 inhabitants. From the shore,
seven canoes of Indians from the village paddled out to inspect
the strangers and trade with them. Returning in March 1806, Lewis
and Clark stopped again at Cathlapotle for several hours.
After leaving the village, Lewis and Clark went on to camp for the
night at a "butifull grassy place" a
bout
a mile upstream. This site is also located on the Refuge. It is
known today as Wapato Portage because it is here that Clark described
observations of the village women portaging their canoes into what
is today known as Carty Lake to collect wapato, a large-leafed wetland
plant with a starchy tuber. Despite its place in American history,
the site's significance does not revolve soley around its one-time
use as a campsite by the famed explorers. Radiocarbon dating has
determined that human habitation here dates back at least 2,300
years, making it one of the oldest inhabited sites known in the
floodplain of the lower Columbia River.
Cathlapotle and Wapato Portage are two archaeological sites on the
Columbia River that have withstood the destructive forces of flooding,
looting, and development. Today, that rich natural and cultural
legacy is permanently protected on Ridgefield NWR. Archaeological
evidence from these sites shows that the people were harvesting
an abundance of salmon, elk, waterfowl, native grasses, and trees
for their survival. These resources also formed the basis of an
elaborate and successful trading system, bringing great wealth to
the native people. In many ways, wildlife and natural resource management
was taking place here long before our modern day refuge was ever
established.
To commemorate this historic event and to share with you the significant
role natural resources had in our native peoples' cultures, the
Refuge staff, volunteers, and parnters constructed a cedar plankhouse,
similar to those that were found at the ancient village of Cathlapotle.
To learn more about this project, visit www.plankhouse.org.
Follow these links to learn more about recreation opportunities
on the Refuge:
