Cape Disappointment, Washington

Cape Disappointment is a state park in Washington state.

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

244 Robert Gray Dr, Ilwaco, WA 98624

Significance:

This Chinookan land is where Lewis and Clark first saw the Pacific Ocean. 

Designation:

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

MANAGED BY:

Cape Disappointment State Park

Amenities

22 listed

Accessible Sites, Amphitheater, Boat Ramp, Dock/Pier, Electrical Hookup - Boat/RV, Firewood For Sale/Available, Food/Drink - Snacks, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Primitive Campsites, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Sewer Hookups - Boat/RV, Showers, Supplies - Camping/Outdoor, Tent Campsites, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Hookup - Boat/RV

“The Indians both at this, & the other Indian village that we passed this day, made signs to us that there were vessells lying at the Mouth of this River.  Some of them signed to us that the Vessells were gone away from it.”—Joseph Whitehouse, November 7, 1805 

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark knew long before they reached the Pacific Ocean that Europeans were already visiting the mouth of the Columbia River.  

When the Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific at Cape Disappointment, they hoped to see some of fellow White men and their ocean-going ships—in part so they could restock their supply of manufactured goods. These items were important to trade and gift with Indigenous people, in exchange for food and to establish positive relations.  

Chinookan people, who lived along and controlled traffic on the Lower Columbia, told Lewis about how they traded with these White men. Some Chinookan people said words in English that they had picked up from the traders. Lewis relayed what they told him,  

The traders usually arrive in this quarter . . . in the month of April, and remain untill October; when here they lay at anchor in a bay within Cape Disappointment on the N. side of the river; here they are visited by the natives in their canoes who run along side and barter their comodities with them, their being no houses or fortification on shore for that purpose. . . . 

Based on this, Lewis and Clark decided to spend the winter nearby, in case any European ships arrived.

But they never saw one. They left in March, likely missing the next ship by just three months. Chinookan people would have still been there, ready to trade.  

Europeans had named this place Cape Disappointment. Joseph Whitehouse wrote that the name fit, “on account of not finding Vessells there.”

About this article: This article is part of a series called “Pivotal Places: Stories from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.”

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

Visitor Centers (shown in orange), High Potential Historic Sites (shown in black), and Pivotal Places (shown in green) along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail