"...From this place I discovered a high mountain of immense height, covered with snow...From the course which it bears, which is west, I take it to be Mt. St. Helens..." --William Clark
There seems to be some confusion when interpreting the location of this "immense mountain," on whether the expedition had actually sighted Mt. Hood or Mt. Adams. We, fortunately, had no confusion this morning as we gazed upon the brilliant snow covered flanks of Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood was named on October 29, 1792 by Lieutenant William Robert Broughton, on the H.M.S. Chatham, in honor of Samuel Hood. Lieutenant Broughton went 119 miles upstream into the Columbia River using charts given to him by Captain Robert Gray. Captain Gray had sailed into the mouth of this great river on May 11, 1792, and gave it the name Columbia from his ship, the Columbia Rediviva. Many names from the past are here with us today, as we continue to follow in the wake of Lewis and Clark.
