1271-1791 Explorations of the Pacific Northwest coastline by explorers seeking the Northwest Passage
Captain George Vancouver and his voyage along the Pacific Northwest coastline in 1792
Captain Robert Gray discovered the Columbia River on May 11,
1792 while on a fur trading expedition
on the Northwest Coast.
Lewis and Clark left the mouth of the Missouri River at St. Louis
on May 14, 1804. Their goal was the mouth of the
Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.