Cities
Lewiston, Idaho/Clarkston, Washington
1805-

The only thing separating Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, is a river with a state line running through it.

These twin cities are bonded by the history surrounding their namesake explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and further linked in sharing the distinction of being the gateway to Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area, home of North America’s deepest gorge.

The Lewis-Clark Valley is 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean and the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers as they flow westerly to join the Columbia River in Tri-Cities, Washington.

The history of the Lewis-Clark Valley is rich with traditions and stories. For centuries, the area has been home to the Nez Perce Indians who traveled the valleys and lived off the land and rivers. It was the Nez Perce who welcomed Lewis and Clark in 1805 as they were enroute to discover the Pacific Ocean and again in 1806 when they spent more than six weeks with the Nez Perce in the Kamiah area before heading eastward across the Lolo Trail.

The Idaho Territory was established in 1863 and President Abraham Lincoln signed the act establishing the territory on March 4, with the capital at Lewiston, but its tenure was to be short lived. The next year, a resolution passed to make Boise the capital and the change was officially made in 1865.

The Idaho legislature of 1893 created a “normal” school but failed to fund it. Lewiston citizens rallied to get Lewiston State Normal School off the ground. The school has undergone many transitions and in 1971 finally became Lewis and Clark State College with the distinction of being the last “normal” college in the nation.

At 738 feet in elevation, the area is known as the “Banana Belt” with its mild winter climate that allows year-round golfing, while winter sports are only a short drive away. Visitors can enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Hells Canyon, with the Seven Devils mountain range rising more than 9,000 feet in elevation, from several different vantage points.

There are the big, bus-like Mail Boats where, on an overnight tour, visitors can ride along while the mail is delivered to residents in the canyon and dine and stay overnight at a comfortable lodge. The smaller jet boats offer a thrilling ride into the spectacular canyon with intermittent stops for fishing. Whitewater rafts provide an opportunity to meander along at one’s own pace soaking in the scenery.

Memorials to the explorers and the Indians are scattered all over town in Lewiston. A bronze sculpture of Sakajawea surrounded by four coyotes is in Pioneer Park on Fifth Street. On the Lewis and Clark State College campus in a waterfall setting is a sculpture of the pair meeting Chief Twisted Hair. A life-size bronze of a Nez Perce man on an appaloosa horse, Idaho’s state horse, graces the entrance to the county courthouse and at the intersection of Hwy 12 and 21st Street, are bronzes of Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea — to mention only a few.

Clarkston has been named to the top 100 list in a book, Boom Town USA: the 7 ½ keys to Big Success in Small Towns by Jack Schultz, who examined 15,800 small towns in rural America. Clarkston’s high ranking, says Schultz, “is the fact that it capitalizes on the natural feature, Hells Canyon and uses effective marketing to promote visitation.”

Also in Clarkston, beautiful sidewalk etchings depicting the adventures of the Lewis and Clark Expedition can be viewed at Hells Canyon Resort Marina adjacent to Rooster’s Landing Waterfront Restaurant.

West of Clarkston is the Alpowai Interpretive Center built near the original site of Alpowai, a Nez Perce Indian village during the mid-1800s. The center is outside the entrance of Chief Timothy State Park, eight miles west on Highway 12.

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