1946 State Parks Report: Memaloose Island Overlook

The Memaloose Island Overlook is situated at Mile Post 76.30, nearly three miles east of Mosier. It is described as being in two parcels, lying in Section 32, Township 3 North of Range East, W.M., in Wasco County, Oregon. One parcel with 1.48 acres is north of the highway, the other with 1.16 acers, is south of the highway, the total 2.64 acres. These tracts were a gift to the State of Oregon by Roy D. Chetfield and Bernice M. Chatfield, his wife, the deed date May 25, 1925.

The surrounding area is rocky, the soil shallow with scrubby pines holding a precarious rooting in the deeper soil or rock crevices. In the very early spring, the thin, moist layer of soil of the adjacent areas produces a profusion of Blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense) with a touch of the scattering, vividly golden blossoms of the Hydrastylus borealis, resembling the Blue eyed grass in form.

These welcome harbingers of spring are the earliest wild flowers to appear along the highway between Hood River and The Dalles. They have been known to be in bloom before mid-February.

The Overlook is located on a prominence 532 feet (U.S.G.C.) [sic] above the river. There is an ample parking space beside the highway, adjoining a well graveled inclosure, that is almost surrounded by a cut stone wall. The site affords lengthy views up and down the river. A particularly noticeable feature on the Washington side, is the evenly layered basalt of the eastern limb of the Bingen anticline that dips into the river just above Memaloose Island.

This deeply sanded rock islet was a repository for the fleshless bones of the native deed where they had been deposited for untold years. The crude shelters on the island attracted the attention of Lewis and Clark as they were drifting down the river on October 29, 1805, and they stopped to note the shetered pits that were the final sepulchers of the dead. They named it Sepulcher Island. In the late 1880's and early 1890's, these charnel houses were frequently visited by white persons, some from curiosity, some seeking artifacts or flathead skulls. Long before the coming of the white man, it had been a practice of the Chinookian tribes to flatten the heads of the female children and thus enhance their appearance when grown up, as by tribal standards, the more the head was flattened, the more desirable was the individual. These flattened skulls were the most coveted objects to be obtained and some of the vaults had been disturbed to a depth of eight or ten feet in the search for select specimens. The Indians keenly resented this profanation by white people, and not infrequently the impious invaders were shot at from the Washington shore. Nevertheless the flattened skulls in the open vaults practically all disappeared.

The highwater of 1894 washed away the lowest of the vaults and back water from the Bonneville Dam has since submerged the lower portion of the island. It is regrettable that vandalism and indifference have been the cause of the almost complete obliteration of this outstanding site of early Indian burial customs.

W. A. Langille

State Parks Historian

December 5, 1945

Recommendations:

Always keep in neat condition.

Secure permission of adjoining owner to clean up area of debris wherein it detracts from river view.

S. H. Boardman

State Parks Superintendent

March 25, 1946

Oregon State Parks: Memaloose State Park

The original park tract was 2.64 acres given to the state in 1925 by Roy D. and Bernice M. Chatfield. Situated on what was originally the old Columbia River Highway, the park was called Memaloose Island Overlook. With the reconstruction of the highway, additional private lands were purchased in 1952 and 1953. Land not needed for highway purposes was transferred to the Parks and Recreation Division. The park is named for a nearby island in the Columbia River which was a traditional Indian burial ground. In Chinook language, the word "memaloose" is associated with burial ritual. The most prominent feature on the island is a monument to Victor Trevitt, settler of The Dalles and friend of the Indians who died in 1883 and was buried on Memaloose Island in accordance with his wishes.

Acreage: 441.35

Annual overnight attendance: 36,696

Memaloose is open for the 2020 camping season. The last night to camp for the 2020 season will be Saturday October 31, 2020.

[March 19, 2020: State Park Campgrounds are closed until further notice due to the Covid-19 Outbreak]

The Chinook Indian tribes of the Columbia Gorge used to lay the bones of their dead on open pyres on Memaloose Island in the middle of the Columbia River near The Dalles. A granite monument visible from Memaloose State Park campground marks the resting place where a local pioneer named Victor Trevitt wished to chart his eternal course buried among honorable men.

Today, Memaloose State Park is a virtual oasis of beauty in the Columbia River Gorge. Temperatures can be warm on a summer day, but Memaloose always manages to provide cool comfort and shade thanks to the tall maples, willows and cottonwood that loom large in the park. Explore the nearby Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. Historic Columbia River Highway and State Trail bicycle and hiking map

On summer nights, families select prime viewing spots on the cool grass and open meadows around the campground and observe the nightly celestial performances of shooting stars, wandering satellites and far away galaxies.

Please be aware that there is no safe or legal river access at Memaloose

Campground info

• 43 full-hookup sites
• 66 tent sites with water nearby
• Flush toilets and hot showers
• RV dump station

Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Journey Across Oregon

Memaloose View Point, 115.5 m. [West of Hwy. 730 Junction], overlooks MEMALOOSE ISLAND, the "Island of the Dead," for hundreds of years an Indian burial place. Many of the bleached bones of generations of Indians have now been moved to other cemeteries along the Columbia, taken away from burial houses where they had been placed. A white marble shaft marks the grave of Victor Trevitt, an Oregon settler who asked that he be buried among his friends, the Indians.

"...Memaloose Overlook (HMP 76.3), an original CRH feature, provides unobstructed views up and down the Columbia River and toward Memaloose Island, a former traditional American Indian burial place."

Links

CLICK HERE to continue exploring the highway