Dismal Nitch is a cove on the north shore of the lower Columbia River, historically significant as the last campsite of the Lewis and Clark Expedition before they sighted the Pacific Ocean, about 9 miles (15 km) southeast of Ilwaco, Washington and 4.5 miles (7 km) north-northwest of Astoria, Oregon. Captain William Clark named the site in 1805 after the Corps of Discovery was forced off the river for six days by a severe storm. The cove is an indentation in the bedrock at the mouth of present-day Megler Creek, which descends from the Coast Range. The bedrock is sandstone formed during the Middle Eocene, when this part of western Oregon and Washington lay beneath a large inland sea. Marine sediments, carried northward by turbidity currents, accumulated to a thickness of more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and lithified over time. Between 50 million and 20 million years ago, from the Eocene through the Miocene, frequent volcanic eruptions reshaped much of the Columbia River basin. At Dismal Nitch, for instance, the sandstone is intruded by basalt at nearby Point Ellice. Between 17 million and 6 million years ago, vast outpourings of flood basalt lava covered the Columbia River Plateau, redirecting the lower Columbia into its current course. The modern Cascade Range began uplifting between 5 million and 4 million years ago, and the Columbia River cut through the rising mountains. Although there is no direct evidence of glaciation in the lower Columbia River, the area experienced some of the most dramatic floods in geological history near the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Periodic ruptures of ice dams at Glacial Lake Missoula triggered the Missoula Floods, which occurred dozens of times over thousands of years. While the exact number is unknown, geologists have documented at least 40 floods, occurring between about 19,000 and 13,000 years ago. These floods largely shaped the present-day landscape of the lower Columbia River.

Humans have inhabited the Columbia River watershed for more than 15,000 years, with a shift to a sedentary, salmon-based lifestyle beginning about 3,500 years ago. The Chinook lived along the river’s north shore from Grays Bay to the sea, establishing large villages of cedar-plank longhouses at key salmon streams. The Clatsop occupied the southern shore, speaking a closely related language. About 5 miles (8 km) downstream from present-day Dismal Nitch stood Qiqaiaqilxam, a major Chinook village meaning ‘middle town,’ likely referencing its central location among north-bank settlements. With more than 30 longhouses, it commanded the river and provided ready access to migrating salmon. It also served as a trading hub. Dentalium shells, used as currency, arrived by canoe from northern Vancouver Island, and slaves—acquired through raids as far as British Columbia and northern California—were traded to visiting coastal tribes. In 1792, British Captain George Vancouver sailed past the Columbia’s mouth. Later that year, American Captain Robert Gray became the first known European-descended explorer to cross the Columbia Bar. He spent nine days trading near the river’s mouth and traveled inland to Grays Bay, about 8 miles (13 km) east of Dismal Nitch. Vancouver later sent Lieutenant William R. Broughton upstream as far as the Sandy River, about 100 miles (160 km) inland. Because the Columbia lay at the same latitude as the Missouri’s headwaters, some speculated it might connect the two. Between 1803 and 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the American West but found no such passage. After crossing the Rockies, they paddled down the Snake and Columbia Rivers. On November 10, a severe storm forced them ashore for six days, dashing hopes of meeting a trading vessel. Captain Clark called the landing site ‘that dismal little nitch.’ The expedition later moved and wintered at Fort Clatsop.

In 1811, just five years after Lewis and Clark returned east, fur traders with John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company established a post on the south bank of the Columbia River, where the city of Astoria now stands. Strategically located at the river’s mouth, the settlement became the commercial hub of the salmon-canning industry. In 1880, Marshall Kenney of Astoria built a fishing station on the north bank, just upstream of Point Ellice. He named it Hungry Harbor, referring to its sheltered waters, where fishermen often stopped to cook coffee and eat lunch. In 1883, Joseph G. Megler took over the site, operating a cannery and fish-buying station. The area became known as Megler Cove. In 1888, the Ilwaco Railroad and Navigation Company laid the first 5 miles (8 km) of narrow-gauge train track east from Ilwaco along the north bank. The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company acquired the railroad in 1906 and purchased the deep-water site at Megler. By 1907, construction was under way on a rail extension between Ilwaco and Megler, and a 900-foot-long by 120-foot-wide (274 m by 37 m) wharf was built. Scheduled train operations soon began, and the steamer Nahcotta was launched as a passenger-only ferry between Astoria and Megler. By 1909, a depot, maintenance shed, and turntable were completed. Rising automobile use prompted Fritz Elfving to launch a car ferry with Tourist No. 1, in 1921, Tourist No. 2 in 1924, and Tourist No. 3 in 1931. With cars overtaking rail traffic, the Ilwaco Railroad ceased service in September 1930. In 1931, the Washington State Highway Department acquired most of the right-of-way for a road and by 1956, a road east of Megler was completed. Oregon purchased the ferry company in 1946, and added the M. R. Chessman, and later the Kitsap. Construction of the Astoria-Megler Bridge began in 1962 and finished in 1966, with the last ferry run in July. In 1968–69, the ferry landing was demolished, and the Megler Rest Area was built. It was renamed the Dismal Nitch Rest Area in 2005. Read more here and here. Explore more of Dismal Nitch and Columbia River here: