Memaloose State Park, State park near The Dalles, United States.
Memaloose State Park sits along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon with maple, willow, and cottonwood trees scattered across open meadows. The space includes camping areas, walking trails, and direct access to the river's edge.
Before Europeans arrived, Chinook peoples wrapped their dead, placed them in canoes and left the canoes on Memaloose Island, some inside cedar vaults. Lewis and Clark called it Sepulcher Island during their 1804–1806 expedition. Victor Trevitt, an early member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, was buried there after his death in 1883; his grave marker is visible on the southern shore.
The name comes from "Memaloose Ilahee", Chinook Jargon for "land of the dead", given to the island visible north of the park. Lewis and Clark called it "Sepulcher Island" during their 1804-1806 expedition. Woody Guthrie mentions Memaloose Island in his 1941 song "Roll on, Columbia, Roll on".
The campground offers different accommodation options with basic amenities including hot showers and restroom facilities. The park welcomes visitors year-round and works well for day trips or extended stays with either tent or RV.
Victor Trevitt, an early member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, was buried on Memaloose Island after his death in 1883; his grave marker is visible on the island's southern shore. Only about a third of the island seen by Lewis and Clark remains above water, as the rest was flooded by the Bonneville Dam in 1937.
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