The Columbia River, a few miles west of here, was one of the first highways in the West. American Indians used canoes as their principal transportation between camps and villages along the river, carrying fish, roots, berries, baskets, and other trade goods as cargo. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through this region in 1805 and 1806, and Native people from villages along the Columbia River often met the explorers on the water and sometimes joined the voyage for short distances. In March 1806, a large flotilla of canoes accompanied Lewis and Clark as they paddled upstream. Expedition members also marveled at the canoes of the American Indians of the Lower Columbia, which were carefully crafted from large cedar trees to glide smoothly through rough waters; some were decorated with carved figures on the bow and stern, and Lewis and Clark described and illustrated five styles of Indian canoes used for different purposes on the river.