Struggling through the thick forests near Lolo Pass, Lewis and Clark didn't always appreciate the majestic trees that dripped snow and blocked their path. But Lewis still noted the arbor vitae, or western red cedar, and imagined turning them into long and elegant boats. Private Joseph Whitehouse also saw them along the Lochsa River and wrote of "Some tall Strait [cypress] or white ceedar." As the explorers descended down the Columbia toward the ocean, the cedars grew larger and more prominent.

By the time they reached Fort Clatsop at the Pacific, the captains came to see the fragrant tree as the centerpiece of a complex culture. The Chinook Indians incorporated it into almost every aspect of their lives, from wooden bowls to bedding and clothing made of bark. Other tribes carved totem poles and canoes from the massive trunks.