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AOTM 5.6

The Big Bend (or Great Bend) was mapped by David Thompson in the early 19th century. Thompson didn’t use either phrase, but he included a note on his famous map in the shape of the Great Bend, reading "Both sides of the Columbia very bold high rocky Land covered with short Grass mostly bare of woods." Map rotated to ease reading of note. (David Thompson ca. 1826; Map of North America from 84 degrees West; Sheet 5 (detail); Courtesy National Archives of Great Britain) Vintage map of the Pacific Northwest, annotated to indicated the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River in Central Washington, from where the Spokane River enters the Columbia, to the confluence of the Snake River and the Columbia. (Public domain)
AOTM 5.6