Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark came to the Clearwater Valley in 1805 in search of a trade route through the Northwest. They followed the Clearwater River from the Bitterroot Mountains to its merger with the Snake River, the present-day site of the twin cities of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington. The expedition found what it was looking for - the Port of Lewiston - 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It is the West's most inland seaport.

Lewis and Clark's journey might not have been successful were it not for the help of the Nez Perce Indians who had lived and fished for salmon in the area for thousands of years. Many of the Lewiston Valley's museums and parks, including the Nez Perce National Historic Park and the Lewis Discovery Center at Hell's Gate State Park, document and celebrate the history of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Once the capital of Idaho, Lewiston is best known today for its "Banana Belt" climate with warm, sunny days, year-round golf and limitless opportunities for water-skiing, jet boating, sailing, whitewater rafting, hunting, fishing, swimming and hiking. The city is perfectly situated to provide easy access to spectacular Hells Canyon, fishing for steelhead in the Clearwater River and whitewater rafting on the Salmon River. In town, miles of paved levee pathways follow the rivers for walking, jogging and biking. Lewiston celebrates its lovely climate and the coming of spring each April with the month-long Dogwood Festival.