William Clark and two other men made their way towards the mouth of the Yakima River, but due to the time the farthest they got was Bateman Island.

…I took two men in a Small Canoe and ascended the Columbia river [10 miles (16 km)] to an Island near the Stard.

Shore on which two large Mat Lodges of Indians were drying Salmon,…there is no timber of any Sort except Small willow bushes in Sight in any direction - from this Island the natives showed me the entrance of a large Westerly fork which they Call Tâpetêtt at about 8 miles distant, the evening being late I deturmined to return to the forks, at which place I reached at Dark…[2]Lewis and Clark never made it past Bateman Island; it was the furthest upstream they traveled on the Columbia.

[5] In 2002 thanks to support by Bechtel Hanford and with help from many volunteers, about 27 tons worth of beer cans and other debris left there over the last 60 years was removed.

The island is home to many different species of wildlife, including deer, birds, carp in the wet season, and numerous small animals.