Different state, county and city governments, separate school districts, and dozens of competitive businesses foster a healthy and spirited competition. At the same time, a shared economy, similarities of weather, lifestyle and the personal values of the citizens, have resulted in unparalleled cooperation.

Explorers, Native Americans, miners, merchants, farmers and mill workers shaped the two communities' histories and traditions in similar yet very different ways.

Recent history begins almost 200 years ago, when in 1805 the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the valley. The Lewis and Clark party camped overnight on an island near the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, then continued westward through what is now eastern Washington on their way to the mouth of the Columbia River.

For thousands of years, there were the Nez Perce Indians, a proud and peaceful Native people who hunted, fished and gathered the fruits of this land. The Nez Perce welcomed Lewis and Clark to their country, which in later decades would become the scene of bitter land disputes and the Nez Perce War.

In 1860, gold was discovered in the Clearwater Country near what is now Pierce, Idaho, and the cry of "Gold!" changed the land forever. Sternwheelers brought miners and supplies upriver from Portland. Almost overnight, the town of Lewiston sprang up on the east side of the Snake as entrepreneurs rushed to cash in on the boom.

Yet, Lewiston was no boom town. When the Idaho Territory was established in 1863, Idaho's oldest city--named for Meriwether Lewis--became the capital. Within a few years, the seat of government moved south to Boise, but Lewiston held on, grew and prospered. The economy expanded and the strong merchant base enlarged to accommodate a thriving agricultural industry which now is based on forest products, grains and legumes.

Clarkston began as a ferry landing on the west side of the Snake. Jawbone Flat--later renamed Concord and finally, Clarkston, in honor of William Clark, was the last community settled in what is now Asotin county, Washington.

Its early name derived form a lack of water and barren terrain. But that was before the "Big Ditch," a 14-mile-long ditch and trestle irrigation system, brought water to the community in the 1870s. What had once been barren land was transformed into flourishing orchards surrounded by rolling wheat fields.

Where Lewiston looked east to the mines, Clarkston more often looked south to the ranches of the Grande Ronde area, and a strong farm-to-market economy developed much like Lewiston's.

The similarities between the two communities always outweighed the differences. By the late 1800s, leaders on both sides of the river were determined to replace the outdated ferry system.

The first Interstate Bridge, a cantilever structure built high enough for steamboats to pass under, was finished in 1899. Now the two cities are linked by three newer bridges.

Improved highways and technological advances rendered steamboats obsolete by the 1940s, but the river remained integral to both communities.

In the 1970s, after completion of four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake, slack water came to the Lewis-Clark Valley. Lewiston and Clarkston, as well as Whitman County, Washington, established their own port districts. The river that once brought miners, settlers and supplies upstream now carries millions of dollars in products downstream to world markets.

Clarkston and Lewiston have rightfully been called partners for progress. The two chambers of commerce, while pursuing their own goals, have long worked together to achieve common objectives.

Lewiston and Clarkston are a tale of two cities which work together. Each retains its own identity. similar but different. Competitive, yet cooperative.

Both are excellent places to live, do business, and raise a family. We call it "The Valley," and it's simply the best!