October 26, 1805
William Clark
a fine morning Sent out Six men to hunt <to Kill> deer & Collect
rozin to Pitch our Canoes, had all our articles put out to dry-- Canoes drawed out
and repaired, the injories recved in drawing them over the rocks, every article wet in the
Canoe which nearly Sunk yesterday--
Altitude produced from this observation 44o 14' 15"
a number of Indians came to the opposit Side and Shew great anxiety to Come over, they
delayed untill late
In the evening 2 Chief and 15 men came over in a Single Canoe, those Chfs proved to be
the 2 great Chiefs of the tribes above, one gave me a <buf> dressed Elk Skin, and
gave us Som deer meet, and 2 Cakes of white bread made of white roots, we gave to each
Chief a Meadel of the Small Size a red Silk handkerchief & a knife to the 1st a arm
ban & a pin of Paint & a Comb to his Son a Piece of riben tied to a tin gorget and
2 hams of Venison They deturmined to Stay with us all night, we had a fire
made for them & one man played on the violin which pleased them much my
Servent danced-- our hunters killed five Deer, 4 very large gray Squiruels, [Western
Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus, then new to science. See February 25, 1806.] a
goose & Pheasent, one man giged a Salmon trout which we had fried in a little
Bears oil which a Chief gave us yesterday and I think the finest fish I ever tasted,
Saw great numbers of white Crains [Whooping Crane, Grus americana.]
flying in Different directions verry high. The river has rose nearly 8 Inches to day
and has every appearance of a tide, from what Cause I can't Say-- our hunters
Saw Elk & bear signs to day in the white oake woods the Country to the Lard is broken
Country thinly timbered with pine and white oake, a mountain which I must call Timm
or falls Mountain rises verry high and bears to S W the Course it hass bore Sinc
we first Saw it. our men danced to night. dried all our wet articles and
repaired our Canoes
The flees [It is more likely that the "flees" are lice, since fleas
do not attach themselves to hosts for any length of time. If lice, they would be
human body lice, Pediculus humanus.] my Self and the men got on them in
passing thro the plains the Indians had lately lived in Lodges on the Lard. Side at the
falls, are very troublesom and with every exertion the men Can't get rid of them,
perticularly as they have no clothes to change those which they wore-- Those Indians
are at Ware with the Snake Indians on the river which falls in a few miles above this and
have lately had a battle with them, their loss I cannot lern.
October 26, 1805
William Clark
A fine morning Sent Six men out to hunt Deer, and Collect rozin to pitch
the Canoes which has become verry leakey, by requently hauling them over rocks &c as
well Striking rocks frequently in passing down. all our articles we have
exposed to the Sun to Dry; and the Canoes drawn out and turned up-- maney of
our Stores entirely Spoiled by being repeetedly wet;
A number of Indians cme to the Oposit Side of the river in the fore part of the day and
Shew that they were anxious to Cross to us, we did not think proper to cross them in our
Canoes and did not Send for them. in the evening two Chiefs and 15
men came over in a Small Canoe, those two Chiefs proved to be the two Principal Chiefs of
the tribes above at the falls, and above, who was out hunting at the time we passed their
bands; one of those Chiefs made Capt Lewis and my Self each a Small present of Deer meat,
and Small Cakes of white bread made of roots. we gave to each Chief a Meadel
of the Small Size a red Silk handkerchief, arm band, Knife & a piece of Paint, and
acknowledged them as chiefs; as we thought it necessary at this time to treat those people
verry friendly & ingratiate our Selves with them, to insure us a kind & friendly
reception on our return, we gave Small presents to Several, and half a Deer to them to
eate. we had also a fire made for those piople to Sit around in the middle of
ur Camp, and Peter Crusat Played on the violin, which pleased those nativs exceedingly.
the two Chiefs and Several men deturmined to delay all night (yorked Danced
for the Inds) with us all the others returned, leaving the horses for those who Staied on
the opposit Side. our hunters returned in the evening Killed five Deer, four
verry large grey Squirels and a grouse. one of the guard at the river guiged a
Salmon Trout, which we had fried in a little Bears Oil which the Chief we passed below the
narrows gave us; <thought this> this I thought one of the most delicious fish I have
ever tasted
Great numbers of white Crain flying in different Directions verry high--
The river rose 8 Inches to day from what cause I cannot Say certainly, as the
tides cannot effect the river here as there is a falls below, I conjecture that the rise
is owing to the winds which has Set up the river for 24 hours past. our
hunters inform that the countrey back is broken, Stoney and thinly timbered with pine and
White Oake. They Saw Elk & Bear Sign in the mountains. Dried
all our wet articles and repared our Canoes to day, and the Party amused themselves at
night danceing. The Flees which the party got on them at the upper &
great falls, are very troublesom and dificuelt to get rid of, perticularly as the me[n]
have not a Change of Clothes to put on, they Strip off their Clothes and kill the
flees, dureing which time they remain neckid.
The nations in the vicinity of this place is at War with the Snake Indians who they Say
are noumerous and live on the river we passed above the falls on the Same Side on which we
have encamped, and the nearest town is about four days march they pointed
nearly S. E. and informed that they had a battle with those Inds. laterly, their loss I
could not assertain
October 26, 1805
Patrick Gass
A fine morning. We hauled up all our canoes to dress and repair them, as they had been
injured in passing over the portage, round the falls. Some hunters went out and killed 6
keer and some squirrels. In the afternoon about 20 of the natives came to our camp (among
whom were the head chiefs of the two villages about the falls) who had been out hunting
when we passed down. The Commanding Officers gave medals to the chiefs, and some other
small articles; and they appeared satisfied and some remained with us all night.
October 26, 1805
John Ordway
a clear pleasant morning. our officers delay here for observations &c. and to
repair the canoes also. Several men went out in the timbred land to hunt. we
unloaded the canoes and halled them out of the water to Smooth their bottoms and repair
them. one of the men giged a Sammon Trout in the River. towards evening the
hunters returned to Camp had killed 5 Deer a goose and a gray Squerrell.[Western
Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus] a number of Savages came in canoes
made in form of Sciffs to our Camp. our officers took down Some of the language from
these Savages and Compared with all other we have passd. and find them to be all of a flat
head nation but different tribes. we think the flat head nation to be more than ten
thousand Strong. the River raised considerable this afternoon.
October 26, 1805
Joseph Whitehouse
a clear pleasant morning. we lay Campd. on the clift or pt. of rocks for Safety.
2 Sentinels to guard us. our officers conclude to delay here for observations
and repair the canoes &c. So we unloaded all the canoes Shaved the bottoms
Smooth and pay them over and made them in good repair &c. Several men out a
hunting. a nomber of the natives visited us. we dryed the articles which got
wet in the canoe that filled yesterday. one of the men giged a Sammon Trout [Likely
a Steelhead Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.] in the River. towards
evening the hunters returned to Camp had killed 5 five Deer a goose and a gray Squirrel. [Probably
the Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus.] they Saw
a great nomber of deer in the timbered land. we Saw a great no. of geese and ducks.
the Savages came in crafts to our Camp made of Solid wood but are made in form of Sciffs
for the convenience of rideing the waves in high winds, or to coast along the Sea
Shore. Several of the Indains Stayed with us this night one of them a chief
Capt. Lewis compared the languages of these with those which he had taken down all the way
this Side of the mountains and find them to be all one nation but differ a little in their
languages, cased by the differnt tribes of them Scattered Such a long distance from each
other. [Since they had descended from the Bitterroots and met the Nez Perces, most
of the people they had encountered had belonged to the Shahaptian language family, as
Lewis had discerned. The Dalles area marked the dividing line between the Shahaptian
language (upstream) and the Chinookan language (downstream). The Wishrams lived on
the north side of the Columbia, and the closely allied Wascos on the South side; both
spoke Chinookan languages.] all the way thick along the kimoo-e-nem
& Columbia Rivers and to the head of all the Rivers runing in to it. we think
the flat head [The first "Flatheads" they met were the Salish, of the
Salishan language family. From the Nez Perces on down to The Dalles the people were
primarily Shahaptian speakers. Now they were among Chinookans. Perhaps they picked up the
idea of calling all the people west of the mountains Flatheads from the mandans and
Hidatsas, or maybe from Sacagawea and her fellow Shoshones.] nation to be ten
Thousan Strong in all. the River began to raise about 4 oClock P. M. and
raised Several Inches, the cause of which we think that the tide Swels a little up to this
place.
October 26, 1805
Joseph Whitehouse
A clear pleasant morning, and we continued at our Encampment near the point of rocks,
with 2 Centinals placed to guard us. Our hunters were went out in order to hunt for
game. Our officers mean to delay here this day in order to ascertain the Latitude of
this place, repair our Canoes &ca. We unlaoded our Canoes, shaved their bottoms
clean, payed them over with Pitch. We also put the loading that had got wet, in the
Canoe Yesterday Out in order to dry <them>. We had a number of the Natives at
our Camp, to visit us. One of our party gigged a large Salmon Trout in the River,
which he brought to our Camp. Towards Evening our hunters returned to the Camp.
They had killed 5 deer, 1 Goose & a grey squirrel. They informed us, that
they had seen a great number of deer, in the timbered land, We saw a great number of
Ducks, & Geese in the River this day.-- The Indians came to our Camp this day,
on Crafts made out of Cedar Wood. These Crafts were made in the form of a Skiff, for
the convenience of riding the Waves in high winds; or to coast along the Sea shore.--
They were neatly formed & dug out.-- Several of these Indians staid with
us all Night, among wihich was one of their Chiefs.-- Captain Lewis compared the
language of these Indians, with the different languages that he had taken down in writing,
of all the Indians that we had see on this side of the Rockey Mountains, & found them
to be the same Nation, & to differ but little in their languages, which is occasioned
by the different tribes of them, being scattered such a long distance from each other
& all the way <thick> numerous along the Kio-me-num & Columbia Rivers &
to the heads of all the Rivers that run into them.--
Our Officers as well as the Men, are of opinion that all the Indians that we met with
(since we first met with the flatt head Indains) belong to that Nation; & from the
best calculation that we can make suppose them to be Ten thousand Men strong <in
all,> The Columbia River began to rise at about 4 o'Clock P.M. and raised several
Inches. The cause of which we suppose to be from the flowing of the tide, which
occasions the swell at this place.-- The place we are at lies in Latitude 45o
0' North & called the long Narrows of Columbia River.
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