The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 Part 89

The roots which they use are Several different kinds, the Wappato which they precure from the nativs above, a black root which they call Shaw-na tah que & the wild licquorish is the most Common, they also kill a fiew Elk Deer & fowl--maney of the Chinnooks appear to have venerious and pustelus disorders. one woman whome I saw at the beech appeared all over in Scabs and ulsers &c.

we gave to the men each a pece of ribin We purchased Cramberies Mats verry netely made of flags and rushes, Some roots, Salmon and I purchased a hat made of Splits & Strong gra.s.s, which is made in the fas.h.i.+on which was common in the U States two years ago also Small baskets to hold Water made of Split and Straw, for those articles we gave high prices-.

[Clark, November 22, 1805]

Novr. 22nd Friday 1805 Some little rain all the last night with wind, before day the wind increased to a Storm from the S. S. E. and blew with violence throwing the water of the river with emence waves out of its banks almost over whelming us in water, O! how horriable is the day--This Storm Continued all day with equal violence accompanied with rain, Several Indians about us, nothing killed the waves & brakers flew over our Camp, one Canoe Split by the Tossing of those waves--we are all Confined to our Camp and wet. purchased some Wapto roots for which was given, bra.s.s armbans & rings of which the Squars were fond. we find the Indians easy ruled and kept in order by a Stricter indifference towards them

[Clark, November 22, 1805]

Friday November 22nd 1805 a moderate rain all the last night with wind, a little before Day light the wind which was from the S S. E. blew with Such violence that we wer almost overwhelmned with water blown from the river, this Storm did not Sease at day but blew with nearly equal violence throughout the whole day accompaned with rain. O! how horriable is the day waves brakeing with great violence against the Sh.o.r.e throwing the Water into our Camp &c. all wet and Confind to our Shelters, Several Indian men and women Crouding about the mens Shelters to day, we purchased a fiew wappato roots for which we gave armbans, & rings to the old Squar, those roots are equal to the Irish potato, and is a tolerable Subst.i.tute for bread

The threat which I made to the men of this nation whome I first Saw, and an indifference towards them, is I am fulley Convinced the Cause of their Conducting themselves with great propriety towards ourselves & Party.

[Clark, November 23, 1805]

November 23rd Sat.u.r.day 1805 The Cloudy and Calm, a moderate rain the greater part of the last night, Sent out men to hunt this morning and they Killed 3 Bucks, rained at intervales all day. I marked my name the Day of the month & year on a Beech trees & (By Land) Capt Lewis Branded his and the men all marked their nams on trees about the Camp. one Indian Came up from their village on some lakes near Haleys bay. In the Evening 7 Indians of the Clatt Sopp nation, opposit Came over, they brought with them 2 Sea orter Skins, for which the asked Such high prices we were uneabled to purchase, without reduceing our Small Stock of merchindize on which we have to depend in part for a Subsistance on our return home, Kiled 4 brant & 3 Ducks to day

[Clark, November 23, 1805]

Sat.u.r.day November 22rd 1805.

A calm Cloudy morning, a moderate rain the greater part of the last night, Capt Lewis Branded a tree with his name Date &c. I marked my name the Day & year on a Alder tree, the party all Cut the first letters of their names on different trees in the bottom. our hunters killed 3 Bucks, 4 Brant & 3 Ducks to day.

in the evening Seven indians of the Clot Sop Nation Came over in a Canoe, they brought with them 2 Sea otter Skins for which they asked blue beads &c. and Such high pricies that we were unable to purchase them without reducing our Small Stock of merchendize, on which we depended for Subcistance on our return up this river--mearly to try the Indian who had one of those Skins, I offered him my Watch, handkerchief a bunch of red beads and a dollar of the American Coin, all of which he refused and demanded "ti-a, co-mo-shack" which is Chief beads and the most common blue beads, but fiew of which we have at this time

This nation is the remains of a large nation destroyed by the Small pox or Some other which those people were not acquainted with, they Speak the Same language of the Chinnooks and resemble them in every respect except that of Stealing, which we have not Cought them at as yet.

[Clark, November 24, 1805]

November 24th Sunday 1805 Several of the Chenn nook N. Came, one of them brought an Sea orter Skin for which we gave Some blue Beeds--This day proved to be fair and we dried our wet articles bedding &c. The hunters killed only 1 brant no Deer or any thing else

The old chief of Chinn-nook nation and Several men & women Came to our camp this evening & Smoked the pipe

Serjt J. Ordway Cross & examine S Serjt. N. Pryor do do S Sgt. P. Ga.s.s do do S Jo. s.h.i.+elds proceed to Sandy R

Go. Shannon Examn. Cross falls T. P. Howard do do falls P. Wiser do do S. R J. Collins do do S. R Jo Fields do do up Al. Willard do do up R Willard do do up J. Potts do do falls R. Frasure do do up Wm. Bratten do do up R. Fields do do falls J. B. Thompson do do up J. Colter do do up H. Hall do do S. R.

Labeech do do S R Peter Crusatte do do S R J. B. Depage do do up Shabono --- - S. Guterich do do falls W. Werner do do up Go. Gibson do do up Jos. Whitehouse do do up Geo Drewyer Examn other side falls McNeal do do up York " "

lookout

falls Sandy River lookout up 6 10 12

Janey in favour of a place where there is plenty of Potas.

Cp L Proceed on to morrow & examine The other side if good hunting to winter there, as Salt is an objt. if not to proceed on to Sandy it is probable that a vestle will come in this winter, & that by proceeding on at any distance would not inhance our journey in pa.s.sing the Rockey mountains, &c.

W C. In favour of proceding on without delay to the opposit Sh.o.r.e & there examine, and find out both the disposition of the Indians, & probibilaty of precureing Subsistance, and also enquire if the Tradeing vestles will arrive before the time we Should depart in the Spring, and if the Traders, Comonly arive in a Seasonable time, and we Can Subsist without a depends. on our Stores of goods, to Continue as the Climent would be more favourable on the Sea Coast for our naked men than higher up the Countrey where the Climate must be more Severe--The advantage of the arival of a vestle from whome we Can precure goods will be more than an over ballance, for the bad liveing we Shall have in liveing on Pore deer & Elk we may get in this neighbourhood. If we Cannot subsist on the above terms to proceed on, and make Station Camps, to neighbourhood of the Frendly village near the long narrows & delay untill we Can proceed up the river. Salt water I view as an evil in as much as it is not helthy--I am also of opinion that one two or three weeks Exemination on the opposide if the propects are any wise favourable, would not be too long

Variation of the Compa.s.s is 16 East

[Clark, November 24, 1805]

Sunday November 24th 1805.

A fair morning Sent out 6 hunters, and we proceeded to make the following observations a Chief and Several men of the Chin nook nation Came to Smoke with us this evening one of the men brought a Small Sea otter Skin for which we gave Some blue beads--this day proved fair which gave us an oppertunity of drying our wet articles, bedding &c.

&c. nothing killed to day except one Brant. the variation of the Compa.s.s is 16 East.

being now determined to go into Winter quarters as Soon as possible, as a convenient Situation to precure the Wild animals of the forest which must be our dependance for Subsisting this Winter, we have every reason to believe that the nativs have not provisions Suffient for our Consumption, and if they had, their price's are So high that it would take ten times as much to purchase their roots & Dried fish as we have in our possesion, encluding our Small remains of merchindz and Clothes &c. This Certinly enduces every individual of the party to make diligient enquiries of the nativs the part of the Countrey in which the wild Animals are most plenty. They generaly agree that the most Elk is on the opposit Sh.o.r.e, and that the greatest numbers of Deer is up the river at Some distance above

The Elk being an animal much larger than Deer, easier to kiled better meat (in the winter when pore) and Skins better for the Clothes of our party; added to-, a convenient Situation to the Sea coast where we Could make Salt, and a probibility of vessels Comeing into the mouth of Columbia ("which the Indians inform us would return to trade with them in 3 months") from whome we might precure a fresh Supply of Indian trinkets to purchase provisions on our return home; together with the Solicitations of every individual, except one of our party induced us Conclude to Cross the river and examine the opposit Side, and if a Sufficent quant.i.ty of Elk could probebly be precured to fix on a Situation as convenient to the Elk & Sea Coast as we Could find--added to the above advantagies in being near the Sea Coast one most Strikeing one occurs to me i e, the Climate which must be from every appearance much milder than that above the 1st range of Mountains, The Indians are Slightly Clothed and give an account of but little Snow, and the weather which we have experiened Since we arrived in the neighbourhood of the Sea Coast has been verry warm, and maney of the fiew days past disagreeably So. if this Should be the Case it will most Certainly be the best Situation of our naked party dressed as they are altogether in leather.

[Clark, November 25, 1805]

November 25th Munday 1805 a fine day Several Indians Come up from below, we loaded and Set out up the river, and proceeded on to the Shallow Bay, landed to dine, The Swells too high to cross the river, agreeabley to our wish which is to examine if game Can be precured Sufficent for us to winter on that Side, after dinner which was on Drid pounded fish we proceeded on up on the North Side to near the place of our Encampment of the 7th Instant and encamped after night The evening cloudy wind of to day Generally from the E S. E, Saw from near of last Campment Mount Ranier bearing ____

[Clark, November 25, 1805]

Monday 25th November 1805 The Wind being high rendered it impossible for us to Cross the river from our Camp, we deturmind to proceed on up where it was narrow, we Set out early accompanied by 7 Chit Sops for a fiew miles, they left us and Crossed the river through emence high waves; we Dined in the Shallow Bay on Dried pounded fish, after which we proceeded on near the North Side of the Columbia, and encamp a little after night near our Encampment of the 7th instant near a rock at Some distance in the river. evening Cloudy the Winds of to day is generally E. S. E which was a verry favourable point for us as the highlands kept it from us Mt. St. Hilians Can be Seen from the mouth of this river.

[Clark, November 26, 1805]

November 26th Tuesday 1805 Cloudy and Some rain this morning at daylight wind blew from the E N.

E, we Set out and proceeded on up on the North Side of this great river to a rock in the river from thence we Crossed to the lower point of an ____ Island pa.s.sed between 2 Islands to the main Sh.o.r.e, and proceeded down the South Side, pa.s.sed 2 Inlets & halted below the 2d at a Indian village of 9 large houses--those Indians live on an emenence behind a Island or a Channel of the river not more than 300 yds wide, they live on fish & Elk and Wapto roots, of which we bought a few at a high price they Call them Selves Cat-tar-bets description

We proceeded on about 8 miles and Encamped in a deep bend to the South, we had not been Encamped long ere 3 Indians Came in a Canoe to trade the Wapto roots--we had rain all the day all wet and disagreeable a bad place to Camp all around this great bend is high land thickly timbered brushey & almost impossible to penetrate we Saw on an Island below the village a place of deposit for the dead in Canoes

Great numbers of Swan Geese Brant Ducks & Gulls in this great bend which is Crouded with low Islands covered with weeds gra.s.s &c. and overflowed every flood tide The people of the last village is-____ they ask emence prices for what they have to Sel Blue Beeds is their great trade they are fond of Clothes or blankits of Blue red or brown We are now decending to see if a favourable place should offer on the So Side to winter &c.

from a high Point opsd. a high Isd down the South Side is S. 30 W 6 mis to a point of low land opsd. upr. pt of Isd. pa.s.sed lowr. pt. 1st Isd.

marshey. at the upr. pt. Of 2 low Isd. opsd. each other at 4 miles