Clark: April 29, 1806

Tuesday, April 29th, 1806. This morning Yelleppit furnished us with two canoes, and we began to transport our baggage across the river; we also sent a party of the men over to collect our horses. We purchased some deer and chappellell this morning. We now had a store of 12 dogs for our voyage through the plains. By 11 A.M. we had crossed the river with our party and baggage, but were detained several hours because we were not able to collect our horses. Our guide now informed us that it was too late in the evening to reach a suitable place to camp, and that we could not reach any water before night. We therefore thought it best to remain on the Wallah wallah River about a mile from the Columbia until morning, and accordingly camped on the river near a fish weir.

This weir consists of two curtains of small willows wattled together with four lines of withes of the same materials, extending quite across the river, parallel with each other and about 6 feet apart. These are supported by several parallel rows of poles placed in this manner. The curtains of willows are either rolled up at one end for a few feet to permit the fish to pass, or are let down at pleasure. They take their fish—which at present are mullet only, weighing from one to 5 pounds—with small seines 15 or 18 feet long, drawn by two persons; these they drag down to the weir and raise the bottom of the seine against the willow curtain. They also have a small seine managed by one person; it bags in the manner of a scooping net. One side of the net is fastened to a semicircular bow about half the thickness of a man's arm and about 5 feet long; the other side is fastened to a strong string which, being attached to the extremities of the bow, forms the cord line to the semicircle.

The Wallah wallah River discharges itself into the Columbia on its south side, 15 miles below the entrance of Lewis's River, or the southeast branch. A range of hills passes the Columbia just below the entrance of this river. This is a handsome stream about 4 1/2 feet deep and 50 yards wide; its bed is composed principally of gravel with some sand and mud; the banks are abrupt but not high, though it does not appear to overflow; the water is clear. The Indians inform us that it has its source in the range of mountains in view to our east and southeast. These mountains begin a little to the south of Mt. Hood and extend in a southeastward direction, terminating near the southern banks of Lewis's River, short of the Rocky Mountains. Ta wan nahiooks River, River Lapage, and ____ River all take their rise in those mountains. The two principal branches of the first of these take their rise in the mountains Jefferson and Hood. Those mountains are covered at present with snow. These southwest mountains are covered with snow at present, though they do not appear high. They separate the waters of the Multnomah from those of the Columbia River. They appear to be 65 or 70 miles distant from here.

The Snake Indian prisoner informed us that at some distance in the large plains to the south of those mountains there is a large river running to the northwest, which is as wide as the Columbia at this place, which is nearly 1 mile. This account is no doubt somewhat exaggerated, but it serves to show the certainty of the Multnomah being a very large river, and that its waters are separated from the Columbia by those mountains, and that with the aid of a southward branch of Lewis's River, which passes around the eastern extremity of those mountains, it must water that vast tract of country extending from those mountains to the waters of the Gulf of California. No doubt it has its headwaters near those of the Rochejhone and Del Nord.

We gave small medals to two inferior chiefs of this nation, and they each furnished us with a fine horse. In return, we gave them sundry articles, among which was one of Capt Lewis's (Capt. Lewis's) pistols and several hundred rounds of ammunition. There are 12 other lodges of the Wallahwallah Nation on this river a short distance below our camp. These, as well as those beyond the Columbia, appear to depend on their fishing weirs for their subsistence. These people, as well as the Chym na poms, are very well disposed—much more so, particularly their women, than they were when we descended the river last fall. Most of them have long shirts and leggings, good robes, and moccasins. Their women wear the truss when they cannot procure the shirt, but very few are seen with the former at present. I presume the success of their winter's hunt has produced this change in their attire. They all cut their hair on the forehead, and most of the men wear two queues over each shoulder in front of the body; some have the addition of a few small plaits formed of the ear locks, and others tie a small bundle of the docked foretop in front of the forehead. Their ornaments are such as described of the natives below, and are worn in a similar manner. They insisted on our dancing this evening, but it rained a little, the wind blew hard, and the weather was cold; we therefore did not indulge them.

Several applied to me today for medical aid—one with a broken arm, another with an inward fever, and several with pains across their loins and sore eyes. I administered as well as I could to all. In the evening, a man brought his wife and a horse up to me. He gave me the horse as a present, and his wife, who was very unwell from the effects of violent colds, was placed before me. I did not think her case a bad one, and gave such medicine as would keep her body open, and wrapped her in flannel. I left some simple medicine to be taken. We also gave some eye water—1 grain of Ela v V. and 2 grains of Sacchm Stry. to an ounce of water, and in that proportion. Great numbers of the natives were about us all night.