Clark: November 5, 1805

November 5th, Tuesday 1805. A cloudy morning, with some rain in the latter part of last night and this morning. I could not sleep because of the noise made by the swans, geese, white and black brant, ducks, etc. on an opposite base, and sandhill cranes; they were immensely numerous, and their noise was horrid. We set out at sunrise, and our hunters killed 10 brant, 4 of which were white with black wings, 2 ducks, and a swan, which were divided. We came to and camped on the larboard side under a high ridgey land. The high land comes to the river on each side. The river is about 1 1/2 miles wide. Those high lands rise gradually from the river and bottoms. We are all wet, cold, and uncomfortable; the rain continues and increases. I killed a pheasant which is very fat. My feet and legs are cold. I saw 17 snakes today on an island, but little appearance of frost at this place.

November 5th, Tuesday 1805. It rained all the latter part of last night, and the rain continues this morning. I slept but very little last night because of the noise kept up the whole night by the swans, geese, white and gray brant, ducks, etc., on a small sand island close under the larboard side. They were immensely numerous, and their noise horrid. We set out early. Here the river is not more than 3/4 of a mile in width. We passed a small prairie on the starboard side, and passed 2 houses about 1/2 a mile from each other on the larboard side. A canoe came from the upper house with 3 men in it, merely to view us. We passed an island covered with tall trees and green briers, separated from the starboard shore by a narrow channel. At 9 miles, I observed on the channel which passes on the starboard side of this island, a short distance above its lower point, a large village. The front of the village occupies nearly 1/4 of a mile fronting the channel, and is closely connected. I counted 14 houses in front. Here the river widens to about 1 1/2 miles. Seven canoes of Indians came out from this large village to view and trade with us. They appeared orderly and well disposed; they accompanied us a few miles and then returned back.

About 11 1/2 miles below this village, on the larboard side behind a rocky sharp point, we passed a channel 1/4 of a mile wide, which I take to be the one the Indian canoe entered yesterday from the lower point of Image Canoe Island. There are some low cliffs of rocks below this channel, a large island close under the starboard side opposite, and 2 small islands below. Here we met 2 canoes from below. Below those islands, a range of high hills forms the starboard bank of the river, the shore bold and rocky, covered with a thick growth of pine. An extensive low island is separated from the larboard side by a narrow channel. On this island we stopped to dine. I walked out and found it open and covered with grass, interspersed with small ponds, in which were a great number of fowl. There are the remains of an old village on the lower part of this island. I saw several deer. Our hunters killed on this island a swan, 4 white and 6 gray brant, and 2 ducks; all of them were divided.

Below the lower point of this island, a range of high hills, which runs SE, forms the larboard bank of the river. The shores are bold and rocky, and the hills covered with pine. The high hills leave the river on the starboard side, with a high bottom between the hills and the river. We met 4 canoes of Indians from below, in which there were 26 Indians. One of those canoes is large, and ornamented with images on the bow and stern. That in the bow is the likeness of a bear, and in the stern the picture of a man. We landed on the larboard side and camped a little below the mouth of a creek on the starboard side, a little below the mouth of which is an old village which is now abandoned. Here the river is about one and a half miles wide, and deep. The high hills, which run in a NW and SE direction, form both banks of the river. The shore is bold and rocky; the hills rise gradually and are covered with a thick growth of pine, etc.

The valley, which is from above the mouth of Quick Sand River to this place, may be computed at 60 miles wide on a direct line, and extends a great distance to the right and left, rich and thickly covered with tall timber, with a few small prairies bordering on the river and on the islands. There are some few standing ponds and several small streams of running water on either side of the river. This is certainly a fertile and handsome valley, at this time crowded with Indians. The day proved cloudy with rain the greater part of it. We are all wet, cold, and uncomfortable. I saw but little appearance of frost in this valley, which we call Wap-pa-loo Columbia, from that root or plant growing spontaneously in this valley only. In my walk today I saw 17 striped snakes. I killed a grouse which was very fat, and larger than common. This is the first night that we have been entirely clear of Indians since our arrival on the waters of the Columbia River. We made 32 miles today by estimation.