Nez Perce camps, reuniting with horses — John Ordway: May 10, 1806
Six inches of snow fell overnight, leaving the morning cold and the party without food. They rounded up the horses and rode about 20 miles across a high plain, then descended into a creek valley where they camped near a head chief's village of about 15 lodges. The Indians welcomed them with a hoisted flag, shared roots, shappalell, and dried fish, and gave two horses, one of which was killed for food. Women erected a leather lodge for the officers, who explained their mission. The evening included fiddle music and dancing. The party must wait here until mountain snows melt before crossing.
to Snow Some time last night and the Snow fell 6 Inches deep &
continues chilly & cold this morning, & we had not any thing to eat.
got up our horses & Set out & proced on over a high Smooth plain
no timber, the Snow melts a little but the air cold, wrode about
20 miles descended a steep hill down in a valley and bottom in
which a creek runs through, and Camped2 near a village of the
head chiefs of ab* 15 lodges, they had their flag hoisted and ap-
peared glad to see us. gave us some commass roots which had been
Swetted last fall, some Shappalell and a little dry fish, but have
but little the natives have great numbers of horses gave us two
to kill, we killed one to eat. Some of the women pitched a leather
lodge and brought wood & made a fire in it and [the] chiefs
invited our officers to Stay in it, and talked together our of-
ficers told them our business & C. in the evening we played
the fiddle and danced a while a number of Indians came from
other villages to See us the Snow is gone in this bottom but
1 At the Forks of the Kooskooskee or Clearwater, where the party had
encamped from Sept. 26 to Oct. 7, 1805, while engaged in building canoes in
which to descend the Columbia. The nearest indication of the location of
today’s camp is afforded by the statement of Lewis that it was four miles dis-
tant from Canoe Camp. This means four miles to the westward of Canoe Camp,
in the direction of the upper waters of Big Canon (or Little Canon) River.
2 Today’s route led up the west side of the Kooskooskee, to modern Law-
yer’s Canon Creek, the boundary between Lewis and Idaho counties. The
camp of May 10-13 was on this creek some three or four miles above its entrance
into the Kooskooskee.
356 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [May 11
lyes on the high plains & hills considerable of cottonwood and
wild or choke cherry along this creek & Scattering pine on the
edges of the hills, &C. we are now as near the Mountains as we
can git untill Such times as the Snow is nearly gone of [f] the moun-
tains as we are too eairly to cross, one of the party purchased a
dog this even8 but the most of their dogs are too poor to eat.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
It started snowing sometime last night and the snow fell 6 inches deep, and it continues chilly and cold this morning, and we had nothing to eat. We got up our horses and set out and proceeded on over a high smooth plain with no timber. The snow melts a little but the air is cold. We rode about 20 miles, descended a steep hill down into a valley and bottom through which a creek runs, and camped near a village of the head chiefs of about 15 lodges. They had their flag hoisted and appeared glad to see us. They gave us some camas roots which had been steamed last fall, some shappalell, and a little dried fish, but they have little to spare. The natives have great numbers of horses and gave us two to kill; we killed one to eat.
Some of the women pitched a leather lodge and brought wood and made a fire in it, and the chiefs invited our officers to stay in it, and they talked together. Our officers told them our business, etc. In the evening we played the fiddle and danced a while. A number of Indians came from other villages to see us. The snow is gone in this bottom but lies on the high plains and hills. There is a considerable amount of cottonwood and wild or choke cherry along this creek, and scattered pine on the edges of the hills, etc. We are now as near the mountains as we can get until such time as the snow is nearly gone off the mountains, as we are too early to cross. One of the party purchased a dog this evening, but most of their dogs are too poor to eat.
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