John Ordway: November 24, 1805

Several men went out a hunting we put out our baggage to air.
The Columbian River at this place is three miles 660 yards wide.
Some of two nations of Indians came to our Encampment the
Clatsop and Chinuck nations they behave very well as yet. our
officers conclude with the oppinion of the party1 to cross the River
1 Thwaites publishes (III, 246-48) the record of the individual votes given
on this occasion. An overwhelming majority were in favor of crossing the
river and searching there for a suitable location. It is interesting to note that
the opinions of York and “Janey,” who was, of course, Sacajawea, were duly
taken along with the rest. The latter was “in favour of a place where there
is plenty of Pota8.” The determining factors in the decision reached were
twofold: a desire to be as near the seacoast as possible, in order to be able to
make salt and to intercept any trader’s vessel that might come into the mouth
of the river; and to locate in the region where the most game for subsistence
might be had. According to the information of the Indians the region south
of the Columbia most abounded in elk.
313
314 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Nov. 25
and look out a place for winters quarter Some where as near the
ocean as possable on the account of makeing Salt.