Celilo Falls and The Dalles portage — John Ordway: October 23, 1805
At the Great Falls of the Columbia (Celilo Falls), Captain Clark led most of the party in hauling the canoes about a quarter mile over the rocks, bypassing a 22-foot perpendicular drop. Strong swimmers then guided the canoes through whirlpools, and ropes were used to lower them down two additional three-foot pitches; one canoe broke loose but was recovered by natives below. Captain Lewis fixed the latitude at 45°42'57.3" N, with the falls totaling 37 feet 8 inches. Flies were a severe nuisance. Cooks bought fat dogs, and a chief warned that local natives planned a night attack, so the party prepared defenses.
oClock Cap1 Clark went with the most of the party and took all
1 In Klickitat County, Wash., four miles below the mouth of .John Day River.
‘•’ They had reached the Great (or Celilo) Falls of the Columbia. The Colum-
bia from this poinl t<> below the Dalles is “a marvellous product of nature.”
The region is volcanic, and through the lava beds that have been poured forth
in pasl ages the Columbia tones its way with walls and cliffs of lava rising at
linns 2,000 or 3,000 feet above its bed. Wheeler gives (II, 146) a spirited
brief description of this section of the river.
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 303
the canoes across the River and hailed them about a quarter of a
mile over the rocks past a perpinticular fall of 22 feet and put
them in a verry rapid channel below, this portage has been used
by the natives takeing their Small canoes round and close below
the great falls is a large fishery in the spring of the year and the
flies at this time are verry numerous and trouble us verry much,
as the ground is covred with them we got the canoes all in the
channel below the big fall then the best Swimmers went on board
and took them through the whorl pools a little more than half a
mile then came to two more pitches of ab* three feet each we
let the canoes down by ropes, one of them broke loose from us
and went over Safe and was taken up by the natives below, to-
wards evening we got the canoes all Safe down to camp without
dammage. The Latitude at this place which is called the grand
falls of the Columbia River as taken by Cap* Lewis is 45° 42′ 57.3″
North, the hight of the particular falls in all is 37 feet eight
Inches, and has a large rock Island in the midst of them and look
Shocking the water divided in several channels by the rocks.
Some of the cooks at camp bought several fat dogs1 this
day. in the evening one of our chiefs Signed to us that
the natives had a disign to kill us in the night, So we prepared
for them. &C.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
At [blank] o'clock Capt Clark (Capt. Clark) went with most of the party and took all the canoes across the river and hauled them about a quarter of a mile over the rocks, past a perpendicular fall of 22 feet, and put them in a very rapid channel below. This portage has been used by the natives, taking their small canoes around it. Close below the great falls is a large fishery in the spring of the year, and the flies at this time are very numerous and trouble us very much, as the ground is covered with them.
We got the canoes all in the channel below the big fall, then the best swimmers went on board and took them through the whirlpools a little more than half a mile, then came to two more pitches of about three feet each. We let the canoes down by ropes; one of them broke loose from us and went over safely and was taken up by the natives below. Toward evening we got the canoes all safely down to camp without damage.
The latitude at this place, which is called the Grand Falls of the Columbia River, as taken by Capt Lewis (Capt. Lewis), is 45° 42' 57.3" North. The height of the particular falls in all is 37 feet eight inches, and there is a large rock island in the midst of them, and they look shocking, the water divided into several channels by the rocks.
Some of the cooks at camp bought several fat dogs this day. In the evening one of our chiefs signed to us that the natives had a design to kill us in the night, so we prepared for them, etc.
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