Celilo Falls and The Dalles portage — John Ordway: October 24, 1805
On a clear, pleasant morning, the party loaded the canoes and set out around 9 a.m. on a rapid current. They navigated a narrow channel about 20 to 45 yards wide, marked by dangerous whirlpools, known as the Short Narrows of the Columbia. Toward evening, they reached another narrows and camped just above it near an Indian village of partly subterranean houses topped with white cedar bark, which they found comfortable. They purchased fat dogs, cranberries, and white root bread cakes. The surrounding country was high, barren prairie with some timber further back from the river.
us last night, a clear pleasant morning, we loaded the canoes
and Set out about 9 oClock and proceeded on the current rapid
we went through a narrows2 where the river is all confined in a
narrow channel of about 20 [45] yds and verry rapid and bad
whorl pools, and went on verry well towards evening we came
to another narrows we camped little above at an Indian village
which was made half under the surface of the ground and the
upper part well formed and covred with white ceeder bark, they
are verry comfortable houses, we bought a number of fat dogs,
crambries and white cakes of root bread, high prarie and barron
hills near the River but appears to be some timber back from
the River.
1 “the flesh of which the most of the party have become fond of from the
habits of useing it for Some time past.” Clark.
2 The Short Narrows of the Columbia. Because of the difficulty of making
a portage at this point Clark “deturmined” to shoot the Narrows, “notwith-
standing the horrid appearance of this agitated gut swelling, boiling & whorling
in*every direction.” Their safe passage excited the astonishment of the neigh-
boring Indians, who gathered on the rock above to view the performance.
304 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Oct. 25
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
us last night. A clear, pleasant morning. We loaded the canoes and set out about 9 o'clock and proceeded on, the current rapid. We went through a narrows where the river is all confined in a narrow channel of about 20 [45] yards, and it was very rapid with bad whirlpools, and we went on very well. Toward evening we came to another narrows. We camped a little above it at an Indian village which was made half under the surface of the ground, with the upper part well formed and covered with white cedar bark. They are very comfortable houses.
We bought a number of fat dogs, cranberries, and white cakes of root bread. There is high prairie and barren hills near the river, but there appears to be some timber back from the river.
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