Celilo Falls and The Dalles portage — John Ordway: October 25, 1805
The party portaged baggage about a mile past the worst of the narrows, then ran the canoes through one at a time, with one filling with water and another nearly smashing on a rocky island. They now carried 16 bags of salmon. Setting out around 3 p.m., they met a war party of Indians who had just swum the river with their horses; the officers smoked with them and received bear oil, venison, and fish. The two accompanying chiefs, fearing a hostile nation downstream, turned back. The group camped on a rocky point on the larboard side below a creek mouth.
baggage by land about one mile past the worst of the narrows,
then took one canoe at a time down the narrows and whorl pools,
one of the canoes filled with water running through the narrows
we got all below and loaded the canoes we have now 16 bags of
Sammon on board about 3 oClock P. M. we Set out and pro-
ceeded on the narrows continued about 2 miles and verry rapid.
2 Small Islands of Sollid rock stood in these narrows one of the
canoes was near dashing in peaces by Strikeing hir bow against
the upper point of one of them, the River between these narrows
and the great falls rises at high water 48 feet perpenticular by its
being confined by the different narrows, near the lower end of
the narrows we saw a war party of Indians which had jest Swam
the River to the Stard Side with their horses, they had some
venison &C with them, we halted a fiew minutes and our officers
Smoaked with them they gave us some bears oil and a little
venison and Some fresh fish, we went [on] our 2 chiefs told us
that their was a nation below which they were at war with and
they did not wish to go any further with us so our officers Settled
with them and they returned back to their nation, we then went
on Saw Some drumm fish jumping in the River the River git-
ting Smoth. Saw pine and oak timber near the Shores we can
still see the round high mountain some distance distance a head
yet. we Camped below the mouth of a creek1 on a point of rocks
on the Lard Side, the country timbred back a little from the
River.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We carried the baggage by land about one mile past the worst of the narrows, then took one canoe at a time down the narrows and whirlpools. One of the canoes filled with water running through the narrows. We got all below and loaded the canoes. We now have 16 bags of salmon on board. About 3 o'clock P.M. we set out and proceeded on. The narrows continued about 2 miles and were very rapid. Two small islands of solid rock stood in these narrows; one of the canoes was nearly dashed in pieces by striking her bow against the upper point of one of them. The river between these narrows and the great falls rises at high water 48 feet perpendicular, being confined by the different narrows.
Near the lower end of the narrows we saw a war party of Indians who had just swum the river to the starboard side with their horses. They had some venison, etc., with them. We halted a few minutes and our officers smoked with them. They gave us some bear's oil and a little venison and some fresh fish. We went on. Our 2 chiefs told us that there was a nation below which they were at war with, and they did not wish to go any further with us, so our officers settled with them and they returned back to their nation.
We then went on. Saw some drum fish jumping in the river. The river was getting smooth. Saw pine and oak timber near the shores. We can still see the round high mountain some distance ahead yet. We camped below the mouth of a creek on a point of rocks on the larboard side. The country was timbered a little back from the river.
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