Lewis: April 6, 1806

Sunday April 6th 1806. This morning we had the dryed meat secured in skins
and the canoes loaded; we took breakfast and departed at 9 A.M. we
continued up the N. side of the river nearly to the place at which we had
encamped on the 3rd of Nov. when we passed the river to the south side in
quest of the hunters we had sent up yesterday and the day before. from the
appearance of a rock near which we had encamped on the 3rd of November
last I could judge better of the rise of the water than I could at any
point below. I think the flood of this spring has been about 12 feet
higher than it was at that time; the river is here about 11/2 miles wide;
it’s general width from the beacon rock which may be esteemed the head of
tide water, to the marshey islands is from one to 2 miles tho in many
places it is still wider. it is only in the fall of the year when the
river is low that the tides are persceptable as high as the beacon rock.
this remarkable rock which stands on the North shore of the river is
unconnected with the hills and rises to the hight of seven hundred feet;
it has some pine or reather fir timber on it’s nothern side, the southern
is a precipice of it’s whole hight. it rises to a very sharp point and is
visible for 20 miles below on the river. at the distance of ten miles from
our encampment we met with our hunters in the upper end of the bottom to
which we had directed them on the South side of the river. they had killed
three Elk this morning and wounded two others so badly that they expected
to get them. we therefore determined to encamp for the evening at this
place in order to dry the meat, in surch of which we sent a party
immediately and employed others in preparing scaffoalds and collecting
firewood &c against their return. we found some indians with our
hunters when we arrived; these people are constantly hanging about us.As
has been before mentioned Capt C set out with a party of seven men on 2ed
inst. in surch of the entrance of the Multnomah river. he departed at 1/2
after 11 A. M and directed his course along the Southern side of the
river. at the distance of 8 miles he passed the village of the
Na-cha-co-lee tribe of the E-lute Nation; this village is not large and
being situated on the main shore opposite to and S. of the Diamond Island
it was concealed by that island from our view both ascending and decending
the Columbia as we passed near the Northern shore. Capt C. passed this
village without halting and continued his rout untill 3 P.M. when he
arrived at a large double house of the Ne-er-cho-ki-oo tribe of the
Shah’ha-la nation; at this place we had seen 24 additional straw and bark
huts as we passed down last fall, the inhabitants of which as I have
before mentioned reside at the great rapids of the Columbia river. about
this place in different directions Capt C. saw a great number of small
canoes lying scattered on the bank. these small canoes are employed by the
women in collecting wappetoe; with one of these a woman enters a pond
where the Sagitaria Sagittifolia grows frequently to her breast in water
and by means of her toes and feet breakes the bulb of this plant loos from
the parent radicle and disincumbering it from the mud it immediately rises
to the surface of the water when she seizes it and throws it into her
canoe which she always keeps convenient to her. they will remain in the
water for hours together in surch of this bulb in middle of winter. those
canoes are from 10 to 14 feet in length, from 18 to 23 inches in width
near the middle tapering or becoming narrower towards either extremity and
9 inches deep their form is thus. they are so light that a woman can draw
them over land or take them with ease through the swamps in any direction,
and are sufficient to carry a single person and several bushells of roots.
Capt. Clarks pilot informed him that the small canoes which he saw in the
vicinity of this lodge were the property of the Shah-ha-las who used them
occasionally when they visit this neighbourhood for the purpose of
collecting roots. while at this place Capt C. entered one of the
appartments of the house and offered several articles to the natives in
exchange for wappetoe, they appeared to be in an ill humour and positively
refused to let him have any. Capt. C. sat himself down near the fire and
having a part of a portfire match in his pocket cut of a small peice of it
and threw it in the fire; at the same time he took out his pocket compass
and by means of a magnet which he had in the top of his inkstand he turned
the nedle of the compass about very briskly; the match took fire and
birned vehemently; the indians astonished and allarmed at these
exhibitions, ran and brought several parcels of wappetoe and laid at his
feet and begged that he would put out the bad fire; to this he consented;
at this moment the match being exhausted was of course extenguished and he
put up his compass & magnet. they were now much more complisant, tho
the women and children were yet so much allarmed that they took refuge in
their beads and behing the men who were seting opposite to Capt. C. during
the whole of this farcical seen an old man who was seting by continued to
speak with great vehemence apparently imploring his god for protection.
Capt. C. gave them an adiquate compensation for their roots and having
lighted his pipe smoaked with the men. they appeared in a great measure to
get the better of their allarm and he left them and continued his rout
along the south side of Image canoe Island which he found to be three
islands, the one in the center concealing the apperture between the two
others in such manner that from the north side of the river where we have
previously passed they all appeared to form one island only. at the
distance of 13 miles below the village just mentioned, and at the lower
point of what we have heretofore deemed the image canoe Island, Capt C.
entered the Multnomah river so called by the natives from a nation of that
name who reside on wappetoe island a little below the entrance of this
river? Multnomah river discharges itself on the S. side of the Columbia
140 miles above the entrance of the latter into the Pacific Ocean, and may
be justly esteemed one fourth of that noble river. Capt. C. found that
this river had attained it’s greatest annual hight and had now fallen
about 18 inches. it has three small islands in it’s mouth which conceal
the river from the view of those who pass with the stream of the Columbia.
from the Columbia at the entrance of the Multonomah river Mount Jefferson
bears S. E. this is a noble mountain. I think equally as high as Mount St.
Helines but it’s distance being much greater than that of the latter, so
great a portion of it dose not appear above the range of mountains which
lie betwen boath those stupendious mountains and this point of view. like
mount St. Heleans it’s figure is a regular cone and is covered with
eternal snow. M. St. Heleans from the same point boar N ____, Mount Hood
due East, and Mount Raniei nearly North. there is also a very high humped
mountain a little to the East of Mount St. Heleans which appears to lie in
the same chain with those conic pointed mountains before mentioned. soon
after Capt Clark entered the Multnomah river he was met by an old Indian
man alone in a canoe decending the river, the pilot had some conversation
with him and informed Capt. C. that this was a man of the Clark-a’-mas
nation who are numerous and inhabit eleven vilages on either side of a
river of the same name which has it’s source in Mount Jefferson and after
tranversing a woody and fertile country discharges itself into the
Multnomah river on it’s E. side at the distance of about 40 miles from
it’s junction with the Columbia. the Clarkamas river is navigable for
canoes a great distance, from the Indian account almost to the foot of
mount, Jefferson. the nation who inhabit it’s borders live principally on
fish with which this stream abounds and also on roots which they procure
on it’s borders. they sometimes also come down to the Multnomah and
Columbia in surch of Wappatoe. they do not differ essentially in their
language dress &c from the Quathlahpohtles and others in the vicinity
of wappetoe island. The current of the Multnomah river is as gentle as
that of the Columbia, glides smoothly with an even surface, and appears to
possess sufficient debth for the largest ship. Capt. C. attempted to sound
it with a cord of 5 fathoms which was the longest in his possession but
could not find bottom at this debth for at least one third of the width of
the river. Capt. C. ascended this river ten miles to a large wood house on
the East side of the river, near which he encamped for the evening; the
house being infested with such swarms of flees that they could not remain
in it. this his guide informed him was the house of the Cush-hooks nation
who reside just below the falls of the Multnomah river and who
occasionally reside at this place for the purpose of collecting wappetoe.
at present this house appeared to have been lately abandoned by the
natives who had left therein exposed to every visiter various articles
such as small canoes, mats, bladders of train oil, baskets, bowls and
trenchers. this is a strong evidence of the honesty of the natives with
rispect to the property of each other, but they have given us several
evidences that they do not pay the same rispect to the property of white
men. his guide further informed him that there were a number of small
houses belonging to the last mentioned nation situated on two bayous which
make out of the river a little above this large hose on the East side;
that the inhabitants of these as well as those of the large house had gone
up to the falls of the Multnomah river for the purpose of taking fish.
these falls are situated at the distance of 2 days travel from the
junction of the Multnomah and Columbia rivers agreeably to the Indian
account which we have estimated at 60 miles or 20 m. above the entrance of
Clarkamus river. Capt C. took the dementions of the hose of the
Ne-mal-quin-ner tribe of the Cushhooks nation near which he encamped on
the 2ed inst. and found it presisely thirty feet by 40 squar constructed
with broad boards and covered with the bark of the white cedar or
arborvita; the floor is on a level with the surface of the earth and the
internal arrangement is similar to those of the natives of the Sea coast.these
people carry on a trafic with the Killamucks of the coast across the
mountains and by way of the Killamucks river from the Killamucks they
obtain their train oil. The courses and distances taken by Capt. Clark in
ascending the Multnomah river from it’s junction with the Columbia river,
commencing at the lower extremity of the Image canoe Islands are as
follows. (viz) S. 30° W. 4 m. to the upper point of a small island in the
center of Multnomah river. thence S 10° W. 3 m. to a sluce 80 yds. wide on
Stard. which dividing wappetoe Island from the main land discharges itself
into wappetoe inlet passed a willow point on Lard. S. 60° W. 3 ms. to a
large indian house on the Lard. side, just below some high fir land the
shore is bold and high on Stard. side. S 30° E. 2 ms. to the center of a
bend under The highlands on Stard. side, passing a Lard. point; from hence
the river directed it’s course to the E. of S. E. as far as Capt. C. could
perceive it.at this place the Multnomah river is 500 yds. wide and
sufficiently deep to admit the largest ship. the river appears to be
washing away it’s banks in some places, and has more sandbars and willow
points than the Columbia.On the morning of the 3rd inst. Capt. Clark
observed that the water had fallen in the course of the night about 5
inches. he set out early and proceeded up the river a short distance few
miles and attempted a second time to fathom it but with the same success
as before he could nt find bottom with his cord of 5 fathoms for the
distance of half the width of the stream. Capt C. having fully satisfyed
himself of the magnitude of this great river he set out on his return at 7
A.M. I have but little doubt but that this river waters a vast tract of
country lying between the Western mountains and the mountainous country of
the sea coast extending as far south as the waters of the gulph of
Callifornia or about Latitude 37° North. at 11 A.M. Capt. C. arrived at
the Ne-er-cho-ki-oo house where he had allarmed the inhabtants yesterday.
he halted here a few minutes to smoke with these people who consisted of
eight families. he found that his presents excited fresh allarm
particularly among the women and children who hid themselves and took
refuge behind the men as yesterday; the men held down their heads and
seemed much conserned; he therefore remained in the house but a few
minutes, returned to his canoe and pursued his rout. his pilot now
informed him that these people as well as their relations at the falls of
the Columbia were illy disposed bad men. soon after he set out he met five
canoes on board of which there were as many families of the Shah-ha-la
nation decending the river in surch of subsistence. they were extreemly
anxious to come along side, but he forbid their doing so as their number
was too considerable there being 21 men on board these canoes. his pilot
told him that they were mischevous bad men. at 3 P.M. he arrived at the
present residence of his pilot on the South side of the river opposite the
Diamond Island. here he halted about an hour he found this house very
large; it consisted of seven appartments in one range above ground each
about 30 feet square. the entrances to these appartments were from
passages which extended quite across the house, about 4 feet wide and
formed like the walls of the hose of broad boards set on end extending
from beneath the floor to the roof of the house. the apperture or hole
through which they enter all those wooden houses are remarkably small not
generally more than 3 feet high and about 22 inches wide. the ground plot
of the Nechecolee house is thus 1 1 1 1 the passages of 4 feet and 2 2
&c. the appartments of 30 feet square. this house is covered with the
bark of the white cedar, laid on in a double course, supported by rafters
and longitudinal round poles attatched to the rafters with cores of this
bark. the peices of the cedar bark extend the whole length of the side of
the roof and jut over at the eve about 18 inches. at the distance of 18
inches transverse splinters of dry fir is inserted through the cedar bark
in order to keep it smooth and prevent it’s edges from colapsing by the
heat of the sun; in this manner the natives make a very secure light and
lasting roof of this bark. in the vicinity of this house Capt. Clark
observed the remains of five other large houses which appeared to have
been sunk in the ground several feet and built after the method of those
of the Elutes nation at the great narrows of the columbia with whom these
people claim affinity. their language is the same with the Elutes, tho in
their habits, dress manners &c they differ but little from the
Quathlahpohtles and others in this neighborhood. they make use of some
words common to their neighbours but the air of their language is entirely
different. they are much better formed and their men larger than the
nations below. their women wear larger and longer robes which are made
principally of deerskins dressed in the hair. they pay great rispect to
their aged persons. Capt. C. observed several persons of both sexes who
appeared to have arrived to great age yet they appeared perfectly healthy
tho most of them perfectly blind. the loss of sight I have observed to be
more common among all the nations inhabiting this river than among any
people I ever observed. they have almost invariably soar eyes at all
stages of life. the loss of an eye is very common among them; blindness in
perdsons of middle age is by no means uncommon, and it is almost
invariably a concommitant of old age. I know not to what cause to
attribute this prevalent deficientcy of the eyes except it be their
exposure to the reflection of the sun on the water to which they are
constantly exposed in the occupation of fishing. Capt. C. enquired of the
Nechecole the cause of the decline of their village. an old man who
appeared to be of some note among them and the father of his guide brought
forward a woman who was much marked with the small pox, and made signs
that the inhabitants of those houses which he saw in ruins had all died
with the disorder which marked the face of the woman and with which this
woman was very near dying when a girl. from the apparent age of the woman
Capt. C. supposed that it was about 28 or 30 years since this disorder had
prevailed among these people. this is about the time which we have
supposed that it prevailed among the Clatsops and others of the coast.
Capt C. now prevailed on this old man to give him a sketch of the
Multnomah river it’s branches and the position and names of the Indian
nations residing thereon this the old man son executed with his finger in
the dust. (see scetch inserted on the 3rd inst.). he informed that the
Cush-hooks and Char-cow-ah nations who reside at the falls of that river
were not numerous; but that the Cal-lah-po-e-wah nation who inhabited both
sides of this river above the falls as far as it was known to himself or
his nation were very numerous. that the country they inhabited was level
and wholy destitute of timber. that a high range of mountains passed the
Multnomah river at the falls, on the upperside of which the country was
one vast plain. the nations who inhabit this country reside on the rivers
and subsist like those of the Columbia on fish and roots principally. Capt
C. bought five dogs of these people and set out for my camp at 5 P.M.
where he arrived a little before dark, on the evening of the third.the
party whom we sent for the flesh of the Elk which Shannon had killed
returned in the evening with that of four, one had by some mistake been
omitted. Drewyer and shannon found the two wounded Elk and had killed
them. we set all hands at work to prepare the meat for the saffoald they
continued their operations untill late at night. we directed Shannon to go
out early in the morning with a party to bring in the Elk which had been
left last evening in mistake. we also directed Drewyer and the two
Feildses to ascend the river early in the morning to a small bottom a few
miles above and hunt untill our arrival.-