Lewis: February 6, 1806
At Fort Clatsop, Lewis sent Sergeants Gass and Ordway with Reubin Field and a party to retrieve elk that Field had killed. Sergeant Pryor returned that evening with only about two elk and four skins, as local Indians had stolen the rest of seven elk killed earlier by Drouillard. Lewis noted that two villages on the north side of the Columbia near the Marshy Islands call themselves Wahkiakum, though he had previously grouped them with the Cathlamahs. He devoted most of the entry to detailed botanical descriptions of several local fir species and the white pine.
Thursday February 6th 1806. Sent Sergts. Gass and Ordway this morning with
R. Fields and a party of men to bring in the Elk which Field had killed.
Late in the evening Sergt. Pryor returned with the flesh of about 2 Elk
and 4 skins the Indians having purloined the ballance of seven Elk which
Drewyer killed the other day. I find that there are 2 vilages of Indians
living on the N. side of the Columbia near the Marshy Islands who call
themselves Wackki-a-cum. these I have hertofore Considered as
Cath-lah-mahs. they speak the same language and are the same in every
other rispect.
No. 3 A species of fir which one of my men informs me is precisely the
same with that called the balsam fir of Canada. it grows here to
considerable size, being from 21/2 to 4 feet in diameter and rises to the
hight of eighty or an hundred feet. it’s stem is simple branching,
ascending and proliferous. it’s leaves are sessile, acerose, one 1/8 of an
inch in 1/16th of an inch in width, thickly scattered on all sides of the
twigs as far as the growth of four preceeding years and rispect the three
undersides only the uper side being neglected and the under side but
thinly furnished; gibbous, a little declining, obtusely pointed, soft
flexible, and the upper disk longitudinally marked with a slight channel;
this disk is of a glossy deep green, the under one green tho paler and not
glossy. this tree affords considerable quantities of a fine clear
arromatic balsam in appearance and taste like the Canadian balsam. smal
pustules filled with this balsam rise with a blister like appearance on
the body of the tree and it’s branches; the bark which covers these
pustules is soft thin smoth and easily punctured. the bark of the tree
generally is thin of a dark brown colour and reather smooth tho not as
much so as the white pine of our county. the wood is white and soft.(No.
4) is a species of fir which in point of size is much that of No. 2. the
stem simple branching ascending and proliferous; the bark of a redish dark
brown and thicker than that of No. 3. it is divided with small
longitudinal interstices, but these are not so much ramifyed as in species
No. 2. the leaves with rispect to their position in regard to each other
is the same with the balsam fir, as is the leaf in every other rispect
except that it not more than 2/3ds the width and little more than half the
length of the other, nor is it’s upper disk of so deep a green nor so
glossey. it affords no balsam and but little rosin. the wood also white
soft and reather porus tho tough.No 5. is a species of fir which
arrives to the size of Nos. 2 and 4, the stem simple branching, diffuse
and proliferous. the bark thin, dark brown, much divided with small
longitudinal interstices and sometimes scaleing off in thin rolling
flakes. it affords but little rosin and the wood is redish white 2/3ds of
the diameter in the center, the ballance white, somewhat porus and tough.
the twigs are much longer and more slender than in either of the other
species. the leaves are acerose, 1/20th of an inch in width, and an inch
in length, sessile, inserted on all sides of the bough, streight, their
extremities pointing obliquely toward the extremities of the bough and
more thickly placed than in either of the other species; gibbous and
flexeable but more stif than any except No. 1 and more blontly pointed
than either of the other species; the upper disk has a small longitudinal
channel and is of a deep green tho not so glossy as the balsam fir, the
under disk is of a pale green.No. 65 the white pine; or what is
usually so called in Virginia. I see no difference between this and that
of the mountains in Virginia; unless it be the uncommon length of cone of
this found here, which are sometimes 16 or 18 inches in length and about 4
inches in circumpherence. I do not recollect those of virginia perfectly
but it strikes me that they are not so long. this species is not common I
have only seen it but in one instance since I have been in this
neighbourhood which was on the border of Haley’s bay on the N. side of the
Columbia near the Ocean.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Thursday, February 6th, 1806. Sent Sergeants Gass and Ordway this morning with R. Fields and a party of men to bring in the elk which Fields had killed. Late in the evening Sergeant Pryor returned with the flesh of about 2 elk and 4 skins, the Indians having stolen the rest of the seven elk which Drewyer killed the other day. I find that there are 2 villages of Indians living on the north side of the Columbia near the Marshy Islands who call themselves Wackki-a-cum (Wahkiakum). I had previously considered these to be Cath-lah-mahs (Cathlamets). They speak the same language and are the same in every other respect.
No. 3: A species of fir which one of my men informs me is precisely the same as that called the balsam fir of Canada. It grows here to considerable size, being from 2½ to 4 feet in diameter and rising to a height of eighty or one hundred feet. Its stem is simple, branching, ascending, and proliferous. Its leaves are sessile, needle-shaped, 1/8 of an inch long and 1/16 of an inch wide, thickly scattered on all sides of the twigs as far back as the growth of the four preceding years, and arranged on three undersides only, the upper side being neglected and the under side only thinly furnished; the leaves are gibbous, slightly declining, bluntly pointed, soft, and flexible, and the upper surface is marked lengthwise with a slight channel. This upper surface is a glossy deep green, while the underside is green though paler and not glossy. This tree yields considerable quantities of a fine, clear, aromatic balsam similar in appearance and taste to Canadian balsam. Small pustules filled with this balsam rise with a blister-like appearance on the body of the tree and its branches; the bark covering these pustules is soft, thin, smooth, and easily punctured. The bark of the tree in general is thin, dark brown, and rather smooth, though not as much so as the white pine of our country. The wood is white and soft.
No. 4 is a species of fir which in size is much like No. 2. The stem is simple, branching, ascending, and proliferous; the bark is reddish dark brown and thicker than that of No. 3. It is divided by small lengthwise crevices, but these are not as branched as in species No. 2. The leaves, in their position in relation to each other, are the same as on the balsam fir, and the leaf is the same in every other respect except that it is not more than 2/3 the width and little more than half the length of the other, nor is its upper surface of so deep a green or so glossy. It produces no balsam and very little rosin. The wood is also white, soft, and rather porous though tough.
No. 5 is a species of fir which reaches the size of Nos. 2 and 4. The stem is simple, branching, diffuse, and proliferous. The bark is thin, dark brown, much divided by small lengthwise crevices, and sometimes scaling off in thin rolling flakes. It produces little rosin, and the wood is reddish white through 2/3 of the diameter at the center, the rest being white, somewhat porous, and tough. The twigs are much longer and more slender than in any of the other species. The leaves are needle-shaped, 1/20 of an inch wide and an inch long, sessile, inserted on all sides of the bough, straight, with their tips pointing obliquely toward the ends of the bough, and more thickly placed than in any of the other species. They are gibbous and flexible but stiffer than any except No. 1, and more bluntly pointed than any of the other species. The upper surface has a small lengthwise channel and is of a deep green, though not as glossy as the balsam fir; the underside is pale green.
No. 6: The white pine, or what is usually so called in Virginia. I see no difference between this and that of the mountains in Virginia, unless it be the uncommon length of the cone of this one found here, which are sometimes 16 or 18 inches long and about 4 inches in circumference. I do not recollect those of Virginia perfectly, but it strikes me that they are not so long. This species is not common; I have only seen it in one instance since I have been in this neighborhood, which was on the border of Haley's Bay on the north side of the Columbia near the ocean.
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