Lewis: January 14, 1806
At Fort Clatsop, the guard reported a large pirogue had broken loose and drifted off with the tide. A search party recovered it within three hours, after which three pirogues were hauled out of the tide's reach and the fourth secured with an elk-skin rope. Six men were assigned to jerking elk meat. Lewis also reflected on Columbia River trade, estimating natives prepare about 30,000 pounds of pounded salmon yearly, puzzling over whether it is sold to white traders or passed through Skilloot middlemen to coastal tribes.
Wednesday January 14th 1806. This morning the Sergt. of the Guard reported
the absence of one of the large perogues, it had broken the chord by which
it was attatched and the tide had taken it off; we sent a party
immediately in surch of her, they returned in about 3 hours having
fortunately found her. we now directed three of the perogues to be drawn
up out of reach of the tide and the fourth to be mored in the small branch
just above the landing and confined with a strong rope of Elk-skin. had we
lost this perogue also we should have been obliged to make three small
ones, which with the few tools we have now left would be a serious
undertaking. a fatiegue of 6 men employed in jerking the Elk beaf.
From the best estimate we were enabled to make as we dscended the Columbia
we conceived that the natives inhabiting that noble stream, for some miles
above the great falls to the grand rappids inclusive annually prepare
about 30,000 lbs. of pounded sammon for market. but whether this fish is
an article of commerce with the whites or is exclusively sold to and
consumed by the natives of the sea Coast, we are at a loss to determine.
the first of those positions I am disposed to credit most, but, still I
must confess that I cannot imagine what the white merchant’s object can be
in purchasing this fish, or where they dispose of it. and on the other
hand the Indians in this neighbourhood as well as the Skillutes have an
abundance of dryed sammon which they take in the creeks and inlets, and I
have never seen any of this pounded fish in their lodges, which I pesume
would have been the case if they purchased this pounded fish for their own
consumption. the Indians who prepared this dryed and pounded fish,
informed us that it was to trade with the whites, and shewed us many
articles of European manufacture which they obtained for it. it is true
they obtain those articles principally for their fish but they trade with
the Skillutes for them and not immediately with the whites; the
intermediate merchants and carryers, the Skillutes, may possibly consume a
part of this fish themselves and dispose of the ballance of it the natives
of the sea coast, and from them obtain such articles as they again trade
with the whites.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Wednesday, January 14th, 1806. This morning the Sergeant of the Guard reported the absence of one of the large pirogues; it had broken the cord by which it was attached and the tide had taken it off. We sent a party immediately in search of her, and they returned in about 3 hours, having fortunately found her. We now directed three of the pirogues to be drawn up out of reach of the tide, and the fourth to be moored in the small branch just above the landing and secured with a strong rope of elk-skin. Had we lost this pirogue also, we should have been obliged to make three small ones, which, with the few tools we have now left, would be a serious undertaking. A fatigue party of 6 men was employed in jerking the elk beef.
From the best estimate we were able to make as we descended the Columbia, we figured that the natives inhabiting that noble stream, for some miles above the great falls to the grand rapids inclusive, annually prepare about 30,000 lbs. of pounded salmon for market. But whether this fish is an article of commerce with the whites, or is exclusively sold to and consumed by the natives of the sea coast, we are at a loss to determine. The first of those possibilities I am disposed to credit most, but still I must confess that I cannot imagine what the white merchant's object can be in purchasing this fish, or where they dispose of it. On the other hand, the Indians in this neighborhood, as well as the Skillutes, have an abundance of dried salmon which they take in the creeks and inlets, and I have never seen any of this pounded fish in their lodges, which I presume would have been the case if they purchased this pounded fish for their own consumption. The Indians who prepared this dried and pounded fish informed us that it was to trade with the whites, and showed us many articles of European manufacture which they obtained for it. It is true they obtain those articles principally for their fish, but they trade with the Skillutes for them and not immediately with the whites. The intermediate merchants and carriers, the Skillutes, may possibly consume a part of this fish themselves and dispose of the balance of it to the natives of the sea coast, and from them obtain such articles as they again trade with the whites.
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