Meeting the Flathead Salish
In the Bitterroot Valley at Ross's Hole, the expedition met the Flathead Salish for the first time. The Salish welcomed them warmly, draping white robes over their shoulders and sharing peace pipes. They traded horses with the party and provided valuable information about the route ahead through the Bitterroot Mountains. Private Joseph Whitehouse remarked on the unusual sounds of the Salish language. According to Salish oral tradition, this was their first encounter with Euro-Americans, and they were intrigued by the strangers' appearance and trade goods.
In the Bitterroot Valley at a place called Ross’s Hole, the expedition encountered the Flathead Salish — a meeting that proved crucial for the difficult mountain crossing ahead.
“Those people received us friendly, threw white robes over our Shoulders and smoked in the pipes of peace.”
The Salish generously traded horses with the expedition and shared information about the route ahead through the Bitterroot Mountains. Private Joseph Whitehouse noted that their language contained sounds “as if they had an Impediment in their Speech or a brogue on their Tongue.”
The Salish oral tradition preserves their own account of this encounter — they had never before seen Euro-Americans and were fascinated by the strangers’ appearance and trade goods.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
In the Bitterroot Valley at a place called Ross's Hole, the expedition encountered the Flathead Salish — a meeting that proved crucial for the difficult mountain crossing ahead.
"Those people received us in a friendly manner, threw white robes over our shoulders, and smoked in the pipes of peace."
The Salish generously traded horses with the expedition and shared information about the route ahead through the Bitterroot Mountains. Private Joseph Whitehouse noted that their language contained sounds "as if they had an impediment in their speech or a brogue on their tongue."
The Salish oral tradition preserves their own account of this encounter — they had never before seen Euro-Americans and were fascinated by the strangers' appearance and trade goods.
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
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