Exploring for winter camp site, south shore of Columbia — Patrick Gass: November 17, 1805
Hunters brought in several deer and brants near the Pacific coast camp. Captain Lewis and his party returned from scouting around the bay, where they found signs that white traders had visited during the summer but had since sailed away. Gass describes local Indians who frequent the camp, noting their cedar-bark fringe skirts, muskrat and loon-skin robes, and a diet of fish and roots. The entry concludes with a memorandum tallying the computed distances from the canoe cache near the Missouri's headwaters to the Pacific, totaling 4,133 miles.
hunters went out. About noon they all came in: but the
hunter who remained out last night did not return. He had
killed 2 deer and the other men brought them in with some
brants and a deer they had killed. About the same time
Capt. Lewis, and his party returned. They had been round
the bay and seen where white people had been in the course
of the summer: but they had all sailed away. Capt. Lewis
and his party killed a deer and some brants. In the evening
the remaining hunter came in and had killed another deer.
There are but few Indians settled down about the sea-
shore; their dress is similar to that of some of those above.
176 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
The women have a kind of fringe petticoats, made of filaments
or tassels of the white cedar bark wrought with a string at
the upper part, which is tied round the waist. These tassels
or fringe are of some use as a covering, while the ladies are
standing erect and the weather calm; but in any other posi-
tion, or when the wind blows, their charms have but a precari-
ous defence.
A number of both sexes keep about our camp; some have
robes made of muskrat skins sewed together and I saw some
of loon-skins. Their diet is chiefly fish and roots.
MEMORANDUM
Of the computed distance in miles to the furthest point of
discovery on the Pacific ocean, from the place where the
canoes were deposited near the head of the Missouri, which
from its mouth
is 3096
From place of deposit to head spring – – – + 24
To first fork of the She-sho-ne river – – – – 14
To first large fork down the river – – – – 18
To forks of the road at mouth of Tour creek – – 4
To fishing creek, after leaving the river – – – 23
To Flathead, or Clarke’s river at Fish camp – – 4I
To the mouth of Travellers-rest creek – – – 76
To the foot of the great range of Mountains, east side 12
To ditto ditto ditto west side 130
To the Flathead village in a plain – – – – 3
To the Koos-koos-ke river – z 2 co c – 18
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION — 177
To the Canoe camp, at the forks – – – – 6
To the Ki-moo-ee-nem – – – – – – 60
To the Great Columbia, by Lewis’s river – – – 140
To the mouth of the Sho-sho-ne, or Snake river – – 162
To the Great Falls of Columbia – – – – – 6
To the Short Narrows – – – – – – – 3
To the Long ditto – – – – – – – 3
To the mouth of Catarack river, north side – – 23
To the Grand Shoot, or Rapids – – – – – 42
To the Last Rapids, or Strawberry island – – – 6
To the mouth of Quicksand river, south side — – – 26
To Shallow Bay, at salt water – – – – – 136
To Blustry Point, on north side – – – – – 13
To Point Open-slope, below encampment – – – 3
To Chink-Ook river at the bottom of Haley’s Bay – 12
To Cape Disappointment on Western ocean – – 13
To Capt. Clarke’s tour N. W. along coast – + 10
Miles 4133
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
The hunters went out. About noon they all came in, except the hunter who had stayed out the previous night, who did not return. He had killed 2 deer, and the other men brought them in along with some brants and a deer they had killed. About the same time Capt. Lewis (Capt. Lewis) and his party returned. They had been around the bay and seen where white people had been during the course of the summer, but they had all sailed away. Capt. Lewis and his party killed a deer and some brants. In the evening the remaining hunter came in, having killed another deer.
There are only a few Indians settled along the seashore. Their dress is similar to that of some of the people upriver. The women wear a kind of fringed petticoat, made of filaments or tassels of white cedar bark woven with a string at the upper part, which is tied around the waist. These tassels or fringes serve as a covering well enough while the women are standing upright in calm weather; but in any other position, or when the wind blows, their modesty has only a precarious defense.
A number of both sexes stay around our camp. Some have robes made of muskrat skins sewn together, and I saw some made of loon skins. Their diet is mainly fish and roots.
MEMORANDUM
Of the estimated distance in miles to the farthest point of discovery on the Pacific Ocean, from the place where the canoes were deposited near the head of the Missouri, which from its mouth is 3096.
From place of deposit to head spring — 24
To first fork of the She-sho-ne river — 14
To first large fork down the river — 18
To forks of the road at mouth of Tour creek — 4
To fishing creek, after leaving the river — 23
To Flathead, or Clarke's river at Fish camp — 41
To the mouth of Travellers-rest creek — 76
To the foot of the great range of Mountains, east side — 12
To ditto ditto ditto west side — 130
To the Flathead village in a plain — 3
To the Koos-koos-ke river — 18
To the Canoe camp, at the forks — 6
To the Ki-moo-ee-nem — 60
To the Great Columbia, by Lewis's river — 140
To the mouth of the Sho-sho-ne, or Snake river — 162
To the Great Falls of Columbia — 6
To the Short Narrows — 3
To the Long ditto — 3
To the mouth of Catarack river, north side — 23
To the Grand Shoot, or Rapids — 42
To the Last Rapids, or Strawberry island — 6
To the mouth of Quicksand river, south side — 26
To Shallow Bay, at salt water — 136
To Blustry Point, on north side — 13
To Point Open-slope, below encampment — 3
To Chink-Ook river at the bottom of Haley's Bay — 12
To Cape Disappointment on Western ocean — 13
To Capt. Clarke's tour N.W. along coast — 10
Miles 4133
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