Patrick Gass: October 16, 1805
The expedition set out early and traveled about three miles before one canoe struck rocks in a rapid; they unloaded another canoe to help and got everyone safely to shore. Around 1 o'clock they reached another rapid, where the men portaged baggage about a mile by land and guided the canoes through two at a time. After covering 21 miles, they reached the great Columbia River flowing in from the northwest and camped on the point between the two rivers, meeting unfamiliar natives. The surrounding country was level, rich, and beautiful, but treeless.
* Immense numbers of salmon must ascend the western rivers every summer from
the Pacific, and constitute a chief article in the food of the natives. Mr. M’Kenzie
informs us that in the river, by which he arrived at the ocean, where it empties itself
four or five hundred miles northwest of the mouth of the Columbia, the salmon are
so abundant, that the natives have a constant and plentiful supply of that excellent
fish. He also on his return states, under the date of the 6th and 7th of August, that
the salmon in the waters of the Columbia were driving up the current in such large
shoals, that the water seemed to be covered with the fins of them.
158 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
early; proceeded on about 3 miles, when one of our canoes
run upon some rocks in a rapid, but by unloading another
canoe and sending it to her assistance, we got all safe to land,
and then continued our voyage. About 1 o’clock we came to
another rapid, where all hands carried a load of the baggage
by land about a mile, and then took the canoes over the
rapids, two at a time, and in that way we got them all down
safe and proceeded on. Having gone 21 miles we arrived at
the great Columbia river, which comes in from the north-
west.* We found here a number of natives, of whose nations
we have not yet found out the names. We encamped on the
point between the two rivers. The country all round is level,
rich and beautiful, but without timber.
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* Immense numbers of salmon must ascend the western rivers every summer from the Pacific, and they form a chief article in the food of the natives. Mr. M'Kenzie (McKenzie) informs us that in the river by which he arrived at the ocean, where it empties itself four or five hundred miles northwest of the mouth of the Columbia, the salmon are so abundant that the natives have a constant and plentiful supply of that excellent fish. He also, on his return, states under the date of the 6th and 7th of August, that the salmon in the waters of the Columbia were driving up the current in such large shoals that the water seemed to be covered with their fins.
We started early and proceeded about 3 miles, when one of our canoes ran upon some rocks in a rapid. But by unloading another canoe and sending it to her assistance, we got all safely to land, and then continued our voyage. About 1 o'clock we came to another rapid, where all hands carried a load of the baggage by land about a mile, and then took the canoes over the rapids, two at a time. In that way we got them all down safely and proceeded on. Having gone 21 miles, we arrived at the great Columbia river, which comes in from the northwest.* We found here a number of natives, whose nations' names we have not yet learned. We camped on the point between the two rivers. The country all around is level, rich, and beautiful, but without timber.
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