Patrick Gass: October 16, 1805

* 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.