Canoe Camp on Clearwater River — Patrick Gass: October 2, 1805
The party camped in a steep, narrow canyon where the river ran only 20 yards wide between mountains rising over 1,000 feet. Hunters found little game, killing just five prairie fowls and catching a few small fish. Captain Clarke returned at 1 o'clock from scouting about 12 miles downstream and reported the route impassable by land or water due to rapids, rocks, and cliffs. Acting on the guide's suggestion of an alternate route up the south fork, Clarke sent a rider with a letter to Captain Lewis. The group turned back upstream three miles and went to bed hungry.
the men went out to hunt. The river at this place is so con-
fined by the mountains that it is not more than 20 yards wide,
and very rapid. The mountains on the sides are not less than
1000 feet high and very steep. There are a few pines growing
on them. We caught some small fish to-day, and our hunters
killed 5 prairie fowls. These were all we had to subsist on.
At 1 o’clock Captain Clarke and his party returned, after
having been down the river about 12 miles. They found it
was not possible to go down either by land or water without
much risk and trouble. The water is so rapid and the bed of
the river so rocky, that going by water appeared impractica-
ble ; and the mountains so amazingly high, steep and rocky,
that it seemed impossible to go along the river by land. Our
i32 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
guide speaks of a way to sea, by going up the south fork of
this river, getting on to the mountains that way, and then
turning to the south west again. Captain Clarke therefore
wrote a letter to Captain Lewis, and dispatched a man on
horseback to meet him ; and we all turned back up the river
again, poor and uncomfortable enough, as we had nothing to
eat, and there is no game. We proceeded up about 3 miles,
and supperless went to rest for the night.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
The men went out to hunt. The river at this place is so confined by the mountains that it is not more than 20 yards wide, and very rapid. The mountains on the sides are not less than 1000 feet high and very steep. There are a few pines growing on them. We caught some small fish today, and our hunters killed 5 prairie fowls. These were all we had to subsist on.
At 1 o'clock Captain Clarke (Captain Clark) and his party returned, after having been down the river about 12 miles. They found it was not possible to go down either by land or water without much risk and trouble. The water is so rapid and the bed of the river so rocky that going by water appeared impractical; and the mountains so amazingly high, steep, and rocky that it seemed impossible to go along the river by land.
Our guide speaks of a way to the sea by going up the south fork of this river, getting onto the mountains that way, and then turning to the southwest again. Captain Clarke therefore wrote a letter to Captain Lewis and dispatched a man on horseback to meet him; and we all turned back up the river again, poor and uncomfortable enough, as we had nothing to eat, and there is no game. We proceeded up about 3 miles, and supperless went to rest for the night.
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