Canoe Camp on Clearwater River — Patrick Gass: October 7, 1805
After a cloudy morning and a meager breakfast of parched corn, the party set out at 8 o'clock and crossed a large mountain to reach a creek and valley their guide had been seeking. Hunters killed pheasants and a deer, providing a welcome meal as the flour ran out. They traveled about a mile down a fertile valley rich with edible roots and herbs like sweet myrrh and angelica, and lightly timbered with pitch pine. After about five miles, they met and camped with a band of the Flathead nation.
night, and the morning was cloudy. After eating a few grains
of parched corn, we set out at 8 o’clock ; crossed a large
mountain and hit on the creek and small valley, which were
wished for by our guide. We killed some pheasants on our
way, and were about to make use of the last of our flour, when,
to our great joy, one of our hunters killed a fine deer. So we
dined upon that and proceeded down a small valley about a
mile wide, with a rich black soil ; in which there are a great
quantity of sweet roots and herbs, such as sweet myrrh, angel-
ica and several other, that the natives make use of, and of the
names of which I am unacquainted. There is also timothy
grass growing in it ; and neither the valley nor the hills are so
thickly timbered, as the mountains we had lately passed.
What timber there is, is mostly pitch pine. We kept down
the valley about 5 miles, and came to the Tussapa band of the
Flathead nation of Indians, or a part of them. We found
them encamped on the creek and we encamped with them.*
* Captain Clarke in his letter to his brother, calls them the Oleachshoot band of
the Tucknapax. It is of no very great importance, at present, to know by what
names the several tribes and bands are distinguished ; and Mr. Gass says that with-
out an interpreter it was very difficult to ascertain them with any degree of certainty.
138 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
night, and the morning was cloudy. After eating a few grains of parched corn, we set out at 8 o'clock; crossed a large mountain and came to the creek and small valley that our guide had been hoping to find. We killed some pheasants on our way, and were about to use the last of our flour when, to our great joy, one of our hunters killed a fine deer. So we dined on that and proceeded down a small valley about a mile wide, with rich black soil, in which there is a great quantity of sweet roots and herbs, such as sweet myrrh, angelica, and several others that the natives use, but whose names I am not familiar with. There is also timothy grass growing in it; and neither the valley nor the hills are as thickly timbered as the mountains we had recently passed. What timber there is consists mostly of pitch pine. We continued down the valley about 5 miles and came to the Tussapa band of the Flathead nation of Indians, or part of them. We found them camped on the creek, and we camped with them.*
* Captain Clarke (Captain Clark), in his letter to his brother, calls them the Oleachshoot band of the Tucknapax. It is of no very great importance, at present, to know by what names the several tribes and bands are distinguished; and Mr. Gass says that without an interpreter it was very difficult to identify them with any degree of certainty.
138 GASS'S JOURNAL OF THE
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
Entities mentioned in this entry
Auto-extracted from the entry text. Hover any entity for context.
