Canoe Camp on Clearwater River — Patrick Gass: September 26, 1805
The party paused at a Native village to trade small items for provisions, obtaining roots, fish, and bread made from camas roots—sweet, onion-shaped bulbs prepared by steaming, pounding, and baking on a kiln. Around 4 o'clock they resumed travel, crossing two miles of beautiful, fertile plain where the camas grew abundantly, and reached a second small village. They stopped there for the night and acquired additional provisions. A shower of rain fell around dark.
staid here some time to procure provisions from the natives,
for which we gave them in exchange a number of small arti-
cles. The provisions which we got consisted of roots, bread
and fish. Their bread is made of roots which they call comas,
and which resemble onions in shape, but are of a sweet taste.
This bread is manufactured by steaming, pounding and bak-
ing the roots on a kiln they have for the purpose. About 4
o’clock we renewed our journey, and went 2 miles to another
small village, through a beautiful rich plain, in which these
roots grow in abundance. We halted at the second village
all night and got some more provisions. About dark a
shower of rain fell.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We stayed here some time to obtain provisions from the natives, giving them in exchange a number of small articles. The provisions we got consisted of roots, bread, and fish. Their bread is made of roots which they call comas, which resemble onions in shape but have a sweet taste. This bread is made by steaming, pounding, and baking the roots on a kiln they have for that purpose. About 4 o'clock we resumed our journey and traveled 2 miles to another small village, passing through a beautiful, rich plain in which these roots grow in abundance. We stopped at the second village for the night and got some more provisions. About dark a shower of rain fell.
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