Canoe Camp on Clearwater River — Patrick Gass: September 29, 1805
The party broke camp and traveled about five miles down the river to the forks, setting up camp in a small bottom opposite the point. Local Flathead natives arrived in canoes and encamped nearby to fish, with a raft of fish floating down the north fork. Gass observed unusual wool-bearing sheep skins and a soft-furred buffalo robe, which Captain Lewis acquired by trade. The Flatheads possessed beads from white traders near the river's mouth and many horses, while most of their men were away on a war expedition northwest. Preparations began for building canoes.
150 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
we left our camp; proceeded down the river about 5 miles to
the forks; and pitched our camp in a handsome small bottom
opposite the point. A number of the natives came down in
small canoes, and encamped close to us, for the purpose of
fishing; and while we were encamping we saw a small raft
coming down the north fork loaded with fish. There appears
to be a kind of sheep in this country, besides the Ibex or
mountain sheep, and which have wool on. I saw some of the
skins, which the natives had, with wool four inches long, and
as fine, white and soft as any I had ever seen. I also saw a
buffalo robe with its wool or fur on as fine and soft as that
of beaver. Captain Lewis procured this, which we considered
a curiosity, in exchange for another buffalo robe.
This band of the Flatheads have a great many beads and
other articles, which they say they got from white men at the
mouth of this river; or where the salt water is. They have a
large stock of horses. Their buffalo robes and other skins
they chiefly procure on the Missouri, when they go over to
hunt, as there are no buffalo in this part of the country and
very little other game. The most of the men of this band are
at present on a war expedition against some nation to the
northwest, that had killed some of their people; as we un-
derstood in our imperfect communications with them. We
arranged our camp and made preparations for making canoes.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We left our camp and proceeded down the river about 5 miles to the forks, where we pitched our camp in a handsome small bottom opposite the point. A number of the natives came down in small canoes and camped close to us for the purpose of fishing; and while we were setting up camp we saw a small raft coming down the north fork loaded with fish. There appears to be a kind of sheep in this country, besides the Ibex or mountain sheep, that has wool on it. I saw some of the skins, which the natives had, with wool four inches long, and as fine, white and soft as any I had ever seen. I also saw a buffalo robe with its wool or fur on it as fine and soft as that of beaver. Captain Lewis (Capt. Lewis) acquired this, which we considered a curiosity, in exchange for another buffalo robe.
This band of the Flatheads have a great many beads and other articles, which they say they got from white men at the mouth of this river, or where the salt water is. They have a large stock of horses. They mostly obtain their buffalo robes and other skins on the Missouri, when they go over to hunt, as there are no buffalo in this part of the country and very little other game. Most of the men of this band are at present on a war expedition against some nation to the northwest, which had killed some of their people, as we understood from our imperfect communications with them. We arranged our camp and made preparations for building canoes.
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.
