Lost Trail Pass, meeting Flathead Salish at Ross’s Hole — Patrick Gass: September 7, 1805
After a cloudy morning following a long night, the party ate parched corn and set out at 8 o'clock, crossing a large mountain to reach a creek and small valley their guide had sought. Hunters killed pheasants and a deer, sparing the last of the flour. They traveled about five miles down a fertile valley rich with sweet myrrh, angelica, and timothy grass, lightly timbered with pitch pine. There they encountered and camped with the Tussapa 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
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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 upon the creek and small valley, which were wished for by our guide. 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 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, angelica, and several others that the natives make use of, and whose names I do not know. 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, 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 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.
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