The Journals of Lewis & Clark: October 22, 1805

October 21, 1805

October 23, 1805

October 22, 1805

October 22nd Tuesday 1805

a fine morning Calm. we Set out at 9 oClock and on the Course S. 52° W. 10 miles passed lodges & Inds. and rapids as mentioned in the Cours of yesterday, from the expiration of

Took our Baggage & formed a Camp below the rapids in a cove on the Stard Side the distance 1200 yards haveing passed at the upper end of the portage 17 Lodges of Indians, below the rapids & above the Camp 5 large Loges of Indians, great numbers of baskets of Pounded fish on the rocks Islands & near their Lodges thos are neetly pounded & put in verry new baskets of about 90 or 100 pounds wight. hire Indians to take our heavy articles across the portage purchased a Dog for Supper Great numbers of Indians view us, we with much dificuelty purchd. as much wood as Cooked our dogs this evening, our men all in helth- The Indians have their grave yards on an Island in the rapids. The Great Chief of those Indians is out hunting. no Indians reside on the Lard Side for fear of the Snake Indians with whome they are at war and who reside on the large fork on the lard. a little above

October 22d Tuesday 1805

A fine morning calm and fare we Set out at 9 oClock passed a verry bad rapid at the head of an Island close under the Stard. Side, above this rapid on the Stard Side is Six Lodges of nativs Drying fish, at 9 mls. passed a bad rapid at the head of a large Island of high, uneaven rocks, jutting over the water, a Small Island in a Stard. Bend opposit the upper point, on which I counted 20 parcels of dryed and pounded fish; on the main Stard Shore opposit to this Island five Lodges of Indians are Situated Several Indians in Canoes killing fish with gigs, &c. opposit the center of this Island of rocks which is about 4 miles long we discovered the enterence of a large river on the Lard. Side which appeared to Come from the S. E.- we landed at Some distance above the mouth of this river and Capt. Lewis and my Self Set out to view this river above its mouth, as our rout was intersepted by a deep narrow Chanel which runs out of this river into the Columbia a little below the place we landed, leaveing a high dry rich Island of about 400 yards wide and 800 yards long here we Seperated, I proceeded on to the river and Struck it at the foot of a verry Considerable rapid, here I beheld an emence body of water Compressd in a narrow Chanel of about 200 yds in width, fomeing over rocks maney of which presented their tops above the water, when at this place Capt. Lewis joined me haveing delayed on the way to examine a root of which the nativs had been digging great quantities in the bottoms of this River. at about two miles above this River appears to be confined between two high hils below which it divided by numbers of large rocks, and Small Islands covered with a low groth of timber, and has a rapid as far as the narrows three Small Islands in the mouth of this River, this River haveing no Indian name that we could find out, except "the River on which the Snake Indians live," we think it best to leave the nameing of it untill our return.

we proceeded on pass the mouth of this river at which place it appears to discharge 1/4 as much water as runs down the Columbia. at two miles below this River passed Eight Lodges on the Lower point of the Rock Island aforesaid at those Lodges we saw large logs of wood which must have been rafted down the To war-ne hi ooks River, below this Island on the main Stard Shore is 16 Lodges of nativs; here we landed a fiew minits to Smoke, the lower point of one Island opposit which heads in the mouth of Towarnehiooks River which I did not observe untill after passing these lodges about 1/2 a mile lower passed 6 more Lodges on the Same Side and 6 miles below the upper mouth of Towarnehiooks River the comencement of the pitch of the Great falls, opposit on the Stard. Side is 17 Lodges of the nativs we landed and walked down accompanied by an old man to view the falls, and the best rout for to make a portage which we Soon discovered was much nearest on the Stard. Side, and the distance 1200 yards one third of the way on a rock, about 200 yards over a loose Sand collected in a hollar blown by the winds from the bottoms below which was disagreeable to pass, as it was Steep and loose. at the lower part of those rapids we arrived at 5 Large Lodges of nativs drying and prepareing fish for market, they gave us Philburts, and berries to eate, we returned droped down to the head of the rapids and took every article except the Canoes across the portag where I had formed a camp on ellegable Situation for the protection of our Stores from Thieft, which we were more fearfull of, than their arrows. we despatched two men to examine the river on the opposit Side, and reported that the Canoes could be taken down a narrow Chanel on the opposit Side after a Short portage at the head of the falls, at which place the Indians take over their Canoes. Indians assisted us over the portage with our heavy articles on their horses, the waters is divided into Several narrow chanels which pass through a hard black rock forming Islands of rocks at this Stage of the water, on those Islands of rocks as well as at and about their Lodges I observe great numbers of Stacks of pounded Salmon neetly preserved in the following manner, i e after Suffiently Dried it is pounded between two Stones fine, and put into a speces of basket neetly made of grass and rushes of better than two feet long and one foot Diamiter, which basket is lined with the Skin of Salmon Stretched and dried for the purpose, in theis it is pressed down as hard as is possible, when full they Secure the open part with the fish Skins across which they fasten tho the loops of the basket that part very Securely, and then on a Dry Situation they Set those baskets the Corded part up, their common Custom is to Set 7 as close as they can Stand and 5 on the top of them, and secure them with mats which is raped around them and made fast with cords and Covered also with mats, those 12 baskets of from 90 to 100 w. each form a Stack. thus preserved those fish may be kept Sound and Sweet Several years, as those people inform me, Great quantities as they inform us are Sold to the whites people who visit the mouth of this river as well as to the nativs below.

on one of those Island I saw Several tooms but did not visit them The principal Chiefs of the bands resideing about this Place is out hunting in the mountains to the S. W.- no Indians reside on the S. W.side of this river for fear (as we were informed) of the Snake Indians, who are at war with the tribes on this river- they represent the Snake Indians as being verry noumerous, and resideing in a great number of villages on Towarnehiooks River which falls in 6 miles above on the Lard. Side and is reaches a great ways and is large a little abov its mouth at which part it is not intersepted with rapids, they inform that one considerable rapid & maney Small ones in that river, and that the Snake live on Salmon, and they go to war to their first villages in 12 days, the Couse they pointed is S. E. or to the S of S. E. we are visited by great numbers of Indians to Day to view us, we purchased a Dog for Supper, Some fish and with dificuelty precured as much wood as Cooked Supper, which we also purchased we made 19 miles to day