The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Clark, April 20, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Clark, April 20, 1806

Sunday 20th April 1806

a very cold morning the western mountains Covered with Snow I Shewed the Eneshers the articles I had to give for their horses. they without hezitation informed me that they would not Sell me any for the articles I had, if I would give them Kitties they would let me have horses, and not without. that their horses were at a long ways off in the planes and they would not Send for them &c. my offer was a blue robe, a Calleco Shirt, a Silk handkerchief, 5 parcels of paint, a knife, a Wampom moon, 8 yards of ribon, Several pieces of Brass, a mockerson awl and 6 braces of yellow beeds; and to that amount for each horse which is more than double what we gave either the Sohsohne or first flat heads we met with on Clarks river I also offered my large blue blanket, my Coat Sword & plume none of which Seamed to entice those people to Sell their horses. not with standing every exertion not a Single horse Could be precured of those people in the Course of the day. Those people are much better Clad than they were last fall, their men have generally legins mockersons and large robes. maney of them ware Shirts of the Same form of those of the Chopunnish and Shoshone highly ornimented with porcupine quills. the dress of their winen differs verry little from those above the great rapids. their Children have Small robes of the Squirel Skins. those of the men & women are principally deer, Some elk, wolf, Ibix & buffalow which they precure from distant nations who purchase their Pounded fish in exchange for those robes & Beeds. The principal village of the Enesher nation is imedeately below the falls on the N. Side. one other village of the Same nation above the falls on the opposit Side and one other a few miles above on the North Side.- The Houses of those people like the Skillutes have the flores of their Summer dwelling on the Surface of the earth in Sted of those Sellers in which they resided when we passed them last fall. those houses are Covered with mats and Straw are large and Contain Several families each. I counted 19 at this Village & 11 on the opposit Side. those people are pore durty haughty. they burn Straw and Small willows. have but little to eate and deer with what they have. they precure the Silk grass of which they make their nets, the bear grass for makeing their mats and Several other necessary of the Indians of the following nations who trade with them as also the Skillutes for their pounded fish. Viz. Skad-dats, Squan-nun-os, Shan-wappoms, Shall-lat-tos, who reside to the north and Several bands who reside on the Columbia above.- I precured a Sketch of the Columbia and its branches of those people in which they made the river which falls into the Columbia imediately above the falls on the South Side to branch out into 3 branches one of which they make head in Mt.jefferson, one in mount Hood and the other in the S W. range of Mountains and does not water that extensive Country we have heretofore Calculated on. a great portion of that extensive tract of Country to the S. and S. W. of the Columbia and Lewis's river and between the Same and the waters of Callifornia must be watered by the Multnomah river.- See Sketch in the latter part of this book (No. 5). Those people are great jokies and deciptfull in trade.

at Sunset finding that Capt Lewis would not arrive this evening as I expected, I packed up all the articles which I had exposed, at a Situation I had pitched on to Encamp, and at which place we had bought as maney fishing poles as made a fire to Cook a dog which I had purchased for the men to eate, and returned to the lodge which I had Slept in last night. great number gathered around me to Smoke, I gave them two pipes, and then lay my self down with the men to Sleep, haveing our merchendize under our heads and guns &c in our arms, as we always have in Similar Situations