Laurel outlook., 1945-08-08
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LEWIS AND
CLARK
The Great American Odyssey
A Condensed Story of
the Historic Expedi-
ton of 1S04-6.
Copyright 1915, Walter Meacham)
Copyright 1915, Walter Meacham)
IL
Once Again the Canoes

They built five canoes out of the
trunks of pine trees for their jour,
|ney to the coast. This spot they
Icalled Canoe camp, which was locat.
ed at Ahsahka, near the present
Orofino, Idaho. They cached" theii
saddles and equipment and some of
their goods, branded their horses
and left them in the care of Twist
ed Hair.
They embarked in their frail
canoes on October 7 to navigate the
treacherous waters of the Kooskoo-
skie (Clearwater), Lewis (Snake)
and Columbia rivers. They camped
one night at the junction of the
Clearwater and Snake rivers, near
the present Lewiston, Idaho, and
Charleston, Washington, named for
the two captains. Their main sub
sistance was salmon and dog meat,
supplemented with various kinds of
herbs, roots and bulbs which they
secured from the Indians. They
found dog meat to be palatable
and nutritious, preferring it to
horse meat or lean deer meat.
The Great River of the West
(the Columbia) was reached Octo-
Der 16. They hailed it with shouts
of delight, for the hardest part of
the journey was over, and they were
within three hundred miles of their
goal. Councils were held with the
various tribes they encountered and
the usual medals and presents were
given to the chiefs. Cruzatte
brought out his trusty fiddle and he
and the men entertained their saw
age visitors with good old American
airs and dances. In turn, the In
dams put on their tribal dances and
songs. Captain Clark assembled the
Columbia as far as the Tapteal
(Yakima) river. The Sokulks wal
la Wallas) and the Chimnapuns
CYakimas) visited them and friend
ly relations were established.
Lewis and Clark had a faculty
of making friends with all the In
dams they encountered, and earned
the title of Indian Diplomats. The
Musselshell (Umatilla) rapids were
passed and named October 10. They
passed the Umatilla river in de-
scending the Columbia without see
ing it, but discovered it on the
return journey, naming it the You
malolam. The Indians encountered
below the Umatillas were called the
Pish-quit-paws. On the 21st they
discovered and named the John Day
river, calling it Lepage's river, for
one of the men. They next viewed
the mouth of the Towahnahiooks
(Deschutes) river, a swift-flowing
stream flowing through deep, wind
ing canyons from its source in the
Cascade range.
Soon the dull roar of falling
water greeted them and they came
upon what they called the Great
Falls (Celilo). They called the In
dams living here the Eneeshurs.
Those below were called the Eche-
loots (Wascos). The Great Falls
was the ancient fishing mart of the
Indians. Here, from time immem-
orial, they had gathered to spear
the game Chinook salmon as they
the falls on their way to the
The Columbia river from the
falls to Big Eddy presents a scene
If rugged, majestic grandeur. Bare,
ofty hills rise on either side. Pal
sades and striking formations of :
Volcanic rock close in on the river
which flows through a basaltic
dotted with rocky islands
md enlivened by falls and rapids
which would daunt any but the
most skilled and adventurous boat
nen. At Big Eddy the hills re-
reat, the river quiets down and the
lorizon broadens.
Between Big Eddy, deep and
reacherous, and Cello, the expedi- /
ion saw more "white water" than /
any other stretch of it's journey, /
With the possible exception of the /
treat Falls section on the Missouri B
n Montana. B
Lewis and Clark purchased some \
a dog and some berries, I
ut had trouble in finding wood 4
nough to cook with. With the aid
f the Indians, portage was made
round the falls and the worst of
he rapids. On October 25 they /
amped on a high point of rocks at B
he mouth of Quenett (Mill) creek, h
he site of the present town of The ~
Oregon. They also camped
ere on their return journey, call a
lg the place Rock Fort. a
From now on the party was in b
ested with fleas, contracted from u
Indian villages. If it
asn't one thing, it was another, to
AXE life miserable for the doughty
,plorers. On the Missouri it was 1
ind, mosquitoes and grizzly bears;
l the Columbia, rain, fog and fleas.
Ito be continued) LEI