September 25, 1805
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

September 25, 1805

 

Septr. 25th    I with th Chief & 2 young men went down to hunt timber for Canoes—    proceeded on down to the forks    4 miles N 70° W 2 miles S. 75° W 2 miles, halted    young men Cought 6 Sammon, the forks nearly the Same Size, Crossed the South fork & found Timber large Pine in a bottom    Proceeded up the South Side 3 parts of Party Sick    Capt Lewis verry Sick    hot day

 

a verry hot day    most of the Party Complaining and 2 of our hunters left here on the 22nd verry Sick    they had killed only two Bucks in my absence. I Set out early with the Chief and 2 young men to hunt Some trees Calculated to build Canoes, as we had previously deturmined to proceed on by water, I was furnished with a horse and we proceeded on down the river    Crossed a Creek at 1 mile from the right verry rockey which I call rock dam Creek [1] & Passed down on the N side of the river to a fork [2] from the North which is about the Same Size and affords about the Same quantity of water with the other forks    we halted about an hour, one of the young men took his guig and killed 6 fine Salmon    two of them were roasted and we eate, two Canoes Came up loaded with the furnitur & provisions of 2 families, those Canoes are long Stedy and without much rake    I crossed the South fork and proceeded up on the South Side, the most of the way thro' a narrow Pine bottom in which I Saw fine timber for Canoes [3]    one of the Indian Canoes with 2 men with Poles Set out from the forks at the Same time I did and arrived at our Camp on the Island within 15 minits of the Same time I did, not withstanding 3 rapids which they had to draw the Canoe thro' in the distance, when I arrived at Camp found Capt Lewis verry Sick, Several men also verry Sick, I gave Some Salts & Tarter emetic, we deturmined to go to where the best timbr was and there form a Camp

 

Wednesday 25th Sept. 1805.    a fair morning.    three men went out a hunting. Capt. Clark went with an old chief down the River to look for timber which would answer for canoes.    the Natives have Several Small canoes at this place.    this River is about 60 yards wide    Some clifts of rocks along its Shores.    the natives have a fishery little above our Camp.    they caught Several fine Sammon this day.    towards evening Capt. Clark returned and informed us that he had been 4 or 5 miles down to a fork of the River which came in on the east Side    he Saw Some pitch pine timber which he thought would answer for canoes near this forks on the opposite shore    in the evening the man who Stayed at the village joined us    had got his horse by hireing Indians to git him

 

Wednesday 25th.    A fine, pleasant, warm morning. The hunters went out early and Captain Clarke rode out to see if there were any trees to be found large enough for canoes. The men in general appear to be getting much better; but Captain Lewis is very sick and taking medicine; and myself and two or three of the men are yet very unwell. The climate here is warm; and the heat to day was as great as we had experienced at any time during the summer. The water also is soft and warm, and perhaps causes our indisposition more than any thing else. In the evening Captain Clarke returned to camp, having discovered a place about 5 or 6 miles down the river, where a large branch comes in on the north side that will furnish timber large enough for our purpose. Our hunters also came in, and had killed nothing but a small panther [4] and a pheasant. The man who had remained at the first village came up.

 

Wednesday 25th Sept. 1805.    a fine morning.    three men out a hunting.    Capt. Clark went with a chief down the River to look for timber which would answer for to make cannoes.    the natives have Several Small cannoes in the River one at th[is] place.    this River is about Sixty yards wide and gener[ally] deep.    Some clifts of rocks along the Shores.    the nativ[es] have a fishery fixed in the River little above our Camp, in which they catch large quantity of Sammon.    they went withe the canoes and took in Several today.    they gig a great many also    towards evening Capt. Clark returned    had been down about 4 miles at a fork which came in on the East Side.    he informs us that their is Some timber at the forks but not verry large & knotty.    So we conclude to move down tomorrow.    the natives drive a nomber of their horses from the villages to this place.    the man who Stayed at the village for his horse arived here this evening.    had got his horse by hireing Indians to git him.

Wednesday Septemr. 25th    A fine morning, Three of our Men went out a hunting.    Captain Clark went down the River with an Indian chief to look out for timber fitting to make Canoes of, The Natives had several small Canoes in this fork of the River, & one of them lay at the place where we were encamp'd.    The fork of Columbia River which we are at is about 60 Yards wide, and generally very deep, and has some Clifts of rocks along its shores.—    The Natives had a fishery fixed on this fork of the River, a small distance above our Camp, in which they catch quantities of Salmon in the fishing season    they went to it with their Canoes, and took out a number of Salmon on this day.—    They also procure a number of them which they kill with a Gig,—    Towards evening Captain Clark returned, he had been down the fork about 4 Miles, to where 〈a〉 another small fork came in to the fork, which we are on, on the East side of it—    he mention'd that he had seen some timber at the place where these two forks 〈made〉 met but that it was not very large & full of knots.    Our officers concluded to move down to that place tomorrow.    The Natives drove during this day, a number of their horses to this place.    The Man who staid behind to hunt the horse, that was lost, arrived here this Evening; 〈they〉 he had the horse with him, which was found by some of the Indians that 〈they〉 he had hired at the Village to hunt him

1. Present Orofino Creek, in Clearwater County, Idaho. Space, 19; Atlas map 71. (back)
2. The junction of the North Fork Clearwater and Clearwater rivers, in Clearwater County. Atlas map 71. (back)
3. Ponderosa pine, which grows to large size in the area, as Clark notes in the first entry. (back)
4. Mountain lion, Felis concolor. (back)