University of Virginia Library

[Clark, first draft:]

October 19th. Saturday.

The Great Chief 2d. Chief and a Chief of a band below came
and smoked with us we gave a meadel a string of Wampom
& handkerchef to the Great Chief by name Yel-lep-pit[23] The
2d. Chief we gave a string of wampom, his name is [blank
space in MS.] The 3d. who lives below a string of wampom
his name I did not learn. the Chief requested us to stay untill
12 we excused our selves and set out at 9 oClock

Course

         

S W.	14	miles to a rock in a Lard. resembling a hat just below a rapid at the lower Point of an Island in the middle of the river 7 Lodges and opposit the head of one on the Star Side 5 Lodges passed an Island at 8 miles 6 miles long close to Lard Side no water on Lard. a small one opsd. and at the lower point no water Lard. passed an Isld. in middle at 8 miles on which 5 Indian Lodges, deserted at the end of this course a bad rockey place plenty of water rocks in the river. passed a Stard. point at 4 miles country a little lower
S. 80°. W.	7	miles to a Point of rocks on the Stard bend Passed the Island on Std. side at 1 mile passed a verry bad rapid above the end of this course. 2 miles in length with several small Islands in it & Banks of Mussle shells in the rapids. here the lower countrey commences. Saw a high mountain covered with snow West this we suppose to be Mt. St Helens
S. 70° W.	12	miles to & passed 20 Lodges of Indians scattered allong the Stard Side drying fish & Prickley pares (to Burn in winter) I went on shore in a small canoe a head, landed at the first 5 Lodges, found the Indians much fritened, all got into their lodges and when I went in found some hanging down their heads, some crying and others in great agitation, I took all by the hand and distributed a few small articles which I chanced to have in my pockets and smoked with them which expelled their fears, soon after the canoes landed & we all smoked and were friendly. I gave a string of Wampom to the Principal man, we dined on dryed salmon & set out. I am confident that I could have tomahawked every Indian here. The Language is the same as those above, those Lodges can turn out 350 men. I shot a Crain & 2 Ducks and opposit to a Lodge on the Stard. Side, one mile below a rapid. a high Mountain S. W. from the Muscle Shell rapid.
S. W.	3	miles to a few willow Trees on the Lard. Side below the lower pt. of an Isd. Ld. opposit 24 Lodges of Indians fishing. here we came too and camped, 19 of them on the Stard. Side and 5 on an Island in the middle of the river, about 100 Inds. come over some brought
	36	wood and we gave smoke to all which they were pleased at

P. Crusat played on the violin which pleased and astonished
those [w]reches who are badly clad, ¾ with robes not half
large enough to cover them, they are homeley high cheeks,
and but fiew orniments. I suped on the crane which I killed
to day.

October 19th. Saturday 1805

The great chief Yel-lep-pit two other chiefs, and a chief of
[a] Band below presented themselves to us verry early this
morning. we Smoked with them, enformed them as we had
all others above as well as we could by signs of our friendly
intentions towards our red children perticelar those who opened
their ears to our Councils. we gave a Medal, a Handkercheif
& a String Wompom to Yelleppit and a String of wompom
to each of the others. Yelleppit is a bold handsom Indian,
with a dignified countenance about 35 years of age, about
5 feet 8 inches high and well perpotiond. he requested us to
delay untill the Middle of the day, that his people might
come down and see us, we excused our Selves and promised
to stay with him one or 2 days on our return which appeared
to Satisfy him; great numbers of Indians came down in
Canoes to view us before we Set out which was not untill
9 oClock A. M. we proceeded on passed a Island, close
under the Lard. Side about six miles in length opposit to the
lower point of which two Isds. are situated on one of which
five Lodges vacent & S[c]affolds [of] dryed fish at the upper
point of this Island Swift water. a Short distance below passed
two Islands, one near the middle of the river on which is Seven
lodges of Indians drying fish, at our approach they hid themselves
in their Lodges and not one was to be seen untill we
passed, they then came out, in greater numbers than is common
in Lodges of their Size, it is probable that the inhabitants of
the 5 Lodges above had in a fright left their lodges and decended
to this place to defend themselves if attackted there
being a bad rapid opposit the Island thro which we had to pass
prevented our landing on this Island and passifying those
people, about four miles below this fritened Island we arrived
at the head of a verry bad rapid,[24] we came too on the Lardd.
Side to view the rapid before we would venter to run it, as
the Chanel appeared to be close under the oppd. Shore, and
it would be necessary to liten our canoe, I deturmined to walk
down on the Lard. Side, with the 2 chiefs the interpreter & his

Map from Clark Field-book, Course and Camping place,
October 19, 1805.

woman, and derected the Small canoe to pr[o]cede down on
the Lard. Side to the foot of the rapid which was about 2 miles
in length I sent on the Indian chief &c. down. and I
assended a high clift about 200 feet above the water from the
top of which is a leavel plain extending up the river and off
for a great extent, at this place the countrey becoms low on
each Side of the river, and affords a pros[pect] of the river and
countrey below for great extent both to the right and left;
from this place I descovered a high mountain of emence hight
covered with Snow, this must be one of the mountains laid
down by Vancouver, as seen from the mouth of the Columbia
River, from the course which it bears which is West I take it
to be Mt. St. Helens, destant about 120 miles a range of
mountains in the Derection crossing a conical mountain S. W.
toped with snow,[25] This rapid I observed as I passed opposit
to it to be verry bad intersep[t]ed with high rock and Small
rockey Islands, here I observed banks of Muscle Shells
banked up in the river in Several places, I delayed at the
foot of the rapid about 2 hours for the canoes which I could
see met with much dificuelty in passing down the rapid on the
oposit Side maney places the men were obliged to get into
the water and haul the canoes over sholes while Setting on
a rock wateing for Capt. Lewis I shot a crain which was flying
over of the common kind. I observed a great number of
Lodges on the opposit Side at some distance below, and
Several Indians on the opposit bank passing up to where
Capt. Lewis was with the Canoes, others I saw on a knob
nearly opposit to me at which place they delayed but a Short
time, before they returned to their Lodges as fast as they could
run, I was fearfull that those people might not be informed of
us, I deturmined to take the little canoe which was with me
and proceed with the three men in it to the Lodges, on my
aproach not one person was to be seen except three men off
in the plains, and they sheared off as I saw approached near
the Shore, I landed in front of five Lodges which was at no
great distance from each other, Saw no person the enterance
or Dores of the Lodges wer Shut with the Same materials of
which they were built a Mat, I approached one with a pipe
in my hand entered a lodge which was the nearest to me found
32 persons men, women and a few children Setting permiscuisly
in the Lodge, in the greatest agutation, Some crying and
ringing there hands, others hanging their heads. I gave my
hand to them all and made Signs of my friendly dispo[si]tion
and offered the men my pipe to Smok and distributed a fiew
Small articles which I had in my pockets, this measure
passified those distressed people verry much, I then sent one
man into each lodge and entered a Second myself the inhabitants
of which I found more fritened than those of the
first lodge I destributed Sundrey Small articles amongst them,
and Smoked with the men, I then entered the third 4th. & fifth
Lodge which I found Somewhat passified, the three men,
Drewer Jo. & R. Fields, haveing useed everey means in their
power to convince them of our friendly disposition to them, I
then Set my self on a rock and made signs to the men to come
and Smoke with me not one come out untill the canoes arrived
with the 2 chiefs, one of whom spoke aloud, and as was their
custom to all we had passed. the Indians came out & Set by
me and smoked They said we came from the clouds[26] &c. &c.
and were not men &c. &c. this time Capt. Lewis came down
with the canoes in which the Indian[s were], as Soon as they
Saw the Squar wife of the interperter they pointed to her and
informed those who continued yet in the Same position I first
found them, they imediately all came out and appeared to
assume new life, the sight of This Indian woman, wife to one
of our interprs. confirmed those people of our friendly intentions,
as no woman ever accompanies a war party of Indians in this
quarter. [See Descriptions] Capt. Lewis joined us and we
smoked with those people in the greatest friendship, dureing
which time one of our Old Chiefs informed them who we were
from whence we came and where we were going giveing them
a friendly account of us, those people do not speak prosisely
the same language of those above but understand them, I
saw Several Horses and persons on horsback in the plains
maney of the men womin and children came up from the
Lodges below, all of them appeared pleased to see us, we
traded some fiew articles for fish and berries, Dined, and
proceeded on passed a Small rapid and 15 Lodges below the
five, and Encamped[27] below an Island close under the Lard.
Side, nearly opposit to 24 Lodges on an Island near the
middle of the river, and the Main Stard. Shore Soon after
we landed which was at a fiew willow trees about 100 Indians
came from the different Lodges, and a number of them brought
wood which they gave us, we Smoked with all of them, and
two of our Party Peter Crusat & Gibson played on the violin
which delighted them greatly, we gave to the principal man
a String of wompon treated them kindly for which they
appeared greatfull, This Tribe [a branch of the nation called
Pisch quit pás][28] can raise about 350 men their Dress are
Similar to those at the fork except their robes are smaller and
do not reach lower than the waste ¾ of them have scercely
any robes at all, the women have only a Small pece of a robe
which covers their Sholders neck and reaching down behind to
their wastes, with a tite piece of leather about the waste, the
brests are large and hang down verry low illy Shaped, high
Cheeks flattened heads, & have but fiew orniments, they
are all employed in fishing and drying fish of which they
have great quantities on their scaffolds, their habits customs
&c. I could not lern. I killed a Duck that with the Crain
afforded us a good Supper. the Indians continued all night
at our fires. This day we made 36 miles.