University of Virginia Library

October 24th.. Thursday 1805

The morning fare after a beautifull night, the nativs approached
us this morning with great caution. our two old
chiefs expressed a desire to return to their band from this
place, Saying "that they could be of no further Service to us,
as their nation extended no further down the river than those
falls, (they could no longer understand the language of those below
the falls, till then not much difference in the vocabs.) and as the
nation below had expressed hostile intentions against us, would
certainly kill them; perticularly as they had been at war with each
other;" we requested them to Stay with us two nights longer,
and we would See the nation below and make a peace between
them, they replied they "were anxious to return and See our
horses" we insisted on their staying with us two nights longer
to which they agreed; our views were to detain those Chiefs
with us, untill we should pass the next falls, which we were told
were very bad, and at no great distance below, that they might
inform us of any designs of the nativs, and if possible to bring
about a peace between them and the tribes below.

The first pitch of this falls is 20 feet perpendecular, then
passing thro' a narrow chanel for 1 mile to a rapid of about
8 feet fall below which the water has no perceptable fall but
verry rapid See Sketch N°. 1. It may be proper here to remark
that from Some obstruction below, the cause of which we have
not yet learned, the water in high fluds (which are in the Spring)
rise below these falls nearly to a leavel with the water above the
falls; the marks of which can be plainly tracd. around the

falls[11] : at that Stage of the water the Salmon must pass up
which abounds in such great numbers above. below those falls
we[re] Salmon trout, and great numbers of the heads of a
Species of trout Smaller than the Salmon, those fish they
catch out of the Salmon Season, and are at this time in the act
of burrying those which they had drid for winter food. the
mode of bur[y]ing those fish is in holes of various Sizes, lined
with Straw on which they lay fish Skins in which they inclose
the fish which is laid verry close, and then covered with earth
of about 12 or 15 inches thick. Capt. Lewis and three men
crossed the river and on the opposit Side to view the falls which
he had not yet taken a full view of. At 9 oClock a. m. I Set
out with the party and proceeded on down a rapid Stream of
about 400 yards wide at 2-½ miles the river widened into
a large bason to the Stard. Side on which there is five Lodges of
Indians. here a tremendious black rock Presented itself high
and Steep appearing to choke up the river; nor could I See
where the water passed further than the current was drawn with
great velocity to the Lard. Side of this rock at which place
I heard a great roreing. I landed at the Lodges and the
natives went with me to the top of this rock which makes from
the Stard. Side, from the top of which I could See the dificuelties
we had to pass for Several miles below; at this place the water
of this great river is compressed into a chanel between two rocks
not exceeding forty five yards wide and continues for a ¼ of
a mile when it again widens to 200 yards and continues this
width for about 2 miles when it is again intersepted by rocks.
This obstruction in the river accounts for the water in high
floods riseing to Such a hite at the last falls. The whole of the
Current of this great river must at all Stages pass thro' this
narrow chanel of 45 yards wide.[12] as the portage of our canoes
over this high rock would be impossible with our Strength, and
the only danger in passing thro those narrows was the whorls
and swills [swells] arriseing from the Compression of the water,
and which I thought (as also our principal watermen Peter
Crusat) by good Stearing we could pass down Safe, accordingly
I deturmined to pass through this place notwithstanding
the horrid appearance of this agitated gut swelling, boiling &
whorling in every direction, (which from the top of the rock
did not appear as bad as when I was in it; however we passed
Safe to the astonishment of all the Inds. of the last Lodges who
viewed us from the top of the rock. passed one Lodge below
this rock, and halted on the Stard. Side to view a very bad place,
the current divided by 2 Islands of rocks the lower of them
large and in the midal of the river, this place being verry bad
I sent by land all the men who could not Swim and such articles
as was most valuable to us such as papers Guns & amunition,
and proceeded down with the canoes two at a time to a
village of 20 wood houses in a Deep bend to the Stard. Side below
which [was] a rugid black rock about 20 feet hiter [higher]
than the Common high fluds of the river with Several dry
chanels which appeared to Choke the river up quite across;
this I took to be the 2d. falls or the place the nativs above call
timm, The nativs of this village re[ce]ived me verry kindly,
one of whome envited me into his house, which I found
to be large and comodious, and the first wooden houses in
which Indians have lived Since we left those in the vicinty of
the Illinois, they are scattered permiscuisly on a elivated Situation
near a mound of about 30 feet above the Common leavel,
which mound has Some remains of houses and has every
appearance of being artificial. those houses are about the
Same Shape Sise and form 20 feet Square, [wide and 30 feet
long] with one Dore raised 18 Inches above ground, they
[the doors—Ed.] are 29-½ inches high & 14 wide, forming
in a half circle above, [ILLUSTRATION] those houses were Sunk into the
earth six feet, the roofs of them was Supported by [a ridge
pole resting on] three Strong pieces of Split timber on which,
[thro' one of which the dare was cut] that and the walls, the top
of which was just above ground Supported a certain number of
Spars which are Covered with the Bark of the white Ceadar, or
Arber Vitea; and the whole attached and Secured by the fibers
of the Cedar. the eaves at or near the earth, the gable ends
and Side Walls are Secured with split boards which is Seported
on iner Side with Strong pieces of timber under the eves &c.
to keep those pieces errect & the earth from without pressing
in the boards, Suported by Strong posts at the corners to
which those poles were attached to give aditional Strength,
small openings were left in the roof above the ground, for the
purpose, as I conjectured, of deschargeing their arrows at a besiegeing
enimey; Light is admited thro' an opening at top which
also Serves for the Smoke to pass through,[13] one half of those
houses is apropriated for the storeing away Dried & pounded
fish which is the principal food, the other part next the dore is
the part occupied by the nativs who have beds raised on either
side, with a fire place in the center of this Space each house
appeared to be occupied by about three families; that part
which is apropriated for fish was crouded with that article, and
a fiew baskets of burries. I dispatched a Sufficent number of
the good Swimers back for the 2 canoes above the last rapid,
and with 2 men walked down three miles to examine the river
Over a bed of rocks, which the water at verry high fluds passes
over, on those rocks I Saw Several large scaffols on which the
Indians dry fish, as this is out of Season the poles on which
they dry those fish are tied up verry Securely in large bundles
and put upon the scaffolds, I counted 107 stacks of dried
pounded fish in different places on those rocks which must
have contained 10.000lb of neet fish, The evening being late
I could not examine the river to my Satisfaction, the chanel
is narrow and compressed for about 2 miles, when it widens
into a deep bason to the Stard Side, & again contracts into a narrow
chanel divided by a rock. I returned through a rockey
open countrey infested with pole-cats to the village where I met
with Capt. Lewis the two old Chiefs who accompanied us & the
party & canoes who had all arrived Safe; the Canoes haveing
taken in some water at the last rapids. here we formed a camp
near the village, The principal chief from the nation below
with Several of his men visited us, and afforded a favourable
oppertunity of bringing about a Piece and good understanding
between this chief and his people and the two chiefs who accompanied
us which we have the Satisfaction to say we have accomplished,
as we have every reason to believe, and that those two
bands or nations are and will be on the most friendly terms
with each other, gave this great chief a Medal and some other
articles, of which he was much pleased. Peter Crusat played
on the violin and the men danced which delighted the nativs,
who Shew every civility towards us. we Smoked with those
people untill late at night, when every one retired to rest.