University of Virginia Library

[Clark, first draft:]

October 31st. Thursday 1805.

a cloudey raney morning I proceed down the river to view
it more at leasure, I took Jos. Fields & Peter Crusat and proceeded
on down, Send Crusat back at 2 ms. to examine the rapid
near the shore & I proceeded on down about 10 miles to a very
high rock in a bottom on the Stard. opsd. 2 Islands covered with
timber on which I saw Inds. at a distance; found the river rocky
for 6 miles, after which the current became uniform. at 1 mile
I passed an old deserted village on a Pond on a high situation
of 8 Houses. at 3 ½ miles one house the only remr. of an antient
village ½ a mile lower I saw 8 vaults for the Dead which
was nearly square 8 feet closely covered with broad boa[r]ds
curiously ingraved, the bones in some of those vaults were 4
feet thick, in others the Dead was yet layed side of each other
nearly East & west, [w]raped up & bound securely in robes,

great numbers of trinkets Brass kittles, sea shells, Iron Pan
Hare &c. &c. were hung about the vaults and great maney
wooden gods, or Imeges of men cut in wood, set up around
the vaults, some of those so old and worn by time that they
were nearly worn out of shape, and some of those vaults so old
that they were roted entirely to the ground. not withstanding
they [the] wood is of Pine & [word illegible.—Ed.] or Seder
as also the wooden gods. I can not learn certainly if those
people worship those wooden emiges, they have them in conspicuous
parts of their houses at 5 miles I passed 4 large
houses on the Stard Side a little above the last rapid and
opposit a large Island which is Situated near the Lard Side.
The enhabitents of those houses had left them closely shut up,
They appeared to contain a great deel of property and Provisions
such as those people use. I did not disturb any thing
about those houses, but proceed[ed] on down below the rapid
which I found to be the last, a large village has at some
period been on the Stard Side below this rapid The bottom is
high stoney and about 2 miles wide covered with grass, here
is the head of a large Island in high water, at this time no water
passes on the Stard. Side I walked thro this Island which I
found to be verry rich, open & covered with Strawberry vines,
and has greatly the appearance of having at some period been
cultivated, The natives has dug roots in some parts of this
Isl. which is about 3 miles long & 1 wide, a small Island covered
with timber opposit the lower point no water runs on
the Stard Side of it below and in the middle of the river is a
large Island covered with tall trees opposit the Strawberry
Island on its Stard Side a creek falls in which has no running
water at present, it has the appearance of throwing out emence
torents. I saw 5 Indians in a canoe below. Jo [Fields] killed
a Sand hill Crane & we returned by the same rout to camp at
the grand Shute where I found several Indians, I smoked
Two canoes loaded with fish for the Trade below come down
& unloaded The after noon fare

         

S. 30°. E	1	mile to a Lard Bend passing the Grand Shute which is ¼ of a mile and the water confined within about 150 yards, passing with Tremendeous force, great number of rocks in the upper pt. of this shute, a low pine mountain on the Stad. Side, high one on the Lard Side.
S. 30°. W.	1	mile to a Lard. bend passed several rocks in the river & a rapid at ¾ of a mile the water being confined between large rocks, maney of which is under water. an old village of 8 houses on the Stard. Side on the hill opposit.
S. 45°. W	2	miles to a high rock above the upper point of a large Isld. on the Lard Side, passed maney rocks in different derections, a house on the Stard. at 1 mile just below is 8 Indian vaults in which is great number of dead, raped up their trinkets, & wooden Gods are placed around the vaults, they lie East & west
S. 60°. W	2	miles to a large black rock in a Stard. bend at the commencement of a rapid opsd. lower point of an Island Lard passed a rapid at ½ ml. not bad. several large rocks in the river permiscusly, 4 large Ind. houses without inhabitents on the Stard. Side at 1 ½ mile a Island on the Lard Side extensive high stoney bottoms on the Stard Side
South	2	miles to a creek under a Bluff in a Lard bend passed the rapid ¼ of a mile long. the upper point of a large Island on the Stard. Side no running water on the Stard. Side of it at present this Island high rich and open covered with Strawbery vines a narrow open bottom on the Lard Side

Those Indians cut off the hands of those they kill & preserve
the fingers.

October 31st. Thursday 1805

A cloudy rainey disagreeable morning I proceeded down
the river to view with more attention [the rapids] we had to
pass on the river below, the two men with me. Jo. Fields &
Peter Crusat proceeded down to examine the rapids the Great
Shute[31] which commenced at the Island on which we encamped

continued with great rapidity and force thro a narrow chanel
much compressd. and interspersed with large rocks for ½ a mile,
at a mile lower is a verry considerable rapid at which place the
waves are remarkably high, and proceeded on in a old Indian
parth 2-½ miles by land thro a thick wood & hill Side, to
the river where the Indians make a portage, from this place
I Dispatched Peter Crusat (our principal waterman) back to
follow the river and examine the practibility of the canoes passing,
as the rapids appeared to continue down below as far as
I could See, I with Jo Fields proceeded on, at ½ a mile
below the end of the portage passed a house where there had
been an old town for ages past as this house was old Decayed
and a place of flees I did not enter it, about ½ a mile
below this house in a verry thick part of the woods is 8 Vaults,
which appeared closely covered and highly deckerated with orniments.
Those vaults are all nearly the Same size and form
8 feet square, 6 feet high, sloped a little so as to convey off
the rain, made of Pine or cedar boards Closely Connected &
s[e]curely Covered with wide boards, with a Dore left in the
East side which is partially stoped with wide boards curiously
engraved. In Several of those vaults the dead bodies w[e]re
raped up verry securely in Skins tied around with cords of
grass and bark, laid on a mat, all east & west and some of those
vaults had as maney as 4 Bodies laying on the Side of each
other. the other Vaults containing bones only, Some contained
bones for the debth of 4 feet. on the tops and on
poles attached to those vaults hung Brass kittles & frying pans
pearced through their bottoms, baskets, bowls of wood, sea
Shels, skins, bits of Cloth, hair, bags of Trinkets & Small pieces
of bone &c. and independant of the [Hieroglyphics, figures of
men & animals] curious engraveing and Paintings on the boards
which formed the Vaults I observed Several wooden Images,
cut in the figure[s] of men and Set up on the Sides of the vaults
all round, Some of those so old and worn by time, that they
were nearly out of Shape,[32] I also observed the remains of
Vaults rotted entirely into the ground and covered with moss.
This must bee the burrying place for maney ages for the inhabitants
of those rapids, the vaults are of the most lasting
timber Pine & Cedar. I cannot say certainly that those nativs
worship those wooden idols as I have every reason to believe
they do not; as they are Set up in the most conspicious parts
of their houses, and treated more like orniments than objects
of adoration. at 2 miles lower and 5 below our Camp I passed
a village of 4 large houses, abandond by the nativs, with their
dores bared up, I looked into those houses and obsirved as
much property as is usial in the houses of those people which
induced me to conclude that they w[e]re at no great distance,
either hunting or Colecting roots, to add to their winter subsistance.
from a Short distance below the vaults the mountain
which is but low on the Stard. Side, leave[s] the river, and a
leavel stoney open bottom suckceeds on the Said Std. Side for
a great Distance down, the mountains high and rugid on the
Lard. Side this open bottom is about 2 miles a Short distance
below this village is a bad Stoney rapid and appears to be the
last in view I observed at this lower rapid the remains of a
large and antient Village which I could plainly trace by the
Sinks in which they had formed their houses, as also those in
which they had buried their fish. from this rapid to the lower
end of the portage the river is crouded with rocks of various
sises between which the water passes with great velociety createing
in maney places large waves, an Island which is Situated
near the Lard. Side occupies about half the distance the lower
point of which is at this rapid. immediately below this rapid
the high water passes through a narrow chanel through the
Stard. Bottom forming an Island of 3 miles Long & one wide;
I walked through this Island which I found to be verry rich
land, and had every appearance of haveing been at some distant
period cultivated at this time it is covered with grass intersperced
with strawberry vines, I observed Several places on
this Island where the nativs had dug for roots and from its
lower point I observed 5 Indians in a Canoe below the upper
point of an Island near the middle of the river covered with tall
timber, which induced me to believe that a village was at no
great distance below, I could not see any rapids below in the
extent of my view which was for a long distance down the river,
which from the last rapids widened and had everry appearance
of being effected by the tide [this was in fact the first tide water]
I deturmined to return to camp 10 miles distant, a remarkable
high detached rock Stands in a bottom on the Stard. Side near
the lower point of this Island on the Stard. Side about 800 feet
high and 400 paces around, we call the Beaten [Beacon] rock.[33] a
Brook falls into the narrow chanel which forms the [what we
call] Strawberry Island, which at this time has no running
water, but has every appearance of dischargeing emence torrents
&c. &c. Jo. Fields shot a Sand hill Crane. I returned by
the Same rout on our Indian parth passing up on the N. W.
Side of the river to our Camp at the Great Shute found
Several Indians from the village, I Smoked with them; Soon
after my return two canoes loaded with fish & Bear grass for
the trade below, came down from the village at the mouth of
the Catterack River, they unloaded and turned their canoes
up Side down on the beech, & camped under a Shelving rock
below our Camp.

One of the men shot a goose above this Great Shute, which
was floating into the Shute, when an Indian observed it,
plunged! into the water & swam to the Goose and brought in
on shore, at the head of the Suck, [great danger, rapids bad, a
descent close by him (150 feet off,) of all Columbia River, current
dashed among rocks, if he had got in the Suck—lost] as this Indian
richly earned the goose I suffered him to keep it which he
about half picked and Spited it up with the guts in it to roste.

This Great Shute or falls is about ½ a mile, with the water
of this great river compressed within the space of 150 paces in
which there is great numbers of both large and Small rocks,
water passing with great velocity forming [foaming] & boiling
in a most horriable manner, with a fall of about 20 feet, below
it widens to about 200 paces and current gentle for a Short distance.
a Short distance above is three Small rockey Islands

and at the head of those falls, three Small rockey Islands are
Situated crosswise the river, Several rocks above in the river.
& 4 large rocks in the head of the Shute; those obstructions
together with the high Stones which are continually braking
loose from the mountain on the Stard. Side and roleing down
into the Shute aded to those which brake loose from these
Islands above and lodge in the Shute, must be the cause of the
rivers daming up to such a distance above, where it shows such
evidant marks of the common current of the river being much
lower than at the present day.