Clark’s group crosses the river to trade for horses at a Wishram village and calls The Dalles of the Columbia the “Great Mart of all this Country.” At Fort Rock, the men make pack saddles, Lewis botanizes, and Cruzatte plays the fiddle.
The Great Mart
Celilo
© 25 March 2012 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Above: The main falls in the Celilo Falls complex is hidden beneath The Dalles Dam reservoir. Wishram is on the far (northern shore) and Celilo is just out of the frame on the southern shore to the right of Interstate 84.
This is the Great Mart of all this Country. ten different tribes who reside on Taptate and Catteract River visit those people for the purpose of purchaseing their fish
—William Clark
Skilloot Traders
Drewyer returned with the principal Chief of the Skillutes who was lame and Could not walk. after his arival Some horses were offered for Sale, but they asked nearly half the merchindize I had with me for one horse. this price I could not think of giveing. the Chief informed me if I would go to his town with him, his people would Sell me horses.
—William Clark
Waiting for Horses
As we did not expect to be able to navigate the Columbia river much farther, Captain Clarke, with some of the men and some goods went over the river to endeavour to procure some horses. I was out hunting this morning, and killed a rattlesnake among the rocks.
—Patrick Gass
Shooting Star
Dodecatheon sp.
Location: Towal, Washington. © 25 March 2012 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Making Packsaddles
set Sergts. Gass and Pryor with some others at work to make a parsel of packsaddles. twelve horses will be sufficient to transport our baggage and some pounded fish which we intend taking with us as a reserved store for the rocky mountains.
—Meriwether Lewis
Shooting Star Specimen
Near the narrows of Columbia R. Aprl. 16th 1806
—Meriwether Lewis[2]Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 57.
Golden Currant
I also met with sundry other plants which were strangers to me which I also preserved, among others there is a currant which is now in blume and has yellow blossom something like the yellow currant of the Missouri but is a different speceis.
—Meriwether Lewis[3]Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 149.
Cruzatte’s Fiddle
the nativs requested the party to dance which they were readily consented and Peter Cruzat [Pierre Cruzatte] played on the Violin and the men danced Several dances & retired to rest in the houses of the 1st and Second Chief . . . . lay my Self down on a Mat to Sleep but was prevented by the mice and vermin with which this house abounded and which was very troublesom to me.
—William Clark
Weather Diary
State of weather at rise
Wind at State of the weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. River fair after cloudy S W fair S W fallen 2 in. morning unusually warm. vegitation rapidly progressing.— at the rock fort camp saw the prarie lark, a speceis of the peawee, the blue crested fisher, the partycoloured corvus, and the black pheasant. a speceis of hiasinth native of this place blumed today, it was not in blume yesterday.
—Meriwether Lewis[4]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented, the “State of the Columbia River” columns have been merged, and some abbreviations have been spelled out.
Rock Fort Campsite is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site owned by Wasco County, Oregon, and is open to the public.
Notes
| ↑1 | Moulton, Journals, 5:336n2, 7:130n5. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 57. |
| ↑3 | Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 149. |
| ↑4 | To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented, the “State of the Columbia River” columns have been merged, and some abbreviations have been spelled out. |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
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Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).