Fort Clatsop, Astoria, OR Clatsop traders arrive with fresh eulachon enabling Lewis to draw, describe, and taste this fish. Hunters report that the elk have vacated the neighborhood.
Eulachon
Thaleichthys pacificus
Clark’s journal, 25 February 1806
Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis. Voorhis No. 2.
A Run of Candlefish[1]Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © … Continue reading
Clatsop Trading Party
This evening we were visited by Comowooll the Clatsop Chief and 12 men women & children of his nation. Drewyer came a passenger in their canoe, and brought with him two dogs. The chief and his party had brought for sail a Sea Otter skin some hats, stergeon and a [s]pecies of small fish which now begin to run, and are taken in great quantities in the Columbia R. about 40 miles above us by means of skiming or scooping nets.
—Meriwether Lewis
Fresh Eulachon
I find them [eulachon] best when cooked in Indian stile, which is by roasting a number of them together on a wooden spit without any previous preperation whatever. they are so fat they require no additional sauce, and I think them superior to any fish I ever tasted, even more delicate and lussious than the white fish of the lakes which have heretofore formed my standart of excellence among the fishes. I have heard the fresh anchovy much extolled but I hope I shall be pardoned for beleiving this quite as good.
—Meriwether Lewis
Retiring Elk
Shannon & Labuishe [Labiche] returned in the forenoon; they had killed no Elk and reported that they beleived the Elk have retired from their former haunts and gone further back in the country to a considerable distance from this place. this is very unwelcome information for poor and inferior as the flesh of this animal is it is our principal dependance for subsistence.
—Meriwether Lewis
Weather Diary
aspect of the weather at rise
Wind at aspect of the weather at 4 OC1 P.M. Wind at 4 O’Clock P.M. cloudy after fair & cloudy S. W. rain after clouds & rain S the wind became hard this evening. much warmer this morning than usual. the aquatic and other birds heretofore enumerated continue with us still. the Sturgeon and a small fish like the Anchovey begin to run. they are taken in the Columbia about 40 mils. above us. the anchovey is exquisitely fine.—
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of ye Month” column and spelled out some abbreviations.
Fort Clatsop is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site is managed by the Lewis and Clark National and State Historic Parks.
Notes
| ↑1 | Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © 2003 by Yellowstone Public Radio. |
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| ↑2 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of ye Month” column and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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- 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.
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