An Eye for an Eye?

This three-part story, pieced together from journal entries and contemporary voices, illuminates some of the misunderstanding and mistreatment that occurred between the Corps and the Indians along the Columbia.

In Clatsop country, after a hunter returned to camp with an elk, "...according to custom, the most of it was taken to the lodge of the Chief" (Lee and Front 1844:283). Then a feast was prepared for the village. The Elk clearly had a special meaning to these people. Keep this in mind as you read these excerpts.

Stolen Elk

Dick Basch

Lewis and Clark planned to steal a canoe from my family. They actually planned how it was going to be rationalized to my great grandfather when he came wanting his canoe. There had been an incident when members of the Expedition had shot many elk and then left them and took some back to the fort. Members of my tribe found these elk already killed and waiting for them and I guess they took a couple back to the village. Lewis and Clark were pretty upset about that incident but nonetheless, it was resolved, at least to the tribes satisfaction, or that was what the tribe thought.

Well, when Lewis and Clark planned to steal our canoe they planned to bring up that incident and say this was a partial repayment for stealing the elk. Then on top of that they created a document, a very official looking document and of course to our families back then, any document would be official looking. Dick Basch interview, 2003

Stolen Elk


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On February 6th, 1806, William Clark wrote:

Sent Serjt. Gass and party this morning with Ru Field to bring in the Elk which Field had killed. late in the evening Serjt. Pryor returned with the flsh of about 2 Elk and four skins the Indians haveing taken the ballance of Seven Elk which Drewyer killed the other day. I find that those people will all steal. (Clark, from Moulton V.6, 282)

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Remuneration?

On February 12th, 1806, Meriwether Lewis wrote:

This morning we were visited by a Clatsop man who brought with him three dogs as a remuneration for the Elk which im self and nation had stolen from us some little time since, how ever the dogs took alarm and ran off; we suffered him to remain in the fort all night. (Lewis, from Moulton V.6, 299)

On February 22nd, 1806, Meriwether Lewis wrote:

in the evening they returned to their village and Drewyer accompanied them in their canoe in order to get the dogs which the Clatsops have agreed to give us in payment for the Elk they stole from us some weeks since. (Lewis, from Moulton V.6, 336)

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Payback

On March 17th, 1806, Meriwether Lewis wrote:

we yet want another canoe, and as the Clatsops will not sell us one at a price which we can afford to give we will take one from them in lue of the six Elk which they stole from us in the winter. (Lewis, from Moulton V.6, 426)

Two days later, On March 19th, 1806, Lewis wrote:

we gave Comowooll alias Connia, a cirtificate of his good conduct and the friendly intercourse which he has maintained with us- during our residence at this place; we also gave him a list of our names. (Lewis, from Moulton V.6 432)

On March 18th, 1806, John Ordway, a member of the Expedition who also kept a journal, recorded this incident:

a Showery morning of rain and hail. Some Thunder. we repair the Small canoes. 4 men went over to the prarie near the coast to take a canoe which belongd to the Clotsop Indians, as we are in want of it. in the evening they returned 2 of them by land and killd. an Elk. the others took the canoe near the fort and concealed it, as the Chief of the Clotsops is now here. (Ordway, from Moulton V. 9, 278)