Stolen Firewood

In this excerpt Clark tells of the help the party received in navigating the Snake River from Nez Perce Chiefs Tetoharsky and Twisted Hair as well as three men who were likely Palouse Indians (Moulton:1988).

Clark wrote that the Corps had “made it a point at all times not to take any thing belonging to the Indians even their wood.” This passage confesses to the first time they were “compelled to violate that rule” (Clark, from Moulton V. 5, 272).

On October 15th, 1805, William Clark wrote:

…no timber of any kind in Sight of the river, a flew Small willows excepted; in the evening the countrey becomes lower not exceding 90 or 100 feet above the water and back is a wavering Plain on each Side, passed thro: narrows for 3 miles where the Clifts of rocks juted to the river on each Side compressing the water of the river through a narrow chanel; below which it widens into a kind of bason nearly round without any proceptiable current, at the lower part of this bason is a bad diflcuelt and dangerous rapid to pass, at the upper part of this rapid we over took the three Indians who had Polited us thro the rapids from the forks. those people with our 2 Chiefs had proceeded on to this place where they thought proper to delay for us to warn us of the difficulties of this rapid. we landed at a parcel of Split timber, the timber of a house of Indians out hunting the Antilope in the plains; and raised on Scaffolds to Save them from the Spring floods, here we were obliged for the first time to take the property of, the Indians without the consent or approbation of the owner. the night was cold & we made use of a part of those boards and Split logs for fire wood. Killed two teel this evening. Examined the rapids which we found more diflcuelt to pass than we expected from the Indians information, a Suckcession of Sholes, appears to reach from bank to bank for miles which was also intersepted with large rocks Sticking up in every direction, and the chanel through which we must pass crooked and narrow. we only made 20 miles today, owing to the detention in passing rapids. (Clark, from Moulton V.5, 275

Clark’s View of the Nez Perces | Stolen Firewood | Gifts from a Chief
Without Knocking | Finders Keepers? | Honorable People