Thursday, April 3, 1806

  

[Lewis]
...... in the evening Capt. Clark & party returnd. to Camp and informed us that they had been and took a view of the River {Willamette} which the Indians informed us of, and that it is a verry large River & is 500 yd. wide and is Supposed to head with the waters of the California.    they went 7 miles up Sd. River.    their guide informed them that a large nation lived up the fork of this River by the name of Clack-a-mus Nation {Clackamas} of 30 Towns, and that another Nation lives along distance up this River where it gits Small by the name of Callah-no-wah Nation {Calapooyas, living in the vicinity of the Willamette Falls} who are verry numerous.    on their return they halted at a new discovred village behind Swan Island where they bought 5 dogs, a fiew Commass roots and some wa-pa-toes &C

[Lewis]
Early this morning Joseph Fields came over and informed me that Reubin Feilds Drewyer and himself had killed four Elk.    as the party with me were now but weak and the Indians constantly crouding about our camp, I thought it best to send a few men to dry the meat on the other side of the river; accordingly Sergt Pryor and two men returned with Jos. Fields for that purpose.    the hunters were ordered to continue the chase; while the others were employed in drying the meat. I have had no account as yet from the party below the entrance of Quicksand river. The Indians continued to visit us today in considerable numbers    most of them were decending the river with their families.    these poor people appeared to be almost starved, they picked up the bones and little peices of refuse meat which had been thrown away by the party.    they confirm the report of the scarcity of provision among the natives above.I observe some of the men among them who wear a girdle arround the waist between which and the body in front they confine a small skin of the mink or polecat which in some measure conceals the parts of generation, they also frequently wear a cap formed of the skin of the deer's head with the ears left on it, they have some collars of leather wrought with porcupine quills after the method of the Shoshonees. From this place Mount Hood bears S. 85° E. distant 40 miles.
 
Note: The Corp of Discovery remained at this location from March 31 thru April 6, 1806 hunting and drying meat in preparation for the journey up the Columbia to the Nez Perce and their horses.
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