Lewis & Clark Expedition Trail
Idaho, Montana, Washington

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Along the Lewis & Clark Trail

Feature Article By Cheeta Brown  

When the Corp of Discovery reached the confluence of the Clearwater River and the Northfork Clearwater River the majority of the party was debilitated by illness. After many days of traveling the snowy Bitterroot Mountains and weakened by hunger, the men had accepted the hospitality of the Nez Perce Indians and gorged themselves on dried salmon and camas root. As a result most of the party was suffering from severe intestinal illness. Captain Lewis was exceptionally ill and on Sept. 29, 1805 Captain Clark wrote, “Capt. Lewis very Sick, and most of the men Complaining very much of their bowels & Stomach”. 

To make matters worse there was still nothing to eat except the food which made them ill. The hunters were having no luck in their search for venison. Clark wrote in his journal, “Nothing to eate except dried fish & roots. Capt Lewis & myself eate a Supper of roots boiled, which Swelled us in Such a manner that we were Scercely able to breath for Several hours.” Under these circumstances, Clark established the canoe-making camp on the south bank of the Clearwater opposite the mouth of the Northfork.

With healthy men at a premium, Clark set about building the canoes for the downriver journey. He identified five large Ponderosa Pines on the south side of the river suitable for canoes and with the few healthy men began the work. On the advice of Chief Twisted Hair the tree trunks were put over a slow-burning fire trench and the cargo area burned out.

Patrick Gass, who was the carpenter for the expedition, wrote in his journal, “To save them (the ill explorers) from hard labour we have adopted the Indian method of burning out the canoes.”

As the canoes were being readied crew members also carried on with other necessary chores. They examined and dried their clothes and other articles and had their horses, 38 in all, branded to leave with the Nez Perce for use on the eastward journey. In darkness they cached their saddles, a canister of powder and a bag of balls.

On October 5, two of the canoes were launched and Clark wrote that they “proved to be very good”. On October 7, the Corp of Discovery, accompanied by Chief Twisted Hair and another Nez Perce, Tetoharsky, set out to challenge the Clearwater, the Snake and the Columbia toward the Pacific Ocean.

Canoe Camp, with a replica of the canoes manufactured by the Corp of Discovery, is well marked along the Clearwater River on Highway 12 two miles west of the Orofino bridge.

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If you are planning a trip during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, be sure to check out our convenient map at http://www.lewisclarknw.com/MSIEPage.htm  to find additional places of interest as well as accommodations as you plan your route.

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Along the Lewis & Clark Trail is brought to you each month by the staff at Clearwater Web Solutions with the assistance of Cheeta Brown, who each month provides us with an interesting feature article.