A "Difficult and Fatieguing" Road

In April of 1806 the Corps passed Celilo Falls on their return upriver and then exchanged their canoes for horses in order to travel by land. This occurred on the north bank of the Columbia in the vicinity of the present Klickitat/Benton county line. The group had to abandon the canoes at this time because the spring freshet was in full force. This raging water was 20 degrees colder than it had been the previous fall when they descended the river, going with the flow. There was no way to paddle up this raging river!

Once on horseback, the road was not easy. They were traversing the hard-edged basalt ledges carved by the river through the millennium. Out of the micron-thick soil, prickly pear cactus grew in profusion. Places free of prickly pear were only so because of the sand dunes which made trekking arduous. The men soon grew tired and sore. The following excerpts demonstrate the captains’ ability to sympathize with their party, and sacrifice on their behalf.

On April 24th, 1806, Meriwether Lewis wrote:

... the road was rocky and sandy alternately, the road difficult and fatieguing... most of the party complain of the soarness of their feet and legs this evening; it is no doubt caused by walking over the rough stones and deep sands after bing for some months passed been accustomed to a soft soil. my left ankle gives me much pain. I baithed my feet in cold water from which I experienced considerable releif. (Lewis, from Moulton V.7, 163)

The next day, on April 25th, Patrick Gass wrote: “The men in general complain of their feet being sore; and the officers have to go on foot to permit some of them to ride” (Gass, from Moulton V.10, 215).

On that same day, Lewis recorded:

...we traded for two horses with nearly the same articles we had offered at the village; these nags Capt. C. and myself intend riding ourselves; haveing now a sufficiency to transport with ease all our baggage and the packs of the men... (Lewis, from Moulton V.7, 166)

On that day Clark reported:

I was in the rear and had not proceeded verry far before one of the horses which we had hired of the Chopunnish, was taken from Hall who I had directed to ride. he had fallen behind out of my sight at the time... (Clark, from Moulton V.7, 167)

On April 26th, 1806, Gass writes again: “At 2 o’clock we continued our journey, and the officers were obliged to go on foot again, to let some of the men ride whose feet were very sore” (Gass, from Moulton V.10, 216).

It was the care like that which Clark took with Hall that created the bond between the captains and the men that helped make the venture a success.

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