Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 14.djvu/430



388 JOURNAL OF ALEXANDER Ross

Saturday, December 11. Finished equipping the Snake hunters. Mr. Kittson 42 from the Kootenais arrived..

Monday, 20th. Statement of men under Mr. Ogden to go to the Snake Country: 25 lodges, 2 gentlemen, 2 interpreters, 71 men and lads, 80 guns, 364 beaver traps, 372 horses.

This is the most formidable party that has ever set out for the Snakes. Snake expedition took its departure. Each beaver trap last year in the Snake country averaged 26 beaver. It is expected this hunt will net 14,100 beaver. Mr. Dears goes as far as Prairie de Cheveaux.

Wednesday, 22d. Statement of people at this fort : 2 gen- tlemen, 14 laborers, 4 women, 7 children. Set the people squaring timber to keep them from plotting mischief.

Saturday 25th. Considerable Indians; the peace pipe kept in motion. All the people a dram.

Sunday 26th. No work today. Ordered the men to dress and keep the Sabbath.

January 1, 1825. At daybreak the men saluted with guns. They were treated to rum and cake, each a pint of rum and a half pound of tobacco.

March 1. Tuesday. The winter trade from December 4 has amounted to 71 beaver, 2 otter, 15 muskrat, 3 foxes, etc.

Saturday, 12 March. 43 After breakfast embarked 4 canoes in sight of 1000 natives for Spokane House. 1644 large beaver, 378 small beaver, 29 otter, 775 muskrats, 9 foxes, 12 fishers, 1 martin, 8 mink, also leather and provisions.

(At Spokane House) Friday, 25th March. Of all situa- tions 44 chosen in the Indian country. -Spokane House is the most singular: far from water, far from Indians and out of the way. Spokane (Forks) on the west, Kettle Falls on the north Coeur d' Alene on the south, Pend' Oreille on the east would be better.

42 William Kittson, who was in charge of the trading post among the Kootenais for many years; he died at Fort Vancouver about 1841. His brother, Norman, was one of the early millionaires of St. Paul, Minn.

43 The trading post is now left in charge of some half-breed or entirely abandoned until fall, as the Indians spent their summer hunting buffalo.

44 Mr. Ross indulges in his usual disgust as to the site of Spokane House, which feeling he elaborates at length in his "Fur Hunters." And this post was abandoned the following year for the new one at Kettle Falls, called Fort Colvile.