Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/17



OLD FORT OKANOGAN AND OKANOGAN TRAIL 9

The latter part of the above quotation will give an idea of what a great part of Thompson's journals are like, filled as they are with courses and distances, together with observations as to latitude and longitude and other such like data to be used in map making.

The canoe reached the mouth of the San Foil river late in the afternoon where they found a considerable fishing camp of San Foil Indians and camped with them that night. They got away about noon the next day and had considerable trouble in the various rapids that afternoon and put up at seven o'clock at some place probably a little below the mouth of the Nespelem. On Friday, the 5th of July, they got away at 6 :30 A. M. and immediately began encountering more bad water, and shortly met on the bank a Nespelem chief and sixty men with their women and children. They spent the day with these Indians. Where these Indians were met and visited with, is hard to say from the journal entries, but it seems probable that it was some distance below where the Wild Goose Bill ferry, or Condon's Ferry as it is also called, is now located, but the entries would indicate that the start next morning was made from just below the Box Canyon or "Whirlpool Rapids" as it appears on the map. They got started at 6:30 the next morning (Saturday, July 6th). The record of this day is interesting to us. After reading a considerable number of notations as to courses and distances covered in the first hour or two of travel, we find this entry:

"Last course fine view and see the high woody mountains of the Oachenawawgan River. S. 70 W. ^ mile N. 65 W. 1 M., S. 55 W. 1 M. This course is over flat when the water is low.

Fine current. Inepaclis is the name of

the tribe we left this morning, and the home of those we now arrive at is Smeethowe to whence we came at 10 A. M. We put ashore. On our approaching they gave several long thank- ful OYs. I sent my Sempoil to invite them to smoke. The Chief received the message thankfully and they began to col- lect a small present, having done which I again invited them and they came forward and sat down in a ring and began smoking without any ceremony. The women then advanced all ornamented with fillets and small feathers, dancing in a body