Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/66



58 T. C. ELLIOTT

A. M. put ashore and at 1/4 P. M. set off. Here I met the principal chief of all the tribes of Shawpatin Indians. He had an American medal of 1801, Thomas Jefferson, and a small flag of that nation. He was a stately good looking man of about 40 years and well dressed. His band was small as he had separated himself for fishing, but he had cousins all around, and they all collected. He had his soldiers, who, when two old respectable chiefs approached went and met them about 100 yards from where we were smoking. I found him intelligent, he was also very friendly, and we discoursed a long time and settled upon the Junction of the Shawpatin River for a House, etc. When he had smoked awhile with the others, he ordered all the women to dance, which they did as usual. He gave me two salmon and I made him a present of 2 feet of tobacco, having smoked and given away with last night full 2-y 4 fms. Co. S. 5 W. 1 m, S. 30 W. 2 m, S. 33 W. 1 m, S. W. 3 m, say 3-j m (Columbia 8604757 Shawpatin), S. 67 W. 1 m. The course of S. W. 3 m may be lengthened to full 3-y 2 m. Co. S. 82 W. 3 m, S. 65 W. 4 m, plus 1 m, S. 82 W. l-y 2 m, N. 85 W. 1-ft m, S. 60 W. l-# m, S. 60 W. 2 m, plus 1 m. See conical mountain right ahead alone and very high, seemingly a mass of snow. Co. + J4 m, Co. S. 70 W. 1-^/2 m. A very strong head wind all day, camped at 6-*4 P. M. The men could not advance without great fatigue. The country is still a vast plain and getting more and more sandy. The Indians inform us that from the Shawpatin River 23 they go with horses in a day to the foot of the moun- tain, which is now low and distant, the next day to the other side of the mountain, and the third day among the buffalo, but they fear the Straw Tent Snake Indians with whom they are at war. The course they point out is about east by south. Obs. Merid. Altds of Antares 36 27-^ ' Saturn 44 37'G. Passed in all about 80 families in small straggling camps. Lat. 45 51' 33" N. Antares Latde. 45 50' 45" N. Saturn 45 51' 33" N.

23 Which being interpreted means that it was one day's travel from the Snake River to the foot of the Blue Mountains, and then one day more across those mountains to the Grande Ronde Valley, and then one day more to where buffalo used to range m Eastern Oregon, in verification of which it may be said that the bones of that animal have been found in the Wallowa and Powder River regions