Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/156



140 T. C. ELLIOTT

for furs above this Portage was very large and important and the profits proverbial. It extended from Southern Idaho to Northern British Columbia. Annually in the early summer the "brigade" (so called) descended the Columbia upon its flood waters carrying the season's catch or purchases. The "brigade" included traders from Fort St. James and other posts of the Upper Fraser River, from Fort Kamloops on Thompson River, from Flathead House on Clark Fork, Kootenai Fort on the Kootenai, Spokane House or Fort Colville. They rendezvoused at Fort Okanogan, were joined by the trader at Fort Walla Walla on the way, and in one joyous and hilarious company arrived at this, the first obstruction in the River where the skill and daring of the voyageur yield to the discretion of the officers, and both furs and bateaux were carried across the sandy and rocky road to be launched and loaded again in Big Eddy. Occasionally the attempt to run these Dalles at the high water stage was made, but too surely with loss of life and property. After two weeks or so of balancing accounts and conviviality at Fort George (Astoria) or Vancouver the return trip was made and the boat loads of goods for another year's trade were carried across this portage.

These brigades always passed down and up the River at the high water season but other parties of traders passed at other seasons and at times risked taking their bateaux through the Dalles but in such stage of the water always had to "carry" around the Falls. On the up river trip they occasionally lined up through the Dalles and a very graphic account of that meth- od is given by Mrs. Narcissa Whitman, who was going from Fort Vancouver to the Walla Walla Valley in the Fall of 1836 and who wrote under date of November 8th, as follows : "8th Breakfasted just below The Dalles. Passed them without unloading the boats. This was done by attaching a strong rope of considerable length to the stern of the boat, two men only remaining in it to guide and keep it clear of the rocks while the remainder, and as many Indians as can be obtained, draw it along with the rope, walking upon the edge of the