August 12, 1805
The expedition's grand strategy was to canoe upstream to the headwaters of the Missouri River, obtain horses to ride a short distance across the Continental Divide--perhaps a day or two hike down a gentle slope--and then make fresh canoes and float downstream on the waters of the Columbia River to the ocean. But...

"After refreshing ourselves we proceeded on to the top of the dividing ridge from which I discovered immense ranges of high mountains still to the west of us with their tops partially covered with snow."
Lewis [The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition by Gary Moulton, vol 5, p. 74]

Thus, Lewis and his advance party of three, on their first day in what would become Idaho, are disabused of any notions of uncomplicated geography. Furthermore, the western slope of the divide was "much steeper than on the opposite side."

August 13, 1805
Lewis and Clark undertook their expedition loaded with flags, medals, gifts, and trade items. They knew they would need the help of people willing to treat and to trade with them. They expected to rely on diplomacy, not force. On each side of the Idaho mountains now called the Bitterroots, they met two peoples who chose to welcome and help them. The first were the Lemhi Shoshone. First contact:

"We were so fortunate as to meet with three female savages...A young woman immediately took to flight, an elderly woman and a girl of about 12 years old remained. I instantly laid by my gun and advanced towards them. They appeared much alarmed but saw that we were too near for them to escape by flight. They therefore seated themselves on the ground, holding down their heads as if reconciled to die, which they expected no doubt would be their fate. I took the elderly woman by the hand and raised her up, repeated the word tab-ba-bone, and strip up my shirt sleeve to show her my [white] skin...I gave these women some beads, a few mockerson awls, some pewter looking-glasses, and a little paint...I painted their tawny cheeks with some vermillion which with this nation is emblematic of peace."
Lewis [Moulton, Vol. 5, p. 78-79]

August 17, 1805
Despite the Lemhi's occasional doubts about whether they should trust their guests not to be part of a conspiracy to attack them, amity prevailed after Lewis met Cameahwait, their chief. When the Indians and Lewis spotted Clark and the main expedition, the reunion incredibly took on a "small world" dimension:

"Drewyer had been gone about two hours when an Indian who had straggled some little distance down the river returned and reported that the whitemen were coming, that he had seen them just below. They all appeared transported with joy, and the chief repeated his fraternal hug. I felt quite as much gratified at this information as the Indians appeared to be. Shortly after, Capt. Clark arrived with the interpreter Charbonneau and the Indian woman, who proved to be a sister of Chief Cameahwait. The meeting of those people was really affecting, particularly between Sah cah-gar-we-ah and an Indian woman, who had been taken prisoner at the same time with her, and who had afterwards escaped from the Minnetares and rejoined her nation."
Lewis [Moulton, Vol. 5, p. 109]

September 11-12, 1805
The expedition members bought food and horses from the Lemhi Shoshone and learned more of the geography of the region. They couldn't travel on the Salmon River because it is too rugged, so they headed north through the Bitterroot Valley until at last they turned west to confront the mountains. They began at Lolo Pass, hoping to keep to the Lolo Trail, a "road" connecting Nez Perce Indians west of the mountains to buffalo grounds in Montana. After a very late start (3 pm), the day brought few good omens:

"Sent out the hunters to hunt in advance as usual...We proceeded on up the creek on the right side through a narrow valley and good road for seven miles and encamped at some old Indian lodges, nothing killed this evening. Hills on the right high and rugged; the mountains on the left high and covered with snow."
Clark [Moulton, Vol 5, p. 199]

The next day brought little hope of improvement. Whether they stayed high on ridges or low on creek bottoms, the going was rough.

"The road through this hilly country is very bad passing over hills and steep hollows, over falling timber, etc. Continued on and passed some most intolerable road on the sides of the Steep Stony mountains, which might be avoided by keeping up the creek which is thickly covered with undergrowth and falling timber. Crossed a mountain eight miles without water and encamped on a hillside on the creek after descending a long steep mountain...Our hunters killed only one pheasant this afternoon. Party and horses much fatigued."
Clark [Moulton, vol 5., p. 201]

September 15, 1805
It would be hard to say which day of slogging, hunger, thirst or discouragement was the worst, but after their guide, Toby, temporarily lost the trail, this might have been one of them. The stony slopes were too steep for the horses as the party struggled to reach the top of a ridge.

"Several horses slipped and rolled down steep hills which hurt them very much. The one which carried my desk and small trunk turned over and rolled down a mountain for forty yards and lodged against a tree, broke the desk, the horse escaped and appeared but little hurt. Some others very much hurt..."

"When we arrived at the top as we conceived we could find no water and concluded to camp and make use of the snow we found on the top to cook the remnant of our colt and make our soup. Evening very cold and cloudy. Two of our horses gave out, poor and too much hurt to proceed on, and left in the rear. Nothing killed today except two pheasants."

"From this mountain I could observe high rugged mountains in every direction as far as I could see..."
Clark

September 19, 1805
The men grew hungrier and weaker. Morale was so low that the two leaders decided they must do something to "revive their spirits." Clark "determined to take a party of the hunters and proceeded on in advance to some level country, where there was some game, kill some meat, and send it back." He was rewarded with a view of an "immense plain." A few days later, the main party saw the same view:

"Set out this morning a little after sunrise and continued our route about the same course as yesterday...when the ridge terminated and we, to our inexpressible joy, discovered a large tract of prairie country lying to the southwest and widening as it appeared to extend to the west. Through that plain, the Indian [Toby] informed us, that the Columbia River, in which we were in search, run. This plain appeared to be about 60 miles distant, but our guide assured us that we reach its borders tomorrow. The appearance of this country, our only hope for subsistence, greatly revived the spirits of the party already reduced and much weakened for the want of food...Several of the men are unwell of the dysentery. Brakings out, or irruptions of the skin, have also been common with us for some time."
Lewis [Moulton, vol. 5, p. 215]

September 20, 1805
This time, it was Clark's turn to make first contact with people whom they hoped would help them: the Nez Perce.

"We proceeded on through a beautiful country for three miles to a small plain in which I found many Indian lodges. At the distance of one mile from the lodges, I met three boys, when they saw me ran and hid themselves in the grass...searched and found two of them and gave them small pieces of ribbon and sent them forward to the village."

"The village was missing its warriors, who were off on a war mission, but the elders, the women, and the children fed and cared for them."

"They gave us a small piece of buffalo meat, some dried salmon berries, and roots in different states--some round and much like an onion...They also gave us the bread made of this root, all of which we ate heartily. I gave them a few small presents and proceeded on with a chief to his village two miles in the same plain, where we were treated kindly in their way and continued with them all night...I find myself very unwell all the evening from eating the fish and roots too freely."
Clark [Moulton, vol 5, p. 222]

October 7, 1805
The Nez Perce knew the way from the prairie to the waters that would take the expedition down the Clearwater River, the Snake River, and to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. The expedition prepared to switch their travel mode from horses to canoes. In the warm hospitality of Chief Twisted Hair, the men rest, eat, recover their health and strength, find canoe trees, and learn to make canoes the Nez Perce way--by burning out the center of the logs. After several busy and happy weeks at Canoe Camp, it was time to leave. The Clearwater River is shallow and full of rapids, so the going is difficult.

"I continue very unwell, but obliged to attend to everything. All the canoes put into the water and loaded, fixed our canoes as well as possible and set out. As we set out, we missed both of the chiefs who promised to accompany us; I also missed my pipe tomahawk which could not be found."
"The afterpart of the day cloudy; proceeded on past ten rapids which were dangerous. The canoe in which I was struck a rock and sprung a leak in the third rapid."
Clark [Moulton, vol. 5, p. 249]

October 10, 1805
Canoe mishaps continued in the shallow rapids. On this day, they sail from the Clearwater into the waters of the Snake River, the setting for the towns of Lewiston, Idaho, and Clarkston, Washington. This is their last full day in present-day Idaho, and they proceed almost as tourists in well-populated Nez Perce country, never lacking for company.

"A fine morning. Loaded and set out at 7 o'clock. At 2 1/2 miles, passed a run on the Starboard side... At 3 miles lower, passed a creek on the Larboard, with wide cotton willow bottoms, having passed an island and a rapid, an Indian camp of three lodges below the creek. At 8 1/2 miles lower, we arrived at the head of a very bad riffle, at which place we landed near eight lodges of Indians...we purchased fish and dogs of those people, dined, and proceeded on. Here we met with an Indian from the falls at which place he says he saw white people, and expressed an inclination to accompany us."

"We passed a few miles above this riffle two lodges and an Indian bathing in a hot bath made by hot stones thrown into a pond of water..."

"...arrived at a large southerly fork [today's Snake River], which is the one we were on with the Shoshone nation...the water of the south fork is greenish blue, the north as clear as crystal...'

"...the night proved cloudy...The Indians came down all the courses of this river on each side on horses to view us as we were descending. The man whom we saw [earlier at the rapid] came up with his son in a small canoe and persisted in his intentions. Worthy of remark that not one stick of timber on the river near the forks and but a few trees for a great distance up the river we descended."
Clark [Moulton, vol. 5, p. 255-56]

BACK TO: Lewis & Clark In Idaho            Videos Available