A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic InformationGray, W. H. (William Henry)
History
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information
Gray, W. H. (William Henry)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Oregon Territory -- History
This portage over, and all on board, we again glided swiftly along, ran
through what is called the Little Dalles, and soon reached the narrowest
place in the Columbia, where the water rushes through sharp projecting
rocks, causing it to turn and whirl and rush in every conceivable shape
for about three-fourths of a mile, till it finds a large circular basin
below, into which it runs and makes one grand turn round and passes
smoothly out at right angles and down in a deep smooth current, widening
as it enters the lofty range of the Cascade Mountains. The river was
deemed a little too high, by our Iroquois pilot, to run the Big Dalles
at that time, although, in January following, the writer, in company
with another party, did run them with no more apparent danger than we
experienced on the same trip at what is called John Day's Rapids. At the
Dalles our party made another portage, paying our Indians as at Celilo
Falls.
The Indians' curiosity to look at the white women caused us a little
delay at the falls, and also at the Dalles; in fact, numbers of them
followed our boats in their canoes to the Dalles, to look at these two
strange beings who had nothing to carry but their own persons, and were
dressed so differently from the men.
We proceeded down the river for a few miles and met the Hudson's Bay
Company's express canoe, in charge of Mr. Hovey, on its way to Lachine,
going across the continent; stopped and exchanged greetings for a few
minutes and passed on to camp just above Dog River. Next morning made an
early start to reach La Cascade to make the portage there before night.
We had proceeded but about one hour, with a gentle breeze from the east,
sails all set, and in fine spirits, admiring the sublimely grand
scenery, when, looking down the river, the ladies inquired what made the
water look so white. In a moment our boatmen took in sail, and laid to
their oars with all their might to reach land and get under shelter,
which we did, but not till we had received considerable wetting, and
experienced the first shock of a severe wind-storm, such as can be
gotten up on the shortest possible notice in the midst of the Cascade
Mountains. Our camp was just below White Salmon River. The storm was so
severe that all our baggage, furs, and even boats had to be taken out of
the water to prevent them from being dashed to pieces on the shore. For
three days and nights we lay in this miserable camp watching the storm
as it howled on the waves and through this mountain range. Stormy as it
was, a few Indians found our camp and crawled over the points of rocks
to get sight of our party.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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