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Historical Background

Clark reconnoiters the Salmon River

On the morning of August 18, along with most of the Indians, the Clark contingent set out from Camp Fortunate. Besides Clark, it consisted of Sacagawea, Charbonneau, and 11 others. [111] Clark also took along two of three horses that Lewis had purchased from the natives earlier in the day; these were the only horses belonging to the expedition at the time except for one that some of the men had bought to transport their gear.

The party arrived at the Shoshoni village on the morning of the 20th. [112] Clark pleaded with the Indians to return with horses to Camp Fortunate to assist Lewis' crossing. According to plan, he left Sacagawea and Charbonneau to prod them along. Clark also recruited a guide named Old Toby, who was familiar with the country to the north and west.

That same afternoon, the group set out northwestward down the Lemhi and made 8 miles before setting up camp. The next day, 5 miles farther, an Indian fishing camp was passed and after another 5 miles the junction of the Lemhi and Salmon, at present Salmon, Idaho. In the evening, Cruzatte, who had been left behind at the Shoshoni village to buy a third horse, rode into camp.

Clark named the present Salmon River after Lewis. [113] Between the 21st and 24th, Clark and his men explored the Salmon for about 52 miles from its junction with the Lemhi. From that junction, it ran north and slightly westward until a point near the mouth of the north fork, where the main branch veered almost directly westward.

Beyond the north fork, the farther the river was descended, the more impassable it became. As a matter of fact, at the point of Clark's farthest penetration he probably entered a stretch of the river that even today is known as the "River of No Return" and can only be navigated with specially built craft. He soon realized that boats could not be taken down the treacherous stream, whose powerful current foamed into vicious rapids that snaked their way through a boulder-filled bed. The banks were no more passable for an overland party, for precipitous and often perpendicular canyon walls allowed almost no room to travel along the sides. Finally, it became impossible for the horses to follow the rocky and steep river's edge, but Clark, Old Toby, and three men labored on foot along the river for an additional 20 miles or so.

Everything the Shoshonis had said was true. The river could not be negotiated, game was scarce, and the timber was unsuitable for building canoes. On August 23 Clark decided to turn back. Reuniting with the rest of his party the next day, he sent Colter with one of the horses carrying a message to Lewis advising him of the impassability of the river and encouraging him to procure the maximum number of horses for the trip over the Lolo Trail.

Modern float trip moving down the Salmon River through Salmon National Forest, Idaho. The lack of timber prevented Lewis and Clark from building boats, and they found the edge of the stream to be impassable on foot or horseback. (Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.)

Reunion at the Shoshoni village

Meantime, Sacagawea and Charbonneau had been successful in their mission. On August 22, with Cameahwait, a substantial number of his people, and a herd of horses, they had arrived back at Camp Fortunate. Lewis had already cached part of the remaining supplies about three-quarters of a mile away and sunk the seven canoes in a nearby pond in the hope they could be raised on the eastbound trip.

Lewis briskly bartered with the Indians for additional horses. By the morning of August 24 he had acquired a total of nine and one mule, in addition to the two Clark was using, and was able to hire two additional mounts. All the baggage possible was loaded on them, as well as three Indian steeds, and Indian women shouldered the rest.

At noon of the 24th, the Lewis contingent and Cameahwait and his band set out for the Shoshoni village to reunite with Clark. The next day, Charbonneau, who apparently obtained the information from Sacagawea, told Lewis that Cameahwait had sent a messenger on ahead with instructions to his village to begin its annual eastward trek and meet him en route. This would mean the loss of the services of the three Indian horses and the Indian women porters, as well as obviating the possibility of purchasing more horses.

Alarmed, Lewis counciled with Cameahwait and his subordinate chiefs, who explained that such a step was critical because their people were starving. Nevertheless, Lewis, drawing on all his powers of persuasion, finally managed to convince Cameahwait to cancel his instructions and send a runner on ahead to hold the village where it was in the Lemhi Valley until his arrival. When the party reached there on August 26, it found Colter waiting with the message from Clark. [114] Lewis immediately set about trying to buy more horses, which the Shoshonis were reluctant to sell because the Minitaris had stolen a large number that spring and they needed all those on hand for the forthcoming hunt.

THAT same day, the Clark party arrived back at the Indian fishing camp about 5 miles up the Lemhi, which it had passed on the outbound trip, and spent the night there. The next morning, a message from Lewis told Clark to remain there until the main body came up that same noon. On the following morning, August 28, by which time Lewis had still not put in an appearance, Clark sent Gass back to the Shoshoni village, about 13 miles to the south, to see what had happened. He returned that night with a note from Lewis directing Clark to move back to the village the following day. He did so, leaving two men behind with the baggage.

Clark at once began helping Lewis barter for horses, for they agreed that the only feasible route was the Lolo Trail. By the morning of the 30th they had obtained a total of about 29 of them and a mule—to "Eate if necessary," said Clark. [115] These were far less than the number desired, and most of them had sore backs. In addition, some saddles, probably including a few of Spanish origin, were obtained from the Shoshonis, and the men of the expedition made others. Old Toby agreed to lead the party over the trail, though he said he had traversed it only once and that was many years earlier. Sacagawea decided to continue on rather than stay with her own people.