Preparing to leave the River

The Lewis and Clark Expedition prepared to leave the river in this area while traveling east in April 1806, intending to obtain horses and continue overland to the Nez Perce villages. To get the horses, the explorers had to barter some of their most prized possessions among many tribes who gathered here to trade and socialize, but the native people of the region were experienced traders and the expedition had little success in procuring horses. In one transaction, Clark paid at least more than double the expected price for four horses, and in another failed bargain he negotiated with a chief for horses, rejected animals that were unfit for service, and lost the deal. Clark also recorded that the people here challenged the Skillutes to a singular kind of game, in which the Skillutes lost all their beads, skins, arrows, and other items.

Washington · United States