LEWIS AND CLARK

William Clark writes about the River

Friday, August 23, 1805. The river. . . is almost one continued rapid. . .the passage. . .with canoes is entirely impossible. . . my guide and many other Indians tell me that the. . .water runs with great violence. . .foaming and roaring through rocks in every direction, so as to render the passage of anything impossible. Those rapids which I had seen he said was small and trifling in comparison to the rocks and rapids below. . .and the hills or mountains were not like those I had seen but like the side of a tree straight up.
Captain William Clark

The Salmon River entered American literature through the journals of Lewis and Clark. The Expedition had been sent by President Thomas Jefferson to find an easy water route to the Pacific Ocean. The geographers of the day had convinced themselves that, on the other side of the continental divide, there would be a river that ran to the ocean.

We can only imagine the surprise of Lewis and Clark upon climbing Lemhi Pass and peering into what is now Idaho, and seeing mountain ranges that stretched as far as the eye could see. To make matters worse, the Salmon River was more turbulent than any river they had attempted. William Clark knew their little canoes were unlikely to survive a whitewater trip.

The Shoshoni Indians suggested the Expedition head up north, through the Bitterroot Valley and cross over at Lolo Pass, in Nez Perce country. To help them find their way, they sent along "Old Tobe" to be a guide for the explorers.

Not surprisingly, Lewis and Clark did not pass through the Salmon River country on their return trip.

To learn more about Lewis & Clark, check out the web site for our program "Echoes of a Bitter Crossing: Lewis & Clark in Idaho."