THE NORTHERN PACIFIC ROUTE, 
147 
This part of the valley of Clark Fork was not seen by Lewis and 
Clark, but it was discovered soon afterward by the agents of the 
various fur companies, then exceedingly active in exploring new terri- 
tory, and later it was examined in detail by the Government engineers.! 
1 Soon after the return of Lewis and 
Clark the adventurous agents and ex- 
plorers of the fur companies were engaged 
in examining every valley in the North- 
west for fur-bearing animals and selecting 
sites for trading posts on almost every 
navigable stream and lake. 
these advance guards of white civiliza- 
tion kept no record of their wanderings, 
but two of them, Alexander Henry an 
David Thompson, connected with the 
Northwest Fur Co., left excellent notes of 
their explorations and their dealings with 
the Indians in the northern United States 
and southern Canada in the early years o 
thenineteenth century. Alexander Henry 
was a fur trader with only one ambition, 
to further the interests of the Northwest 
country and the location of important 
places than those of almost any other man 
who traversed this region in the early 
days. The territory covered by these 
men was largely the same, but Thompson 
explored the region about Clark Fork and 
Pend Oreille cian while Henry was en- 
rade with the Indians at the 
head of the Columbia. 
In 1806 Thompson descended Kootenai 
River to about the place where the 
present Idaho-Montana line crossed that 
stream and proceeded southward along 
an old Indian trail across the Cabinet 
Mountains to Pend Oreille Lake. He 
reached the outlet of Clark oo into 
Pend Oreille Lak Sep and built 
This post he called al House, 
from the name of an Indian tribe. In 
the modified form of Kalispell this name 
to Pend Oreille Lake and Clark Fork. | 
Kullyspell House Thompson ex- 
plored the valley down past Sandpoint 
as far as Priest Rapids and up Clark Fork 
and Flathead River to Dixon, where the 
Flathead reaches the railway from the 
north. On one of these trips up the river 
he established another trading post near 
the falls that were subsequently named 
in honor of their discoverer. This post he 
eesh House, from the native 
. Afte 
E, 
ae 
g 
posts 
Thompson continued westward to the 
Columbia, and he was the first white man 
to pass down that stream from the mouth 
of Priest River to Pasco, where 
Northern Pacific Railway now crosses the 
river. 
Although the fur traders explored the 
valley of Clark Fork as early as 1806, their 
reports were made only to the officials of 
the companies, who no inte 
romoting settlement, and consequently 
the public had little information concern- 
this interesting region until it w 
examined by the Government calle 
ho in 1853-54 explored it thoroughly to 
find the best route for a Pacific railroad. 
In 1853 Lieut. R. Saxton passed this way 
on his route from the Pacific coast to the 
up Columbia River and across 
to Pend Oreille Lake, which he reached 
August 12. He found that, owing to the 
~ steep mountains, it was impossible 
to pass around the south end of the lake, 
and he had considerable difficulty in 
Fork, but he found the route very rough 
and difficult, for the stream in many 
places swung so close to the bluffs as to 
make it necessary for the party to find a 
way over the rough mountain sides. 
After passing Thompson Falls and ascend- 
Flathead River to the site of Dixon, he 
summit 
