198 NARRATIVE OF 1855. 
of a home. His eldest daughter was married to a very intelligent American, Henry Chase, a 
native of my own county, in the good old State of Massachusetts, and they now proposed to 
locate on the Touchet? Moragné left St. Louis in 1831, served some years in the employ of the 
American Fur Company, then went to the Bitter Root valley, but left there in consequence of 
difficulties with the Blackfeet. He is the owner of some fifty horses and many cattle. His 
potatoes were in blossom, and his wheat excellent. He had four acres under cultivation. He 
succeeded well in raising poultry, of which he had three or four dozen. The salmon is taken 
in the Tukanon river, and high up on the Blue mountains, at its source, are found elk and deer. 
Tuesday, June 19.—We made to-day fifteen miles; crossed the Snake at the Red Wolfs 
ground, near the mouth of the Alpawaha creek, and camped on its north bank, the grass being 
entirely adequate to the sustenance of our animals, though not so luxuriant and abundant as at 
our previous camps. I will call attention to the following points of this day’s journey. We 
continued up the creek, on which we camped, for two miles, at which point we left it, there 
being higher up the creek, directly in view, abundance of fine timber. Continuing on, in four 
and a half miles we reached the divide separating the waters of this tributary from the Alpah- 
wah creek. This divide is, strictly speaking, scarcely a divide, for the whole country is table- 
land; but as far as we could judge, there not being water near to it, it was the highest point 
of our trail. Here we had a most excellent view of Pyramid Butte lying some distance north 
of Snake river, of which we took the bearings. To the southeast the great gap of Snake river 
was in view. Three miles further on, gradually descending, we struck a branch of the Alpah- 
wah, the water, however, being only in pools. In one mile we struck the main Alpahwah, 
which comes in from our right, and in four miles we reached its confluence with Snake river. 
Here, according to previous appointment, we met Lawyer, (the head chief of the Nez Percés,) 
Red Wolf, and Timber Tail; and here I completed my arrangements in regard to the delegation 
which this powerful and friendly tribe were to send to the Blackfoot council. At the Red 
Wolfs ground was a fine field of corn, which promises a most luxuriant crop. I estimated 
the amount under cultivation at twenty acres. It was irrigated by the waters of the Alpah- 
wah, and was tolerably well set out with fruit trees; while I observed with great pleasure 
that men as well as women and children were at work in this field, ploughing and taking care 
of their crops. The corn planted only seven weeks since was about to silk out. From the 
appearance of the valley of the Alpahwah, I am satisfied that grapes would be a very profitable 
crop. The whole country is exceedingly well adapted to grazing, and especially to wool- 
growing. I will refer the reader, who is anxious to understand this country, to the narrative 
of Lewis and Clark, both in regard to the character of the country and of the Indians. I have 
sometimes thought, while travelling, as I have to-day, over the route of Lewis and Clark, that 
it was a work of supererogation to do anything more than simply to quote their narrative. 
They speak of the soil of the country on this day’s route as fertile. "The Indians, too, are about 
as avaricious, with all their other good qualities, as they were in their day, ая we had abundant 
reason to know from the difficulty with which we made a bargain to ferry our animals over 
Snake river. 
We had for supper this evening a salmon—few, however, are taken in this portion of Snake 
river. The water is deep, and the Indians never resort to seines or weirs. They take salmon - 
in the night by floating down the river in a canoe and using a dip-net or a spear. Higher up 
the Spake river, and especially on the Koos-koos-kia tributary, salmon are taken in great 
quantities, particularly at certain points on the road to the Flathead country. 
