WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 369 



Whether such titles will be recognised by the government, is already 

 a matter of speculation in the country; and there is much talk of pre- 

 emption-rights, &c. 



At the time of our visit to the falls, the salmon-fishery was at its 

 height, and was to us a novel as well as an amusing scene. The salmon 

 leap the fall ; and it would be inconceivable, if not actually witnessed, 

 how they can force themselves up, and after a leap of from ten to 

 twelve feet retain strength enough to stem the force of the water 

 above. About one in ten of those who jumped, would succeed in 

 getting by. They are seen to dart out of the foam beneath and reach 

 about two-thirds of the height, at a single bound : those that thus 

 passed the apex of the running water, succeed ; but all that fell short, 

 were thrown back again into the foam. I never saw so many fish 

 collected together before ; and the Indians are constantly employed in 

 taking them. They rig out two stout poles, long enough to project 

 over the foaming cauldron, and secure their larger ends to the rocks. 

 On the outer end they make a platform for the fisherman to stand on, 

 who is perched on it with a pole thirty feet long in hand, to which the 

 net is fastened by a hoop four feet in diameter : the net is made to 

 slide on the hoop, so as to close its mouth when the fish is taken. 

 The mode of using the net is peculiar : they throw it into the foam 

 as far up the stream as they can reach, and it being then quickly 

 carried down, the fish who are running up in a contrary direction, 

 are caught. Sometimes twenty large fish are taken by a single 

 person in an hour ; and it is only surprising that twice as many 

 should not be caught. 



The river at the falls is three hundred and fifty yards wide, and its 

 greatest fall twenty-five feet. When the water is not very high, the 

 rapids begin some distance above the falls. Some of the Indians are 

 in the habit of coming down in canoes to the brink of the falls, where 

 they secure themselves by thrusting down poles in the crevices of the 

 rock. There they take many fish, that have succeeded in passing the 

 lower fall, with a hook fastened to the end of a pole. These are 

 esteemed to be of the best flavour, as they are the strongest and fattest. 

 It is said from these places the fish can be seen very distinctly passing 

 up, and are taken very rapidly ; but few Indians are willing to expose 

 themselves to the risk of fishing there. The number of Indians at 

 the Willamette Falls dviring the fishing season, is about seventy, 

 including all ages and sexes: there are others who visit the falls in 

 canoes for fish, which at times will raise the number to not far from 



VOL. IV. 93 



