South Fork of the Clearwater River

View South

gt. Ordway, June 1, 1806:

night came on and we Camped here at the chiefs lodge that gave us so many horses they appeared verry friendly to us and gave us a large cake of uppah their is a vast site of excellent horses Scattered along this river which they offer to Sell for a Squaw axe pr peace & 2 or 3 for a gun & a little ammunt [ammunition]."

The next morning they "Set out eairly and turned down the river," and arrived at Camp Chopunnish at about noon. The chief was Hohots Ilppilp, or "red grizzly." His village was near the mouth of the South Fork, somewhere below the center of this photo. According to Nez Perce lore, his sister bore a son of Captain Clark who was with the Non-Treaty Nez Perce bands at the Battle of the Bear Paw Mountains in 1877, was deported with the survivors to Oklahoma, and died there.