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January 7, 1806
"after about 2 hours labour and fatigue we reached the top
of this high mountain...
I proceeded on to the whale which was nothing more than the Sceleton,
of 105 feet long...
I purchased some oile and about 120 w of fish blubber"
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A WHALE OF THE STORY
The action starts on January 3rd, 1806, when the
Corps of Discovery were visited by a group of Clatsop Indians.
They brought with them some items to trade, roots, berries,
three dogs and something new, whale blubber. The men had been
living on the taste of dog for some time and were ready to try
the blubber. The Clatsops said they obtained the whale from
their neighbors, the Killamucks, who live to the south on the
seacoast. The Indians said the whale had been thrown from the
sea and had floundered on the beach.
On January 5th, Willard and Wiser, two of the men that had been
sent out to make salt, came back to camp with a gallon of pure
white salt and more of the whale blubber. The journals said the
fat was like pork, but coarser and spongier. When it was cooked,
it was found to be tender and palatable. So good in fact that
the Corps wanted to get some more of it, either by taking it
from the whale or by buying it from the Killamucks. A group of
men and some trading merchandise were put together, and were
ready to set out in the morning.
That evening Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife
Sacagawea came
to the Captains and asked to be part of the party that was going
out to see the whale. Sacagawea said that she had traveled a
long way to see the ocean and had not been able to visit the
coast, and now with this big fish on the beach she should be
permitted to see both. The Captains agreed, and on the morning
of January 6th twelve men headed by Captain Clark set out for
the salt works on the Oregon Coast. The weather was clear and
beautiful for the first time in well over a month.
It took a full day of travel to reach the
salt works,
and another to reach the
whale, and by the time the Corps found the whale there
was nothing left but the skeleton (the whale’s skeleton was
measured to be 105 feet in length). The Corps bartered with the
Killamucks and purchased at a very high price about 300 pounds
of blubber and a few gallons of oil.
With booty in hand the Corps traveled the difficult path back to
Fort Clatsop and added a whale story to their adventures.
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Area Attractions |
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End of the Trail Statue
at Seaside,Oregon |
Netul Landing, Oregon
Statue update |
Commemorative Statue
Along the Discovery Trail, Washington
PLUS THE SKELETON OF GRAY WHALE |
Commemorative Statue
Along the Discovery Trail, Washington
PLUS THE SKELETON OF GRAY WHALE |
Whale Park,
Cannon Beach, Oregon |
Saltworks at Seaside, Oregon |
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