N3831

Lewis & Clark Expedition - Bicentennial

Fred's Anecdotal Note

Chief Twisted Hair- Nez Perce

After the arduous crossing of the mountains, the men had a chance to rest at the village of Chief Twisted Hair. Legend has it that the Nez Perce considered overpowering the weakened soldiers and seizing their weapons and equipment. A woman named Watkuweis came forth and related her favorable experiences while living for a few years in her youth among white Canadian trappers. She convinced Twisted Hair that the white men were good individuals, and, from that time on, he treated the Corps of Discovery as true friends.

Food was provided - mainly salmon and small round cakes made from camas roots. New canoes had to be built for the final push to the Pacific, and Twisted Hair showed the soldiers how to make dugout-style canoes from the tall ponderosa pines by burning out the middles over open trench fires. Clark and a small work party built four long and one medium-length canoes that provided ample room for all plus the equipment and supplies. Shown on the cachet are three men building the canoes. John Thompson from lndiana was a surveyor by trade. His skills would have helped Lewis in his geographic observations and Clark in his mapmaking, Thomas Howard was fiom Massachusetts and had blue eyes and fair hair. Robert Frazier was Iater noted by Lewis as being a "valuable man." Only sparce information, such as noted above, is known about many of the men, but it is just enough to affirm that each was a distinct individual with his own skills, background, and physical characteristics.

Twisted Hair agreed to watch the Corps' 38 horses until the return trip in the spring. This he did along with Chiefs Cut Nose and Teloharsky. In May of 1806 as the Corps was enroute home, they spent about a month visiting with the Nez Perce. On June 10th with their regained horses, the men headed east over the mountains - Lewis wrote, "Our parly seem much elated with the idea of moving on towards their friends and country."