FUR TRAPPERS

Since Native Americans believed the Salmon River unrunnable, the first men to canoe down the Salmon River were trappers from John Work's Snake River Expedition, which was affiliated with the Hudson Bay Company.

These excerpts from John Work's journal describe the tragedy awaiting the men.

Sunday, March 25 (1832). Four men are preparing to descend the river in a canoe to hunt this evening to the fort (Walla Walla). It is expected they will make a good hunt. Several more Indians visited us.

Monday, March 26. Fine weather. Raised camp and proceeded eight miles up the river. Four men, L. Boisdnt, A. Dumaris, H. Plante and J. Laurin, left in a small skin canoe to descend the river and hunt their way down. It is expected they will make a good hunt as this part of the river is not known to have ever been hunted by whites.

July 19. The report we have among the Snakes regarding our men who descended the Salomon River being drowned, unfortunately turns out to be true. M. Plante and A. Dumaris were drowned. L. Biosdnt and I.J. Baptise were walking ashore their turn, and escaped and reached the fort (Nez Perce) quite naked. Everything they had, being in the canoe, was lost. The unfortunate accident happened when they were just getting out of the bad road. How it happened the survivors could not tell as they did not see it but found the paddles. The canoe it seems was too small to carry all their baggage and themselves and they walked along their turn about. They had been descending the river more than 30 days and notwithstanding the account we had of beaver they found none. Some of the Nez Perce Indians whom they fell in with after their misfortune, treated the survivors with the utmost kindness.