Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/23

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
History of the Counties of Oregon
17

4, page 241), it is said that an old man gave the names of four nations residing on the "Multnomar" [Willamette] river." The "Journals" then set forth "The first is Clark-a-mus nation reside on a small river which takes its rise in Mount Jefferson and falls into the Moltnomar aboue 40 miles up. This nation is noumerous and inhabit 11 towns." The Oregon Indians have no "r" sound in their languages. In the Chinook jargon the word for rope is taken from the English word. It is pronounced "lope". But Indians often gave a very broad pronunciation to the letter "a" and, especially when using "cl", gave a clucking sound which, with an "a" following, gave to that letter a sound, to a stranger, very much like "r". Besides Lewis and Clark were not only intrepid explorers but they were also "fierce" spellers. Under date of April J } 1806, their "Journals" ("Original Journals", Vol. 4, page 254), after setting forth about a map made on the sand by an old Indian showing the Multnomah river, proceeds: "He also lais down the Clarkamos passing a high conical mountain near its mouth on the lower Side and heads in Mount Jefferson." Thus Lewis and Clark give the name Clarkamos, not only as the river, but of the tribe which lived near the river. On Clark's map, printed in 18 14, the name is spelled Clack-a-mus and Clackamus.

In Coues' Henry and Thompson's "Journals," Vol. 3, pages 810-81 1, under date of January 22, 1814, it is said: "It was dark before we saw the village on the S [present site of Oregon City] near a small but rapid river on our left, called the Clukemus, from a numerous tribe who dwell up it". It is also spelled in various ways in other early books on Oregon: Klackamus, in Hasting's "Description of Oregon and California," page 55; Clacamur, in George Wilkes' "History of Oregon", in the main work, page 44, and Klackamus, in the appendix, by Peter H. Burnett, page 100; Klackamus, in Com. Charles Wilkes' "Narrative", Vol. 4, pages 36 and 343; Klackamas, in Rev. Gustavus Hines' "Oregon", page 44; Clackamis in Joel Palmer's "Journal", pages 84 and 116; and