Lewis and Clark

The trip was supposed to be half a day's ride. The Nimiipuu had told the captains that the cooing of the dove meant the salmon were coming, and three young Nimiipuu men led the soldiers out from Long Camp on May 27; but the spring chinook had not yet reached the Salmon, so the party went on to a fishery on the Snake. It took a week. On the way back Frazer traded an old razor to a woman for two Spanish dollars; Ordway guessed they had come up from Spanish country to the south.

What the plaque says

Lewis and Clark On May 31, 1806, Sgt. John Ordway and Pvts. Frazer and Weiser began the return trip from Lewis's River (Snake River) with salmon for Camp Chopunnish (Kamiah). The men crossed the Camas Prairie near here on their way to rejoin the Corps of Discovery, waiting in Camp Chopunnish for mountain snows to recede before attempting to cross the Bitterroots. At about noon on June 2, the small group arrived with seventeen salmon and some roots they had purchased. Most of the fish were spoiled, but Lewis described those that were sound as "extremely delicious." 488

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• White Bird Battlefield — 17 mi
  Six Nimiipuu men rode out under a white flag. A shot came from the soldiers' side, and the Nez Perce War began.
• Heart of the Monster — 20 mi
  Where the Nimiipuu say their story begins: Coyote, a monster, and the heart he tore loose, still on the Clearwater's bank.
• Weippe Prairie — 30 mi
  Where the Nimiipuu decided what to do with Clark's starving men, and fed them camas until they were sick.

More markers nearby

• Nez Perce War - Foster's Gravesite — steps away
• Nez Perce War — steps away
• Camas Prairie — 11 mi
• Camas Prairie — 11 mi