Editing Wishram, Washington (section)

===Lewis and Clark===
[[Lewis and Clark]] mentioned the site of Wishram in their journal. In his journal for October 22, 1805, Clark recorded:<ref name=clark>{{cite book |title= The Journals of Lewis and Clark |last= Lewis  |author2=Clark  |year= 1836 |publisher= Project Gutenberg EBook| url=http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8419/pg8419.html |access-date=31 July 2011 }}</ref>
<blockquote>"below this Island on the main Stard Shore is 16 Lodges of nativs; here we landed a fiew minits to Smoke, the lower point of one Island opposite which heads in the mouth of Towarnehiooks River ([[Deschutes River (Oregon)|Deschutes River]]) which I did not observe until after passing these lodges about 1/2 a mile lower passed 6 more Lodges on the Same Side and 6 miles below the upper mouth of Towarnehiooks River the commencement of the pitch of the Great falls, opposite on the Stard. Side (Starboard or right side) is 17 Lodges [archaeologists have identified this as modern Wishram<ref>Strong, William Duncan, William Egbert Schenck, Julian Haynes Steward, ''Archaeology of the Dalles-Deschutes Region'', Volume 29. University of California Press, 1930</ref>] of the nativs we landed and walked down accompanied by an old man to view the falls, and the best rout for to make a portage which we Soon discovered was much nearest on the Stard. Side, and the distance 1200 yards one third of the way on a rock, about 200 yards over a loose Sand collected in a hollar blown by the winds from the bottoms below which was disagreeable to pass, as it was Steep and loose. at the lower part of those rapids we arrived at 5 Large Lodges of nativs drying and prepareing fish for market, they gave us Philburts, and berries to eate, we returned droped down to the head of the rapids and took every article except the Canoes across the portag where I had formed a camp on ellegable Situation for the protection of our Stores from Thieft, which we were more fearfull of, than their arrows. we despatched two men to examine the river on the opposite Side, and reported that the Canoes could be taken down a narrow Chanel on the opposite Side after a Short portage at the head of the falls, at which place the Indians take over their Canoes. Indians assisted us over the portage with our heavy articles on their horses, the waters is divided into Several narrow chanels which pass through a hard black rock forming Islands of rocks at this Stage of the water, on those Islands of rocks as well as at and about their Lodges I observe great numbers of Stacks of pounded Salmon neetly preserved in the following manner, i e after Suffiently Dried it is pounded between two Stones fine, and put into a species of basket neetly made of grass and rushes of better than two feet long and one foot Diamiter, which basket is lined with the Skin of Salmon Stretched and dried for the purpose, in theis it is pressed down as hard as is possible, when full they Secure the open part with the fish Skins across which they fasten tho the loops of the basket that part very Securely, and then on a Dry Situation they Set those baskets the Corded part up, their common Custom is to Set 7 as close as they can Stand and 5 on the top of them, and secure them with mats which is raped around them and made fast with cords and Covered also with mats, those 12 baskets of from 90 to 100 w. each form a Stack. thus preserved those fish may be kept Sound and Sweet Several years, as those people inform me, Great quantities as they inform us are Sold to the whites people who visit the mouth of this river as well as to the nativs below."<ref name=clark/></blockquote>

By the time they returned on April 16, 1806, they reported the village had moved about 300 yards below the spot where it had been located the previous fall, and tended to move with the favored fishing locations.<ref name=Boyd>Boyd, Robert Thomas, ''People of The Dalles: The Indians of Wascopam Mission''. University of Nebraska Press, 1996</ref>