Pleasant weather.
Set out from Spokane accompanied by an Indian with 3 horses & some articles, required for building and trade, to the Kettle falls at 8 oclock and encamped at an old barn on a little River in the evening at 5clock. The road lies on the hills & through valleys, some plains thickly wooded & some places clear & here, & there a plain in the valleys.
Sept. Thursd'y. 1
Warm weather.
Resumed our journey at 4 oclock and arrived at the New Establishment at noon.—The road was much the same today as yesterday, it lay a considerable distance through a plain along side of a little river[144], the plain is covered with very long grass and reeds in some places higher than the horse. The course from Spokane is nearly North, perhaps a little to to E of it.
The men who were sent off from Spokane on Monday arrived yesterday and are at work.
The men who were here before have made but very little progress in the work.—7 men of them have been employed since the 13th of Augt. and have only squared 4 logs 70 Feet long, 4-25 feet long. 16-12 feet long & 13 Joists 25 feet long. Mr Dears says he could not get them to go quicker, as same of them were almost always sick.—Two of them are at present ill with the venereal and fit to do very little, one of them does nothing. A pretty good stock of provisions is traded, dry fish & berries sufficient to serve all the peopl here now 18 days. Very few fresh fish are now to be got the water is fallen so much that the salmon do not leap into the baskets which the Indians set for them.
Friday 2nd
Very warm in the middle of the day.
The men were at work at an early hour and finished squaring the logs mentioned yesterday, the pitt saw was also put in order and a pit made to commence sawing tomorrow. A carriage with two wheels and horse harness were also furnished that carting the timber to the house may be begun tomorrow.—