The David Thompson Brigade, summer 2011
Two hundred years ago, in 1811, explorer/cartographer David Thompson led a company mapping expedition down the Columbia River. This audio slideshow features the David Thompson Brigade, which passed through The Dalles, Oregon in the summer of 2011.
In describing weather conditions I’ve used some images that were taken in the following week: Wind and river remained virtually unchanged for some time. The moving images are actually still frames captured at about 6 frames per second. Photographs illustrating native culture were taken in the mid Columbia region.
I interviewed two men of the brigade at Maryhill State Park in Washington. They lead re-enactments, and had recently completed a canoe journey along the water trade route to Hudson Bay. I arrived just before dinner.
I was unable to get any “footage” of the canoes on the water… I should have gotten more precise information and had a look at the charts, but the salmon was coming off the grill and I could see that they were hungry. The Columbia between their camp and The Dalles is a region of islands and cliffs, and the next day I saw them only once, far away hugging the Washington shore. I crossed and waited, but they pulled out at a launch I had forgotten.
Well done. Excellent content.