Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 24 He was also a linguist and a diplomat. Everywhere he went, he was able to quickly learn something of the language of the tribes with whom he traded, surely a key factor in him de- veloping cordial relationships with almost all the Indians he encountered. In 1799 he married Charlotte Small—half Cree and half Scottish—"My lovely wife is of the blood of these people, speaking their language and well educated in the English language which gives me a great advantage." She and their future family often traveled with him, which also certainly helped build trust with the tribes he visited. The journals that he kept as he moved through western Canada showed a repeated interest in making it to Salish Country and trading with the Flatheads. This was clearly a driving force behind pushing further south into what is now northern Idaho and western Montana. Although he had a longer, very friendly working relationship with the Kootenais, he had a very high regard for the Salish in particular, stating later in his narrative: "the Saleesh Indians are a fine race of moral Indians, the finest I have ever seen..." In 1809, Thompson and his crew, now with the rival North West Company, canoed down the Kootenai River from the north to a Kootenai camp near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Then, traveling overland, Thompson reached the east end of Lake Pend d'Orielle by early September. Just east of present-day Hope, Idaho, he encountered a camp of 80 Indian families comprising of Kootenai, Salish and Coeur d'Alenes. News of his presence spread quickly and soon members of other tribes also showed up to trade—Kalispels, Nez Perce, etc. Here, Thompson built "Kul- lyspell House", his first trading post in what would later become the United States. From Kullyspell House, Thompson headed up the "Saleesh River", as he named it (now known as the Clark Fork). He would settle on a location that bears his name today— Thompson Falls. He was finally in Salish Country and he called this trading post "Saleesh House". From here he could easily reach major winter camps of the Koo- tenai, near present day Hot Springs, and a large Flathead winter camp near Dixon, while at the same time, keeping out of the way of the Black- feet, who did not appreciate him trading directly with their enemies. Both locations are within to- day's Flathead Indian Reservation. Saleesh House was the first solid structure built in Montana west of the Continental Divide and would become his base of operations for the winters of 1809-10 and 1811-12. Winters in northwestern Montana were (and are) very challenging, both physically and men- tally—even brutal at times. There was constant repair and maintenance work on the post itself, as well as canoe-building, firewood collecting, and hunting. The winter weather there was very wet and despite their best efforts, the roofs of the trading post's buildings always seemed to leak, threatening their precious stores, as well as his men. When it was not raining or snowing, it was cold, often well below zero. Hunger was a constant. Such hard labor required a lot of calories for his men and the area did not seem to support enough game to keep DOUG STEVENS

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