We have a Winner!!

Traci Telecky was first with the correct answer for this week's Orofino Trivia: Grizzly Bear.

She was followed shortly after by Christina Brink. Christina is a former Orofino resident living in Irvine, CA. We also received some humorous, though incorrect, answers.

On their return trip through this area, the Corps of Discovery spent several weeks, from May 14 to June 10, 1806, at what is now Kamiah (Camp Chopunnish), according to local Lewis and Clark expert Norm Steadman. They killed at least seven grizzly bears, wounded several, and saw many more.

On May 14, Lewis wrote "Collins killed two bear this morning and was sent with two others in quest of the meat; with which they returned in the evening; the mail bear was large and fat the female was of moderate size and reather meagre. We had the fat bear fleaced in order to reserve the oil for the mountains. both these bear were of the speceis common to upper part of the missouri. They may be called white black grzly brown or red bear for they are found of all those colours. Perhaps it would not be unappropriate to designate them the variagated bear."

On May 31, Lewis wrote another description of the bears. He wrote, "Goodrich and Willard visited the indian Villages this morning and returned in the evening. Willard brought with him the dressed skin of a bear he had purchased for Capt. C. this skin was an uniform pale redish brown colour, the indians informed us that it was not the Hoh-host or white bear, that it was the Yack-kah. (Black bear) this distinction of the indians induced us to make further enquiry relative to thier opinions of the several speceis of bear in this country. We produced the several skins of the bear which we had killed at this place and one very nearly white which I had purchased. The white, the deep and pale red grizzle, the dark bron grizzle, and all those which had the extremities of the hair of a white or frosty colour without regard to the colour of the ground of the poil, they designated Hoh-host and assured us that they were the same with the white bear, they ascosiated together, were very vicisious, never climbed the trees, and had much longer nails than the others. The black skins, those which were black with a number of intire white hairs intermixed, the black with a white breast, the uniformbey, brown and light redish brown, they designated the Yack-yah; said that they climbed the trees, had short nails and were not vicious, that they could pursue them and kill them with safety, they also affirmed that they were much smaller than the white bear. I am disposed to adopt the indian distinction with rispect to these bear and consider them two distinct speceis." Only the Grizzly Bear and the common Black bear were found in this area, Steadman added.

Information taken from the Journals of Lewis & Clark Expedition, Gary E Moulton, Editor, University of Nebraska Press.

Monday: They growl.