Lewis and Clark Expedition Food for the Chinooks and Clatsops During the year it was easy to find food if you searched well enough. The women supplied roots, berries, nuts, and greens while the beach gave plenty of clams, crab, oysters, and other small shellfishes. The Chinook salmon (king), enters the river in spring, so it was eaten from March till May. The King salmon came fast so they caught extra, enough for the Winter. This fish was part of their main diet. The Sturgeon was a greatly desired fish, and when a whale washed up on shore, the rich blubber was shared with the Clatsops, Tillamucks, and Chinooks. One of the smaller fishes that came in numerous amounts was the Eulachon that swarmed in from the sea, these fish were much wanted when dried and pressed as candles. Captain Clark noted in his journal on December 27th, 1805 that "in the evening a chief and 4 men come of the Clotsop nation chief Co-ma-wool . . . those Indians gave is (us), a black root they call Shan-na-tah-que a kind of Licquirish which they rost in embers and call Cul-ho-mo, a black berry the size of a Cherry & Dried which they call Shel-well - all of which they prise highly and make use of as food to live on, for which Capt. Lewis gave the chief a cap of sheep skin and I his Son, ear bobs, Pice of riben, a pice of brass, and 2 small fishing hooks, of which they were much pleased, Those roots & berres, are greatfull to our Stomcks as we have nothing to eate but Pore Elk meet,nearly spoiled; & this accident of spoiled meet, is owing to warmth & the repeeted rains, which cause the meet to tante before we can get it from the woods."