Shelter for the Indians Lewis described the natives houses in his journal. He wrote, "The Clatsop Chinooks &c construct their houses of timber altogether. they are from 14 to 20 feet wide and from 20 to 60 feet in length, and accommodate one or more families sometimes three of four families reside in the same room. thes houses are constructed in the following manner; two or more posts of split timber agreeably to the number of divisions or partitions are first provided, these are sunk in the ground at one end and rise perpendicularly to the hight of 14 or 18 feet, the tops of them are hollowed in such a manner as to receive the ends of a round beam of timber which reaches from one to the other, most commonly the whole length of the building, and forming the upper part of the roof; two other sets of posts and poles are now placed at proper distances on either side of the first, formed in a similar manner and parallel to it; these last rise to the intended hight of eves, which is usually about 5 feet. smaller sticks of timber are now provided and are placed by pares in the form of rafters, resting on, and reaching from the lower to the upper horizontal on these rafters on each side of the roof and are secured likewise with strings of the Cedar bark. the endssides and partitions are then formed with one range of wide boards of abut two inches thick which are sunk in the ground a small distance at their lower ends and stand erect with their upper ends laping the outside of the eve poles and end rafters to which they are secured by an outer pole lying parallel with the eve poles and rafters being secured to them by chords of cedar bark which pass through wholes made in the boards at certain distances for the purpose; the rough is then covered with a double range of thin boards, and an aperture of 2 by 3 feet left in the center of the roof to permit the smoke to pass."