T. C. Elliott

“ It is well established that many of the geographical and tribal names of the Oregon Country come from the trappers and traders of the various Fur Companies: some incident or some local condition would suggest the name, as "Nez Perces" or "Malheur." The conditions in the Klamath region suggest the name given in this journal, Clammitte, from the French CLAIR-METIS meaning a light mist or cloud. And it is quite as easy to suppose that the Indians in later years attempted to copy this name from the trappers as the reverse. ”

“ To this Mr. McDonald, who was one of the very first engaged in fur trading on the waters of the Columbia, as early as 1807, evidently belongs the credit of having first reached the Klamath country in Oregon (See entry Dec. 6th, infra.) From him then must have come the first report of a name for the Indians of that quarter, either a French-Canadian rendition of the native name or a French name assigned by the trappers because of local conditions, French then being the common language of these trapping parties. ”

“ The native families of these men and probably some native trappers also seem not to have been included in this enumeration.
Mr. Finan (also and more properly spelled Finnan) McDonald of the previous year's party has meantime departed with his family for the Red River country, as we learn from a letter in the John McLeod Journal, and is not again heard of West of the Rocky Mts. ”