Indeed, the indians on the Columbia appear to have more aptitude to traffic among themselves than is usual.
John Langdon to the Secretary of War
By the end of the 18th century, European trade goods formed part of an existing Chinookan trade system extending from the Pacific Ocean to the Columbia Plateau. Indigenous people from Fairview Lake to the Willamette River relied on fish and wapato both as food staples and for trade. Dentalium shells provided the economic trade standard.
