Folks, I'm working on a story about the Lewis and Clark expedition at the Pacific Ocean. Part of their expedition set up a camp on the beach to boil salt water to extract the salt. Nearby an Indian tribe was harvesting a beached whale by boiling down the blubber. Of course these didn't happen in Virginia, but I wonder if either activities took place in Virginia and if so, could someone answer some questions: 1) Salt: What would have the salt been packed in to keep it dry in the coming months. Leather pouches, earthen jars, or something else. 2) Blubber: Does the term refer to the meat and the fat or one/the other. Was the oil boiled off and discarded? I know later whale oil was used in lamps, but not yet in 1805. Was it used in making candles perhaps? Was the skin used or discarded? I assume the bones would have been used to make tools and such. Thanks for any help anyone can provide. Anne Anne Pemberton [log in to unmask] http://www.erols.com/stevepem http://www.educationalsynthesis.org To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html