Carl Haywood | Sometimes Only Horses to Eat

Published: June 30, 2008

Carl Haywood, a retired professor and history buff who lives in Thompson Falls, traces the footsteps of his hometown’s namesake, explorer David Thompson in his new book, subtitled David Thompson, The Saleesh House Period, 1807-1812.

The mapmaker and explorer established Saleesh House near the present-day site of Thompson Falls in 1809 – just three years after his better-known counterparts, Lewis and Clark, passed through the Missoula Valley enroute back to St. Louis.

Haywood spent nearly five years researching the book, looking for remnants of the historic Indian trails that Thompson followed and poring over the explorer’s journal. His research yielded some surprising conclusions, including the likely location of Saleesh House and the point where Thompson may have forded the Kootenai River below the current Libby Dam.

Even more important, perhaps, than documenting the explorer’s route, the book offers an authentic portrayal of the explorer himself, and the hardships and perils faced by his intrepid voyageurs. The new book was published just in time for a bicentennial celebration of Thompson’s exploits in the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes Only Horses to Eat is published by Stoneydale Press in Stevensville, and costs $24.95 softcover and $49.95 for a limited, signed hardcover edition. Visit stoneydale.com.