The Indians of this neighborhood eat the root of the Cattail or Cooper's flag.

it is pleasantly taisted and appears to be very nutricious.
Meriwether Lewis

The Grouse or Prarie hen is peculiarly the inhabitant of the Grait Plains of Columbia. They do not differ from those of the upper portion of the Missouri....
-Meriwether Lewis-

There is a large river that flows into the southeast part of Hayley's Bay; upon which, about 20 miles from its mouth, our hunters discovered falls, which had about 60 feet of a perpendicular pitch.
-Patrick Gass-

The Indians of this neighbourhood eat the root of the Cattail or Cooper's flag. it is pleasantly taisted and appears to be very nutricious.
the inner part of the root which is eaten without any previous preperation is composed of a number of capillary white flexable strong fibers among which is a mealy or starch like substance which readily desolves in the mouth and separate from the fibers which are then rejected.
it appears to me that this substance would make excellent starch; nothing can be of a purer white than it is.—
-Meriwether Lewis-