[Clark:]
Friday February 14th 1806
We are very uneasy with respect to our sick men at the salt
works. Serjt. Pryor and party haveing not yet returned, nor
can we conceive what can be the cause of their delay. Drewyer
visited his traps &
c. today and cought a fine fat beaver on which
we feasted this evening and thought it a great delecessey.
I compleated a map of the Countrey through which we have
been passing from the Mississippi at the Mouth of Missouri
to this place.[40]
In the Map the Missouri Jefferson's river the
S.E. branch of the Columbia or Lewis's river, Koos-koos-ke
and Columbia from the enterance of the S.E. fork to the pacific
Ocian, as well as a part of Clark's river and our track across
the Rocky Mountains are laid down by celestial observations
and survey. the rivers are also conected at their sources with
other rivers agreeably to the information of the nativs and the
most probable conjecture arrising from their capacities and
the relative positions of their respective enterances which last
have with but fiew exceptions been established by celestial ob
servations. We now discover that we have found the most
practicable and navigable passage across the Continent of North
America; it is that which we have traveled with the exception
of that part of our rout from the foot of the Falls of the
Missouri, or in neighbourhood of the enterance of the Rocky
Mountains untill we arive on Clarks river at the enterence of
Travelers-rest Creek; the distance between those two points
would be traveled more advantagiously by land as the navigation
of the Missouri above the Falls is crooked laborious and
521 miles distant by which no advantage is gained as the rout
which we are compelled to travel by land from the source of
Jeffersons River to the enterance of Travellers rest Creek is
220 miles being further by ab' 600 miles than that from the
Falls of the Missourie to the last mentioned point (Travellers
rest Creek) and a much worse rout if indian information is to
be relied on which is from the Sosonee or Snake Indians, and
the Flatheads of the Columbia West of the rocky mountains.
from the same information Clarks river like that of the S. E.
branch of the Columbia which heads with Jefferson's and
Maddisons river's can not be navagated thro' the rocky mountains
in consequence of falls and rapids, and as a confirmation
of the fact, we discovered that there were no salmon in Clark's
river, which is not the case in the S.E. branch of the Columbia
altho it is not navigable. added to this, the Indians of different
quarte[r]s further inform us, that Clark's river runs in the
direction of the Rocky Mountains for a great distance to the
north before it discharges itself into the Columbia river. from
the same information the Columbia from the enterance of the
S. E. branch to the enterance of Clark's river is obstructed with
a great number of deficuelt and dangerous rapids (and the place
Clark's river comes out of the Rocky Mountains is a tremendious
falls &
c which there is no possibility of passing the mountains
either by land or water.) considering therefore the dangers
and deficuelties attending the navigation of the Columbia in this
part, as well as the circuitous and distant rout formed by itself
and that of Clark's River we conceive that even admitting that
Clarks river contrary to information to be as navagable as the
Columbia below its enterance, that the tract by land over the
Rocky Mountains usually traveled by the nativs from the enterance
of Travellers-rest Creek to the Forks of the Kooskooske
is preferable; the same being a distance of 184 miles.
The inferrence therefore deduced from these premises are, that
the best and most practicable rout across the Continent is by
way of the Missouri to the
Falls; thence to
Clarks river at the
enterance of Travellers rest Creek, from thence up travillers
rest Creek to the forks, from whence you prosue a range of
mountains which divides the waters of the two forks of this
Creek, and which still Continues it's westwardly course on the
Mountains which divides the waters of the two forks of the
Kooskooske river to their junction; from thence to decend this
river to the S. E. branch of the Columbia, thence down that
river to the Columbia, and down the Latter to the
Pacific Ocian.
There is a large river which falls into the Columbia on its south
side at what point we could not lern; which passes thro those
extencive Columbian Plains from the South East, and as the
Indians inform us head in the Mountains South of the head
of Jefferson River and at no great distance from the Spanish
settlements, Multnomah
[41]
and that that fork which heads with
the River Rajhone and waters of the Missouri passes through
those extensive plains in which there is no wood, and the river
crowded with rapids & falls many of which are impassable.
the other or westerly fork passes near a range of mountains
and is the fork [on] which [live] great numbers of Indian
Bands of the
Sosone or Snake Indians this fork most probably
heads with North River or the waters of Callifornia. this River
may afford a practicable land communication with New Mexico
by means of its western fork. This river cannot be navagable
as an impracticable rapid is within one mile of its enterance into
the Columbia, and we are fully purswaded that a rout by this
river if practicable at all, would lengthen the distance greatly
and incounter the same dificulties in passing the Rocky Mountains
with the rout by way of Travellers rest Creek & Clarks
river.
