University of Virginia Library

[Clark, first draft:]

October 12th. 1805 Saturday.

a fair cool morning wind from E after purchaseing all the
dried fish those people Would spear, from their hole in which
they were buried we Set out at 7 oClock and proceeded on

               

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S W.  miles passed 4 Islands at 1 ½ miles 3 nearly opposit a
bad rapid on the Lard. Side of those Islands, and
swift water around them to a Lard. point passed a
Stard point
 
West  miles to a Lard Bend passed a small rapid & Island on
the Lard. also an Indian cabin.
 
N. W.  miles to a Stard. Bend the bottoms are narrow from the
points, the bends & high lands have clifts of ruged
rock to the river, & bottoms
 
S. 70°. W.  miles to a bend at a rapid on the Stard. Isd opsd. passed
a rapid on the Std. Side of a stoney Island, opsd. to
which on the Std. Side below the rapid a small creek
falls in. saw an Indian on the high land at a distance
no timber in view
 
South  miles to a pt. in Lard. bend here the Plains become low
on both sides river about 400 yards wide
 
S. 30°. W.  2 ½  miles to the mouth of a creek enter[ing] in a Lard. bend
opsd. a small Island on the Lard Side
 
S. 85° W  2 ½  to the Stard bend at a swift place about half the distance
of this course Cp L took meridian altitude on Ld Side
72° 30′ 0″
 
S. 10°. W.  1 ½  to a Lard Bend, (low open country) 
S. 88. W.  3 ½  to a Stard. Bend wind S W. and hard. plain country
rise gradually on each side passed Islands and rapid
an Indian house on the Stard. some Indians at it &c.
 
S. 60°. W.  miles to a Stard. bend passed an Island at 4 miles & one
at 5 miles, swift water, and sholey
 
S. 30°. W.  mile to a Lard bend passed a rapid the upper pt. of
a small stoney Isd.
 
West  mile to a Stard. bend opsd. a small Island close under the
Lard shore passed a run on the Std side, here we
came too to view a falls or very bad rapid imediately
below. (Camped) which the Inds. informed us was
very bad, we found it bad. Sent our small canoe
over.
 
30 

October 12th. Saturday 1805

A fair Cool morning wind from the East after purchaseing
every Sp[e]cies of the provisions those Indians could spare we
set out and proceeded on at three miles passed 4 Islands,
Swift water and a bad rapid opposit to those Islands on the
Lard. side at 14 miles passed the mouth of a large Creek
on the Lard side opposit a Small Island here the Countrey
assends with a gentle assent to the high plains, and the River
is 400 yards wide about 1 mile below the Creek on the Same
Side took Meridian altitude which gave 72° 30′ 00″ Latitude
produced ° ′ ″ [blank spaces in MS.] North in the
afternoon the wind shifted to the S. W. and blew hard we
passed today [blank space in MS.] rapids several of them very
bad and came to at the head of one (at 30 miles) on the Stard.
Side to view it before we attemptd. to d[e]send through it[5]
The Indians had told us [it] was very bad we found [it] long
and dangerous about 2 miles in length, and maney turns necessary
to Stear Clare of the rocks, which appeared to be in every
direction The Indians went through & our small canoe followed
them, as it was late we deturmined to camp above
untill the morning we passed several stoney Islands today
Country as yesterday open plains, no timber of any kind,


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a fiew Hackberry bushes & willows[6] excepted, and but few
drift trees to be found, So that fire wood is verry Scerce The
hills or assents from the water is faced with a dark ruged
Stone. The wind blew hard this evening.

 
[5]

The Texas rapids; at their head is the town of Riparia, on the southern
shore.—Ed.

[6]

The hackberry is Celtis occidentalis. The common species of willow on the
banks of the Snake are Salix amygdaloides And., and Salix exigua Nutt. S. lasiandra
var. caudata
Sudw. is less common, but becomes plentiful along the Columbia.
—C. V. Piper.