Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 printed from the original manuscripts in the library of the American Philosophical Society and by direction of its committee on historical documents |
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 | The ORIGINAL JOURNALS OF
LEWIS AND CLARK Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 |  |
[Clark:]
May 21st. 1804 Monday—
All the forepart of the Day arranging our party and procureing
the different articles necessary for
them at this place.
Dined with Mr. Ducett and Set out
at half passed three oClock
under three Cheers from the gentlemen on the
bank and proceeded
on to the head of the
Island (which is Situated on the
Stbd. Side) 3 Miles
Soon after we Set out to day a hard
Wind from the W. S W accompanied with
a hard rain, which
lasted with Short intervales all night, opposit our
Camp a
Small creek coms in on the Lbd Side.
| m | ||
| S. 15°. W | - 1 - 3/4 - | To bilge of Isd.[18] |
| N 52° W | - 1 - 1/2 - | TP Upper Pt. of Isd. Std. Sd |
| 3 - 1/4 |
Apparently meaning the
"bulge" or projection of St. Charles Island to the
south. Most of the
camping-sites of the expedition, and other localities named, are
identified in the notes to Coues's L. and C., q.v.;
but as many of these are but conjectures,
the reader will do well to compare carefully therewith the facsimiles of
Clark's
original maps, published in the present edition.—Ed.
May 22nd Tuesday 1804—
A Cloudy Morning Delay one hour for 4 french men who
got liberty to return to arrange Some business they had
forgotten
in Town, at 6 oClock we proceeded
on, passed Several
small farms on the bank, and a large creek on the Lbd. Side
Called Bonom [bon homme] a
Camp of Kickapoos[19]
on the
St. Side (An Indian nation residing on the heads of Kaskaskis &
Illinois river 90 miles N.E. of the mouth of the Missouri, & hunt
occasionally on the Missouri)
Those Indians told me several
days ago that they would
Come on and hunt and by the time I got to their
Camp they
would have Some provisions for us, We camped in a Bend
at
the Mo: of a Small creek, Soon after we came too the
Indians arrived with
4 Deer as a Present, for which we gave
them two qts.
of Whiskey
| S 60°. W. | 3 | Ms. to a pt. Lbd Side |
| S 43°. W. | 4 | Ms. to a pt. Stbd. Side |
| West | 3 1/2 | Ms. to a pt. on Stbd. Sd. psd. Bonom |
| S. 75°. W. | 7 1/2 | Ms. to a pt. in Bend to
Stbd. Side at the Mo. of Osage Womans R[20] |
| 18 |
This day we passed Several Islands, and Some high lands
on the Starboard Side, verry hard water.
An Algonquian tribe,
formerly located in southern Wisconsin, where is a river
bearing their
name.—Ed.
May 23rd Wednesday 1804—
We Set out early ran on a Log and detained one hour,
proceeded the Course of Last night 2 miles to the mouth of a
Creek [R] on the Stbd. Side called Osage Womans R, about
30 yds Wide, opposit a large Island and a [American] Settlement.
(on this Creek 30 or 40 famlys are Settled, crossed to
the Setlemt. and took in R & Jos Fields who had been Sent
to purchase Corn & Butter &c Many people Came to See
us, we passed a large Cave on the Lbd. Side (Called by the
french the Tavern[21]
—about 120 feet wide 40 feet Deep & 20
feet high many different immages are Painted on the Rock at
this
place the Inds. & French pay omage. Many names are
wrote on the rock, Stoped about one mile above for Capt Lewis
who had assended the Clifts which is at the Said
Cave 300
fee[t] high, hanging over the waters, the water excessively
Swift to day, We incamped below a Small Isld. in the
Middle
of the river, Sent out two hunters, one Killed a
Deer.
| S. 75 W | 2 | mils to Osage Womn. R the Course of last Night |
| S. 52 W | 7 | mils. to a pt. on St. Side. |
| 9 |
This evening we examined the arms and amunition found
those mens arms in
the perogue in bad order. a fair evening.
Capt. Lewis
near falling from the Pinecles of rocks 300 feet, he
caught at 20
foot.
Thus
named, according to Brackenridge (Views of Louisiana, p.
203), because
this cave afforded "a stopping place for voyagers ascending,
or on returning to their
homes after a long absence." The American
settlement just below this place was the
Kentucky colony recently founded
on Femme Osage River, about six miles above its
mouth; among these
settlers was Daniel Boone, who in 1798 had obtained a grant of
land there
from the Spanish authorities, whereon he resided until 1804. His death
occurred at Femme Osage, on Sept. 26, 1820 (see the Draper MSS. Collection
in
library of Wisconsin Historical Society; press-mark, 16 C 28).—
Ed
May 24th Thursday 1804—
Set out early. passed a verry bad part of the River Called
the Deavels race ground, this is where the Current Sets against
some projecting rocks for half a Mile on the Labd. Side, above
passed Several Islands, two Small Creeks on the Stbd. Side,
and passed between a Isld. and the Lbd. Shore a narrow pass
above this Isld. is a verry bad part of the river, We attempted
to pass up under the Lbd. Bank which was falling in so fast
that the evident danger obliged us to cross between the
Starbd. Side and a Sand bar in the middle of the river, We
hove up near the head of the Sand bar, the Same moveing &
backing caused us to run on the sand. The Swiftness of the
Current Wheeled the boat, Broke our Toe rope, and was
nearly over Setting the boat, all hands jumped out on the
upper Side and bore on that Side untill the Sand washed from
under the boat and Wheeled on the next bank by the time
She wheeled a 3rd.. Time got a rope fast to her Stern and by
the means of swimmers was Carred to Shore and when her
stern was down whilst in the act of Swinging a third time into
Deep Water near the Shore, we returned, to the Island
where we Set out and assended under the Bank which I have
just mentioned, as falling in, here George Drewyer & Willard,
two of our men who left us at St. Charles to come on by land
joined us, we camped about 1 mile above where we were So
nearly being lost, on the Labd. Side at a Plantation. all in
Spirits. This place I call the retragrade bend as we were
obliged to fall back 2 miles
| S. 63°. W, | 4 | Ms. to a pt. on Stbd. Side |
| S. 68 W, | 3 | Ms. to a pt on Lbd. Side |
| S. 75° W, | 3 | Ms. to a pt. on Stbd. Side |
| 10 |
May 25th. Friday 1804—
rain last night, river fall several inches, Set out
early psd.
Several Islands passed Wood River on the
Lbd. Side at 2
Miles passed [again] the Creek on the St. Side called
La
quevr [quiver] at 5 miles passed a [small] Creek (called R la
poceau) at 8 miles, opsc. an Isd. on the Lbd. Side, Camped at
the
mouth of a Creek called River a Chouritte, [La
Charrette],
settled at this place to be convt. to hunt, & trade with the Indians,
here we met with M. Louisell, imedeately down from
the Seeder [Cedar] Isld. Situated in the Country of the Sciox
[Sioux] 400 Leagues up he gave us a good Deel of information
[and] Some letters he informed us that he Saw no
Indians on the river below the Poncrars [Poncaras].[23] Some
hard rain this evening.
| West | 3 | M s. Stbd. Side passed Creek |
| N. 57° W. | 5 | Ms. Lbd. Side psd. Creek |
| N. 20° W | 2 | M s.to Mo: Chouritte Creek |
| 10 | & Village on the St. Side. |
The people at this Village is pore, houses
Small, they sent
us milk & eggs to eat.
Gass and Floyd, in their
journals, call this place St. John's, and say that it was
"the last white
settlement on the river."—Ed.
Referring to the Siouan
tribe of Poncas, whose village was on the Ponca River,
a stream flowing
into the Missouri not far above the Niobrara River. When visited
by our
explorers, their town was found deserted, the tribe (then reduced to a few
cabins) being absent on a hunting expedition, and having joined the
Omahas, also a
Siouan tribe, for mutual aid and protection.—Ed.
May the 26th.. Satturday 1804—
Set out at 7 oClock after a heavy Shour of rain (George
Drewyer, & John Sheelds, sent by Land with the two horses
with
directions to proceed on one day & hunt the next)
The wind favourable
from the E.N.E. passed Beef Island
and River on Lbd.
Side at 3 1/2 ms. [a large island called
Buffaloe
Island separated from the land by a small channel into which
Buffaloe creek empties itself]. Passed a creek on the Lbd. Side
called Shepperds Creek, passed Several Islands to
day, great
Deel of Deer Sign on the Bank, one man out hunting,
W[e]
camped on an Island on the Starboard Side [near the
Southern extrem' of Luter Island (La
L'outre)[24]
]
| S. 50°. W. | 3 1/2 | Ms. to a pt S. Side opsd. pt. Buf Isd. |
| N. 80° W | 2 1/2 | Ms. to pt. Lbd. Sd. |
| N. 88° W | 3 1/2 | Ms. to pt. Std. Sd. abov Buf Isd. |
| N. 82° W | 1 1/2 | Ms. to pt. Sd. Side |
| N 37° W | 5 | Ms. to pt. Lbd. Sd. passed 2 Is. & Shepd. R. |
| N 60° W. | 2 | Ms. to pt. on St. Sd. pd. a Isd. S. S. |
| 18 |
| The ORIGINAL JOURNALS OF
LEWIS AND CLARK Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | |