University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

June 20th.. Thursday 1805

a cloudy morning a hard wind all night and this morning,
I direct stakes to be cut to stick up in the prarie to show the
way for the party to transport the baggage &c. &c. we set out
early on the portage, soon after we set out it began to rain
and continued a short time we proceeded on thro' a tolerable
leavel plain, and found the hollow of a Deep riveen to obstruct
our rout as it could not be passed with canos & baggage for
some distance above the place we struck it. I examined it for
some time and finding it late deturmined to strike the river &
take its Course & distance to camp which I accordingly did
the wind hard from the S. W. a fair after noon, the river on
both sides cut with raveens some of which is passes thro steep
clifts into the river, the countrey above the falls & up the
Medison river is leavel, with low banks, a chain of mountains
to the west some part of which particller those to the N W. &
S W are covered with snow and appear verry high. I saw a
rattle snake in an open plain 2 miles from any creek or woods.
When I arrived at camp found all well with great quantites
of meet, the canoes Capt Lewis had carried up the Creek 1 3/4
miles to a good place to assend the land & taken up. Not
haveing seen the Snake Indians or knowing in fact whither to
calculate on their friendship or hostillity, we have conceived
our party sufficiently small, and therefore have concluded not
to dispatch a canoe with a part of our men to St. Louis as we
have entended early in the Spring. we fear also that such a
measure might also discourage those who would in such case
remain, and might[t] possibly hazard the fate of the expedition.
We have never hinted to any one of the party that we had such
a scheem in contemplation, and all appear perfectly to have
made up their minds to Suceed in the expedition or perish in
the attempt. We all beleive that we are about to enter on the
most perilous and dificuelt part of our Voyage, yet I see no

one repineing; all appear ready to meet those dificuelties which
await us with resolution and becomeing fortitude

We had a heavy dew this morning. the clouds near those
mountains rise suddenly and discharge their contents partially
on the neighbouring Plains; the same cloud discharge hail
alone in one part, hail and rain in another and rain only in a
third all within the space of a fiew miles; and on the mountains
to the South & S. E. of us sometimes snow. at present
there is no snow on those mountains; that which covered
them a fiew days ago has all disappeared. the Mountains to
the N. W. and West of us are still entirely covered are white
and glitter with the reflection of the sun. I do not believe
that the clouds that pervale at this season of the year reach the
summits of those lofty mountains; and if they do the probability
is that they deposit snow only for there has been no
proceptable diminution of the snow which they contain since
we first saw them. I have thought it probable that these
mountains might have derived their appellation of Shineing
Mountains, from their glittering appearance when the sun
shines in certain directions on the snow which cover them.

Dureing the time of my being on the Plains and above the
falls I as also all my party repeatedly heard a nois which proceeded
from a Direction a little to the N. of West, a loud
[noise] and resembling precisely the discharge of a piece of
ordinance of 6 pounds at the distance of 5 or six miles. I was
informed of it several times by the men J: Fields particularly
before I paid any attention to it, thinking it was thunder most
probably which they had mistaken. at length walking in the
plains yesterday near the most extreem S. E bend of the River
above the falls I heard this nois very distinctly, it was perfectly
calm clear and not a cloud to be seen, I halted and listened
attentively about two hour[s] dureing which time I heard two
other discharges, and took the direction of the sound with my
pocket compass which was as nearly West from me as I could
estimate from the sound. I have no doubt but if I had
leasure I could find from whence it issued. I have thought it
probable that it might be caused by running water in some of
the caverns of those emence mountains, on the principal of the

The Great Falls and Portage of the Missouri River,
from Lewis's Note-book

blowing caverns; but in such case the sounds would be
periodical and regular, which is not the case with this, being
sometimes heard once only and at other times several discharges
in quick succession. it is heard also at different times
of the day and night. I am at a great loss to account for this
Phenomenon. I well recollect hereing the Minitarees say that
those Rocky mountains make a great noise, but they could not
tell me the cause, neither could they inform me of any remarkable
substance or situation in these mountains which would
autherise a conjecture of a probable cause of this noise. it is
probable that the large river just above those Great falls which
heads in the derection of the noise has taken it's name Medicine
river from this unaccountable rumbling sound, which like
all unacountable thing[s] with the Indians of the Missouri is
called Medicine.

The Ricaras inform us of the black mountains makeing a
simalar noise &c. &c. and maney other wonderfull tales of those
Rocky mountains and those great falls.

   

June 20th. at our Camp below the enterance of Portage River observed Meridian altitude of ☉s, L. L. with Octant by the back observation	53°. 10′. 0″.
Latitude deduced from the observation	47°. 7′. 10″ 3/10