[Clark:]
June 23rd.. Sunday 1805
a cloudy morning wind from the S.E. after getting the
Canoe to camp & the articles left in the plains we eate brackfast
of the remaining meat found in camp & I with the party
the truck wheels & poles to stick up in the prarie as a guide,
set out on our return, we proceeded on, & measured the way
which I streightened considerably from that I went on yesterday,
and arrived at our lower camp in sufficent time to take
up 2 canoes on the top of the hill from the creek, found all
safe at camp the men mended their mockersons with double
soles to save their feet from the prickley pear, (which abounds
in the Praries,) and the hard ground which in some & maney
places [is] so hard as to hurt the feet verry much, the emence
number of Buffalow after the last rain has trod the flat places
in such a manner as to leave it uneaven, and that has tried [dried]
and is worst than frozen ground, added to those obstructions,
the men has to haul with all their strength wate & art, maney
times every man all catching the grass & knobes & stones with
their hands to give them more force in drawing on the Canoes
& Loads, and notwithstanding the coolness of the air in high
presperation and every halt, those not employed in reparing
the course, are asleep in a moment, maney limping from the
soreness of their feet some become fant for a fiew moments, but
no man complains all go chearfully on. to state the fatigues
of this party would take up more of the journal than other
notes which I find scercely time to set down. I had the best
rout staked out and measured which is 17 miles 3/4 to the river
& 1/2 a mile up i.e. 18 1/4 miles Portage. from the lower rapid
to the 1st. creek is 286 poles, to a Deep run of water, called
willow run is 6 miles thence to the river 3 miles above medison
river at 3 Islands called
White Bear Islands is 11 miles all
prarie without wood or water except at the creeks & run which
afford a plenty of fine water and a little wood the plain is
tolerably leavel except at the river a small assent & passing a
low hill from the creek a rough & steep assent for about 1/4 of
a mile and several gullies & a gradual hill for 1 1/2 miles the
heads of several gullies which have short assents & the willow
run of a steep hill on this run grows Purple & red Currents.
the red is now ripe the Purple full grown, an emence number
of Prarie burds now sitting of two kinds one larger than a
Sparrow dark yellow the center feathers of its tail yellow & the
out sides black some streeks about its neck, the other about
the same size [with] white tail
