University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Saturday June 29th. 1805.

This morning we experienced a heavy shower of rain for
about an hour after which it became fair. not having seen the
large fountain of which Capt. Clark spoke I determined to visit
it today as I could better spare this day from my attention to
the boat than probably any other when the work would be
further advanced; accordingly after seting the hands at their
several employments I took Drewyer and seet out for the
fountain and passed through a level beautiful plain for about
six miles when I reached the brake of the river hills here we

were overtaken by a violent gust of wind and rain from the
S.W. attended with thunder and Litning. I expected a hail
storm probably from this cloud and therefore took refuge in a
little gully where there were some broad stones with which I
purposed protecting my head if we should have a repetition of
the seene of the 27th. but fortunately we had but little hail
and that not large; I sat very composedly for about an hour
without she[l]ter and took a copious drenching of rain; after
the shower was over I continued my rout to the fountain[4]
which I found much as Capt. C: had discribed & think it may
well be retained on the list of prodegies of this neighbourhood
towards which, nature seems to have dealt with a liberal hand,
for I have scarcely experienced a day since my first arrival in
this quarter without experiencing some novel occurrence among
the party or witnessing the appearance of some uncommon
object. I think this fountain the largest I ever beheld, and
the ha[n]dsome cascade which it affords over some steep and
irregular rocks in it's passage to the river adds not a little to
it's beauty. it is about 25 yds. from the river, situated in a
pretty little level plain, and has a suddon decent of about 6
feet in one part of it's course. the water of this fountain is
extreemly tran[s]parent and cold; nor is it impregnated with
lime or any other extranious matter which I can discover, but
is very pure and pleasent. it's waters marke their passage as
Capt. Clark observes for a considerable distance down the
Missouri notwithstanding it's rapidity and force. the water
of the fountain boil up with such force near it's center that it's
surface in that part seems even higher than the surrounding
earth which is a firm handsom terf of fine green grass. after
amusing myself about 20 minutes in examining the fountain I
found myself so chilled with my wet cloaths that I determined
to return and accordingly set out; on our way to camp we
found a buffaloe dead which we had shot as we came out and
took a parsel of the meat to camp it was in very good order;
the hump and tongue of a fat buffaloe I esteem great delicacies.
on my arrival at camp I was astonished not to find the party
yet arrived, but then concluded that probably the state of the
praries had detained them, as in the wet state in which they
are at present the mud sticks to the wheels is such manner
that they are obliged to halt frequently and clense them.

Transaction and occurrencies which took place with Capt. Clark
and party today. Shortly after the rain which fell early this
morning he found it imposseble from the state of the plains
for the party to reach the upper extremity of the portage with
their present load, and therefore sent back almost all of the
party to bring the baggage which had been left behind yesterday.
he determined himself to pass by the way of the river to
camp in order to supply the deficiency of some notes and
remarks which he had made as he first ascended the river but
which he had unfortunately lost. accordingly he left one man
at Willow run to guard the baggage and took with him his
black man York, Sharbono and his indian woman also accompanyed
Capt. C. on his arrival at the falls he perceived a very
black cloud rising in the West which threatened immediate
rain; he looked about for a shelter but could fine none without
being in great danger of being blown into the river should
the wind prove as violent as it sometimes is on those occasions
in these plains; at length about a 1/4 of a mile above the
falls he discovered a deep rivene where there were some shelving
rocks under which he took shelter near the river with
Sharbono and the Indian woman; laying their guns compass
&c. under a shelving rock on the upper side of the rivene
where they were perfectly secure from the rain. the first
shower was moderate accompanyed by a violent rain the effects
of which they did but little feel; soon after a most violent
torrent of rain decended accompanyed with hail; the rain
appeared to decend in a body and instantly collected in the
rivene and came down in a roling torrent with irrisistable force
driving rocks mud and everything before it which opposed it's
passage, Capt. C. fortunately discovered it a moment before it
reached them and seizing his gun and shot pouch with his left

hand with the right he assisted himself up the steep bluff
shoving occasionally the Indian woman before him who had
her child in her arms; Sharbono had the woman by the hand
indeavouring to pull her up the hill but was so much frightened
that he remained frequently motionless and but for
Capt. C. both himself and his [wo]man and child must have
perished. so suddon was the rise of the water that before
Capt. C. could reach his gun and begin to ascend the bank it
was up to his waist and wet his watch, and he could scarcely
ascend faster than it arrose till it had obtained the debth of 15
feet with a current tremendious to behold. one moment
longer & it would have swept them into the river just above
the great cataract of 87 feet where they must have inevitably
perished. S[h]arbono lost his gun, shot pouch, horn, toma-hawk,
and my wiping rod, Capt. Clark his Umbrella and compass
or circumferenter. they fortunately arrived on the plain
safe, where they found the black man, York, in surch of them;
york had separated from them a little while before the storm,
in pursuit of some buffaloe and had not seen them enter the
rivene; when this gust came on he returned in surch of them
& not being able to find them for some time was much
allarmed. the bier[5] in which the woman carrys her child and
all it's cloaths wer swept away as they lay at her feet she having
time only to grasp her child; the infant was therefore
very cold and the woman also who had just recovered from a
severe indisposition was also wet and cold, Capt. C. therefore
relinquished his intended rout and returned to the camp at
willow run in order also to obtain dry cloathes for himself and
directed them to follow him. On Capt. Clark's arrival at
camp he found that the party dispatched for the baggage had
returned in great confusion and consternation leaving their
loads in the plains; the men who were all nearly naked and
[no] covering on the head were sorely mawled with the hail
which was so large and driven with such force by the wind
that it nocked many of them down and one particular[l]y as
many as three times most of them were bleeding freely and
complained of being much bruised. willow run raised about
6 feet with this rain and the plains were so wet they could do
nothing more this evening. Capt. C. gave the party a dram to
console them in some measure for their general defeat.