University of Virginia Library

July 8th. 1806.

Set out at 6 A. M.

     

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Page 197
   
N. 25 W.  3 1/2 M.  to the top of a hill from whence we saw
the Shishequaw mountain about 8 M.
distant, immediately before us. passed
torrant (Dearborns's) river at 3 M. this
stream comes from the S. W. out of the
mountains which are about 5 Ms. to our
left. the bed of the river is about 100
yds. wide tho' the water occupys only
about 30 yds. it appears to spread over
it's bottoms at certain seasons of the
year and runs a mear torrant tearing up
the trees by the roots which stand in it's
bottom hense the name we have given
it. the Shishiquaw mountain is a high
insulated conic mountain standing several

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miles in advance of the Eastern range of
the rocky mountains. Country broken
and mountainous to our wright.
 
North  14 1/2 Ms through an open plain to Shishequaw Creek
20 yds wide bottoms and considerable
quantity of timber it leaves the mountain
to the S. E. and enters the mountains.[14]
we struck it about 10 miles
below the mountain which boar S. 32 W.
from us. the road continued along the
foot of the mountain to the West of
north which not being anything like our
course and the country becoming tolerably
level at the commencement of this
course we steered through the plains
leaving the road with a view to strike
Medicine river and hunt down it to it's
mouth in order to procure the necessary
skins to make geer, and meat for the
three men whom we mean to leave at
the falls as none of them are hunters.
we halted and dined on Shishequaw Creek
R. Fields killed a fine buck and a goat;
Josp. Fields saw two buffaloe below us
some distance which are the first that
have been seen. we saw a great number
of deer goats and wolves as we passed
through the plains this morning but no
Elk or buffaloe. saw some barking squirrils
much rejoiced at finding ourselves
in the plains of the Missouri which
abound with game.
 
N. 50. E.  2 M.  to the discharge of Shishequaw Creek into
the Medicine River through an extensive
beautifull and level bottom.
 
N. 85° E.  8. M.  to our encampment of this evening on a
large island. the bottoms continue leve[l]
low and extensive plains level and not
very elivated particularly on the N. E.
side of the river. the land of neither
the plains nor bottoms is fertile. it is
of a light colour intermixed with a considerable
proportion of gravel the grass
generally about 9 inghes high. the
hunters were unsuccessful this evening.
I killed a very large and the whitest
woolf I have seen.
 
28 

 
[14]

The Shishequaw mountain is designated as the Heart, on the Stevens map; now
called Haystack Butte. It stands between two forks of the South Fork of Medicine
(or Sun) River. This South Fork is Lewis's Shishequaw Creek, which he left the
Indian trail to reach, and followed down to its union with the main Sun River.—Ed.