University of Virginia Library

Sunday July 20th. 1806.

We set [out] at sunrise and proceed[ed] through the open
plain as yesterday up the North side of the river. the plains
are more broken than they were yesterday and have become
more inferior in point of soil; a great quanty of small gravel
is every where distributed over the surface of the earth which
renders travling extreemly painfull to our bearfoot horses.
the soil is generally a white or whiteish blue clay, this where it
has been trodden by the buffaloe when wet has now become
as firm as a brickbat and stands in an inumerable little points
quite as formidable to our horses feet as the gravel. the mineral
salts common to the plains of the missouri has been more
abundant today than usual. the bluffs of the river are about

200 feet high, steep irregular and formed of earth which readily
desolves with water, slips and precipitates itself into the river
as before mentioned frequently of the bluffs of the Missouri
below which they resemble in every particular, differing essencially
from those of the Missouri above the entrance of this
river, they being composed of firm red or yellow clay which
dose not yield readily to the rains and a large quantity of rock.
the soil of the river bottom is fertile and well timbered, I saw
some trees today which would make small canoes. the tibmer
is generally low. the underbrush the same as before mentioned.
we have seen fewer buffaloe today than usual, though
more Elk and not less wolves and Antelopes also some mule
deer; this speceis of deer seems most prevalent in this quarter.
saw some gees ducks and other birds common to the country.
there is much appearance of beaver on this river, but not any
of otter. from the apparent decent of the country to the
North and above the broken mountains I am induced to beleive
that the South branch of the Suskashawan receives a part
of it's waters from the plain even to the borders of this river
and from the brakes [breaks] visible in the plains in a no[r]thern
direction think that a branch of that river decending from the
rocky mountains passes at no great distance from Maria's river
and to the N. E. of the broken mountains.[26] the day has
proved excessively warm and we lay by four hours during the
heat of it; we traveled 28 miles and encamped as usual in the
river bottom on it's N. side. there is scarcely any water at
present in the plains and what there is, lies in small pools and
is so strongly impregnated with the mineral salts that it is
unfit for any purpose except the uce of the buffaloe. these
animals appear to prefer this water to that of the river. the
wild liquorice and sunflower are very abundant in the plains
and river bottoms, the latter is now in full blume; the silk
grass and sand rush are also common to the bottom lands.
the musquetoes have not been troublesome to us since we left
the whitebear islands.

Courses and distances July 20th. 1806.

 

S. 80°. W.

28 ms.

with the river in it's course upwards to our encampment of this evening on it's N. side, river 120 yds. wide and deep, water appears to be but little diminis[h]ed, somewhat more transparent. passed a creek on S. side at 6 ms. also another 22 ms. on the N. side this last has no water some little timber, bed 15yds. wide. the general course of this river is very streight, and it meanders through a vally of about 1/2 a mile in width from side to side.