University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Thursday July 18th. 1805.

Set out early this morning. previous to our departure saw
a large herd of the Bighorned anamals on the immencely high
and nearly perpendicular clift opposite to us; on the fase of this
clift they walked about and bounded from rock to rock with
apparent unconcern where it app[e]ared to me that no quadruped
could have stood, and from which had they made one
false step the[y] must have been precipitated at least a 500
feet. this anamal appears to frequent such precepices and
clifts where in fact they are perfectly secure from the pursuit
of the wolf, bear, or even man himself. at the distance of 2 1/2
miles we passed the entrance of a considerable river on the
Stard. side; about 80 yds. wide being nearly as wide as the Missouri
at that place. it's current is rapid and water extreamly
transparent; the bed is formed of small smooth stones of flat
rounded or other figures. it's bottoms are narrow but possess
as much timber as the Missouri. the country is mountainous
and broken through which it passes. it appears as if it might
be navigated but to what extent must be conjectural. this
handsome bold and clear stream we named in honour of the

Secretary of war[8] calling it Dearborn's river. as we were
anxious now to meet with the Sosonees or snake Indians as
soon as possible in order to obtain information relative to the
geography of the country and also if necessary, some horses
we thought it better for one of us either Capt. C. or myself to
take a small party & proceed on up the river some distance
before the canoes, in order to discover them, should they be
on the river before the daily discharge of our guns, which was
necessary in procuring subsistence for the party, should allarm
and cause them to retreat to the mountains and conceal themselves,
supposing us to be their enemies who visit them usually
by the way of this river. accordingly Capt. Clark set out this
morning after breakfast with Joseph Fields, Pots and his
servant York. we proceeded on tolerably well; the current
st[r]onger than yesterday; we employ the cord and oars principally
tho' sometimes the setting pole. in the evening we
passed a large creek about 30 yds. wide which disembogues on
the Stard. side; it discharges a bold current of water it's banks
low and bed formed of stones altogether; this stream we called
Ordway's creek[9] after Sergt. John Ordway. I have observed
for several days a species of flax growing in the river bottoms
the leaf stem and pericarp of which resembles the common flax
cultivated in the U.States.[10] the stem rises to the hight of
about 2 1/2 or 3 feet high; as many as 8 or ten of which proceede
from the same root. the root appears to be perennial.
the bark of the stem is thick strong and appears as if it would
make excellent flax. the seed are not yet ripe but I hope to
have an opportunity of collecting some of them after they are
so. if it should on experiment prove to yeald good flax and
at the same time admit of being cut without injury the perennial
root it will be a most valuable plant, and I think there is
the greatest probability that it will do so, for notwithstanding
the seed have not yet arrived at maturity it is puting up
suckers or young shoots from the same root and would seem
therefore that those which are fully grown and which are in
the proper stage of vegitation to produce the best f[l]ax are
not longer essencial to the preservation or support of the root.
the river somewhat wider than yesterday and the mountains
more distant from the river and not so high; the bottoms are
but narrow and little or no timber near the river. some pine
on the mountains which seems principally confined to their
uper region. we killed one Elk this morning and found part
of the flesh and the skin of a deer this evening which had been
kiled and left by Capt. Clark. we saw several herds of the
Bighorn but they were all out of our reach on inacessable clifts.
we encamped on the Lard. side in a small grove of narro[w-]
leafed cottonwood. there is not any of the broad leafed
cottonwood on the river since it has entered the mountains.
Capt Clark ascended the river on the Stard. side. in the early
part of the day after he left me the hills were so steep that he
gained but little off us; in the evening he passed over a mountain
by which means he cut off many miles of the river's circuitous
rout; the Indian road which he pursued over this
mountain is wide and appears as if it had been cut down or
dug in many places. he passed two streams of water, the
branches of Ordway's creek, on which he saw a number of
beaver dams succeeding each other in close order and extending
as far up those streams as he could discover them in their
cou[r]se towards the mountains. he also saw many bighorn
anamals on the clifts of the mountains. not far beyond the
mountain which he passed in the evening he encamped on a
small stream of runing water, having travelled about 20.M.
the water of those rivulets which make down from these mountains
is extreemly cold pure and fine. the soil near the river
is of a good quality and produces a luxuriant growth of grass
and weeds; among the last the sunflower holds a distinguished
place. the aspin is small but grows very commonly on the
river and small streams which make down from the Mouts.

Courses and distances of July 18th. 1805.

                         

S. 15°. W.	1 1/4	to a Lard. bend a high clift of the mountain on Ld. Sd.
West	1 1/4	to the entrance of Dearborn's river on Stard.
S. 45°. W.	2 1/2	to a Stard. bend
S. 8°. E.	6 1/2	to the center of a bend on Lard. side, passing several small bends, a small creek at one mile on Lard. and an island on Stard. near the extrety of course
S. 80°. W.	1/2	to a tree in the center of a Stard. bend
S. 20°. W.	1 1/2	to the center of a Stard. bend passing an Island.
S. 70°. E.	1/4	to a bluff in a Stard. bend.
S. 75° W.	1 1/2	to the center of a Stard. bend, passing a small creek at 1/2 M. on Stard. side.
S. 5°. W.	1/2	to the entrance of Ordway's Creek on the Stard side in a Stard. bend 30 yds. wide.
S. 30°. E.		to the center of a Lard. bend. the vally widens
S. 40°. W.	3/4	to the center of a Stard. bend.
S. 85°. E.	2.	to the center of a Lard. bend, passing 3 short bends,
Miles.	21.	where we encamped for the evening.

Point of observation N. 33.

On the Lard. shore two miles above the entrance of Dearborn's River,
observed time and distance ☉'s and moon's nearest limbs with Sextant;
☉. East.

             

	Time	Distance		Time	Distance
	h m s	° ′ ″		h m s
A.M.	7. 55. 50	102. 57. 30.	A.M.	8. 7. 12	102. 53. .
	". 58. 33	". 57. –.		". 8. 52	". 52. 30
	8. 00. 14	". 56. 30		". 10. 21	". 51. 30
	". 2. 20	". 54. 45		". 12. 47	". 51. 15
	". 5. 50	". 53. 45		". 13. 35	". 51. 15

I also observed another species of flax today which is not
so large as the first, sildome attaining a greater hight then 9
Inches or a foot the stem and leaf resemble the other species
but the stem is rarely branched, bearing a single monopetallous
bellshaped blue flower which is suspended with it's limb downwards,[11]