University of Virginia Library

Friday 30th. July 1806

Set out early this morning at 12 miles arived at the commencement
of Shoals the Chanel on the Stard. Side near a high
bluff. passed a Succession of those Shoals for 6 Miles the
lower of which was quit[e] across the river and appeared to
have a decent of about 3 feet, here we were compeled to let
the canoes down by hand for fear of their Striking a rock under
water and splitting. This is by far the worst place which I
have seen on this river from the Rocky mountains to this place
a distance of 694 miles by water, a Perogue or large canoe

would with Safty pass through the worst of those Shoals, which
I call the Buffalow Sholes from the circumstance of one of those
animals being in them. the rock which passes the river at
those sholes appear hard and gritty of a dark brown colour.
the clifts on the Stard. Side is about 100 feet in hight, on the
Lard. Side the country is low and the bottom rises gradually
back. here is the first appearance of Birnt hills which I have
seen on this river they are at a distance from the river on the
Lard. Side.[57] I landed at the enterance of a dry Creek on the
Lard. side below the Shoals and took brackfast. Those Dry
Rivers, Creeks &c are like those of the Missouri which take
their rise in and are the conveyance of the water from those
plains. they have the appearance of dischargeing emence torrents
of water. the late rains which has fallen in the plains
raised sudenly those Brooks which receive the water of those
plains on which those suden & heavy showers of rain must
have fallen, Several of which I have seen dischargeing those
waters, whiles those below heading or takeing their rise in the
same neighbourhood, as I passed them appears to have latterly
been high, those Brood[k]s discharge emencely of mud also,
which contributes much to the muddiness of the river. after
Brackfast proceeded on the river much narrower than above
from 3 to 400 yards wide only and only a fiew scattering trees
to be seen on the banks. at 20 miles below the Buffalow
Shoals passed a rapid which is by no means dangerous it has
a number of large rocks in different parts of the river which
causes high waves a very good chanel on the Lard. Side. this
rapid I call Bear rapid from the circumstance of a bears being
on a rock in the Middle of this rapid when I arived at it. a
violent storm from the N W. obliged us to land imediately
below this rapid, draw up the canoes and take Shelter in an old
Indian Lodge above the enterance of a river which is nearly
dry it has laterly been very high and Spread over nearly 1/4
[of] a mile in width. its chanel is 88 yards and in this there
is not more water than could pass through an inch auger hole.
[I call it Yorks dry R.] after the rain and wind passed over I
proceeded on at 7 Miles passed the enterance of a river the
water of which is 100 Yds, the bead of this river nearly 1/4 of a
mile this river is Shallow and the water very muddy and of
the Colour of the banks a darkish brown. I observe great
quantities of red Stone thrown out of this river that & from
the appearance of the hills at a distance on its lower Side
induced me to call this red Stone river. (By a coincidence I
found the Indian name Wa ha Sah.)[58] as the water was disagreeably
muddy I could not camp on that Side below its mouth.
however I landed at its enterance and sent out and killed two
fat Cows, and took as much of the flesh as the canoes would
conveniently carry and crossed the river and encamped at the
enterance of a Brook on the Lard. Side under a large Spredding
Cotton tree. The river on which we passed to day is not so
wide as above containing but fiew islands with a small quantity
of Cotton timber. no timber of any kind to be seen on the
high lands on either Side.

Course distance and Remarks 30th.. July

                                             

N.32°. E. to the lower part of a wood in the Stard. Bend opposit the head of an island near the Lard. Side	M 2 1/2
N.14°. W. to a Lard. Bluff passed an island and 2 bars	3.
N.40°. E. to the enterance of a dry brook in the Stard Bend passed the enterance of a river below the Lard Bluff 100 yards wide nearly dry at 5 Miles on this River there appears to be Some Cotton wood	6.
N.30°. W. to a tree in the Lard. Bend	1 3/4
N.60°. E. to a Bluff in the Stard. Bend pass a rocky Shoal 2/3 of the river from the Lard. Side	1 1/4
North to 3 trees in the Lard. Bend passed a large dry Creek 60 yards wide on the Stard. side	1 1/2
N.70°. E. to the point of a clift on the Stard. side opposit to the great shoal. a dark brown rock quite across passeable	4
N.45°. E. to a bush on the Lard. point passed a dry brook on each side. a low bluff on the Stard. Side	3.
N.20°. E. to the head of an island. passed a brook on the Stard. Side and a low bluff, no wood on either side	1.
N.10°. W. to the enterance of a large dry creek on the Lard. Side above a bluff. passed one on the Stard. Side	2 1/2
N.70°. E. to a Brook in the Stard. Bend passed a high bluff on the Lard Side for 1/2 a mile	1.
North to the enterance of a small dry Creek in the Lard Bend near a high bluff	1 1/2
N.20°. E. to a large dry brook in a Stard. Bend	1 1/2
N.5°. W. to the center of a Lard. Bend rocks on both sides	2.
N.30°. E. to a Stard. point	2.
East to a Stard. Bend passed a dry brook on each side	2.
N. 20°. E. to a hollow in the Stard. Bend passed a Brook on the Stard. Side. low bluffs on the Lard. Side	1 1/2
North to a fiew bushes in a Lard. Bend	1 1/2
N. 45°. E. to a Brook which discharges itself on the Stard. Side at white Bear rapids. not bad[59]	1.
N.45°. W. to a Bluff in the Lard. Bend, below the enterance of a dry river 88 Yards chanel, and when it is high spreads over nearly 1/4 of a mile in width	3/4
N. 45°. E. to a Bluff in the Stard. Bend passed a bar Std. pt.	2 1/4
North to the center of a Lard. bend low bluffs on each Side. at 3 Miles passed redstone river on the Stard. Side 100 yards water & near 1/4 of a mile chanel very muddy; at 4 Miles encamped at the enterance of a large dry brook on the Lard.	4 1/2
Miles	48

In the evening below the enterance of redstone river I observed
great numbers of Buffalow feeding on the plains, elk
on the points and antilopes. I also saw some of the Bighorn
Animals at a distance on the hills. Gibson is now able to
walk, he walked out this evening and killed an antilope.