University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Thursday July 25th. 1805

Set out a an early hour and proceeded on tolerably well
the water still strong and some riffles as yesterday. the country
continues much the same as the two preceeding days. in the
forenoon we saw a large brown bear on an island but he retreated
immediately to the main shore and ran off before we
could get in reach of him. they appear to be more shy here
than on the Missouri below the mountains. we saw some
antelopes of which we killed one. these anamals appear now
to have collected again is [in] small herds several females
with their young and one or two males compose the herd
usually. some males are yet soletary or two perhaps together
scattered over the plains which they seen[m] invariably to
prefer to the woodlands. if they happen accedentaly in the
woodlands and are allarmed they run immediately to the plains
seeming to plaise a just confidence in their superior fleetness
and bottom. we killed a couple of young gees which are very

abundant and fine; but as they are but small game to subsist
a party on of our strength I have forbid the men shooting at
them as it waists a considerable quantity of amunition and
delays our progress. we passed Capt. Clark's encampment of
the 23rd. inst. the face of the country, & anamal and vegetable
productions were the same as yesterday, untill late in the evening,
when the valley appeared to termineate and the river was
again hemned in on both sides with high c[r]aiggy and rocky
clifts. soon after entering these hills or low mountains we
passed a number of fine bold springs[33] which burst out underneath
the Lard. clifts near the edge of the water; they wer[e]
very cold and freestone water. we passed a large Crk. today in
the plain country, 25 yds. wide, which discharges itself on the
Stard. side; it is composed of five streams which unite in the
plain at no great distance from the river and have their sou[r]ces
in the Mts. this stream we called Gass's Creek.[34] after Sergt.
Patric Gass one of our party. two rapids near the large springs
we passed this evening were the worst we have seen since that we
passed on entering the rocky Mountain; they were obstructed
with sharp pointed rocks, ranges of which extended quite across
the river. the clifts are formed of a lighter coloured stone
than those below I observed some limestone[s] also in the
bed of the river which seem to have been brought down by the
current as they are generally small and woarn smooth. This
morning Capt. Clark set out early and at the distance of a few
miles arrived at the three forks of the Missouri, here he
found the plains recently birnt on the Stard. side, and the track
of a horse appeared to have passed only about four or five
days. after taking breakfast of some meat which they had
brought with them, examined the rivers, and written me a note
informing me of his intended rout, he continued on up the
North fork, which though not larger than the middle fork,
boar more to the West, and of course more in the direction
we were anxious to pursue. he ascended this stream about
25 miles on Stard. side, and encamped, much fatiegued, his feet
blistered and wounded with the prickley pear thorns. Charbono
gave out, one of his ankles failed him and he was unable
to proceede any further. I observed that the rocks which
form the clifts on this part of the river appear as if they had
been undermined by the river and by their weight had seperated
from the parent hill and tumbled on their sides, the
stratas of rock of which they are composed lying with their
edges up; others not seperated seem obliquely depressed on
the side next the river as if they had sunk down to fill the
cavity which had been formed by the washing and wearing of
the river. I have observed a red as well as a yellow species
of goosberry which grows on the rocky Clifts in open places
of a swe[e]tish pine like flavor, first observed in the neighbourhood
of the falls; at least the yellow species was first observed
there. the red differs from it in no particular except it's colour
and size being somewhat larger; it is a very indifferent fruit,
but as they form a variety of the native fruits of this country
I preserved some of their seeds. musquetoes and knats
troublesome as usual.

Courses and distances of July 25th. 1805.

                     

S. 25°. W.	1.	to the center of a Stard. bend
S. 10°. W.	1 1/4	to a point in a Stard. bend passing a small 1sld Lard. Sd.
S. 5°. W.	3 1/2	to a point in a Stard. bend.
S. 40°. E.	1 1/4	to a tree in the Stard. bend passing a Lard. pot. at 1/2 M
N. 80°. E.	2 1/2	to the center of a Stard. bend, passing a small island 1/2 M. on Stard. opposite or behi[n]d which a large Creek discharges itself on Stard. 25 Yds. wide which we call Gass's Creek.
South	3.	to the center of a Stard. bend
S. 75°. E.	1 1/2	to a bluff point on Stard. here the river again enter the mountains, I beleive it to be a second gra chain of the rocky Mots.[35]
S. 55°. E.	1.	to a point in a Lard. bend at some large springs.
S. 30°. E.	1/2	to a point in the Lard. bend, high clifts.
South.	1/2	to a Clift of rocks in a Lard. bend; opst. to which
Miles.	16.	encamped for the night under a high bluff