University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Sunday May 12th 1805.

Set out at an early hour, the weather clear and Calm: I
walked on shore this morning for the benefit of exersize which
I much wanted, and also to examine the country and it's productions,
in these excurtions I most generally went alone
armed with my rifle and espontoon; thus equiped I feel myself
more than an equal match for a brown bear provided I get him
in open woods or near the water, but feel myself a little diffident
with respect to an attack in the open plains, I have
therefore come to a resolution to act on the defencive only,
should I meet these gentlemen in the open country. I ascended
the hills and had a view of a rough and broken country on both
sides of the river; on the North side the summits of the hills
exhibit some scattering pine and cedar, on the South-side the
pine has not yet commenced tho' there is some cedar on the
face of the hills and in the little ravines. the choke cherry
also grows here in the hollows at the heads of the gullies;
the choke Cherry has been in blume since the ninth inst. this
growth has freequently made it's appearance on the Missouri

from the neighbourhood of the Bald pated Prarie, to this place.
in the form of it's leaf, colour and appearance of it's bark, and
general figure of it's growth it resembles much the Marillar
[Morello] cherry, tho' much smaller not generally rising to
a greater hight than from 6 to 10 feet and ascociating in thick
clusters on clumps in their favorit situations which is usually
the head of small ravines or along the sides of small brooks
which flow from the hills. the flowers which are small and
white are supported by a common footstalk as those of the
common wild cherry are, the corolla consists of five oval
petals, five stamen and one pistillum, and of course of the
Class and order Pentandria Monogynia. it bears a fruit which
much resembles the wild cherry in form and colour tho' larger
and better flavoured; it's fruit ripens about the begining of
July and continues on the trees untill the latter end of September.
The Indians of the Missouri make great uce of this
cherry which they prepare for food in various ways, sometimes
eating when first plucked from the trees or in that state pounding
them mashing the seed boiling them with roots or meat, or
with the prarie beans and white apple; again for their winter
store they geather them and lay them on skins to dry in the
sun, and frequently pound them and make them up in small
roles or cakes and dry them in the sun; when thus dryed they
fold them in skins or put them in bags of parchment and keep
them through the winter either eating them in this state or
boiling them as before mentioned. the bear and many birds
also feed on these burries. the wild hysop sage, fleshey leaf
thorn, and some other herbs also grow in the plains and hills,
particularly the arromatic herb on which the Antelope and
large hare feed. The soil has now changed it's texture considerably;
the base of the hills and river bottoms continue the
same and are composed of a rich black loam while the summits
of the hills and about half their hight downwards are of a light
brown colour, poor sterile and intermixed with a coarse white
sand. about 12 OClock the wind veered about to the N.W.
and blew so hard that we were obliged to Ly by the ballance
of the day. we saw great quantities of game as usual. the
bottom lands still becomeing narrower.

Courses and distances May 12th. 1805.

                         

S. 45° W.	to a point of high wood on the Stard. side passing a bluff on Lard. just above which a creek 20 yards wide falls in on Lard. Sd.	1.
S. 70°. W.	to a point of cottonwood on the Lard. Sd.	2 1/2
S. 30°. W.	to the upper part of a point on the Lard. Sd. opposite to a bluf on Stard. side	1/2
S. 22°. E.	to a white tree in a bend on Lard. side	2
S. 40°. W.	to a point on Stard. opposite to a bluff on Lard.	1 1/2
S. 60°. W.	to the upper part of a timbered bottom in a bend on Stard. side	2 1/2
S. 40°. W.	to a point of woodland on the Lard. side, opposite to which pine Creek falls in on Stard. side 20 Yds. wide, little water	1 3/4
S. 10°. E.	to a willow point on the Stard. side	1 1/2
S. 45°. W.	Along the Stard. side opposite to a bluff	1.
N. 54° W.	to some timber in the center of a bend Std.	1 1/2
S. 15°. W.	to a point of woodland on the Lard. side opposite to a bluff on Stard.	1.
S. 10°. W.	to a point of woodland on the Stard. side opposite to a high bluff, the river making a deep bend to the S. E. in which there is a willow Island, opposite to the lower point of which we encamped on the Lard. side	2.
	Miles—	18 3/4

About sunset it began to rain, and continued to fall a few
drops at a time untill midnight; the wind blew violently all
night.