University of Virginia Library

Thursday August 1st. 1805.

This morning we set out early and proceeded on tolerably
well untill 8 OC'k by which time we had arrived within a few
miles of a mountain through which the river passes. we
halted on the Stard. side and took breakfast. after which or at
1/2 after 8 A.M. as had been previously concerted betwe[e]n
Capt. Clark and myself I set out with three men in surch of
the Snake Indians or Sosonees. our rout lay over a high
range of mountains on the North side of the river. Capt C.
recommended this rout to me no doubt from a beleif that the
river as soon as it passed this chain of mountains boar to the
N. of W. he having on the 26th. ult. ascended these mountains
to a position from whence he discoved a large valley passing
between the mountains which boar to the N. W. and presumed
that the river passed in that direction; this however proved
to be the passage of a large creek[4] which discharged itself into
the river just above this range of mountains, the river bearing
to the S. W. we were therefore thrown several miles out of
our rout. as soon as we discovered our error we directed our
course of the river which we at length gained about 2 P. M.
much exhausted by the heat of the day, the roughness of the
road and the want of water. the mountains are extreemly bare
of timber, and our rout lay through the steep and narrow hollows
of the mountains exposed to the inte[n]se heat of the
midday sun without shade or scarcely a breath of air: to add
to my fatiegue in this walk of about 11 milles, I had taken a
doze of glauber salts in the morning in consequence of a slight
disentary with which I had been afflicted for several days.
being weakened by the disorder and the operation of the medicine
I found myself almost exhausted before we reached the
river. I felt my sperits much revived on our near approach

to the river at the sight of a herd of Elk, of which Drewyer
and myself soon killed a couple. we then hurryed to the
river and allayed our thirst. I ordered two of the men to
skin the Elk and bring the meat to the river, while myself and
the other prepared a fire and cooked some of the meat for our
dinner. we made a comfortable meal on the Elk, and left the
ballance of the meat and skins on the bank of the river for
Capt. Clark and party. this supply will no doubt be acceptable
to them, as they had had no fresh meat when I left them
for almost 2 days except one beaver; game being very scarce
and shy above the forks. we had seen a few deer and antelopes
but had not been fortunate enough to kill any of them.
as I passed these mountains I saw a flock of the black or dark
brown phesants; he young phesant is almost grown we
killed one of them. this bird is fully a third larger than the
common phesant of the Atlantic states. it's form is much the
same. it is booted nearly to the toes and the male has not
the tufts of long black feathers on the sides of the neck which
are so conspicuous in those of the Atlantic. their colour is a
uniform dark brown with a small mixture of yellow or yelloish
brown specks on some of the feathers particularly those of the
tail, tho' the extremities of these are perfectly black for about
one inch. the eye is nearly black, the iris has a small dash of
yellowish brown. the feathers of the tail are reather longer
than that of our phesant or pattridge as they are Called in the
Eastern States; are the same in number or eighteen and all
nearly of the same length, those in the intermediate part being
somewhat longest. the flesh of this bird is white and agreeably
flavored. I also saw near the top of the mountain among
some scattering pine a blue bird about the size of the common
robbin.[5] it's action and form is somewhat that of the jay bird
and never rests long in any one position but constantly flying
or hoping from sprey to sprey. It shot at one of them but
missed it. their note is loud and frequently repeated both flying
and when at rest and is char âh′, cha′r-âh, char-âh′, as
nearly as letters can express it. after dinner we resumed our
march and my pack felt much lighter than it had done about
2 hours before. we traveled about six miles further and
encamped on the stard. bank of the river, making a distance of
17 miles for this day. the Musquetoes were troublesome but
I had taken the precaution of bringing my bier.

Shortly after I left Capt. Clark this morning he proceed[ed]
on and passed through the mountains; they formed tremendious
clifts of ragged and nearly perpendicular rocks; the
lower part of this rock is of the black grannite before mentioned
and the upper part a light coloured freestone. these
clifts continue for 9 miles and approach the river very closely
on either side. he found the current verry strong. Capt. C.
killed a big horn on these clifts which himself and party dined
on. after passing this range of mountains he entered this
beautifull valley in which we also were it is from 6 to 8 miles
wide. the river is crooked and crouded with islands, it's
bottoms wide fertile and covered with fine grass from 9 inches
to 2 feet high and possesses but a scant proportion of timber,
which consists almost entirely of a few narrow leafed cottonwood
trees distributed along the verge of the river. in the
evening Capt. C. found the Elk I had left him and ascended a
short distance above to the entrance of a large creek which
falls in on Stard. and encamped opposite to it on the Lard. side.
he sent out the two Fieldses to hunt this evening and they
killed 5 deer, which with the Elk again gave them a plentifull
store of fresh provisions. this large creek we called Field's
Creek after Reubin Fields one our party. on the river about
the mountains w[h]ich Capt. C. passed today he saw some
large cedar trees and some juniper also. just at the upper side
of the mountain there is a bad rappid here the toe line of our
canoe broke in the shoot of the rapids and swung on the rocks
and had very nearly overset. a small distance above this
rapid a large bold Creek falls in on Lard. side which we called
Frazier's Creek after Robt. Frazier.[6] They saw a large brown
bear feeding on currants but could not get a shoot at him.

Courses and distances as navigated with the Canoes on the
1st. of August 1805.

                                     

N. 30°. W.	1	to a point of rocks on the Lard. side, at this place the river passes through perpendicular Clifts.
N. 60°. W.	3/4	to the upper part of the rocks in a Stard. bend
S. 70°. W.	1/2	to a clift on the Lard. side
S. 45°. W.	1/2	to a Stard. bend
S. 26°. W.	1 3/4	to a bluff on the Stard. side.
South	1/2	to a Lard. bend, at this place the river enters a high mountain of steep and ruggid clifts on both sides.
N. 30°. W.	1 1/4	to a Stard. bend under a high clift
N. 80°. W.	1/4	to a clift of high rocks in a Stard. bend a small bottom on Lard. side.
S. 60°. W.	1/2	to a Lard. bend under a piney hill.
N. 25°. W.	1/4	to a small Island on the Lard. side
N. 30°. E.	1/4	to a Stard. bend high clifts on both sides
N. 80°. W.	3/4	to the entrance of a large creek on Lard. side passing an island and rapid of 6 feet fall; these we called Frazier's falls and Creek after Robert Frazier one of our party. here the river again enters a valley.
North	1/2	to a Stard. bend under a hill.
N. 45°. W.	1/2	to a Lard. bend
N. 70°. W.	1 1/2	to the point of an Island passing several smal[l] Islds.
North	1/4	to a Stard. bend.
West	3/4	to the lower point of an Island
N. 45°. W.	1/4	to the entrance of a Large creek on Stard. w[h]ich we called Field's Creek, after Reubin Fields one of our party. opposite to which encamped on Lard. side.
Miles.	13