University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Monday August 12th. 1805.

This morning I sent Drewyer out as soon as it was light,
to try and discover what rout the Indians had taken. he followed
the track of the horse we had pursued yesterday to the
mountain wher it had ascended, and returned to me in about
an hour and a half. I now determined to pursue the base of

the mountains which form this cove to the S.W. in the expectation
of finding some Indian road which lead over the Mountains,
accordingly I sent Drewyer to my right and Shields to
my left with orders to look out for a road or the fresh tracks
of horses either of which we should first meet with I had
determined to pursue. at the distance of about 4 miles we
passed 4 small rivulets near each other on which we saw som
resent bowers or small conic lodges formed with willow brush.
near them the indians had geathered a number of roots from
the manner in which they had toarn up the ground; but I
could not discover the root which they seemed to be in surch
of. I [saw] several large hawks that were nearly black. near
this place we fell in with a large and plain Indian road which
came into the cove from the N.E. and led along the foot of
the mountains to the S.W. o[b]liquely approaching the main
stream which we had left yesterday. this road we now pursued
to the S.W. at 5 miles it passed a stout stream which is
a principal fork of the ma[i]n stream and falls into it just above
the narrow pass between the two clifts before mentioned and
which we now saw below us. here we halted and breakfasted
on the last of our venison, having yet a small peice of pork in
reserve. after eating we continued our rout through the low
bottom of the main stream along the foot of the mountains
on our right the valley for 5 Mls. further in a S.W. direction
was from 2 to 3 miles wide the main stream now after discarding
two stream[s] on the left in this valley turns abruptly to
the West through a narrow bottom betwe[e]n the mountains. the
road was still plain, I therefore did not dispair of shortly finding
a passage over the mountains and of taisting the waters of
the great Columbia this evening. we saw an animal which we
took to be of the fox kind as large or reather larger than the
small wolf of the plains. it's colours were a curious mixture
of black, redis[h] brown and yellow. Drewyer shot at him
about 130 yards and knocked him dow[n] bet [but] he recovered
and got out of our reach. it is certainly a different animal
from any that we have yet seen.[2] we also saw several of the
heath cock with a long pointed tail and an uniform dark brown
colour but could not kill one of them. they are much larger
than the common dunghill fowls, and in their [h]abits and
manner of flying resemble the growse or prarie hen. at the
distance of 4 miles further the road took us to the most dis
tant fountain of the waters of the Mighty Missouri in surch
of which we have spent so many toilsome days and wristless
nights. thus far I had accomplished one of those great objects
on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for many years,
judge then of the pleasure I felt in all[a]ying my thirst with
this pure and ice-cold water which issues from the base of a
low mountain or hill of a gentle ascent for 1/2 a mile. the
mountains are high on either hand leave this gap at the head
of this rivulet through which the road passes. here I halted
a few minutes and rested myself. two miles below Mc. Neal had
exultingly stood with a foot on each side of this little rivulet
and thanked his god that he had lived to bestride the mighty
& heretofore deemed endless Missouri. after refreshing ourselves
we proceeded on to the top of the dividing ridge[3] from
which I discovered immence ranges of high mountains still to
the West of us with their tops partially covered with snow. I
now decended the mountain[4] about 3/4 of a mile which I found
much steeper than on the opposite side, to a handsome bold
runing Creek of cold Clear water. here I first tasted the water
of the great Columbia river.[5] after a short halt of a few minutes
we continued our march along the Indian road which lead
us over steep hills and deep hollows to a spring on the side of
a mountain where we found a sufficient quantity of dry willow
brush for fuel, here we encamped for the night having traveled
about 20 Miles. as we had killed nothing during the day we
now boiled and eat the remainder of our pork, having yet a
little flour and parched meal. at the creek on this side of the
mountain I observed a species of deep perple currant lower in
its growth, the stem more branched and leaf doubly as large
as that of the Missouri. the leaf is covered on it's under disk
with a hairy pubersence. the fruit is of the ordinary size and
shape of the currant and is supported in the usual manner, but
is ascid & very inferior in point of flavor.[6]

this morning Capt. Clark set out early. found the river
shoally, rapid, shallow, and extreemly difficult. the men in
the water almost all day. they are geting weak soar and much
fortiegued; they complained of the fortiegue to which the
navigation subjected them and wished to go by land Capt. C.
engouraged them and passifyed them. one of the canoes was
very near overseting in a rapid today. they proceeded but
slowly. at noon they had a thunderstorm which continued
about half an hour. their hunters killed 3 deer and a fawn.
they encamped in a smooth plain near a few cottonwood trees
on the Lard side.

Courses and distances traveled by Capt. Clark. August 12th 1805.

     

S. 8°. W.	2.	to the upper point of a large Island, distance by water 5 1/2 M. passing many Bayous, 3 Islands and 9 bends on the Stard side. the main channel on Stard side.
S. 10°. W.	2.	to a Stard bend. distant by water 6 1/2 passing 4 small
Miles	4.	and 2 large Islands, several bayous and a number of short bends. and a run of water on the Stard side.