Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 printed from the original manuscripts in the library of the American Philosophical Society and by direction of its committee on historical documents |
 | XVI. |
 | XVII. |
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September 4th.. Wednesday 1805 |
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| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
 | Chapter XVII Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 |  |
September 4th.. Wednesday 1805
a verry cold morning every thing wet and frosed, we [were]
detained untill 8 oClock to thaw the covering for the baggage
&c. &c. Groun[d] covered with Snow, we assended a
mountain & took a Divideing ridge[14]
which we kept for Several
Miles & fell on the head of a Creek which appeared to
run the Course we wished to go, I was in front, & saw
Several of the Argalia or Ibex decended the mountain by
verry Steep decent takeing the advantage of the points and
best places to the Creek, where our hunters killed a Deer
which we made use of, and prosued our Course down the
Creek[15]
to the forks about 5 miles where we met a part[y] of
the Tushepau nation, of 33 Lodges about 80 men 400 Total
and at least 500 horses, those people rec[e]ved us friendly,
threw white robes over our Sholders & Smoked in the pipes
of peace, we Encamped with them & found them friendly
but nothing but berries to eate a part of which they gave us,
[are] Stout & light complected more So than Common for
Indians, The Chief harangued untill late at night, Smoked
in our pipe and appeared Satisfied. I was the first white man
who ever wer on the waters of this river.[16]
| N. 10°. W. | 6 | miles on a Direct Course over a high Snow mountain & down a Drean of Flat head River to a fork on the right. (our rout on a Dividing ridge to the right 9 ms. about. bad road |
| N. 18°. W. | 3 | down the run to a run on the left |
| N. 35°. W | 3 | miles down the run to the river which Coms from the East, a wide Vallie. 33 tents of Flat heads.[17] |
| mls. | 12 | |
| 53 ½ [65] |
One of the Bitter Root range, which divides the waters of the Salmon and Bitter
Root rivers. At this point the explorers again enter Montana, but are still on the
Pacific slope.—Ed.
Proceeded down a small valley about a mile wide with a rich black soil; in
which there are a great quantity of sweet roots and herbs, such as sweet myrrh,
angelica, and several others, that the natives make use of.—Gass (p. 188).
Traditions current among the present generation of Flathead Indians regarding
this visit of Lewis and Clark are presented by O. D. Wheeler in Wonderland, 1900,
PP.–43–45.—Ed—
In ascending Fish Creek the party kept to the East side of that stream; and
their direction of travel was, with one immaterial exception, always to the west of
north, often considerably so. This, I think, brought them out on the head of a
branch of Camp Creek, instead of on the main stream, and to the northwest of the
latter's head. The camp of the Indians and of the explorers from Sept. 4 to Sept. 6
was unquestionably on Camp Creek, and not on Ross's Fork. I think that the last
course-reading of Clark on Sept. 4, which he gives as "N. 35° W. 3m. down this
run," should probably read" N. 35. E,;" this would reconcile the apparent discrepancies,
and justify the above conclusion.—O. D. Wheeler.
| Chapter XVII Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | |