University of Virginia Library

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[Clark:]

15th of April Monday 1805

Set out at an early hour, Capt. Lewis walked on shore and
Killed a goose, passed a Island in a bend to the L.S. the
wind hard from the S. E. after brackfast I walked on Shore
and assended to the high Countrey on the S. S. and off from
the Missouri about three miles the countrey is butifull open
fertile plain the dreans [drains] take theer rise near the clifts
of the river and run from the river in a N E derection as far as
I could See, this is the part of the River which Mouse river
the waters of Lake Winnipec approaches within a fiew miles
of Missouri, and I believe those dreans lead into that river. we
passed a creek about 20 yds. wide on the S. S. the bottoms of
this creek is extensive & fertile, the water of this as also, all
the Streams which head a fiew miles in the hills discharge water
which is black & unfit for use (and can safely say that I have
not seen one drop of water fit for use above fort Mandan except
Knife and the little Missouris Rivers and the Missouri, the
other Streams being so much impregnated with mineral as to
be verry disagreeble in its present state. I saw the remains
of Several camps of ossinniboins, near one of those camps &
at no great distance from the mouth of the aforesaid creek, in
a hollow, I saw a large Strong pen made for the purpose of
catching the antelope, with wings projecting from it widining
from the pen.

Saw several gangs of Buffalow and som elk at a distance, a
black bear seen from the Perogues to day. passed a rock in
the Middle of the river, some smaller rocks from that to the
L. Shore, the dog that came to us yesterday morning continues
to follow us, we camped on a sand point to the L.S.

Course distance &c. he 15th of April

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