University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Saturday May 18th. 1805.

The wind blew hard this morning from the West. we were
enabled to employ our toe line the greater part of the day and
therefore proceeded on tolerably well. there are now but few
sandbars, the river is narrow and current gentle. the timber
consists of a few cottonwood trees along the verge of the river;
the willow has in a great measure disappeared. in the latter
part of the day the hills widened, the bottoms became larger,
and contained more timber. we passed a [Wisers—inserted
in pencil] creek on the Stard. side about three oclock, which
afforded no water;[16] came too and encamped on the Lard. side
opposite to the lower point of a small Island, two miles short
of the extremity of the last course of this day. Capt Clark in
the course of his walk this evening killed four deer, two of
which were the black tailed or mule deer; the skins are now
good, they have not yet produced their young. we saw a
number of buffaloe, Elk, deer and Antelopes. the saline substance
frequently mentioned continues to appear as usual.

Courses and distances 18th. of May.

         

46

Page 46
                           
Miles. 
S. 66° W.  to a point of wood on the Stard. side, opposite to a
high irregular hill on Lard. side
 
.3/4 
N. 80. W.  along the Stard. side oposite a bluff  .1/2 
N. 45. W.  to a clump of trees on a Lard. point, opposite a high
rugged bluff
 
1.1/2 
S. 80. W.  to a point of timber on the Lard. side  1.1/2 
S. 60. W.  to a point of timber on the Stard. side oposite a bluff  .1/2 
S. 85°. W.  to a point on Lard. side  2. 
S. 60. W.  along the Lard. shore.  .1/2 
South.  to a point of woodland on the Stard. side oposite a
bluff
 
1.1/4 
S. 45. W.  along the Stard. point, to the extremity of a sandbar,
oposite a bluff.
 
.1/2 
N. 20. W.  to a point of woodland on the Lard. side the river
making a deep bend to the N.
 
2. 
N. 55. W.  to a large tree in the center of a Stard. bend.  1. 
S. 70. W.  to the point of a sandbar on the Lard. side, passing
the entrance of a Creek on Stard. at 1/2 a mile
 
1.1/4 
S. 20. W.  to a point of woodland on the Stard. side  1.1/2 
S. 35. W.  along the Stard. side opposite a bluff  1/2 
N. 85. W.  to a point of woodland Lard. side the river making a
deep bend to N. under a bluff.
 
2 1/4 
S. 60. W.  along the Lard. point  1/2 
S. 5. W.  to a timbered point on Stard. side, passing a small
Island, 3/4 of a mile in length, commencing at
1. mile. oposite to the lower point of this island
on the Lard. side we encamped.
 
3. 
Miles  21. 

 
[16]

The run named for Wiser is now Fourchette Creek.—Ed.