Chapter VIII
FROM MARIA'S RIVER TO THE GREAT FALLS
OF THE MISSOURI
VIII. June 8–20, 1805
Saturday 8th.. June 1805.
SOME cloudy. the wind blew cold from the S. W. Several
men went out to hunt. about 9 oC. cleared off
pleasant. the Indian goods &c put out to air. we Saw
the high mountain to the west of us covered with Snow. the
South fork of the Missourie is high & of a yallow coulour to
day, & the North fork more white & rile than before, owing as
we expect to the rains & Snow melting above, on the mountains.
about 3 oClock P. M. Capt. Lewis & party returned to
Camp, & Informed us that they had been about 60 miles distant
up the north fork, had traveled through high plains the
greater part of the way. they found that the N. fork keeps its
bigness, pleanty of water, considerable of timber in the bottoms
& an amence cite [sight] of game. they killed a great deal of
Elk Buffalow Deer &c. &c. but Capt. Lewis thinks that the
N. fork bears too far North for our course to cross the Mountains,
for if we Should take the wrong River, we Should have
more mountains to cross & further to go by land to git to the
Columbia River, which we have to descend to the west. So
the Capts.. conclude to take the South fork & proceed, and
named the North fork River Mariah, but it has the resemblence
of the Missourie below the forks in everry respect, & the
middle fork they name Tanzey River the water &c. of which
resembles the Missourie also. the men in Camp generally employed
Dressing Skins &c. towards evening the hunters all
returned had killed sevl. Elk 13 deer and one beaver. the
wind blew from the East, a light Shower of rain this evening.
Sunday 9th.. June 1805.
a clear pleasant morning. 2 men of the hunters went out
& killed a verry fat buffalow. took Eight men to bring in the
meat. Several men Sent out to the bluffs back in the point, to
dig a hole called a Cash to burry Some of the articles which we
can Spare best, So that we might have them Safe when we come
back &c. the wind rose high from the west. towards evening
we had a frolick. the officers gave the party a dram, the fiddle
played and they danced late &c. we had a light Shower of
rain late in the evening. rope works made.
Monday 10th.. June 1805.
a beautiful pleasant morning. the party employed Some
makeing a towing line for the white perogue, others employed
digging another hole So that we might bury in different places
what we left So that if the Savages Should find one perhaps
they would not find the other & we would have Some left Still.
about 10 oClock we halled up the red perogue on an Island, on
the North Side of the N. fork which was covered with Small
cotton timber. we halled it among the thicke[st] of trees &
ran the bow between two & pined hir on each Side & covered
hir over with bushes, & Secured hir as well as possable, branded
Several trees with the U. S. mark & Capt. M. Lewis & Latd. &c.
The black Smiths fixed up the bellowses & made a main
Spring to Capt. [Lewis's] air Gun, as the one belonging to it got
broke. the articles which we Intend to bury all got ready. the
loading which came out of the red perogue divided out to the
White perogue & canoes & loaded them. put a Canister of
powder & led accordingly in the ground near the point, between
the two Rivers at our Camp. about 4 oClock P. M. we had
a light Shower of rain. the evening pleasant.
Tuesday 11th.. June 1805.
a Clear pleasant morning. about 8 oClock Capt. Lewis,
George Drewyer, G. Gibson, Jo. Fields & Silas Goodrich Set
out for the South Snowey mountain. we put in the carsh or
hole 1 keg of powder 1 bar led, 1 keg flour 1 keg pork 2 kegs
parched meal the bellowses & tools augur plains Saw &c. some
tin cups a dutch oven, a corn hand mill, packs of beaver, bear
Skins horns Buffalow Robes &c. &c. the Blacksmiths compleated
repairing the fire arms. the carsh or hole on the high
land dug deeper and compleated burrying the heavey articles
&c. we got in readiness to ascend the South fork. we have
caught more Small fish Since we lay here than we made use of,
and one kind of Small flat Scale fish that we never Saw the
kind before.
Wednesday 12th.. June 1805.
a clear pleasant morning. we burryed 3 traps which was forgot
yesterday, and Set out about 7 oClock from Camp or
point Deposit 2508 ¼ mls.. from mouth, and proceeded on up
the South fork which we Still call the Missourie R. passed a
great nomber of Islands (5 or 6 at least by noon) before we
had got out of cite of the point, which was covered with cotton
timber. one of the party caught a beaver on one of them in a
trap which he Set last night. passed high black & yallow bluffs
on each Side & handsom Smooth plains on each Side. Saw
Elk antelopes & Geese &c. found Some penerial [pennyroyal]
the first we Saw on the River. the current verry Rapid. three
of the (G. D.)[1]
canoes like to have overset & one in great danger.
Several Rattle Snakes has been Seen by the party to day.
one man took hold of one with his hand, which was in a bunch
of bushes, but luckily he escaped being bit. Our Intrepters
wife verry Sick. Capt. Clark killed this evening one Elk & a
Deer. Some other of the hunters killed 1 or 2 more. we
passed in the course of the day a number of gravvelly Islands
& bars. the Shore on each Side is covered with Stone of different
Sizes. we Came 18 miles to day & Camped at a handsom
bottom of cotton wood on the N. Side, where the Elk & Deer
was killed.
Thursday 13th.. June 1805.
a beautiful pleasant morning. we Set out at an eairly hour
& proceeded on. passed the Mouth of a Small River on the
South Side about 50 yards wide & rapid current & of a
muddy coulour. I went over the River to See it. large bottoms
of cotton timber for Some distance up. we named it
Snowey River, as we expect it comes from the Snowey Mountain,
to the South of us. passed verry high bluffs on each Side
Some Small bottoms of cotton timber we Saw abundance of
wild or choke cherries & a kind of yallow current, Such as I
never Saw before. the Goose berrys are now ripe & abound
in the River bottoms. we came 14 miles to day & Camped
on the South Side. I was taken verry Sick to day, & a violent
head ack. 2 deer & [word illegible] buffalow killed to day.
Friday 14th.. June 1805.
a fare pleasant morning. 2 men lay out all last night, which
walked on Shore one [with] a lame hand the other 2 sick.[2]
we proceeded on. passed the place where Capt. Lewis had
camped as he went up. had left 2 bear Skins & fat one Deer
Skin which they had killed. 2 of the men lay by it last night.
at breakfast we came up to the other man which had killed
2 buffalow & a deer. we proceeded on passed verry high
bluffs on each Side, & Several Islands of cotton timber. the
current verry rapid all day. our Intrepters wife verry Sick &
I am verry Sick myself. about 4 oC. P. M. we met one man
which Capt. Lewis Sent back to meet us. he informed us that
he came from the falls today, & that they were verry bad, &c.
about 20 miles from us above, & that Capt. Lewis & the other
three men was a going to the head of the falls, in order to
examine how far it was before we could take water again. we
went 10 miles to day through a verry rapid current, and
Camped at a Small bottom on the Lard Side. we Saw a nomber
of dead buffalow floating down the River which we expect
was killed in the falls.
Saturday 15th.. June 1805.
a clear pleasant morning. we Set out at the usal hour.
proceeded on. passed the rapidest water I ever Seen any
crafts taken through, at noon we halted at the Mouth of a
creek on the Lard. Side which we named Strawberry creek,
their being a great quantity of Strawberry vines about it. a
handsom rapid Stream, the bottoms of it coverd. with Small
cotton timber. 2 of the hunters went a Short distance up this
Stream & killed 2 Deer. choak cherrys, Goose berrys and
yallow currents abound on the banks of the Streams in this
country. the afternoon verry warm. we proceeded on.
passed redish couloured bluffs on each Side of the River which
were high rough & in places clifts of dark Rocks. in the
evening we came to a bad rapid which we concluded to not
undertake to pass untill morning. So we Camped below
on the Stard. Side. the wood here Scarse. one man Sent to
the falls, for Capt. Lewis. we Came only 12 miles to day by
exerting our Selves as much as possable with the towing line.
Sunday 16th.. June 1805.
we had a Shower of rain & high wind the fore part of last
night. a clear morning. all hands went over the Rapids 1st
with the canoes about 1 mile & then went back and took up
the perogue, and halted to wait the arival of Capt. Lewis, &c.
their being a rapid a Short distance above which is impossable
to pass with loaded crafts. we caught a considerable quantity
of Small flat Scale fish at this place. about 12 oC. Capt. Lewis
& the men who accompanied him joined us. Capt. Lewis informed
us that he had been 15 miles up the River above the
first bad Rapids or Shoot & that the falls continued all that
distance in 5 different Shoots, but Some higher than the rest,
but the highest about 50 feet perpenticular & verry Rapid
water between each Shoot roling waves & white brakers. Capt.
Lewis informed us that the Lard. Side would be the best for us
to carry our goods and baggage by the falls, also the canoes.
So we crossed over to the Lard. Side and unloaded the canoes
& crossed them back to the Stard. Side empty and towed them
up the rapid about a mile. then crossed them back to the
Lar
d. Side again, in order that we might git them up a Small
River which comes in below the next Shoot to a more convenient
place to git them up the bank on to the plains. this little
River comes in on Lar
d. Side close below the next Shoot.
opposite to the mouth of this little River on S. S. a beautiful
Sulpher or mineral Spring rises out of the Side hills. it is a
verry Strong Sulpher water. we git & drink freely of it. in
the bottoms is a considerable of wild flax growing all in blossum.
Cap
t. Lewis's party had prepared & dryed buffalow meat
and had caught & dryed a large quantity of fine fish, which we
call Salmon troute.
Monday 17th.. June 1805.
a cloudy morning. Some men employed taking the canoes
up the little River about 1 ¾ miles. 6 men employed makeing
Small low waggons to hall the canoes and baggage by the
carrying place above the falls. Capt. Clark and five men went
to Survey & measure the distance up to the head of the falls,
to where we can take water again, & to look out a road for us
to go up with the waggons &c. 2 hunters out to git Elk
Skins to put our Iron boat together above the falls, as we leave
our largest craft here. the timber is verry Scarse above the
falls. verry high plains the buffalow pleanty. in the evening
we got the canoes up the Small River to the falls of it
which is about 4 feet perpenticular. we had Some difficulty
in gitting them up the rapids to day, as well as a dangerous
job. one canoe turned upside down in a bad rapid, & was
near drowning the 2 men which was in hir. Several others
filled with water but we haled them up Safe to the place convenient
at the falls to take them up the bank. we caried them
out on a livel & turned them up on edge to dry.
Tuesday 18th.. June 1805.
a fine pleasant day. in the morning all hands halled out
the White perogue, in a thicked of bushes below the bank &
covered hir with bushes &c. & Secured hir Safe. 3 men Sent
out a Short distance to a knob to dig a carsh or hole to deposite
Some of our baggage in, for we mean to leave all we can
Spare at this place. Some men at Sorting & repacking the
Indian Goods &c. about 12 oC. the 2 hunters came in had
killed 10 Deer but no Elk. in the evening we Saw Some
buffalow on the opposite Side of the River. Some of the
hunters went over and killed 2 of them. the low waggons
finished which are all made of wood, & of an ordinarry quality
though they may answer the purpose. the wind high from
the West.
Wednesday 19th.. 1805.
a clear cool morning. Several men Sent for the meat across
the River which was killed last night. the wind verry high
from the West. our Intrepters wife Some better. three men
Sent over the River to go up to the head of the falls to a river
which falls in on that Stard. Side, Called medicine River, to
hunt in order to prepare Elk Skins for the Iron boat. we
prepare to move the goods & baggage &c. Saw large gangs
of buffalow on the Side hills on the opposite Shore. the
wind continues high all day. we are now 2580 odd miles
from the mouth of Missourie.
Thursday 20th.. June 1805.
Some cloudy & cold. the wind continues high from the
west. three or 4 men went across the River to hunt &c. we
lay at Camp at the commencement of the carrying place, to
wait the arival of Capt. Clark & party. a light Squall of rain
about noon. in the afternoon Some of the hunters came in
had killed 11 buffalow the most of them verry fat. all hands
turned out after the meat, but could not fetch more than half
of what was fat. 3 men Stayed all night to butcher the remainder
of the buffalow, which lay dead. Saw large gangs
come about close to the men which was dressing the meat &c.
a little rain. in the evening Capt. Clark & party returned.
they informed us that they traversed the River going up &
measured the falls & river found the first to be about 30 feet
the highest or middle 87 feet the upper one a 45 feet all of
which is perpinticular. a continued rapids between each other.
they found it to be 17 miles to the head to where we can take
water again. two men was attacted by a verry large White
bear one of them A Willard near being caught. Cap
t. Clark
went & relieved them & 3 men with him. but night comming
on & the bushes thick it being on an Island they did not kill
it. they Saw 1 or 2 other white bear. they Saw also innumerable
gangs of buffalow & killed 8 of those animels, & one
beaver. they Saved as much of the buffalow meat as possable.
1 mile above the fall of 47 feet 8 Inches is the largest fountain
or Spring, as they think is the largest in america known. this
water boils up from under the rocks near the river & falls
immediately into the river 8 feet & keeps its coulour for ½
a mile which is clear & of a blueish cast. they inform us that
their is many Shoots or little falls between the high ones. the
large catteract or falls is a large mist quite across the fall, for
a long distance from them. Cap
t. Clark Saw rattle Snakes but
Saw verry little timber. they turned back this morning in
order to look out the best & Smoothest portage possable to
take the canoes & baggage &c. up to the medicine River.
they informed us that the Country above the falls & up the
meddicine River is level with low banks & Smoth water. they
Saw a chain of mountains to the west, Some of which particular
those to N. W. & S. W. are covered with Snow, &
appear to be verry high. Cap
t. Clark lost a part of his notes
which could not be found, as the wind blew high & took them
off. they did not look out & marke the road for the baggage
&c much more than half way down to Camp it being too late
to go round the deep gulleys &c. Cap
t. Clark Saw gangs of
buffalow attempt to Swim the river ab
v. the falls. Some went
over.
