University of Virginia Library

LXII. LXII

CLARK TO GEORGE ROGERS CLARK[1]

LXII. [From original MS., apparently Clark's draft, in possession of Mrs. Julia Clark Voorhis and Miss
Eleanor Glasgow Voorhis.]

Dear Brother, We arrived at this place on the 23 inst. from the
pacific Ocean where we remained during the last winter near the
entrance of the Columbia river. this station we left on the 23rd. of
March last and should have reached St. Louis early in August had we
not been detained by the snow which bared our passage across the
Rocky mountains untill the 24th. of June. in returning through those
mountains we divided ourselves into several parties, digressing from the
rout by which we went out in order the more effectually to explore the
country and discover the most practicable rout which dose exist across
the continent by way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, in this we
were completely successful and have therefore no hesitation in declaring
that such as nature has permitted it we have discovered the best rout
which dose exist across the Continent of North America in that direction
—such is that by way of the Missouri to the foot of the rapids below
the great falls of that River a distance of 2575 miles thence by land
passing the Rocky Mountains to a navigable part of the Kooskee 340.
and with the Kooskooskee 73 miles Lewis's river 154 miles and the

Columbia 413 miles to the Pacific Ocean making the total distance
from the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi to the discharge
of the columbia into the Pacific Ocean 3555. miles. the navigation
of the Missouri may be deemed good; it's difficulties arise from its
falling banks, timber embeded in the mud of it's channel, it's sandbars
and steady rapidity of it's current all which may be overcome with a
great degree of certainty by using the necessary precautions. the passage
by land of 340 miles from the Missouri to the Kooskooskee is the most
formidable part of the tract proposed across the continent. of this
distance 200 miles is along a good road, and 140 over tremendious
mountains which for 60 miles are covered with eternal snows. a
passage over the mountains is however practicable from the latter part
of June to the last of september and the cheep rate at which horses are
to be obtained from the indians of the Rocky mountains and west of
them reduces the expences of transportation over this portage to a mere
trifle. the navigation of the Kooskooske Lewis's R and the Columbia
is safe and good from the 1st. of april to the middle of August by making
3 portages on the latter river. the first of which in decending is 1200
paces at the falls of the Columbia, 261 mils up that river, a second of
2 miles at the long narrows 6 miles below the falls and then a third also
of 2 ms. at the great rapids 65 miles still lower down. the tide flows up
the Columbia 183 miles and within 7 miles of the great rapids. large
sloops may with safety ascend as high as tide water and vessels of 300
tons burthen may reach the entrance of the Multnawah R. a large
Southern branch of the Columbia which taking its rise on the confines
of Mexico with the Callarado and Apostles rivers discharges itself into
the Columbia 125 miles from its mouth.—I consider this tract across
the continent of immense advantage to the fur trade, as all the furs
collected in 9/10 parts of the most valuable fur country in America
may be conveyed to the mouth of the Columbia and shiped thence to
the East Indies by the 1st. of August in each year. and will of course
reach Canton earlyer than the furs which are annually exported from
Montreal arrive in great Britain.—

In our outward bound voyage wee ascended to the foot of the rapids
below the great falls of the Missouri where we arrived on the 14th. of
June 1805. not having met with any of the natives of the Rocky
mountains we were of course ignorant of the passes by land which
existed through that country to the Columbia river, and had we even
known the rout we were destitute of horses which would have been
indispensibly necessary to enable us to transport the requisite quantity
of amunition and other stores to ensure the success of the remaining

part of our voyage down the Columbia; we therefore determined to
navigate the Missouri as far as it was practicable or untill we met with
some of the natives from whom we could obtain horses and information
of the country. accordingly we undertook a most laborious portage at
the falls of the Missouri of 18 miles which we effected with our
canoes and baggage by the 3rd. of July. from hence ascending the
Missouri we entered the Rocky mountains at the distance of 71 miles
above the upper part of the portage and penetrated as far as the three
forks of that river a distance of 181 miles further; here the Missouri
divides itself into three nearly equal branches at the same point the two
largest branches are so nearly of the same dignity that we did not
conceive that either of them could with propryety retain the Name
of the Missouri and therefore called these three streams Jefferson's
Madisons and Gallitin's rivers. the confluence of these rivers is 2848
miles from the mouth of the Missouri by the meanders of that river.
we arrived at the three forks of the Missouri 27th. of July. not having
yet been so fortunate as to meet with the natives although I had
previously made several excurtions for that purpose we were compelled
still to continue our rout by water. the most Northwardly of the three
forks, that to which we had given the name of Jefferson's river was
deemed the most proper for our purposes and we accordingly ascended
it 248 miles to the upper forks it's extreem navigable point, making the
total distance to which we had navigated the waters of the Missouri
3096 miles of which 429 lay within the Rocky Mountains. on the
morning of the 17th of August 1805 I arrived at the forks of Jefferson's
river where I met Capt. Lewis who had previously penitrated with a
party of three men to the waters of the Columbia discovered a band of
Shashones and had found means to induce thirty five of them Chiefs
and warriors to accompany him to that place. from these people we
learned that the river on which they resided was not navigable and that
a passage through the Mountains in that direction was impracticable;
being unwilling to confide in the unfavourable account of the natives
it was concerted between Capt. Lewis and myself that I should go
forward immediately with a small party and explore the river while he
in the interem would lay up the canoes at that place and engage the
natives with their horses to assist in transporting our stores and baggage
to their camp accordingly I set out the next day passed the dividing
mountains between the waters of the Missouri and Columbia and
descended the river which I have since called the East fork of Lewis's
R. about 70 miles. finding that the Indian account of the country in
the direction of this river was correct I returned and joined Capt. Lewis
on the 29th. of August at the Shashone Camp excessively fatigued having
been compelled to subsist on berries during the greater part of my rout.
we now purchased 27 horses of these indians and hired a guide who
assured us that he could in 15 days take us to a large river in an open
country west of these mountains by a rout some distance to the North
of the river on which they lived and that by which the nations west of
the Mountains visited the plains of the Missouri for the purpose of
hunting buffaloe. every preparation being made we set forward with
our guide on the 31st. of August through those tremendious mountains.
in which we continued until the 22nd. of September before we reached
the level country beyond them; on our way we met with the Ootslashshoot
a band of the Tushepahs from whom we obtained an accession of
seven horses and exchanged eight or ten others this proved of infinite
service to us as we were compelled to subsist on horse beef about eight
days before we reached the Kooskooske. during our passage over these
mountains we suffered everything which hunger cold and fatigue could
impose; nor did our difficulties with rispect to provision cease on our
arrival at the Kooskooske for although the Palletepallers a numerous
nation inhabiting that country were extremly hospitable and for a few
trifling articles furnished us with an abundance of roots and dryed
salmon the food to which they were accustomed we found that we
could not subsist on those articles and almost all of us grew sick on
eating them we were obliged therefore to have resourse to the flesh
of horses and dogs as food to supply the deficiency of our guns which
produced but little meat as game was scarce in the vicinity of our camp
on the Kooskooske where we were compelled to remain in order to
construct our perogues to decend the river at this season the salmon
are meagre and form but indifferent food. while we remained here I
was myself sick for several days and my friend Capt. Lewis suffered
a severe indisposition. Having completed 4 large perogues and a small
canoe we gave our horses in charge to the Pallotepallers untill we
returned and on the 7 of Octr. reimbarked for the Pacific Ocean. we
decended by the rout which I have already mentioned. the water of
the rivers being low at this season we experienced much difficulty in
decending, we found them obstructed by a great number of difficult and
dangerous rapids in passing of which our perogues several times filled
and the men escaped narrowly with their lives. however this difficulty
dose not exist in high water which happens within the period which I
have previously mentioned. we found the natives extremly numerous
and generally friendly though we have on several occasions owed our
lives and the fate of the expedition to our number which consisted of 31
men. On the 17th. of November we reached the Ocean where various
considerations induced us to spend the winter we therefore searched for
an eligible situation for that purpose and selected a spot on the S. side
of a little river called by the natives the Natul which discharges itself
into a small bay on the S. E. side of the Columbia. 14 miles within
point Adams. here we constructed some log houses and defended them
with a common stoccade work; this place we called Fort Clatsop after
a nation of that name who were our nearest neighbours in this country
we found an abundance of Elk on which we subsisted principally during
the last winter. on our homeward bound voyage being much better
acquainted with the country we were enabled to take such precautions
as have in a great measure secured us from the want of provision at any
time, and greatly lessened our fatigues when compared with those to
which we were compelled to submit in our outward bound journey.
We left Fort Clatsop on the 23rd. of March we have not lost a man
since we left the Mandans a circumstance which I assure you is a
pleasing consideration to me. As I shall shortly be with you I deem it
unnecessary to here to attempt minutely to detail the occurrances of the
last eighteen months—Adieu &c.