2nd September Sunday 1804.—
Set out early and proceeded on passed the Island and Landed
on the S. S. above under a Yellow Clay bluff of 110 feet high,
the wind blew verry hard ahead from the N. W. with Some
rain and verry cold, G. Drewnyer R. Fields, Newman &
howard Killed four fine Elk we had the meat all
jurked and
the Skins Dried to Cover
the Perogue, on the Side of the
Bluff I observed Bear Grass & Rhue, at
Sun Set the wind
luled and cleared up Cold, the high land on the L. S. is
verry
high, & uneaven, that on the S. S. from 80 to 120 foot & is
leavel back but fiew Small Streams falling into the river.
Course Distance & reffs 2d
Spt.
| N. 75°
W. |
3 |
Mls. to the lower part of an
antient fortification (1) in a
bend to the L. S. this Course passed over a
pt. of
the Isd &
Sand. |
| N. 45 W. |
1 |
Mls. on the L. pt. passd
the head of the Island at 3/4 of a
mile opsd. a yellow
bank S.
S. |
|
4 |
|
I
went out and made a Survey of the antient Works which
is Situated in a
level Plain about 3 Miles from the hills which
are
high.
A Discreption of the Fortification
(1) Commenceing on the river opsi'd the Good Mans Island, first
Course from the river is |
| S. 76°. W. |
96 |
yards
thence |
| S. 84. W. |
53 |
yards
(at this angle a kind of angle or horn work) |
| N. 69
W. |
300 |
yards to a high part, passing the gateway
Covered
by two half Circler works one back of the other
lower than
the main work the Gate forms a right
angle projecting
inward. |
| N. 32
W. |
56 |
yards |
| N. 20
W. |
73 |
yards. This part of the work appears to have
[been]
either double, or a covered way. from this Some
irregular
works appear to have been on mounds
between this and the river, with a
Deep round
whole in the center of a Gorge formed by another
angle.
This part of the work is from 10 to 15
feet 8 Inches—the Mounds of
Various hights
the base of the work is from 75 to 105 feet, Steep
inward and forming a kind of Glassee [Glacis]
outwards. |
|
578 |
|
| N. 32°. W. |
96 |
yards to the Commencement of
a Wall from 8 to 10
feet high this Course not on the Wall but thro to
the commencement of another detached |
| N. 81°.
W. |
1830 |
yards to the river & above where this bank
Strikes
the river is the remains of a Circular
work. |
in this Course at 533 yards a Deep Pond of 73 yards
Diameter perfectly
round is in the Course of
the bank which is about 8 feet high,
from this Pond the bank lowers
gradually. a bank about the same
hight runs near the river, and must have
joined the main work at a part
which is now washed into the river, this is
also perfectly Streight and
widens from the main work, as the river above
has washed in its banks
for a great distance I cannot form an Idear How
those two long works
joined. where they Strike the river above, they are
about 1100 yds apart,
[Another Description.[15]
]
No. 1
a
Wall of the Antient Work Commencing on the bank of the
River and running
on a direct line S. 76° W. 96 yard, about
75 feet baice and 8 feet
high.
2.
Wall Continued, and Course S. 84°. W. 53
yards from an
angle formed by a slopeing decent No.
13. has the appearance
of a hornwork of nearly the same hight of the
former angle
No. 1.
3.
the
Wall Continued on a Course N. 69°. W. for 300 yards in
which there is
a low part of the wall which is Covered by two
Circular and lower Walls
one back of the other. 8. 8. which
covers the gate way Completely, between
those outer Walls
8. 8. there appears to have been a Covered way out of
the
Main work into the vacancy between those two Walls No. 9.
This Wall No. 3 is 8 feet high and about 75 feet
Bace.
4.
a Wide part of the Wall which is about 12
feet high and 105
feet base on the Course N. 69°. W. Continued from
the gate
way.
5.
The Wall about 15 feet high
and about 90 feet bace on a
course N. 32° W. for 56
yds.
6.
the Wall Continus on a Course N. 20°. W.
for 73 yards and
ends abruptly near a whole near Several Mounds
prismiscusly
in the Gorge of the Work between this and the
river.
10.
N. 32°. W. 96 yards across a low place
much lower than the
Common leavel of the plain to the Commencement of a
wall of
8 feet high this is an open Space, from whence there is Some
appearance of a Covered way to the Water.
10.
is a large hollow place much
lower then the plain
12.
12. Several little Mounds in
the gouge
7.
the gateway to the Strong
work.
14.
a redoubt Situated on an Island which is
makeing on the Side
next to the Main Work, the wall forming this redoubt
is 6 feet
high
15.
15. The river banks at the
waters edge
16.
a thick Wall of about 6 feet high
passing from the Rivers edge
at the gouge of the Work perfectly streight
to the bend of the
River above and there ends abruptly where the Missouri
is
under mineing its banks on this Wall maney large Cotton
Trees of
two & 3 feet diameter, the Bank passes thro'a wood
in its whole
Course
No. 17.
19. a Streight
wall of 1830 yard extending from the Gouge of
the strong work on a Course
N. 81° W. This wall is 8 feet
high to a round pon (No. 18) from then it becoms lower and
strikes the Missouri
at a place where that river has the aplc. [appearance]
of haveing incroached on its banks
for a great distance.
this wall passes in it's whole course thro' a leavel
plain.
18.
a Deep pond of 73 yards diameter in the
Wall, perfectly
round
20.
Thro from the
extremity of one Wall to the other 1100
yards.
21.
a Small redoubt on the bank of the
river.
The Strong part of this work which must be about 2/3 of
it's original
Size Contains Twenty acres.
The part Contained
between the two Walls is about 500 acres, and
it is Certain that those
Walls have been longer and must have contained
a much greater Space
I am informed by our french interpeters that a
great number
of those antient works are in Defferent parts of the
Countrey,
on the Plate River, Kansas, Jacque, Osarge, Mine river &c.
A Small one is on [an] Island opposit the one I have
Discribed, and
two of our Party Saw two of those Antient
f[o]rtresses on the Petteet Arc Creek on the upper Side near
the Mouth, each angle
of which were 100 yards and about 8
feet high.[16]
