University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Tuesday May 28th. 1805.

This morning we set forward at an early hour; the weather
dark and cloudy, the are [air] smokey, had a few drops of
rain; we employed the chord generally to which we also gave
the assistance of the pole at the riffles, and rocky points; these
are as numerous and many of them much worse than those we
passed yesterday; arround those points the water drives with
great force, and we are obliged in many insta[n]ces to steer
our vessels through the appertures formed by the points of
large sharp rocks which reach a few inches above the surface
of the water, here s[h]ould our chord give way the bough is
instantly drivin outwards by the stream and the vessel thrown
with her side on the rocks where she must inevitably overset
or perhaps be dashed to peices; our ropes are but slender,
all of them except one being made of Elk's skin and much
woarn, frequently wet and exposed to the heat of the weather
are weak and rotten; they have given way several times in the
course of the day but happily at such places that the vessel

had room to wheel free of the rocks and therefore escaped
injury; with every precaution we can take it is with much
labour and infinite risk that we are enabled to get around these
points. found a new indian lodge pole today which had been
brought down by the stream, it was woarn at one end as if
draged by dogs or horses;[9] a football also, and several other
articles were found, which have been recently brought down
by the courant; these are strong evedences of Indians being
on the river above us, and probably at no great distance; the
football is such as I have seen among the Minetaries and
therefore think it most probable that they are a band of the
Minetaries of Fort de Prarie.[10] the river country &c continued
much as yesterday until late in the evening when we
arrived at the entrance of a large Creek [which] discharges
itself on the Stard. side, is 35 Yds. wide and contains runing
water; this we called Thompson's C. (after one of the party)
here the hills recede from the river on both sides, the bottoms
extensive particularly on the Stard. side where the hills are
comparitively low and open into three large vallies which
extend for a considerable distance in a Northwardly direction;
here also the river spreads to more than 3 times it's former
width and is filled with a number of small and handsome
Islands covered with cottonwood some timber also in the
bottoms, the land again fertile. these appearances were quite
reviving after the drairy country through which we had been
passing. Capt. C. walked on shore in the early part of the
day and killed a big horned anamal; he saw a great number
of them as well as ourselves in the broken country. at
10 A. M. a few drops of rain again fell and were attended with
distant thunder which is the first we have heared since we left
the Mandans. This evening we encamped on Stard. opposite
to the entrance of a small [Bull] Creek.[11] I believe the bighorn
have their young at a very early season, say early in
March, for they appear now to be half grown. One of the
party saw a very large bear today but being some distance
from the river and no timber to conceal him he did not think
proper to fire on him.

Courses and distances of May 28th. 1805.

                           

South	1.	to a point on Stard. side.
S. 35°. W.	2.	to the point of a bluff on Stard. side.
S. 60°. W.	1.	to a point on the Stard. side.
N. 70°. W.	1.	to a point on the Lard. side
S. 65°. W.	2.	to a point on the Stard. side
N. 65°. W.	1.	to a solitary cottonwood tree on a Lard. point
West	1 1/2	to a do do do on a Stard. point
N. 82°. W.	1.	to a grove of cottonwood trees on a Lard. point
N. 76°. W.	2.	to a tree on a Lard. point.
S. 68°. W.	2	to a point on the Stard. side, just below the entrance of a large Creek, [Thompson's] here the hills recede from the river which also becomes much wider.
West	3 1/2	to the upper part of a timbered bottom in a bend on the Stard. side. passing two small Islnds. and the large creek mentioned in the last course
S. 20°. W.	2 1/2	to a bluff point in a bend on Lard. passing two small Islands.
N. 46°. W.	1.	to the upper part of the timber in a bottom on the Stard. side, at which place we encamped opposite to the entrance of a small Creek this creek we called Bull Creek
	21 1/2	Miles (last day add 1 1/2)