University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Wednesday May 8th. 1805.

Set out at an early hour, under a gentle brieze from the
East. a black cloud which suddonly sprung up at S.E. soon
over shaddowed the horizon; at 8 A. M. it gave us a slight
sprink[l]e of rain, the wind became much stronger but not
so much so as to detain us. we nooned it just above the entrance
of a large river which disimbogues on the Lard. [Starbd]
side; I took the advantage of this leasure moment and
examined the river about 3 miles; I found it generally 150
yards wide, and in some places 200. it is deep, gentle in it's
courant and affords a large boddy of water; it's banks which
are formed of a dark rich loam and blue clay are abbrupt and
about 12 feet high. it's bed is principally mud. I have no
doubt but it is navigable for boats perogues and canoes, for
the latter probably a great distance. the bottoms of this
stream ar wide, level, fertile and possess a considerable proportion
of timber, principally Cottonwood. from the quantity
of water furnished by this river it must water a large extent
of country; perhaps this river also might furnish a practicable
and advantageous communication with the Saskashiwan river;
it is sufficiently large to justify a belief that it might reach to

that river if it's direction be such. the water of this river
possesses a peculiar whiteness, being about the colour of a cup
of tea with the admixture of a tablespoonfull of milk. from the
colour of it's water we called it Milk river.[2] we think it possible
that this may be the river called by the Minitares the
river which scoalds at all others or [blank space in MS.] (This
is Maria's river see aftd.) Capt Clark who walked this morning
on the Lard. shore ascended a very high point opposite to
the mouth of this river; he informed me that he had a perfect
view of this river and the country through which it passed for
a great distance probably 50 or 60 Miles,[3] that the country
was level and beautifull on both sides of the river, with large
herds of Buffaloe distributed throughout: that the river from
it's mouth bore N.W. for 12 or 15 Miles when it forked, the
one taking a direction nearly North, and the other to the West
of N. West. from the appearance of the Vallies and the timber
on each of these streams Capt. C. supposed that they were
about the same size. great appearance of beaver on this river,
and I have no doubt but what they continue abundant, there
being plenty of cottonwood and willow, the timber on which
they subsist. The country on the Lard. side of the river is
generally high broken hills, with much broken, grey black and
brown grannite scattered on the surface of the earth in a confused
manner. The wild Licquorice is found on the sides of
these hills, in great abundance. at a little distance from the
river there is no timber to be seen on either side; the bottom
lands are not more than one fifth covered with timber; the
timber as below is confined to the borders of the river. in
future it will be understood that there is no timber of any
discription on the upland unless particularly mentioned; and
also that one fifth of the bottom lands being covered with
timber is considered a large proportion. The white apple is
found in great abundance in this neighbourhood; it is confined
to the highlands principally. The whiteapple,[4] so called
by the French Engages, is a plant which rises to the hight of
6 or 9 Inhs. rarely exceeding a foot; it puts forth from one
to four and sometimes more stalks from the same root, but is
most generally found with one only, which is branched but
not defusely, is cylindric and villose; the leafstalks, cylindric,
villose and very long compared with the hight of the plant,
tho' gradually diminish in length as they ascend, and are irregular
in point of position; the leaf, digitate, from three to
five in number, oval 1 Inch long, absolutely entire and cottony:
the whole plant of a pale green, except the under disk
of the leaf which is of a white colour from the cottony substance
with which it is covered. the radix a tuberous bulb;
generally ova formed [oviform], sometimes longer and more
rarely partially divided or branc[h]ing; always attended with
one or more radicles at it's lower extremity which sink from
4 to 6 inches deep. the bulb covered with a rough black,
tough, thin rind which easily seperates from the bulb which
is a fine white substance, somewhat porus, spungy and moist,
and reather tough before it is dressed; the center of the bulb
is penitrated with a small tough string or liga-ment, which
passing from the bottom of the stem terminates in the extremity
of the radicle, which last is also covered by a prolongation
of the rind which invellopes the bulb: The bulb is
usually found at the debth of 4 inches and frequently much
deeper. This root forms a considerable article of food with
the Indians of the Missouri, who for this purpose prepare
them in several ways. they are esteemed good at all seasons
of the year, but are best from the middle of July to the latter
end of Autumn when they are sought and gathered by the
provident part of the natives for their winter store. when
collected they are striped of their rhind and strung on small
throngs or chords and exposed to the sun or plased in the
smoke of their fires to dry; when well dryed they will keep
for several years, provided they are not permitted to become
moist or damp; in this situation they usually pound them
between two stones placed on a piece of parchment, untill they
reduce it to a fine powder, thus prepared they thicken their
soope with it; sometimes they also boil these dryed roots with
their meat without breaking them; when green they are generally
boiled with their meat, sometimes mashing them or otherwise
as they think proper. they also prepare an agrèeable
dish with them by boiling and mashing them and adding the
marrow grease of the buffaloe and some buries, untill the whole
be of the consistency of a haisty pudding. they also eat this
root roasted and frequently make hearty meals of it raw without
sustaining any inconvenience or injury therefrom. The
White or brown bear feed very much on this root, which their
tallons assist them to procure very readily. the white apple
appears to me to be a tastless insippid food of itself, tho' I
have no doubt but it is a very healthy and moderately nutricious
food. I have no doubt but our epicures would admire
this root very much, it would serve them in their ragouts and
gravies in stead of the truffles morella.

We saw a great number of buffaloe, Elk, common and Black
taled deer, goats beaver and wolves. Capt C. killed a beaver
and a wolf, the party killed 3 beaver and a deer. we can
send out at any time and obtain whatever species of meat the
country affords in as large quantity as we wish. we saw where
an Indian had recently grained, or taken the hair off of a
goatskin; we do not wish to see those gentlemen just now as
we presume they would most probably be the Assinniboins
and might be troublesome to us. Capt C. could not be certain
but thought he saw the smoke and some Indian lodges at a
considrable distance up Milk river.

Courses and distances of May 8th. 1805.

                         

S. 88°. W.	to a point of timbered land on the Stard. side opposite to a bluff of black earth	1. 1/2
N. 60°. W.	on the Stard. side.	1/4
North.	to some high timber on the Lard. side	2.
East.	to the extremity of a sandbar from a Lard. point; passed a gulf on Stard.	1. 1/4
N. 70°. W.	to a point of timber Lard. side	2.
S. 65°. W.	to a point of timber on the Stard. side	2.
S. 55°. W.	to a point on the Stard. side	2. 1/4
S. 85°. W.	to a point of timbered land on the Lard. side, passing a projecting point in a bend on Stard. side at 3 1/2 miles	5. 3/4
S. 74°. W.	to a point of woodland on the Stard. side, passing a large river on the Stard side at 1/2 a mile we call this Milk river.	4.
N. 5°. W.	to a sand point on the Lard. side	2. 1/2
N. 70°. W.	to some high timber on the Lard. side opposite to a low bluff on Stard.	1. 1/2
S. 18°. W.	to a point of high timber on the Stard. side opposite to a bluff on the Lard. side, short of which one mile, we encamped on the Lard. side	3.
	Miles.	28