University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

July 16th. Tuesday 1805

a fair morning after a verry cold night, heavy dew, dispatched
one man back for an ax left a fiew miles below, and
Set out early Killed a Buffalow on which we Brackfast
Capt Lewis & 3 men went on to the mountain to take a
meridian altitude, passed about 40 Small Camps, which appeared
to be abandoned about 10 or 12 days, Suppose they
were Snake Indians, a fiew miles above I Saw the poles
Standing in their position of a verry large lodge of 60 feet
Diameter, & the appearance of a number of Leather Lodges
about, this Sign was old & appeared to have been last fall


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great number of buffalow the river is not So wide as below
from 100 to 150 yards wide & Deep Crouded with Islands &
Crooked Some scattering timber on its edge Such as Cotton
wood Cotton willow, willow and box elder, the S[h]rubs are
arrow wo[o]d red wood, Choke cherry, red berries, Goose
beries, Sarvis buries, red & yellow Currents a Sp[e]cie of
Shomake &c.

I camped on the head of a Small Island near the Stard. Shore
at the Rockey Mountains this Range of mountains appears
to run NW & SE and is about 800 feet higher than the
Water in the river faced with a hard black rock the current
of the River from the Medison river to the Mountain is gentle,
bottoms low and extensive, and its General Course is S. 10°. W.
about 30 miles on a direct line

Course Distances &c. from White bear Island Camp to the mountains.

July 13th. 14th. 15th. & 16. 1805

                     
miles 
S 10°. E  1 1/2  to a point of low trees on the Lard. Side passed a
Willow Island L.S.
 
S 36°. E  to a point of wood on the Stard Side 
South  to a Clift of rocks in a bend on the L.S. 
SW  1 1/2  to Some trees in a bend passed a timbered Island on
the Std. Side
 
South  1 1/4  to a point of low wood Std. Side 
S. 24°. W  to a bunch of bushes on the L.S. 
West  to a grove of trees in a bend L.S. 
N. 26°. W.  to a point of wood on the L.S. 
North  allong the Lard point 
12 1/4 

14

             

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N. 20°. W  1 1/2  to a Creek on the Lard. Side 
S. W.  3/4  to the lower point of an Island. S.S. 
S. 10°. E  1 1/2  opposit the Island on the L.S. 
S. 16°. W.  3/4  to a point above the Island L. Side. 
South  1 1/2  to point of low timber on the Stard. Side a Bluff &
rocks on L.S.
 
West  1/2  to a tree in a bend on the L. Side 
North  1/2  to a point of wood on the L. Side 
N. 12°. W.  to a point on the Lard Side 
West  1 1/2  to a point on the Stard. Side 
N. 16°. W  1/2  to a point of wood on the L. Side 
N. 60°. W.  1/2  along Said point, passing a large Sand bar L.S. 
S. 54°. W.  1/2  to a point of wood Stard Side at which place I built
2 Canoes.
 
23 1/4 

15

                                 
SW  1/4  to the upper part of a wood St Side 
S. 60°. E  3/4  to a bend on the Lard. Side 
S. 20°. W.  1/2  on the Lard. Side in the bend 
N. 70°. W.  1 1/2  to a point on the Stard. Side passed an Island 
South  3/4  to the Lard. Bend 
S. 30°. W.  2 1/4  to a bend on the Stard. Side opsd. an Isld. passed a
Stard. & Lard point
 
West  1 1/2  to the lower point of a wood at the mouth of Smiths
river in the Lard bend 80 yards wide
 
N. 45°. W  1 3/4  to the Stard bend 
South  to the head of an Island in the Lard bend passing
over the Lard point
 
N. 45°. W  1 1/4  to the Stard. bend 
West  1/2  in the Stard. bend 
South  3/4  in the Stard. bend 
S 45°. E  3/4  in the Stard. bend 
East  in the Stard bend passd an Isld. L.S. 
SE  3/4  on the Lard Side 
West  2 1/2  to a wood in the Std bend 
43 

16th.

                   
S 30°. E  1 1/2  to trees on the Lard bend 
West  1 1/2  to the Stard. bend passing over a Sd. pt. 
S. 10° E  3/4  to the mouth of a run Lard bend 
SW  1 1/2  to a bend on the Stard. Side 
S. 15°. E  1/2  to a bend on the Lard. Side. 
SW.  to the mouth of a run on Std. Side 
SE.  to a bend Lard Side (opsd. a big Lodge) 
South  on the Lard Side in a bend opposit an Island 
S. 70° W  in the Lard bend 
53 3/4 

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S. 30° W  in the bend to the Lard Side 
South  3/4  in the bend to the Lard. Side 
N. 30°. W  1 1/4  to a bend on the Stard Side passed a Small Island 
South  to the Lower point of a timber on the Stard Side
passed 6 Islands
 
S. 60°. E.  1/2  to the bend on the Lard Side 
S 50° W  1 1/2  to the upper point of an Island 
S 18°. E  to the lower point of an Island 
SW  to a Bayou on the S.S. passed an Isld
South  1/4  to the Lard bend enca[m]ped on the upper point of
the island
 

17th.

         
West  1 1/2  to a Spur of the rocky Mountain in a bend to the
Stard. Side
 
S. 10° E  1 1/4  to a Spur of the d°. on the L. Side 
S. 60° W.  to a Small Island in the bend to the Stard Side 
South  1/4  to a pine tree on the lower point of an Island above a
rapid, at the mountains. high rocks on each side
 
miles  71