University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Friday July 19th. 1805.

The Musquetoes are very troublesome to us as usual. this
morning we set out early and proceeded on very well tho' the
water appears to encrease in volocity as we advance. the current
has been strong all day and obstructed with some rapids,
tho' these are but little broken by rocks and are perfectly
safe. the river deep and from 100 to 150 yds. wide. I walked

along shore today and killed an Antelope. wh[en]ever we
get a view of the lofty summits of the mountains the snow
presents itself, altho' we are almost suffocated in this confined
vally with heat. the pine cedar and balsum fir grow on the
mountains in irregular assemb[l]ages or spots mostly high up
on their sides and summits. this evening we entered much
the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. these clifts
rise from the waters edge on either side perpendicularly to the
hight of (about) 1200 feet. every object here wears a dark and
gloomy aspect. the tow[er]ing and projecting rocks in many
places seem ready to tumble on us. the river appears to have
forced it's way through this immence body of solid rock for
the distance of 5 3/4 Miles and where it makes it's exit below
has th[r]own on either side vast collumns of rocks mountains
high. the river appears to have woarn a passage just the width
of it's channel or 150 yds. it is deep from side to side nor is
ther in the 1st. 3 Miles of this distance a spot except one of a
few yards in extent on which a man could rest the soal of his
foot. several fine springs burst out at the waters edge from
the interstices of the rocks. it happens fortunately that altho'
the current is strong it is not so much so but what it may be
overcome with the oars for there is hear no possibility of using
either the cord or Setting pole. it was late in the evening
before I entered this place and was obliged to continue my
rout untill sometime after dark before I found a place sufficiently
large to encamp my small party; at length such an one
occurred on the lard. side where we found plenty of lightwood
and pi[t]ch pine. this rock is a black grannite below and
appears to be of a much lighter colour above and from the
fragments I take it to be flint of a yellowish brown and light
creemcoloured yellow. from the singular appearance of this
place I called it the gates of the rocky mounatains.[12] the mountains
higher today than yesterday, saw some Bighorns and a
few Antelopes also beaver and Otter; the latter are now very
plenty one of the men killed one of them today with a setting
pole. musquetoes less troublesome than usual. we had a
thundershower today about 1 P.M. which continued about an
hour and was attended with some hail. we have seen no
buffaloe since we entered the mounts this morning early Capt.
Clark pursued his rout, saw early in the day the remains of
several Indians camps formed of willow brush which appeared
to have been inhabited some time this spring. saw where the
natives had pealed the bark off the pine trees about the same
season. this the indian woman with us informs that they do
to obtain the sap and soft part of the wood and bark for food.
at 11. A.M. Capt. C. feell in with a gang of Elk of which he
killed 2. and not being able to obtain as much wood as would
make a fire substituded the dung of the buffaloe[13] and cooked
a part of their meat on which they breakfasted and again pursued
their rout, which lay along an old indian road. this
evening they passed a hansome valley watered by a large creek
which extends itself with it's valley into the mountain to a
considerable distance. the latter part of the evening their rout
lay over a hilly and mountanous country covered with the sharp
fragments of flint which cut and bruised their feet excessively;
nor wer the prickly pear of the leveler part of the rout much
less painfull; they have now become so abundant in the open
uplands that it is impossible to avoid them and their thorns
are so keen and stif that they pearce a double thickness of
dressed deers skin with ease. Capt. C. informed me that he
extracted 17 of these bryers from his feet this evening after he
encamped by the light of the fire. I have guarded or reather
fortifyed my feet against them by soaling my mockersons with
the hide of the buffaloe in parchment [i.e., hard-dried]. he
encamped on the river much fortiegud having passed two
mountains in the course of the day and travelled about 30
Miles.

Courses and distances of the 19th. July 1805.

                           

South	1/4	to a pine tree on the Stard. side in a bend
S. 85. E.	2.	to the center of a Lard. bend
S. 38. W.	1.	to a pine in the Stard. bend
South	1 1/2	to the center of a Stard. bend
N. 10°. W.	2 1/2	to the center of a Lard. bend
S. 30°. E.	1 1/4	to the center of a Stard. bend
S. 25° E.	4 1/2	to the center of a Lard. bend
S. 28°. W.	1.	to the center of a Stard. bend passing 2 small islands near the commencement of this course
S. 60° E.	1 1/4	to the center of a Stard. bend
N. 70° E.	1 1/2	to the entrance of a small creek in a Lard. bend, passing an island near the Stard. side.
S. 25° E.	1 1/2	to a point of rocks in a bend on the Stard. side; those rocks put in close to the river on both sides, are perpendicular and about 1200 feet high, this place has so singular an appearance that I call it the gates of the rocky mountains. the water appears to have forced it's way through this immence body of solid rock, and thrown on either side below collumns of rock mountains high.
S. 55. E	1/4	to the center of a bend in the gates.
S. 10. W.	3 1/2	to a bend on Lard. side passing a small island in the
Miles	22.	middle of the river at 1 1/2 miles. a little short of the extremity of this course we encamped on the Lard. side.