[Clark:]
July 25th Thursday 1805
a fine morning we proceeded on a fiew miles to the three
forks of the Missouri those three forks are nearly of a Size,
the North fork appears to have the most water and must be
Considered as the one best calculated for us to assend Middle
fork is quit[e] as large about 90 yds. wide. The South fork is
about 70 yds wide & falls in about 400 yards below the midle
fork those forks appear to be verry rapid & contain some
timber in their bottoms which is verry extencive. on the
North Side the Indians have latterly Set the Praries on fire,
the Cause I can't account for. I saw one horse track going up
the river, about four or 5 days past. after Brackfast (which we
made on the ribs of a Buck killed yesterday), I wrote a note
informing Capt. Lewis the rout I intended to take, and proceeded
on up the main North fork thro' a Vallie, the day verry
hot, about 6 or 8 miles up the North fork a Small rapid river
falls in on the Lard Side which affords a great Deel of water
and appears to head in the Snow mountains to the SW. this
little river falls into the Missouri by three mouthes, haveing
Seperated after it arrives in the river Bottoms, and Contains
as also all the water courses in this quarter emence number of
Beaver & orter maney thousand enhabit the river & Creeks
near the 3 forks (Pholosipher's River)[36]
We Campd on the
Same Side we assended Starboard 20 miles on a direct line
up the N. fork. Shabono our Intrepreter nearly tired [out]
one of his ankles falling him. The bottoms are extencive and
tolerable land covered with tall grass & prickley pears. The
hills & mountains are high Steep & rockey. The river verry
much divided by Islands, Some Elk Bear & Deer and Some
small timber on the Islands. Great quantities of Currents red,
black, yellow, Purple, also Mountain Currents which grow on
the Sides of Clifts, inferior in taste to the others haveing Sweet
pineish flaver and are red & yellow, Choke Cheries, Boin
roche, and the red buries also abound. Musquetors verry
troublesom untill the Mountain breeze sprung up, which was
a little after night.
