University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Saturday July 27th. 1805.—

We set out at an early hour and proceeded on but slowly
the current still so rapid that the men are in a continual state
of their utmost exertion to get on, and they begin to weaken
fast from this continual state of violent exertion. at the distance
of 1 3/4 miles the river was again closely hemned in by
high Clifts of a solid limestone rock which appear to have
tumbled or sunk in the same manner of those I discribed
yesterday. the limestone appears to be of an excellent quality
of deep blue colour when fractured and of a light led colour
where exposed to the weather. it appears to be of a very fine
gr[a] in the fracture like that of marble. we saw a great
number of the bighorn on those Clifts. at the distance of
3 3/4 Ms. further we arrived at 9. A.M. at the junction of the
S.E. fork of the Missouri and the country opens suddonly to
extensive and bea[u]tifull plains and meadows which appear

to be surrounded in every direction with distant and lofty
mountains; supposing this to be the three forks of the Missouri
I halted the party on the Lard. shore for breakfast. and
walked up the S.E. fork about 1/2 a mile and ascended the
point of a high limestone clift from whence I commanded a
most perfect view of the neighbouring country.[40] From this
point I could see the S.E. fork at about 7 miles. it is rapid
and about 70 Yards wide. throughout the distance I saw it,
it passes through a smoth extensive green meadow of fine grass
in it's course meandering in several streams, the largest of
which passes near the Lard. hills, of which, the one I stand on
is the extremity in this direction. a high wide and extensive
plain succeeds the meadow and extends back several miles
from the river on the Stard. side and with the range of mountains
up the Lard. side of the middle fork. a large spring
arrises in this meadow about 1/4 of a mile from the S.E. fork
into which it discharges itself on the Stard. side about 400 paces
above me. from E. to S. between the S.E. and middle forks
a distant range of lofty mountains ran their snow-clad tops
above the irregular and broken mountains which lie adjacent
to this beautifull spot. the extreme point to which I could
see the S.E. fork boar S. 65°. E. distant 7 M. as before observed.
between the middle and S.E. forks near their junction
with the S.W. fork there is a handsom site for a fortification.[41]
it consists of a limestone rock of an oblong form; it's sides
perpendicular and about 25 feet high except at the extremity
towards the middle fork where it ascends gradually and like
the top is covered with a fine terf of greenswoard. the top is
level and contains about 2 Acres. the rock [r]ises from the
level plain as if it had been designed for some such purpose.
the extreem point to which I can see the bottom and meandering
of the Middle fork bears S. 15.E. distant about 14 Miles.
here it turns to the right around a point of a high plain and
disappears to my view. it's bottoms are several miles in width
and like that of the S.E. fork form one smoth and beautifull
green meadow. it is also divided into several streams.
between this and the S.W. fork there is an extensive plain
which appears to extend up both those rivers many miles and
back to the mountains. the extreme point to which I can see
the S.W. fork bears S.30. W. distant about 12 Miles. this
stream passes through a similar country with the other two
and is more divided and serpentine in it's course than either
of the others; it a[l]so possesses abundan[t]ly more timber in
it's bottoms. the timber here consists of the narrowleafed
cottonwood almost entirely. but little box alder or sweet
willow the underbrush thick and as heretofore discribed in
the quarter of the missouri. a range of high mountains at a
considerable distance appear to reach from South to West and
are partially covered with snow the country to the right of
the S.W. fork like that to the left of the S.E. fork is high
broken and mountainous, as is that also down the missouri
behind us, through which, these three rivers after assembling
their united force at this point seem to have forced a passage.
these bottom lands tho' not more than 8 or 9 feet above the
water seem never to overflow. after making a draught of the
connection and meanders of these streams I decended the hill
and returned to the party, took breakfast and ascended the
S.W. fork 1 3/4 miles and encamped at a Lard. bend in a handsome
level smooth plain just below a bayou, having passed the
entrance of the middle fork at 1/2 a mile. here I encamped to
wait the return of Capt. Clark and to give the men a little rest
which seemed absolutely necessary to them. at the junction
of the S.W. and Middle forks I found a note which had been
left by Capt. Clark informing me of his intended rout, and that
he would rejoin me at this place provided he did not fall in
with any fresh sighn of Indians, in which case he intended to
pursue untill he overtook them calculating on my taking the
S.W. fork, which I most certainly prefer as it's direction is
much more promising than any other. beleiving this to be an
essential point in the geography of this western part of the
Continent I determined to remain at all events untill I obtained
the necessary data for fixing it's latitude Longitude &c. after
fixing my camp I had the canoes all unloaded and the baggage
stoed away and securely covered on shore, and then permitted
several men to hunt. I walked down to the middle fork and
examined and compared it with the S.W. fork but could not
satisfy myself which was the largest stream of the two, in fact
they appeared as if they had been cast in the same mould there
being no difference in character or size, therefore to call either
of these streams the Missouri would be giving it a preference
w[h]ich it's size dose not warrant as it is not larger then the
other. they are each 90 yds. wide. in these meadows I saw a
number of the duckanmalla[r]d[42] with their young which are
now nearly grown. Currants of every species as well as goos-berries
are found her[e] in great abundance and perfection. a
large black goosberry which grows to the hight of five or six
feet is also found here. this is the growth of the bottom lands
and is found also near the little rivulets which make down
from the hills and mountains it puts up many stems from the
same root, some of which, are partially branched and all reclining.
the berry is attatched seperately by a long peduncle to
the stem from which they hang pendant underneath. the
berry is of an ovate form smooth as large as the common
garden goosberry when arrived at maturity and is as black as
jet, tho' the pulp is of a c[r]imson colour. this fruit is extreemly
asced. the leaf resembles the common goosberry in
form but is reather larger and somewhat proportioned to the
superior size of it's stem when compared with the common
goosberry. the stem is covered with very sharp thorns or
bryers. below the t[h]ree forks as we passed this morning I
observed many collections of the mud nests of [the] small
martin attatched to the smooth face of the limestone rocks
sheltered by projections of the same rock above. Our hunters
returned this evening with 6 deer 3 Otter and a Musk-rat.
they informed me that they had seen great numbers of Antelopes,
and much sign of beaver otter deer Elk, &c. at 3 P.M.
Capt Clark arrived very sick with a high fever on him and
much fatiegued and exhausted. he informed me that he was
very sick all last night had a high fever and frequent chills &
constant aking pains in all his mustles. this morning notwithstanding
his indisposition he pursued his intended rout to
the middle fork about 8 miles and finding no recent sign of
Indians rested about an hour and came down the middle fork
to this place. Capt. C. thought himself somewhat bilious and
had not had a passage for several days; I prevailed on him to
take a doze of Rushes pills, which I have always found sovereign
in such cases and to bath his feet in warm water and
rest himself. Capt. C's indisposition was a further inducement
for my remaining here a couple of days; I therefore informed
the men of my intention, and they put their deer skins in the
water in order to prepare them for dressing tomorrow. we
begin to feel considerable anxiety with rispect to the Snake
Indians. if we do not find them or some other nation who
have horses I fear the successfull issue of our voyage will be
very doubtfull or at all events much more difficult in it's
accomplishment. we are now several hundred miles within
the bosom of this wild and mountanous country, where game
may rationally be expected shortly to become scarce and subsistence
precarious without any information with rispect to the
country not knowing how far these mountains continue, or
wher to direct our course to pass them to advantage or intersept
a navigable branch of the Columbia, or even were we on
such an one the probability is that we should not find any
timber within these mountains large enough for canoes if we
judge from the portion of them through which we have passed.
however I still hope for the best, and intend taking a tramp
myself in a few days to find these yellow gentlemen if possible.
my two principal consolations are that from our present position
it is impossible that the S.W. fork can head with the
waters of any other river but the Columbia, and that if any
Indians can subsist in the form of a nation in these mountains
with the means they have of acquiring food we can also subsist.
Capt. C. informed me that there is a part of this bottom
on the West side of the Middle fork, near the plain, which
appears to overflow occasionally and is stony.

Courses and distances of July 27th. 1805.

                 

N. 65°. W.	1/2	to the center of a Stard. bend passing an Island.
South	1 1/4	to a clift of high rocks on the Stard. here the river is again confined between high and perpendicular clifts of rock.
S. 2°. E.	2 1/2	to the center of a Lard. bend passing a small Island
S. 45. W.	1 1/4	to the upper point of a high clift of rocks in a Stard. opposite or a little below the entrance of the S.E. fork of the Missouri which we called Gallitin's river in honor of Albert Gallitin Secretary of the Treasury
S. 45°. W.	1/2	to the confluence of the middle and SW. forks of the Missouri each 90 yds. wide; the Middle fork we called Maddison's river in honor of James Maddison the Secretary of State. and the S.W. fork we called Jefferson's River in honor [of] that illustrious per[s]onage Thomas Jefferson President of the United States.
N. 45°. W.	1/4	to the entrance of a Bayou on Stard. side
S. 30°. W.	1/2	to a Stard. bend.
S. 20°. E.	1/4	to the center of a Lard. bend where we encamped on
Miles	7.	Lard. in Camp Island.