University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Thursday May 23rd. 1805.

SET out early this morning, the frost was severe last night,
the ice appeared along the edge of the water, water also
freized on the oars. at the distance of one mile passed
the entrance of a creek 15 yds. wide on Stard. side, this we called
Teapot Creek, it affords no water at it's mouth but has runing
water at some small distance above, this I beleive to be the
case with many of those creeks which we have passed since
we entered this hilley country, the water is absorbed by the
earth near the river and of course appear dry; they afford
but little water at any rate, and that is so strongly impregnated
with these salts that it is unfit for uce; all the wild anamals
appear fond of this water; I have tryed it by way of experiment
& find it moderately pergative, but painfull to the intestens
in it's opperation. this creek runs directly towards some
low mountains which lye N.W. of it and appear to be about
30 Mls. distant, perhaps it heads in them. This range of
mountains appear to be about 70 Miles long runing from
E. to W. having their Eastern extremity about 30 Mls. distant
in a northwardly direction from (Tea)pot Island.[1] Also
passed two small creeks on Lard. and two others on Stard. all
inconsiderable and dry at their entrances. just above the
entrance of Teapot Creek on the stard. there is a large assemblage
of the burrows of the Burrowing Squirrel they generally
seelect a south or a south Easterly exposure for their
residence, and never visit the brooks or river for water; I

am astonished how this anamal exists as it dose without water,
particularly in a country like this where there is scarcely any
rain during 3/4 of the year and more rarely any due [dew];
yet we have sometimes found their villages at the distance
of five or six miles from any water, and they are never found
out of the limits of the ground which their burrows occupy;
in the Autumn when the hard frosts commence they close
their burrows and do not venture out again untill spring,
indeed some of them appear to be yet in winter quarters.
passed 3 Islands the two first covered with tall cottonwood
timber and the last with willows only. river more rappid, &
the country much the same as yesterday. some spruce pine
of small size appears among the pitch pine, and reather more
rock than usual on the face of the hills. The musquetoes
troublesome this evening, a circumstance I did not expect
from the temperature of the morning. The Gees begin to
lose the feathers of their wings and are unable to fly. Capt
Clark walked on shore and killed 4 deer and an Elk. We
killed a large fat brown bear which took the water after being
wounded and was carried under some driftwood where he sunk
and we were unable to get him. Saw but few buffaloe today
but a great number of Elk, deer, some antelopes and 5 bear.
The wild rose (copy for Dr Barton) which is now in blume are
very abundant, they appear to differ but little from those
common to the Atlantic States, the leaves of the bushes and
the bush itself appear to be of somewhat smaller size.[2]

Courses and distances of May 23rd. 1805.

                                       

N. 55°. W.	To the entrance of a large creek at a bend, on the Stard. side, called Teapot Creek	1.
S. 70°. W.	To a point of woodland on the Lard. side opst. bluff	1 1/4
S. 50°. W.	To a point of woodland on Stard. side	1 1/4
S. 55°. W.	Along the stard. side opposite to a hill on which there is some pine	1 1/2
West.	To a tree in a bend on Stard. above a bluff	2.
S. 45°. W.	To the upper point of an Island in a bend on lard. side, opposite to the center of this Isld. a small Creek falls in on the Stard. side.	2
S. 75°. W.	to the main Stard. point, opposite to a bluff Lard., just above which a small creek falls in	1/2
S. 85°. W.	to the lower point of a timbered bottom, lying along a bluff in a bend on Stard. side	3
S. 10°. W.	to the upper point of the timber in a bend on the Lard. opposite to a bluff	1 1/2
N. 88°. W.	To a point of woodland Stard. opposite to a bluff, above which a creek falls in on Lard.	2.
N. 15°. W.	to a point of woodland Lard. opposite to a bluff.	1 1/4
West.	Along the Lard. point	1/4
S. 60°. W.	to a point of timbered land on Stard. side	1.
N. 65°, W.	to a point of timbered land passing a small Island in a deep bend to the N. a bluff on Stard.	2.
S. 65°. W.	to a point of woodland Stard. opposite to a bluff.	2.
N. 75°. W.	to the upper point of a bluff in a bend on Lard.	1/4
N. 30°. E.	to the upper point of a small Island in a deep bend to the North E.	1 1/2
N. 40°. W.	Along the Lard. shore to the point on Lard.	1 1/2
S. 45°. W.	to a point of wood in a bend on Lard. under a hill, opposite to which we encamped on the Stard. side	1 1/4
	Miles	27.[3]