University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Sunday May 26th. 1805.

Set out at an early hour and proceeded principally by the
toe line, using the oars mearly to pass the river in order to
take advantage of the shores. scarcely any bottoms to the
river; the hills high and juting in on both sides, to the river
in many places. the stone tumbleing from these clifts and
brought down by the rivulets as mentioned yesterday became
more troublesome today. the black rock has given place to
a very soft sandstone which appears to be washed away fast by
the river, above this and towards the summits of the hills a hard
freestone of a brownish yellow colour shews itself in several
stratas of unequal thicknesses frequently overlain or incrusted
by a very thin strata of limestone which appears to be formed
of concreted shells. Capt. Clark walked on shore this morning
and ascended to the summit of the river hills he informed
me on his return that he had seen mountains on both sides of
the river runing nearly parrallel with it and at no great distance;
also an irregular range of mountains on Lard. about 50
Mls. distant; the extremities of which boar W. and N.W. from
his station. he also saw in the course of his walk, some Elk
several herds of the Big horn, and the large hare; the latter
is common to every part of this open country. scarcely any
timber to be seen except the few scattering pine and spruce
which crown the high hills, or in some instances grow along
their sides. In the after part of the day I also walked out and

ascended the river hills which I found sufficiently fortiegueing.
on arriving to the summit [of] one of the highest points in the
neighbourhood I thought myself well repaid for my labour;
as from this point I beheld the Rocky Mountains for the first
time, I could only discover a few of the most elivated points
above the horizon, the most remarkable of which by my pocket
compass I found bore N. 65.o W. being a little to the N. of the
N.W. extremity of the range of broken mountains seen this
morning by Capt. C. these points of the Rocky Mountains
were covered with snow and the sun shone on it in such manner
as to give me the most plain and satisfactory view. while
I viewed these mountains I felt a secret pleasure in finding myself
so near the head of the heretofore conceived boundless
Missouri; but when I reflected on the difficulties which this
snowey barrier would most probably throw in my way to the
Pacific, and the sufferings and hardships of myself and party in
thim, it in some measure counterballanced the joy I had felt
in the first moments in which I gazed on them; but as I have
always held it a crime to anticipate evils I will believe it a good
comfortable road untill I am compelled to believe differently
saw a few Elk & bighorns at a distance on my return to the
river I passed a creek about 20 yds. wide near it's entrance it
had a handsome little stream of runing water; in this creek I
saw several softshelled Turtles which were the first that have
been seen this season; this I believe proceeded reather from
the season than from their non existence in the portion of the
river from the Mandans hither. on the Stard. shore I killed a
fat buffaloe which was very acceptable to us at this moment;
the party came up to me late in the evening and encamped for
the night on the Lard. side; it was after Dark before we finished
butchering the buffaloe, and on my return to camp I trod
within [a] few inches of a rattle snake but being in motion I
passed before he could probably put himself in a striking attitude
and fortunately escaped his bite, I struck about with my
espontoon being directed in some measure by his nois untill I
killed him. Our hunters had killed two of the Bighorned
Anamals since I had left them. we also passed another creek
a few miles from Turtle Creek on the Stard. 30 Yds. in width
which also had runing water bed rockey. (we called it Windsor
Cr.) late this evening we passed a very bad rappid which
reached quite across the river, (water deep channel narrow gravel
&c on each side); the party had considerable difficulty in ascending
it altho' they doubled their crews and used both the rope
and the pole. while they were passing this rappid a female
Elk and it's fawn swam down through the waves which ran
very high, hence the name of Elk rappids which they instantly
gave this place, these are the most considerable rappids which
we have yet seen on the missouri and in short the only place
where there has appeared to be a suddon decent.[6] opposite to
these rappids there is a high bluff and a little above on Lard. a
small cottonwood bottom in which we found sufficient timber
for our fires and encampment. here I rejoined the party after
dark. The appearances of coal in the face of the bluffs, also
of birnt hills, pumice stone salts and quarts continue as yesterday.
This is truly a desert barren country and I feel myself
still more convinced of it's being a continuation of the black
hills. we have continued every day to pass more or less old
stick lodges[7] of the Indians in the timbered points, there are
two even in this little bottom where we lye.

Courses and distances of May 26th. 1805.

                                           

S. 45°. W.	1.	to the point of a plain on the Stard. side opposite to a bluff on Lard. side.
N. 70°. W.	1/4	Along the Stard. point opposite to a bluff.
N. 45°. W.	1/4	Along the Stard. point opposite to a bluff.
N. 10°. W.	1/4	Along the Std. do do do do
N. 70°. E.	1/4	Along the Stard. point opposite to a high hill
N. 35°. E.	2	to a few trees on a Lard. point.
N. 10°. W.	3/4	to a point in a bend on Stard. side.
N. 75°. W.	1/2	to a point of timber on the Stard. side.
N. 66°. W.	1.	to a point of timber on the Lard. side.
N. 18°. W.	1.	to a gravley point on the Stard. side
N. 12°. E.	1.	to the entrance of a creek [Windsor's] 30 Yds. wide on Stard. side
West	3/4.	to some trees on a Lard. point.
S. 80. W.	1 1/2	to the upper point of some timber in a bend on Lard. side.
N. 80. W.	1/2	to an open point on the Lard. side.
West	2.	to the entrance of a creek [Turtle] in a Stard. bend, no timber on either side of the river, pine scattered on the hills.
S. 24. W.	2	to a Clift in abend on Lard. side
West	2.	to a point on the Lard. side; no timber
S. 60°. W.	1/2	to a bluff point Lard. opposite to the upper point of a small sand Island.
S. 45°. W.	4.	to the point of a small plain Lard. side, passing high bluffs on either hand.
S. 70° W.	1.	to the point of a high bluff in a Lard. bend, at which place is a very considerable riffle which we call the Elk rappids.
N. 80°. W.	1/4.	to the upper point of a small grove of timber on Lard. side where we encamped for the night.
M.ls	22 3/4