Monday May 27th. 1805.
The wind blew so hard this morning that we did not sent
[set] out untill 10 A.M. we employed the chord most of
the day; the river becomes more rappid and is intercepted by
shoals and a greater number of rocky points at the mouths of
the little gulies than we experienced yesterday. the bluffs are
very high steep rugged, containing considerable quantities of
stone and border the river closely on both sides; once perhaps
in the course of several miles there will be a few acres of tolerably
level land in which two or thre impoverished cottonwood
trees will be seen. great quantities of stone also lye in the
river and garnish it's borders, which appears to have tumbled
from the bluffs where the rains had washed away the sand and
clay in which they were imbeded. the bluffs are composed of
irregular tho' horizontal stratas of yellow and brown or black
clay, brown and yellowish white sand, of soft yellowish white
sandstone and a hard dark brown freestone, also of large round
kidney formed and irregular seperate masses of a hard black
Iron stone, which is imbeded in the Clay and sand. some
little pine spruce and dwarf cedar on the hills. some coal or
carbonated wood still makes it's appearance in these bluffs,
pumicestone and birnt hills it's concommutants also are seen.
the salts and quarts are seen but not in such abundance. the
country more broken and barren than yesterday if possible.
about midday it was very warm to this the high bluffs and
narrow channel of the river no doubt contributed greatly. we
passed a small untimbered Island this morning on the Lard.
side of the river just above our encampment of last evening.
saw a few small herds of the Bighorned anamals and two Elk
only, of the last we killed one. the river is generally about
200 Yds. wide, very rappid and has a perceptable fall or declination
through it's whole course.
This evening we encamped, for the benefit of wood, near two
dead toped cottonwood trees on the Lard. side; the dead limbs
which had fallen from these trees furnished us with a scanty supply
only, and more was not to be obtained in the neighbourhood.[8]
Courses and Distances May 27th 1805.
| West |
1. 3/4 |
Along the Lard. shore to a point on the Lard. side no
timber a bluff close on both sides. |
| S. 80°. W. |
3 1/4 |
to a bluff point on the Stard. side, in a Stard. bend |
| S. 50°. W. |
1. |
to a Lard. point. |
| S. 8°. W. |
1 1/2 |
to the point of a bluff Lard. in a Lard. bend; the river
making a considerable bend to the S. E. |
| S. 60°. W. |
1/2 |
to a point on the Lard. side. |
| S. 26°. W. |
1 1/2 |
to a single cottonwood tree on the Lard. point. |
| S. 55°. W. |
1. |
to a bluff point on the lard. side. |
| S. 45°. W. |
3 1/2 |
to a bluff on the Lard. side, passing a Lard. point at
1. M. & a Stard. point at 2 1/2 Mt we encamped on |
| Miles |
14 |
Lard. side 1 1/2 Mt on this course. |
Point of Observation No. 24.
On the Lard. shore one mile short of the extremity of the second
course of this day, observed Merdn.
Altd. of ☉s L. L. with Octant by the back Observat.a 57′ 27′.
Latitude deduced from this observation [blank space in MS.]
