University of Virginia Library

[Clark:]

August 23rd.. Friday 1805.

We Set out early proceed on with great dificuelty as the
rocks were So sharp large and unsettled and the hill sides
Steep that the horses could with the greatest risque and dificulty
get on, no provisions as the 5 Sammon given us yesterday
by the Indians were eaten last night, one goose killed
this morning; at 4 miles we came to a place the horses Could
not pass without going into the river, we passed one mile to
a verry bad riffle the water confined in a narrow Channel &
beeting against the left Shore, as we have no parth further
and the Mounts. jut So close as to prevent the possibility of
horses proceeding down, I Deturmined to delay the party
here and with my guide and three men proceed on down to
examine if the river continued bad or was practi[c]able, I
set out with three men directing those left to hunt and fish
until my return. I proceeded on. Sometimes in a Small
wolf parth & at other times Climing over the rocks for 12
miles to a large Creek on the right Side above the mouth of
this Creek for a Short distance is a narrow bottom & the first,
below the place I left my party. a road passes down this
Creek which I understood passed to the water of a River which
run to the North & was the ground of another nation, Some
fresh Sign about this Creek of horse[s] and Camps. I delayd.
2 hours to fish, Cought Some Small fish on which we dined.
The River from the place I left my party to this Creek is
almost one continued rapid, five verry considerable rapids the
passage of either with Canoes is entirely impossible, as the
water is Confined between huge Rocks & the Current beeting
from one against another for Some distance below &c. &c. at

one of those rapids the mountains close so Clost as to prevent
a possibility of a portage with [out] great labour in cutting
down the Side of the hill removeing large rocks &c. &c. all
the others may be passed by takeing every thing over slipery
rocks, and the Smaller ones Passed by letting down the Canoes
empty with Cords, as running them would certainly be productive
of the loss of Some Canoes, those dificulties and
necessary precautions would delay us an emence time in which
provisions would be necessary. (we have but little and nothing
to be procured in this quarter except Choke Cheres & red
haws not an animal of any kind to be Seen and only the
track of a Bear) below this Creek the lofty Pine is thick in
the bottom hill Sides on the mountains & up the runs. The
river has much the resemblance of that above bends Shorter
and no passing after a few miles between the river & the
mountains & the Current so Strong that [it] is dangerous
crossing the river, and to proceed down it would rend. it necessary
to Cross almost at every bend this river is about 100
yards wide and can be forded but in a few places. below my
guide and maney other Indians tell me that the Mountains
Close and is a perpendicular Clift on each Side, and Continues
for a great distance and that the water runs with great violence
from one rock to the other on each Side foaming & roreing
thro rocks in every direction, So as to render the passage of
any thing impossible. those rapids which I had Seen he said
was Small & trifleing in comparrison to the rocks & rapids
below, at no great distance & The Hills or mountains were
not like those I had Seen but like the Side of a tree Streight
up. Those Mountains which I had passed were Steep Contain
a white, a brown, & low down a Grey hard stone which
would make fire, those Stone were of different Sizes all Sharp
and are continuly Slipping down, and in maney places one bed
of those Stones inclined from the river bottom to the top
of the mountains. The Torrents of water which come down
after a rain carries with it emence numbers of those Stone[s]
into the river[13] about ½ a mile below the last mentioned
Creek another Creek falls in, my guide informed me that our
rout was up this Creek by which rout we would Save a considerable
bend of the river to the South. we proceeded on a
well beeten Indian parth up this creak (Berry Creek) about
6 miles and passed over a ridge 1 mile to the river in a Small
vally through which we passed and assended a Spur of the
Mountain from which place my guide Shew[ed] me the river
for about 20 miles lower & pointed out the dificulties[14] we
returned to the last creek & camped about one hour after
dark.

(There my guide Shewed me a road from the N Which came
into the one I was in which he Said went to a large river which
run to the north on which was a nation he called Tushapaws,[15] —
he made a map of it.)