June 16, 1804
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

June 16, 1804

 

16th June Satterday    Set out at 7 oClock    Proceed on N. 68° W. 2½ ms. passed a Isd. close on the S. S. at the lower point    Drewer & Willard had camped & had with them 2 bear & 2 Deer    we took in the meat & proceeded on. Some rain this morning    West 2 Ms. pass an Isd on S. S. & prarie, to a Belge of Snag Isd. [1] L. S.    a butifull extensive Prarie on S. S. Hills to about 9 ms. distant. Mr. Mackey has Laid down the rems. [remains] of an old fort in this Prarie, which I cannot find [2]    S 85° W. 1 me. along the Isd. L. S.—    S 61° W alg L. S. 1 me.    S 30° W, 3, ms. to pt. S. S. opsd. an Isd. & head of the last    S 40° W 1 me. S. S. Passed a verry bad place where the Sand was moving constantly, I walked on Shore obsd. fine high Bottom land on S. S.    Camped late this evening. [3]

 

Set out at 7 oClock    at about a mile ½ we Came to the Camp of our hunters, they had two Bear & two Deer    proceeded on pass a Island on the S. S.    a heavy rain came on & lasted a Short time, we came to on the S. S. in a Prarie at the place where Mr. Mackey lay down a old french fort, I could See no traces of a Settlement of any Kind, in this plain I discovered a Kind of Grass resembling Timothey [4] which appeared well calculated for Hay, this Plain is verry extensive    in the evening I walked on the S. S. to see if any timber was Convt. to make Oars, which we were much in want of, I found Som indifferent timber and Struck the river above the Boat at a bad Sand bar the worst I had Seen which the boat must pass or Drop back Several Miles & Stem a Swift Current on the opsd Side of an Isd.    the Boat however assended the middle of the Streem which was diffucult Dangerious    We Came to above this place at Dark and Camped in a bad place, the misquitoes and Ticks are noumerous & bad. [5]

Course & Destance June 16th
N. 68° W.   2 ½ Ms. to a pt. L. S.    pass Isd. S. S.
West.   2 ms. to a blg. in Snag Isd. L. S.
S. 85 W.   1 Me. on L. S. a bad Sand mid.
S. 61 W.   1 me. on L. S.    do    do
S. 30 W.   2 ½ Ms. to a pt. S. S.    passed upr. Sd.
Isd. and 2 Sm. Isds.
S. 40 W   1 me. alg S. S. an Isd. mdl. & bad ps.
  10  
 

Saturday June 16th 1804.    we Set out Eairly.    we passed some handsome praries on the North Side of the River.    the Current is verry Strong all this day, So that we were obledged to waid & Toe the boat over sand bars, &.C—    we encamped on the North Side of the River, Jest above a verry bad Sand bar

 

Saurday June 16th    wes Set out 〈of〉 at 8 oclock    day Clouday with rain    nothing Remarkeble to Day    water verry Srong    past one place whare the water Roles over the Sand with grait fall and verry Dangeris for Boats to pass    past Severall Isld.    maid 10 miles    ouer hunters Did not Return Last night    encamped on the N Side of the River    the Land is Good hear and well timberd

 

Saturday 16th.    Three men went out this morning to look for timber to make oars, but could find none suitable. On their return we continued our voyage; had cloudy weather and rapid water all day and encamped on the north side.

 

Saturdy 16th    Got on our way at the little town Zoe peraraie    this perara is Extencive    from the Banks of the River Runs a Vast number of miles from the River back    the Wind Rose    we Saild 10 Miles    Got in Strong water In the Evening    towed the boat by cutting the timber off the Banks    Got On Successfully    Campd. at the Riffel Island [6] whare the water Rolld. Over in QuickSand

Saturday June 16th    We left the little Indian town called the Zoe, early this morning; this Town is situated on a Priari of the same Name, This Priari is very large it running from the banks of the River many miles, back, The wind rose from the South East; and we setall our Sails, we found the current running very Strong    towards the evening, the wind lull'd & died away.    we then Towed the boat, and had much difficulty, being forced to cut the Timber down on the banks of the River to pass along it.—

We proceeded on towing our Boat 'till the evening with success, when we encamp'd at an Iland called the Riffel Island, were we saw the water rolling over the Quick sands in the River very violently    We sail'd & towed 10 Miles this day,

1. Perhaps later Wakenda, or Cranberry, Island. MRC map 11. (back)
2. Sieur Etienne Véniard de Bourgmont established Fort Orleans in 1723. The site was in Carroll County, Missouri, above the mouth of the Grand River and nearly opposite the Little Osage village on the opposite side of the Missouri. See entry for June 8. Mackay's map (Atlas map 5) shows a "vieux fort" some miles above the mouth of the Grand; Clark might have been using the map or Mackay's journal. Coues (HLC), 1:23–24 n. 51; Osgood (FN), 57–58 n. 2; Missouri Guide, 372; Chapman (OOIT), 279 (fig. 2); Bray (ETG); MRC map 11. (back)
3. In Carroll County, near the present town of Waverly on the opposite shore and the crossing of U.S. Highway 65. MRC map 12. (back)
4. Phleum pratense L., timothy, a native of Europe, was introduced as a hay crop about 1720 and is now widely naturalized, but it is not likely that this was the species seen by Lewis and Clark. It was probably reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea L., which is superficially similar to timothy and has the appropriate ecological habitat of moist floodplains. On August 17 Clark mentioned "a kind of Timothey, the Seed of which branches from the main Stalk & is more like a flax Seed than that of a Timothey." There are relatively few native grasses that have the flower structure of timothy, and the branching pattern noted here supports the tentative identification of reed canarygrass. Steyermark, 153, 188, 190; Weaver, 57–58. (back)
5. The mosquitoes are Aedes vexans, and the ticks are either Dermacentor variabilis, American dog tick, or Amblyomma americanum, lone star tick. (back)
6. The other journalists say they camped on the north side of the river, in Carroll County, Missouri, and no one mentions Riffel Island. Whitehouse may be referring to the later Thomas Island. (back)