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Shortly after dark last evening a violent storm came on from N. W. attended with rain hail Thunder and lightning which continued the greater part of the night. no having the means of making a shelter I lay in the water all night. the rain continued with but little intermission all day. I intend halting as soon as the weather proves fair in order to dry our baggage which much wants it. I placed the two Fieldses and Colter and Collins in the two smallest canoes 〈on〉 with orderes to hunt, and kill meat for the party and obtain as many Elkskins as are necessary to cover our canoes and furnish us with shelters from the rain. we set out early and the currant being strong we proceeded with great rapidity. at 11 A. M. we passed that very interesting part of the Missouri where the natural walls appear, particularly discribed in my outward bound journey. [1] we continued our rout untill late in the evening and encamped on the N. E. side of the river at the same place we had encamped on the 29th of May 1805. [2] on our way today we killed 9 bighorns of which I preserved the skins and skeletons of 2 females and one male; the flesh of this animal is extreemly delicate tender and well flavored, they are now in fine order. their flesh both in colour and flavor much resembles mutton though it is not so strong as our mutton. the eye is large and prominant, the puple of a pale sea green and iris of a light yellowish brown colour. these animals abound in this quarter keeping themselves principally confined to the steep clifts and bluffs of the river. we saw immence hirds of buffaloe in the high plains today on either hand of the river. saw but few Elk. the brown Curloo has left the plains I presume it has raised it's young and retired to some other climate and country. as I have been very particular in my discription of the country as I ascended this river I presume it is unnecessesary here to add any-thing further on that subject. the river is now nearly as high as it has been this season and is so thick with mud and sand that it is with difficulty I can drink it. every little rivulet now discharges a torrant of water bringing down immece boddies of mud sand and filth from the plains and broken bluffs.—
| N. 25° W. | 5 | miles to the enteranc of a dry Brook in a Lard. bend near the high land. passed 8 islands & 3 br |
| East | 3 | miles to a the enterance of a Brook in the Stard. Bend below an Island |
| N. 10° W. | 1 ½ | miles to a Lard. bend |
| East | 1 ½ | miles to a 〈Clift〉 Bluff on Stard. Side [3] |
| N. 40° E | 4 ½ | miles to a lower part of a Std. Bluff bluff low. wind high from N. |
| N. | 1 ½ | miles to a few trees in a Lard Bend |
| East | 6 | miles to a low bluff on the Stard. Side passed an Island and a large dry Brook at 5 miles & Som wood [on Std.?] |
| N. 76° E. | 3 | miles to a Coal Bluff on Stard passed an Isld. and a dry Brook on Stard. sd. |
| N. 40° E. | 1 | mile under the Coal Bluff Std. |
| North | 4 | miles to the upper part of the Lard. Bluff. passed an Island and a large Brook on the Stard. Side. and a low dry Brook or bead on the Lard. |
| N. 55° E | 2 〈3〉 ½ | Miles to a Lard. point (dined) low bottom on each Side killed a Black Tail deer |
| N. 20° E | 1 〈2〉 ½ | Miles to a Lard. Bluff Several Strates of Coal in the hills 1 mile back |
| N. 60° E | 1 ½ | Miles to a point of rocks on the Lard. Side passed a bar Ld. |
| N. 30° E | 3 〈1 ½〉 | miles to a point on Std. Side pd a Sand near which the [blank] River comes near the Stard Shore |
| N. 45° E | 2 | miles to the enterance of [blank] 150 yds. Passed an isld. and 2 bars wate ¼ of a mile banks. Bluffs on Lard. wate of R muddy & worm |
| N. 32° E. [4] | 2 ½ | mile to the lowr part of the wood in the Stard. bend opsd. the head of an island |
| 44 ½ |
a Slight rain last night with hard thunder and Sharp lightening accompanied with a violent N. E. wind. I Set out early this morning wind So hard a head that w made but little way. in the fore part of the day, I saw great numbers of Buffalow on the banks. the country on either Side is like that of yesterday. passed three large dry Brooks on the Stard. Side [5] and four on the Lard Side. [6] great quantities of Coal in all the hills I passed this day. [7] late in the evening I arived at the enterance of a River which I take to be [NB: called by Indians] the Lazeka or Tongue River [8] it discharges itself on the Stard. Side and is 150 yards wide of water the banks are much wider. I intended to encamp on an eligable Spot immediately below this river, but finding that its' water So muddy and worm as to render it very disagreeable to drink, I crossed the rochejhone and encamped on an island close to the Lard. Shore. [9] The water of this river is nearly milk worm very muddy and of a 〈dark〉 lightish brown Colour. the Current rapid and the Chanel Contains great numbers of Snags. near its enterance there is great quantities of wood Such as is common in the low bottoms of the Rochejhone and Missouri. [NB: it heads in Cote Noir 〈with〉 has 2 branches 1 heads with the Chayenne & 1 with one of the Big H's branches] [10] tho' I believe that the Country back thro' which this river passes is an open one where the water is exposed to the Sun which heats it in its passage. it is Shallow and throws out great quantities of mud and Some cors gravel. [11] below this river and on the Stard Side at a fiew Miles from the Rochejhone the hills are high and ruged Containing Coal in great quantities. [12] Beaver is very plenty on this part of the Rochejhone. The river widens I think it may be generally Calculated at from 500 [13] yards to half a mile in width more Sand and gravelly Bars than above. cought 3 cat fish. they wer Small and fat. also a Soft Shell turtle. [14]
| M | |||
| N. 25° W. | to the enterance of a dry Brook [EC: Bull ] [15] in a | } | 5 |
| Lard. Bend near the high lands. passed 8 is- | |||
| lands & three Sand and gravelly bars | |||
| East | to the enterance of a brook [16] [EC: Teepee ] in the | } | 3 |
| Stard. Bend below a Small island | |||
| N. 10° W. | to a Larboard Bend | 1 ½ | |
| East | to a Bluff on the Stard. Side | 1 ½ | |
| N 40° E | to the lower part of a Stard. Bluff | 4 ½ | |
| North | to a fiew trees in a Lard Bend | 1 ½ | |
| East | to a low Bluff on the Stard. Side passed an is- | } | 6 |
| land. also a large dry Brook Turtle Creek [17] at | |||
| 5 Miles on the Stard Side on which there is Some | |||
| wood | |||
| N. 76° E. | to a Coal Bluff on the Stard Side [18] passed an | } | 3 |
| island and a dry brook [19] on Stard Side | |||
| N. 40° E | under the Coal Bluff on Stard. Side | 1 | |
| North | to the upper part of a Lard. Bluff passed an is- | } | 4 |
| land and a large brook on the Stard. Side & a | |||
| large Bead or dry brook on the Lard Side [20] | |||
| N. 55° E. | to a lard. point low bottom on each Side | 2 ½ | |
| N 20° E. | to a Lard. Bluff (coal to be Seen in the hills 1 m | } | 1 ½ |
| from R.[)] | |||
| N 60° E. | to a point of rocks on the Lard. Side passed a | } | 1 ½ |
| Sand bar | |||
| N. 30° E | to a point on Stard Side near which the river is | } | 3 |
| within 100 paces of Tongue river [21] | |||
| N. 45° E. | to the enterance of Le-ze-ka [22] or Tongue river on | } | 2 |
| the Stard. Side 150 yds wide. passed an island | |||
| Miles | 41 |
Tuesday 29th July 1806. cloudy and rain we Set out as usal and proceeded on fast Saw large gangs of buffals. and Elk. R. Frazer killed an Elk. we took the hide and Some of the meat about 11 A. M. we entered the high clay broken country white clay hills and the white walls resembling ancient towns & buildings &C. [23] Saw a flock of big horn or Ibex on the top of those walls. we halted and the 2 Fields killed two large Rams which had large horns. Capt. Lewis had them Scallintinized [skeletonized] and all the bones & horns as well as the Skin to take to the Seat of government. we dined and procd. on passing the white pleasant walls and Stone wall Creek [24] and on our way this after noon we killed Seven more Ibex along these clay & Stone hills and knobs, where these animels live generally. Capt. Lewis had two of the femail Scallintineized also. we had a Shower of rain. Saw buffaloe &c &c.
Tuesday 29th. Early in a cloudy morning we commenced our voyage from the mouth of Maria's river; and the current of the Missouri being very swift, we went down rapidly. At noon we saw some Ibex or Bighorns, at the entrance of a range of high rough hills; and we halted and killed two of them. Having dined we proceeded on again, and in our way, during the afternoon, killed seven more of these mountain sheep. There are few other animals in this range of high country. In the evening, we encamped [25] opposite the mouth of Slaughter river, and Captain Lewis had four of those animals skeletonized, to take with him to the seat of Government of the United States. A considerable quantity of rain fell in the course of the day.
Created by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.