August 2, 1806
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

August 2, 1806

 

The morning proved fair and I determined to remain all day and dry the baggage and give the men an opportunity to dry and air their skins and furr.    had the powder parched meal and every article which wanted drying exposed to the sun.    the day proved warm fair and favourable for our purpose. I permitted the Fieldses to go on a few miles to hunt. by evening we had dryed our baggage and repacked it in readiness to load and set out early in the morning.    the river fell 18 inches since yesterday evening.    the hunters killed several deer in the course of the day.    nothing remarkable took place today.    we are all extreemly anxious to reach the entrance of the Yellowstone river where we expect to join Capt. Clark and party.

 
N. 20° E.   6 miles to a Bluff Point on the Stard. Side    passed 3
islands and Sevr. Sand bars.    a large Creek on the
Lard. at 4 miles.
N 40° E.   2 ½ miles to the head of an Isld.    passed the lower point
of one
N. 10° E.   4 miles to the lower part of a low bluff on Stard Side
passed a Small island and Several Sand bers
North   2 miles to a Small island near the Lard Shore    low
leavel Plain on Lard.
N. 70° 〈W〉 E   1 ½ to 〈lower〉 a Stard. Bend at the interanc of 〈Jo Feilds
a Creek of steep banks about 30 yards wide    a large
Island opposit
North   1 mile to a point on the Stard Side    Passed under a
large Stard Bluff
N. 20° E.   1 ½ to a point of a large Isd. on the Is Std
N. 70° E   1 miles to a lower part of a low bluff on Std. main
Shore
N. 26° E   1 〈2〉 ½ miles    some wood below a high Bluff. passed the
lower Point of the large island at ½ a mile. Several
Sand bars.
N. 12° W.   6 〈7〉 to point on the Stard Side    passed 2 island and Sev-
eral Sand bars on muddy islands    river wide
N 20° E   7 Miles to a point of wood on 〈the Stard Side〉 upper
Island    passed an Isd. on Std. Several mud islands
rive wide
N 60° E 13 〈14〉 miles to a Stard. Bluff in a bend    passed 〈the head
of an〉 2 island in the middle of the river. Several
Sand Islds. Islands thickly Covered with wood &
above an island close to the Lad. Side in a bend.
North   9 miles to Stard point.    passed a Bluff on Std. at
4 miles.    an island & 3 Sand bars
N. E.   5 miles to an object in the Std. Bend    low bottoms on
both Sides.    passed Sands    Killed a white Bear
*N. 10° E. [1]   3 miles to Stard. point of wods    extinsive bar on the
Lard pont
N. 20° E.   2 miles on the Stard point    river one mile wide    low
bluff on Lard.    extincve bar from the Stard.
N. 35° E.   4 miles to a thick wood on the Center of the Stard.
Bend    rive more than 1 mile wide    Several Sand
bars    a Brook on the Std. side    Clifts at a [word
unclear
] discharges on Std side
N 60° W.   4 ½ miles to a Stard point    a Sand or mud bar on each
side
N. 10° E   1 ½ miles to a tree in the Ld. bend    〈passed〉 Mud bar
on Std. pt.
N. 80° E   4 Mile to a 〈gully〉 Point 〈in〉 a Stard. Bluff    Som yellow
rock abv th wtr.    passed extince timber bottoms on
each Side    rive about 300 yds wide only
〈N. 30° E   2 〈1〉 ½ miles to the Comencment of a wood on the Stard.
Side op opossd. a Creek on Std. at ½ a mile & a
Brook just below.〉
North   6   Miles to a high bluff below the interanc of Jo Fields
River
35 yds wide on Stard. Side    river widen to ¾
of a mile
  26 (2d Aug)
 

Musquetors very troublesom this morning    I Set out early    river wide and very much divided by islands and Sand and Mud bars.    the bottoms more extencive and contain more timber Such as Cotton wood ash willow &c. The Country on the N W. Side rises to a low plain and extends leavel for great extent. Some high rugid hills in the forepart of this day on the S E. Side on which I saw the big horns but could not get near them. Saw emence numbers of Elk Buffalow and wolves to day.    the wolves do catch the elk. I saw 2 wolves in pursute of doe Elk which I beleive they Cought they very near her when She entered a Small wood in which I expect they cought her as She did not pass out of the small wood during my remaining in view of it which was 15 or 20 minits &c.    passed the enterance of Several brooks on each Side, [2] a Small river 30 yds wide with Steep banks on the Stard. Side, which I call Ibex River [3]    the river in this days decent is less rapid crouded with Islds and muddy bars and is generally about one mile in wedth.    as the islands and bars frequently hide the enterance of Brooks &c. from me as I pass'd maney of them I have not noticed.    about 8 A. M this morning a Bear of the large vicious [4] Species being on a Sand bar raised himself up on his hind feet and looked at us as we passed down near the middle of the river.    he plunged into the water and Swam towards us, either from a disposition to attack't or from the Cent of the meat which was in the Canoes.    we Shot him with three balls and he returned to Shore badly wounded.    in the evening I saw a very large Bear take the water above us. I ordered the boat to land on the opposit Side with a view to attack't him when he Came within Shot of the Shore.    〈I let swim〉 when the bear was in a fiew paces of the Shore I Shot it in the head.    the men hauled her on Shore and proved to be an old Shee which was so old that her tuskes had worn Smooth, and Much the largest feemale bear I ever Saw.    after taking off her Skin, I proceeded on and encampd [5] a little above the enterance of Jo: Feilds Creek on Stard. Side in a high bottom Covered with low Ash and elm.    the Musquetors excessively troublesom.

I have noticed a great preportion Buck Elks on this lower part of the river, and but very few above.    those above which are emencely noumerous are females Generally. Shields killed a Deer this morning dureing the time we were at Brackfast.    we were very near being detained by the Buffalow today which were Crossing the river we got through the line between 2 gangues.

Cours distance and remarks Augt. 2d 1806 [6]
      M
N. 20° E. to a bluff point on the Stard. Side    passed 3 islands }   6
  and Several Sand bars.    also a large Creek [7] on the
  Lard. at 4 M.
N. 40° E. to the head of an island, haveing passed the Lower }   2 ½
  pt. of one
N. 10° E. to the lower part of a low bluff on the Stard. Side }   4
  passed a Small island and Several Bars.
North to a Small island near the lard. Shore    a low leavel }   2
  extencive plain on the Lard Side
N. 70° E. to the enterance of a Creek 30 yards wide in a Stard. }   1 ½
  Bend opposit to a large island Ibex Creek
North to a point on the Stard Side passing under a low bluff.     1
N. 20° E. to a point of a large island on the Stard Side     1 ½
N. 70° E to the lower part of a low bluff on Stard Main Shore     1
N. 26° E to Some wood below a high bluff Stard. Side.    passd. }   1 ½
  the lower point of the large island at ½ a mile and
  Several Sand bars or reather mud islands
N. 12° W. to a Stard. point    passed two islands and Several }   6
  muddy & gravelly bars.    river about 1 mile wide
N. 20° E. to a wood on the upper point of an island    passd. an }   7
  island near the Std. and Several bars.    river 1 M.
  wide
N. 60° E. to a Stard. Bluff in a bend above the Buffalow Cross- } 13
  ings [8]    passed 2 islands in the middle of the river
  hickly covered with wood.    also passed the head of a
  3rd island close to the Stard Side in the bend. passed
  Several bars river wide &c.
North to a Stard. point    passed a Stard. Bluff at 4 miles }   9 ½
  passed an island and three Bars    
N. 45° E. to an object in a Stard. Bend    passed Several sand }   5
  bars, low timbered on each Side (killed a white Bear
  or one of that Specis)
N. 10° E. to a Stard. point of woods, an extenciv bar on the }   3
  Lard. Side
N. 20° E. along the 〈Lard.〉 Stard. point, low bluffs on Lard. }   2
  an extencive bar from the Stard.    river more than 1
  mile
N. 35° E. to a thick wood in the Center of a Stard Bend passed }   4
  Several bars.    a brook on the Stard. Side    bottoms 4
  narrow on Stard.    river more than 1 mile wide
N. 60° W. to a Stard. point    psd. a mud bar on each Side of }   4 ½
  the Rivr
N. 10° E. to a tree in the Lard. Bend.    mudy bar on Stard     1 ½
N. 80° E. to a Bluff Point on the Stard. bend    Some yellow }   4
  rock [9] just above the water.    passed extencive tim-
  bered bottoms on each Side.    river only 300 yds
  wide
North to a high Bluff imediately belowe the enterance of Jo. }   6  
  Field's Creek on the Stard. Side 35 yds wide river
  about ¾ of a mile wide.    encamped short of the dis-
  tance 2 miles on the Stard side—
    Miles 86
 

Saturday 2nd August 1806.    a fair morning.    the two Fields Sent on a head to hunt.    we delayed to dry our baggage.    the day warm. Some of the men dressed deer Skins, &C.

 

Saturday 2nd.    This was a fine clear morning, and Captain Lewis thought it best to stay here to day also, and dry all our baggage, as it was become damp and wet. Two hunters [10] were sent on in a canoe to hunt; and in the course of the day we got every thing dry and ready to set out the next morning.

1. The meaning of the asterisk is unknown. (back)
2. Including Burns, Lone Tree Shadwell, Fox, O'Brien, and Bennie Peer creeks, few of which appear on Atlas maps 112 and 122. (back)
3. "Ibex" may have been written in later; the name refers to the bighorn sheep. On Atlas map 112 it seems likely that the name "Ibex river" was also written in later, the earlier name being "Jo. F. Creek    River." In the draft courses "Jo Feilds" is crossed out. Clark must at first have thought the stream to be the Joseph Fields Creek of Atlas maps 48 and 56 (see April 26, 1805), present Charbonneau Creek in McKenzie County, North Dakota, indicating that he thought himself much nearer the mouth of the Yellowstone than was the case. Ibex River is apparently Smith Creek in Richland County, Montana, reaching the Yellowstone near present Savage on the opposite side. Atlas map 122. (back)
4. Apparently the "v" was written over an "f," "ferocioius" being the word Clark perhaps first intended. There is no doubt that the animal was a grizzly. (back)
5. Clark camped just above the mouth of Charbonneau Creek in McKenzie County; the site is shown on Atlas map 56. (back)
6. There is some red underlining of words in this table; it is not repeated here. (back)
7. Burns Creek in Richland County, meeting the Yellowstone from the west about a mile north of the Wibaux County line. This is the "Samuels Creek" of Atlas maps 112 and 122. "Samuel" may have been the same person for whom Point Samuel in Oregon was named on November 26, 1805. Coues (HLC), 2:721 n. 3, speculates, without evidence, that he may have been Samuel Lewis, copyist for Clark's map of 1814 (Atlas map 126), whom he further theorizes to have been a relative of Meriwether Lewis. (back)
8. The lower "Buffalow Crossings" on Atlas maps 112 and 122, in Richland County, some eight miles southwest of present Sidney. (back)
9. This is a sandstone in the Tongue River Member of the Fort Union Formation at the mouth of Horse Creek, McKenzie County, North dakota. (back)
10. The Field brothers, as Lewis and Ordway indicate. (back)