The Journals
of Lewis and Clark: Dates July 13, 1805 - July 15, 1805
The following
excerpts are taken from entries of the Journals of Lewis
and Clark. Dates: July 13, 1805 - July 15, 1805
July 13,
1805
Saturday 13. The morning being fair and calm Captain
Lewis had all the remaining baggage embarked on board
the six canoes, which sailed with two men in each for
the upper camp. Then with a sick man and the Indian
woman, he left the encampment, and crossing over the
river went on by land to join captain Clarke. From the
head of the Whitebear islands he proceeded in a southwest
direction, at the distance of three miles, till he struck
the Missouri, which he then followed till he reached
the place where all the party were occupied in boat-building.
On his way he passed a very large Indian lodge, which
was probably designed as a great council-house, but
it differs in its construction from all that we have
seen lower down the Missouri or elsewhere. The form
of it was a circle two hundred and sixteen feet in circumference
at the base, and composed of sixteen large cottonwood
poles about fifty feet long, and at their thicker ends,
which touched the ground, about the size of a man's
body: they were distributed at equal distances, except
that one was omitted to the east, probably for the entrance.
From the circumference of this circle the poles converged
towards the centre where they were united and secured
by large withes of willow brush. There was no covering
over this fabric, in the centre of which were the remains
of a large fire, and round it the marks of about eighty
leathern lodges. He also saw a number of turtledoves,
and some pigeons, of which he shot one differing in
no respect from the wild pigeon of the United States.
The country exhibits
its usual appearances, the timber confined to the river,
the country on both sides as far as the eye can reach
being entirely destitute of trees or brush. In the low
ground in which we are building the canoes, the timber
is larger and more abundant than we have seen it on
the Missouri for several hundred miles. The soil too
is good, for the grass and weeds reach about two feet
high, being the tallest we have observed this season,
though on the high plains and prairies the grass is
at no season above three inches in height. Among these
weeds are the sandrush, and nettle in small quantities;
the plains are still infested by great numbers of the
small birds already mentioned, among whom is the brown
curlew. The current of the river is here extremely gentle;
the buffalo have not yet quite gone, for the hunters
brought in three in very good order. It requires some
diligence to supply us plentifully, for as we reserve
our parched meal for the Rocky mountains, where we do
not expect to find much game, our principal article
of food is meat, and the consumption of the whole thirty-two
persons belonging to the party, amounts to four deer,
an elk and a deer, one buffalo every twenty four hours.
The mosquitoes and gnats persecute us as violently as
below, so that we can get no sleep unless defended by
biers, with which we are all provided. We here found
several plants hitherto unknown to us, and of which
we preserved specimens.
Serjeant Ordway proceeded with the six canoes five miles
up the river, but the wind becoming so high as to wet
the baggage he was obliged to unload and dry it. The
wind abated at five o'clock in the evening, when he
again proceeded eight miles and encamped. The next morning,
July
14, 1805
Sunday, July
14, he joined us about noon. On leaving the Whitebear
camp he passed at a short distance a little creek or
run coming in on the left. This had been already examined
and called Flattery run; it contains back water only,
with very extensive low grounds, which rising into large
plains reach the mountains on the east; then passed
a willow island on the left within one mile and a half,
and reached two miles further a cliff of rocks in a
bend on the same side. In the course of another mile
and a half he passed two islands covered with cottonwood,
box-alder, sweet-willow, and the usual undergrowth,
like that of the Whitebear islands. At thirteen and
three quarter miles he came to the mouth of a small
creek on the left; within the following nine miles he
passed three timbered islands, and after making twenty-three
and a quarter miles from the lower camp, arrived at
the point of woodland on the north where the canoes
were constructed.
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