The Journals
of Lewis and Clark: Dates July 16, 1805 - July 18, 1805
The following
excerpts are taken from entries of the Journals of Lewis
and Clark. Dates: July 16, 1805 - July 18, 1805
July 16,
1805
Tuesday 16. There was a heavy dew last night. We soon
passed about forty little booths, formed of willow bushes
as a shelter against the sun. These seemed to have been
deserted about ten days, and as we supposed by the Snake
Indians, or Shoshones, whom we hope soon to meet, as
they appeared from the tracks to have a number of horses
with them. At three and three quarter miles we passed
a creek or run in a bend on the left side, and four
miles further another run or small rivulet on the right.
After breakfasting on a buffalo shot by one of the hunters,
Captain Lewis resolved to go on ahead of the party to
the point where the river enters the Rocky mountains
and make the necessary observations before our arrival.
He therefore set out with Drewyer and two of the sick
men to whom he supposed the walk would be useful: he
traveled on the north side of the river through a handsome
level plain, which continued on the opposite side also,
and at the distance of eight miles passed a small stream
on which he observed a considerable quantity of the
aspen tree. A little before twelve o'clock he halted
on a bend to the north in a low ground well covered
with timber, about four and a half miles below the mountains,
and obtained a meridian altitude, by which he found
the latitude was N. 46° 46' 50" 2"'. His route then
lay through a high waving plain to a rapid where the
Missouri first leaves the Rocky mountains, and here
he encamped for the night.
In the meantime we had proceeded after breakfast one
mile to a bend in the left, opposite to which was the
frame of a large lodge situated in the prairie, constructed
like that already mentioned above the Whitebear islands,
but only sixty feet in diameter: round it were the remains
of about eighty leathern lodges, all which seemed to
have been built during the last autumn; within the next
fifteen and a quarter miles we passed ten islands, on
the last of which we encamped near the right shore,
having made twenty-three miles. The next morning,
July
17, 1805
Wednesday
17, we set out early, and at four miles distance joined
Captain Lewis at foot of the rapids, and after breakfast
began the passage of them: some of the articles most
liable to be injured by the water were carried round.
We then double manned the canoes, and with the aid of
the towing-line got them up without accident. For several
miles below the rapids the current of the Missouri becomes
stronger as you approach, and the spurs of the mountains
advance towards the river, which is deep and not more
than seventy yards wide: at the rapids the river is
closely hemmed in on both sides by the hills, and foams
for half a mile over the rocks which obstruct its channel.
The low grounds are now not more than a few yards in
width, but they furnish room for an Indian road which
winds under the hills on the north side of the river.
The general range of these hills is from southeast to
northwest, and the cliffs themselves are about eight
hundred feet above the water, formed almost entirely
of a hard black granite, on which are scattered a few
dwarf pine and cedar trees. Immediately in the gap is
a large rock four hundred feet high, which on one side
is washed by the Missouri, while on its other sides
a handsome little plain separates it from the neighboring
mountains. It may be ascended with some difficulty nearly
to its summit, and affords a beautiful prospect of the
plains below, in which we could observe large herds
of buffalo. After ascending the rapids for half a mile
we came to a small island at the head of them, which
we called Pine island from a large pine tree at the
lower end of it, which is the first we have seen near
the river for a great distance. A mile beyond Captain
Lewis's camp we had a meridian altitude which gave us
the latitude of 46° 42' 14" 7"'. As the canoes were
still heavily loaded all those not employed in working
them walked on shore. The navigation is now very laborious.
The river is deep
but with little current and from seventy to one hundred
yards wide; the low grounds are very narrow, with but
little timber and that chiefly the aspen tree. The cliffs
are steep and hang over the river so much that often
we could not cross them, but were obliged to pass and
repass from one side of the river to the other in order
to make our way. In some places the banks are formed
of rocks, of dark black granite rising perpendicularly
to a great height, through which the river seems in
the progress of time to have worn its channel. On these
mountains we see more pine than usual, but it is still
in small quantities. Along the bottoms, which have a
covering of high grass, we observe the sunflower blooming
in great abundance. The Indians of the Missouri, and
more especially those who do not cultivate maize, make
great use of the seed of this plant for bread or in
thickening their soup. They first parch and then pound
it between two stones until it is reduced to a fine
meal. Sometimes they add a portion of water, and drink
it thus diluted: at other times they add a sufficient
proportion of marrow grease to reduce it to the consistency
of common dough and eat it in that manner. This last
composition we preferred to all the rest, and thought
it at that time a very palatable dish. There is however
little of the broad-leafed cottonwood on this side of
the falls, much the greater part of what we see being
of the narrow-leafed species.
There are also great
quantities of red, purple, yellow and black currants.
The currants are very pleasant to the taste, and much
preferable to those of our common garden. The bush rises
to the height of six or eight feet; the stem simple,
branching and erect. These shrubs associate in corps
either in upper or timbered lands near the water courses.
The leaf is peteolate, of a pale green, and in form
resembles the red currant so common in our gardens.
The perianth of the fruit is one leaved, five cleft,
abbriviated and tubular. The corolla is monopetallous,
funnel-shaped, very long, and of a fine orange color.
There are five stamens and one pistillum of the first,
the filaments are capillar, inserted in the corolla,
equal and converging, the anther ovate and incumbent.
The germ of the second species is round, smooth, inferior
and pidicelled: the style long and thicker than the
stamens, simple, cylindrical, smooth and erect. It remains
with the corolla until the fruit is ripe, the stamen
is simple and obtuse, and the fruit much the size and
shape of our common garden currants, growing like them
in clusters supported by a compound footstalk. The peduncles
are longer in this species, and the berries are more
scattered. The fruit is not so acid as the common currant,
and has a more agreeable flavor.
The other species differs in no respect from the yellow
currant excepting in the color and flavor of the berries.
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