July 26, 1805
Friday July 26th 1805.
Set out early this morning as usual current strong with frequent
riffles; employ the cord and seting poles. the oars scarcely ever being
used except to pass the river in order to take advantage of the shore
and cur-rent. at the distance of 33/4 m. passed the entrance of a large
Creek 15 yds. wide which discharges itself on Lard. near the center of
a Lard. bend it is a bold runing stream this we called Howard's Creek
after Thomas P. Howard one of our party. at the distance of one mile
further we passed the entrance of a small run which falls in just above
a rocky clift on Lard. here the hills or reather mountains again recede
from the river and the valley again widens to the extent of several
miles with wide and fertile bottom lands. covered with grass and in
many places a fine terf of greenswoard. the high lands are thin meagre
soil covered with dry low sedge and a species of grass also dry the
seeds of which are armed with a long twisted hard beard at the upper
extremity while the lower point is a sharp subulate firm point beset at
it's base with little stiff bristles standing with their points in a
contrary direction to the subulate point to which they answer as a barb
and serve also to pres it forward when onece entered a small distance.
these barbed seed penetrate our mockersons and leather legings and give
us great pain untill they are removed. my poor dog suffers with them
excessively, he is constantly hinting and scratching himself as if in a
rack of pain. the prickly pear also grow here as abundantly as usual.
there is another species of the prickly pear of a globular form,
composed of an assemblage of little conic leaves springing from a
common root to which their small points are attached as a common center
and the base of the cone forms the apex of the leaf which is garnished
with a circular range of sharp thorns quite as stif and more keen than
the more common species with the flat leaf, like the Cockeneal plant.
on entering this open valley I saw the snowclad tops of distant
mountains before us. the timber and mountains much as heretofore. saw a
number of beaver today and some otter, killed one of the former, also 4
deer; found a deer's skin which had been left by Capt. C. with a note
informing me of his having met with a horse but had seen no fresh
appearance of the Indians. the river in the valley is from 2 to 250
yds. wide and crouded with Islands, in some places it is 3/4 of a mile
wide including islands. were it passed the hills it was from 150 to 200
yds. the banks are still low but never overflow. one of the men brought
me an indian bow which he found, it was made of cedar and about 2 F. 9
Inh. in length. it had nothing remarkable in it's form being much such
as is used by the Mandans Minetares &c. This morning Capt. Clark left
Sharbono and Joseph Fields at the camp of last evening and proceeded up
the river about 12 miles to the top of a mountain from whence he had an
extensive view of the valley of the river upwards and of a large creek
which flowed into it on Std. side. not meeting with any fresh
appearance of Indians he determined to return and examine the middle
fork of the missouri and meet me by the time he expected me to arrive
at the forks. he returned down the mountain by the way of an old Indian
road which led through a deep hollow of the mountain facing the south
the day being warm and the road unshaded by timber he suffered
excessively with heat and the want of water, at length he arrived at a
very cold spring, at which he took the precaution of weting his feet
head and hands before drank but notwithstanding this precaution he soon
felt the effects of the water. he felt himself very unwell shortly
after but continued his march rejoined Sharbono and Fields where the
party eat of a fawn which Jo. Fields had killed in their absence Capt.
C. was so unwell that he had no inclination to eat. after a short
respite he resumed his march pass the North fork at a large island;
here Charbono was very near being swept away by the current and cannot
swim, Capt. C however risqued him and saved his life. Capt. C.
continued his march to a small river which falls into the North fork
some miles above the junction of the 3 forks it being the distance of
about four miles from his camp of last evening here finding himself
still more unwell he determined to encamp. they killed two brown or
Grisley bear this evening on the island where they passed the N. fork
of the Missouri. this stream is much divided by islands and it's
current rapid and much as that of the missouri where we are and is
navigable.-
July 26th Friday 1805
I deturmined to leave Shabono & one man who had Sore feet to rest &
proceed on with the other two to the top of a mountain 12 miles distant
west and from thence view the river & vallies a head, we with great
dificuelty & much fatigue reached the top at 11 oClock from the top of
this mountain I could see the Course of the North fork about 10 miles
meandering through a Vallie but Could discover no Indians or Sign which
was fresh. I could also See Some distance up the Small River below, and
also the middle fork after Satisfying my Self returned to the two men
by an old Indian parth, on this parth & in the Mountain we Came to a
Spring of excessive Cold water, which we drank reather freely of as we
were almost famished; not with Standing the precautions of wetting my
face, hands, & feet, I Soon felt the effects of the water. We Contind.
thro a Deep Vallie without a Tree to Shade us Scorching with heat to
the men who had killed a pore Deer, I was fatigued my feet with Several
blisters & Stuck with prickley pears. I eate but verry little
deturmined to Cross to the middle fork and examine that. we Crossed the
Missouri which was divided by a verry large Island, the first Part was
knee deep, the other waste deep & verry rapid— I felt my Self verry
unwell & took up Camp on the little river 3 miles above its mouth &
near the place it falls into the bottom a fiew Drops of rain this
evening
we killed 2 bear which was imediately in our way. both pore emence
number of Beaver and orter in this little river which forks in the
bottom
