May 20, 1804
Sunday May 20th 1804
The morning was fair, and the weather pleasent; at 10 oCk A M. agreably
to an appointment of the preceeding day, I was joined by Capt.
Stoddard, Lieuts. Milford & Worrell together with Messrs. A. Chouteau,
C. Gratiot, and many other respectable inhabitants of St. Louis, who
had engaged to accompany me to the Vilage of St. Charles; accordingly
at 12 Oclk after bidding an affectionate adieu to my Hostis, that
excellent woman the spouse of Mr. Peter Chouteau, and some of my fair
friends of St. Louis, we set forward to that village in order to join
my friend companion and fellow labourer Capt. William Clark who had
previously arrived at that place with the party destined for the
discovery of the interior of the continent of North America the first 5
miles of our rout laid through a beatifull high leavel and fertile
prarie which incircles the town of St. Louis from N. W. to S. E. the
lands through which we then passed are somewhat broken up fertile the
plains and woodlands are here indiscriminately interspersed untill you
arrive within three miles of the vilage when the woodland commences and
continues to the Missouri the latter is extreamly fertile. At half
after one P.M. our progress was interrupted the near approach of a
violent thunder storm from the N. W. and concluded to take shelter in a
little cabbin hard by untill the rain should be over; accordingly we
alighted and remained about an hour and a half and regailed ourselves
with a could collation which we had taken the precaution to bring with
us from St. Louis.
The clouds continued to follow each other in rapaid succession,
insomuch that there was but little prospect of it's ceasing to rain
this evening; as I had determined to reach St. Charles this evening and
knowing that there was now no time to be lost I set forward in the
rain, most of the gentlemen continued with me, we arrived at half after
six and joined Capt Clark, found the party in good health and sperits.
suped this evening with Monsr. Charles Tayong a Spanish Ensign & late
Commandant of St. Charles at an early hour I retired to rest on board
the barge— St. Charles is situated on the North bank of the Missouri 21
Miles above it's junction with the Mississippi, and about the same
distance N. W. from St. Louis; it is bisected by one principal street
about a mile in length runing nearly parrallel with the river, the
plain on which it stands— is narrow tho sufficiently elivated to secure
it against the annual inundations of the river, which usually happen in
the month of June, and in the rear it is terminated by a range of small
hills, hence the appellation of petit Cote, a name by which this vilage
is better known to the French inhabitants of the Illinois than that of
St. Charles. The Vilage contains a Chappel, one hundred dwelling
houses, and about 450 inhabitants; their houses are generally small and
but illy constructed; a great majority of the inhabitants are miserably
pour, illiterate and when at home excessively lazy, tho they are polite
hospitable and by no means deficient in point of natural genious, they
live in a perfect state of harmony among each other; and plase as
implicit confidence in the doctrines of their speritual pastor, the
Roman Catholic priest, as they yeald passive obedience to the will of
their temporal master the commandant. a small garden of vegetables is
the usual extent of their cultivation, and this is commonly imposed on
the old men and boys; the men in the vigor of life consider the
cultivation of the earth a degrading occupation, and in order to gain
the necessary subsistence for themselves and families, either undertake
hunting voyages on their own account, or engage themselves as hirelings
to such persons as possess sufficient capital to extend their traffic
to the natives of the interior parts of the country; on those voyages
in either case, they are frequently absent from their families or homes
the term of six twelve or eighteen months and alwas subjected to severe
and incessant labour, exposed to the ferosity of the lawless savages,
the vicissitudes of weather and climate, and dependant on chance or
accident alone for food, raiment or relief in the event of malady.
These people are principally the decendants of the Canadian French, and
it is not an inconsiderable proportian of them that can boast a small
dash of the pure blood of the aboriginees of America. On consulting
with my friend Capt. C. I found it necessary that we should pospone our
departure untill 2 P M. the next day and accordingly gave orders to the
party to hold themselves in readiness to depart at that hour.
Captn. Clark now informed me that having gotten all the stores on board
the Barge and perogues on the evening of the 13th of May he determined
to leave our winter cantainment at the mouth of River Dubois the next
day, and to ascend the Missouri as far as the Vilage of St. Charles,
where as it had been previously concerted between us, he was to wait my
arrival; this movement while it advanced us a small distance on our
rout, would also enable him to determine whether the vessels had been
judiciously loaded and if not timely to make the necessary alterations;
accordingly at 4 P.M. on Monday the 14th of May 1804, he embarked with
the party in the presence of a number of the neighbouring Citizens who
had assembled to witness his departure. during the fore part of this
day it rained excessively hard. In my last letter to the President
dated at St. Louis I mentioned the departure of Capt. Clark from River
Dubois on the 15th Inst, which was the day that had been calculated on,
but having completed the arrangements a day earlyer he departed on the
14th as before mentioned. On the evening of the 14th the party halted
and encamped on the upper point of the first Island which lyes near the
Larbord shore, on the same side and nearly opposite the center of this
Island a small Creek disimbogues called Couldwater.
The course and distance of this day was West 4 Miles the Wind from N. E.
Sunday 20th May
a Cloudy morning rained and a hard wind last night I continue to write
Rolls, Send 20 men to Church to day one man Sick Capt Lewis and Several
Gentlemen arrive from St Louis thro a violent Shoure of rain, the most
of the party go to the Church.
Sunday 20th May
A Cloudy morning rained and hard wind from the ____ last night, The
letter George lost yesterday found by a Country man, I gave the party
leave to go and hear a Sermon to day delivered by Mr. ____ a romon
Carthlick Priest at 3 oClock Capt. Lewis Capt. Stoddard accompanied by
the Officers & Several Gentlemen of St Louis arrived in a heavy Showr
of Rain Mssr. Lutenants Minford & Werness. Mr. Choteau Grattiot,
Deloney, Laber Dee Ranken Dr. SoDrang rained the greater part of this
evening. Suped with Mr. Charles Tayon, the late Comdt. of St Charles a
Spanish Ensign.
