July 1, 1806
Tuesday July 1st 1806.
This morning early we sent out all our hunters. set Sheilds at work to
repair some of our guns which were out of order Capt. Clark & my self
consurted the following plan viz. from this place I determined to go
with a small party by the most direct rout to the falls of the
Missouri, there to leave Thompson McNeal and goodrich to prepare
carriages and geer for the purpose of transporting the canoes and
baggage over the portage, and myself and six volunteers to ascend
Maria's river with a view to explore the country and ascertain whether
any branch of that river lies as far north as Latd. 50 and again return
and join the party who are to decend the Missouri, at the entrance of
Maria's river. I now called for the volunteers to accompany me on this
rout, many turned out, from whom I scelected Drewyer the two Feildses,
Werner, Frazier and Sergt Gass accompanied me the other part of the men
are to proceed with Capt Clark to the head of Jefferson's river where
we deposited sundry articles and left our canoes. from hence Sergt
Ordway with a party of 9 men are to decend the river with the canoes;
Capt C. with the remaining ten including Charbono and York will proceed
to the Yellowstone river at it's nearest approach to the three forks of
the missouri, here he will build a canoe and decend the Yellowstone
river with Charbono the indian woman, his servant York and five others
to the missouri where should he arrive first he will wait my arrival.
Sergt Pryor with two other men are to proceed with the horses by land
to the Mandans and thence to the British posts on the Assinniboin with
a letter to Mr. Heney whom we wish to engage to prevail on the Sioux
Chefs to join us on the Missouri, and accompany them with us to the
seat of the general government. these arrangements being made the party
were informed of our design and prepared themselves accordingly. our
hunters killed 13 deer in the course of this day of which 7 were fine
bucks, deer are large and in fine order. the indians inform us that
there are a great number of white buffaloe or mountain sheep of the
snowey hights of the mountains West of this river; they state that they
inhabit the most rocky and inaccessible parts, and run but badly, that
they kill them with great ease with their arrows when they can find
them. the indian warrior who overtook us on the 26th Ult. made me a
present of an excellent horse which he said he gave for the good
council we had given himself and nation and also to assure us of his
attatchment to the white men and his desire to be at peace with the
Minnetares of Fort de Prarie. we had our venison fleeced and exposed in
the sun on pole to dry. the dove the black woodpecker, the lark
woodpecker, the logcock, the prarie lark, sandhill crain, prarie hen
with the short and pointed tail, the robin, a speceis of brown plover,
a few curloos, small black birds, ravens hawks and a variety of
sparrows as well as the bee martin and the several speceis of Corvus
genus are found in this vally.
Windsor birst his gun near the muzzle a few days since; this Sheilds
cut off and I then exchanged it with the Cheif for the one we had given
him for conducting us over the mountains. he was much pleased with the
exchange and shot his gun several times; he shoots very well for an
inexperienced person.
The little animal found in the plains of the Missouri which I have
called the barking squirrel weighs from 3 to 31/2 pounds. it's form is
that of the squirrel. it's colour is an uniform light brick red grey,
the red reather predominating. the under side of the neck and bely are
lighter coloured than the other parts of the body. the legs are short,
and it is wide across the breast and sholders in propotion to it's
size, appears strongly formed in that part; the head is also bony
muscular and stout, reather more blontly terminated wider and flatter
than the common squirrel. the upper lip is split or divided to the
nose. the ears are short and lie close to the head, having the
appearance of being cut off, in this particular they resemble the
guinea pig. the teeth are like those of the squrrel rat &c. they have a
false jaw or pocket between the skin and the mustle of the jaw like
that of the common ground squrrel but not so large in proportion to
their size. they have large and full whiskers on each side of the nose,
a few long hairs of the same kind on each jaw and over the eyes. the
eye is small and black. they have five toes on each foot of which the
two outer toes on each foot are much shoter than those in the center
particularly the two inner toes of the fore feet, the toes of the fore
feet are remarkably long and sharp and seem well adapted to cratching
or burrowing those of the hind feet are neither as long or sharp as the
former; the nails are black. the hair of this animal is about as long
and equally as course as that of the common grey squrrel of our
country, and the hair of the tail is not longer than that of the body
except immediately at the extremity where it is somewhat longer and
frequently of a dark brown colour. the part of generation in the female
is placed on the lower region of the belly between the hinder legs so
far forward that she must lie on her back to copolate. the whole length
of this animal is one foot five inches from the extremity of the nose
to that of the tail of which the tail occupyes 4 inches. it is nearly
double the size of the whistleing squirrel of the Columbia. it is much
more quick active and fleet than it's form would indicate. these
squirrels burrow in the ground in the open plains usually at a
considerable distance from the water yet are never seen at any distance
from their burrows. six or eight usually reside in one burrow to which
there is never more than one entrance. these burrows are of great
debth. I once dug and pursued a burrow to the debth of ten feet and did
not reach it's greatest debth. they generally associate in large
societies placing their burrows near each other and frequently occupy
in this manner several hundred acres of land. when at rest above ground
their position is generally erect on their hinder feet and rump; thus
they will generally set and bark at you as you approach them, their
note being much that of the little toy dogs, their yelps are in quick
succession and at each they a motion to their tails upwards. they feed
on the grass and weeds within the limits of their village which they
never appear to exceed on any occasion. as they are usually numerous
they keep the grass and weeds within their district very closely
graized and as clean as if it had been swept. the earth which they
throw out of their burrows is usually formed into a conic mound around
the entrance. this little animal is frequently very fat and it's flesh
is not unpleasant. as soon as the hard frosts commence it shuts up it's
burrow and continues within untill spring. it will eat grain or meat.
Tuesday July 1st 1806 on Clark's river
We Sent out all the hunters very early this morning by 12 OClock they
all returned haveing killd. 12 Deer Six of them large fat Bucks, this
is like once more returning to the land of liveing a plenty of meat and
that very good. as Capt. Lewis and Myself part at this place we make a
division of our party and such baggage and provisions as is Souteable.
the party who will accompany Capt L. is G. Drewyer, Sergt. Gass, Jo. &
R. Fields, Frazier & Werner, and Thompson Goodrich & McNear as far as
the Falls of Missouri at which place the 3 latter will remain untill I
Send down the Canoes from the head of Jeffersons river. they will then
join that party and after passing the portage around the falls, proceed
on down to the enterance of Maria where Capt. Lewis will join them
after haveing assended that river as high up as Laid. 50° North. from the
head of Jeffersons river I shall proceed on to the head of the
Rockejhone with a party of 9 or 10 men and desend that river. from the
R Rockejhone I Shall dispatch Sergt. Pryor with the horses to the
Mandans and from thence to the Tradeing Establishments of the N. W. Co
on the Assinniboin River with a letter which we have written for the
purpose to engage Mr. H. Haney to endeaver to get Some of the principal
Chiefs of the Scioux to accompany us to the Seat of our government &.
we divide the Loading and apportion the horses. Capt L. only takes 17
horses with him, 8 only of which he intends to take up the Maria &c.
One of the Indians who accompaned us Swam Clarks river and examined the
Country around, on his return he informed us that he had discovered
where a Band of the Tushepaws had encamped this Spring passed of 64
Lodges, & that they had passed Down Clarks river and that it was
probable that they were near the quawmash flatts on a Easterly branch
of that river. those guides expressed a desire to return to their
nation and not accompany us further, we informed them that if they was
deturmined to return we would kill some meat for them, but wished that
they would accompy Capt. Lewis on the rout to the falls of Missouri
only 2 nights and show him the right road to cross the Mountains. this
they agreed to do. we gave a medal of the Small Size to the young man
Son to the late Great Chief of the Chopunnish Nation who had been
remarkably kind to us in every instance, to all the others we tied a
bunch of blue ribon about the hair, which pleased them very much. the
Indian man who overtook us in the Mountain, presented Capt. Lewis with
a horse and said that he opened his ears to what we had said, and hoped
that Cap Lewis would see the Crovanters of Fort De Prarie and make a
good peace that it was their desire to be at peace. Shew them the horse
as a token of their wishes &c.
