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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark - History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I.

M >> Meriwether Lewis and William Clark >> History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I.




September 2. It rained last night, and this morning we had a high wind
from the N.W. We went three miles to the lower part of an ancient
fortification on the south side, and passed the head of Bonhomme island,
which is large and well timbered: after this the wind became so violent,
attended by a cold rain, that we were compelled to land at four miles on
the northern side, under a high bluff of yellow clay, about one hundred
and ten feet in height. Our hunters supplied us with four elk; and we
had grapes and plums on the banks: we also saw the beargrass and rue,
on the side of the bluffs. At this place there are highlands on both
sides of the river which become more level at some distance back, and
contain but few streams of water. On the southern bank, during this day,
the grounds have not been so elevated. Captain Clarke crossed the river
to examine the remains of the fortification we had just passed.

[Illustration: Fortification]

This interesting object is on the south side of the Missouri, opposite
the upper extremity of Bonhomme island, and in a low level plain, the
hills being three miles from the river. It begins by a wall composed of
earth, rising immediately from the bank of the river and running in a
direct course S. 76 degrees, W. ninety six yards; the base of this wall
or mound is seventy-five feet, and its height about eight. It then
diverges in a course S. 84 degrees W. and continues at the same height
and depth to the distance of fifty-three yards, the angle being formed
by a sloping descent; at the junction of these two is an appearance of
a hornwork of the same height with the first angle: the same wall then
pursues a course N. 69 degrees W. for three hundred yards: near its
western extremity is an opening or gateway at right angles to the
wall, and projecting inwards; this gateway is defended by two nearly
semicircular walls placed before it, lower than the large walls; and
from the gateway there seems to have been a covered way communicating
with the interval between these two walls: westward of the gate, the
wall becomes much larger, being about one hundred and five feet at its
base, and twelve feet high: at the end of this high ground the wall
extends for fifty-six yards on a course N. 32 degrees W; it then turns
N. 23 degrees W. for seventy-three yards: these two walls seems to have
had a double or covered way; they are from ten to fifteen feet eight
inches in height, and from seventy-five to one hundred and five feet in
width at the base; the descent inwards being steep, whilst outwards it
forms a sort of glacis. At the distance of seventy-three yards, the wall
ends abruptly at a large hollow place much lower than the general level
of the plain, and from which is some indication of a covered way to the
water. The space between them is occupied by several mounds scattered
promiscuously through the gorge, in the centre of which is a deep round
hole. From the extremity of the last wall, in a course N. 32 degrees W.
is a distance of ninety-six yards over the low ground, where the wall
recommences and crosses the plain in a course N. 81 degrees W. for
eighteen hundred and thirty yards to the bank of the Missouri. In this
course its height is about eight feet, till it enters, at the distance
of five hundred and thirty-three yards, a deep circular pond of
seventy-three yards diameter; after which it is gradually lower, towards
the river: it touches the river at a muddy bar, which bears every mark
of being an encroachment of the water, for a considerable distance; and
a little above the junction, is a small circular redoubt. Along the bank
of the river, and at eleven hundred yards distance, in a straight line
from this wall, is a second, about six feet high, and of considerable
width: it rises abruptly from the bank of the Missouri, at a point where
the river bends, and goes straight forward, forming an acute angle with
the last wall, till it enters the river again, not far from the mounds
just described, towards which it is obviously tending. At the bend the
Missouri is five hundred yards wide; the ground on the opposite side
highlands, or low hills on the bank; and where the river passes between
this fort and Bonhomme island, all the distance from the bend, it is
constantly washing the banks into the stream, a large sandbank being
already taken from the shore near the wall. During the whole course of
this wall, or glacis, it is covered with trees, among which are many
large cotton trees, two or three feet in diameter. Immediately opposite
the citadel, or the part most strongly fortified, on Bonhomme island, is
a small work in a circular form, with a wall surrounding it, about six
feet in height. The young willows along the water, joined to the general
appearance of the two shores, induce a belief that the bank of the
island is encroaching, and the Missouri indemnifies itself by washing
away the base of the fortification. The citadel contains about twenty
acres, but the parts between the long walls must embrace nearly five
hundred acres.

These are the first remains of the kind which we have had an opportunity
of examining; but our French interpreters assure us, that there are
great numbers of them on the Platte, the Kanzas, the Jacques, &c. and
some of our party say, that they observed two of those fortresses on the
upper side of the Petit Arc creek, not far from its mouth; that the wall
was about six feet high, and the sides of the angles one hundred yards
in length.

September 3. The morning was cold, and the wind from the northwest. We
passed at sunrise, three large sandbars, and at the distance of ten
miles reached a small creek, about twelve yards wide, coming in from the
north, above a white bluff: this creek has obtained the name of Plum
creek, from the number of that fruit which are in the neighbourhood, and
of a delightful quality. Five miles further, we encamped on the south
near the edge of a plain; the river is wide, and covered with sandbars
to-day: the banks are high and of a whitish colour; the timber scarce,
but an abundance of grapes. Beaver houses too have been observed in
great numbers on the river, but none of the animals themselves.

September 4. We set out early, with a very cold wind from S.S.E. and at
one mile and a half, reached a small creek, called Whitelime creek, on
the south side. Just above this is a cliff, covered with cedar trees,
and at three miles a creek, called Whitepaint creek, of about thirty
yards wide: on the same side, and at four and a half miles distance from
the Whitepaint creek, is the Rapid river, or, as it is called by the
French, la Riverequi Court; this river empties into the Missouri, in a
course S.W. by W. and is one hundred and fifty-two yards wide, and four
feet deep at the confluence. It rises in the Black mountains, and passes
through a hilly country, with a poor soil. Captain Clark ascended three
miles to a beautiful plain, on the upper side, where the Pawnees once
had a village: he found that the river widened above its mouth, and
much divided by sands and islands, which, joined to the great rapidity
of the current, makes the navigation very difficult, even for small
boats. Like the Platte its waters are of a light colour; like that river
too it throws out into the Missouri, great quantities of sand, coarser
even than that of the Platte, which form sandbars and shoals near its
mouth.

We encamped just above it, on the south, having made only eight miles,
as the wind shifted to the south, and blew so hard that in the course of
the day we broke our mast: we saw some deer, a number of geese, and shot
a turkey and a duck: the place in which we halted is a fine low-ground,
with much timber, such as red cedar, honeylocust, oak, arrowwood, elm
and coffeenut.

September 5, Wednesday. The wind was again high from the south. At five
miles, we came to a large island, called Pawnee island, in the middle of
the river; and stopped to breakfast at a small creek on the north, which
has the name of Goat creek, at eight and a half miles. Near the mouth of
this creek the beaver had made a dam across so as to form a large pond,
in which they built their houses. Above this island the river Poncara
falls into the Missouri from the south, and is thirty yards wide at the
entrance. Two men whom we despatched to the village of the same name,
returned with information that they had found it on the lower side of
the creek; but as this is the hunting season, the town was so completely
deserted that they had killed a buffaloe in the village itself. This
tribe of Poncaras, who are said to have once numbered four hundred
men, are now reduced to about fifty, and have associated for mutual
protection with the Mahas, who are about two hundred in number. These
two nations are allied by a similarity of misfortune; they were once
both numerous, both resided in villages, and cultivated Indian corn;
their common enemies, the Sioux and small-pox, drove them from their
towns, which they visit only occasionally for the purposes of trade;
and they now wander over the plains on the sources of the Wolf and
Quieurre rivers. Between the Pawnee island and Goat creek on the north,
is a cliff of blue earth, under which are several mineral springs,
impregnated with salts: near this we observed a number of goats, from
which the creek derives its name. At three and a half miles from the
creek, we came to a large island on the south, along which we passed to
the head of it, and encamped about four o'clock. Here we replaced the
mast we had lost, with a new one of cedar: some bucks and an elk were
procured to-day, and a black tailed deer was seen near the Poncara's
village.

Thursday, September 6. There was a storm this morning from the N.W.
and though it moderated, the wind was still high, and the weather very
cold; the number of sandbars too, added to the rapidity of the current,
obliged us to have recourse to the towline: with all our exertions we
did not make more than eight and a half miles, and encamped on the
north, after passing high cliffs of soft, blue, and red coloured stone,
on the southern shore. We saw some goats, and great numbers of buffaloe,
in addition to which the hunters furnished us with elk, deer, turkies,
geese, and one beaver: a large catfish too was caught in the evening.
The ground near the camp, was a low prarie, without timber, though just
below is a grove of cottonwood.

Friday, September 7. The morning was very cold and the wind southeast.
At five and a half miles, we reached and encamped at the foot of a round
mountain, on the south, having passed two small islands. This mountain,
which is about three hundred feet at the base, forms a cone at the top,
resembling a dome at a distance, and seventy feet or more above the
surrounding highlands. As we descended from this dome, we arrived at a
spot, on the gradual descent of the hill, nearly four acres in extent,
and covered with small holes: these are the residence of a little
animal, called by the French, petit chien (little dog) who sit erect
near the mouth, and make a whistling noise, but when alarmed take refuge
in their holes. In order to bring them out, we poured into one of the
holes five barrels of water without filling it, but we dislodged and
caught the owner. After digging down another of the holes for six feet,
we found, on running a pole into it, that we had not yet dug half way
to the bottom: we discovered, however, two frogs in the hole, and near
it we killed a dark rattlesnake, which had swallowed a small prairie
dog: we were also informed, though we never witnessed the fact, that a
sort of lizard, and a snake, live habitually with these animals. The
petit chien are justly named, as they resemble a small dog in some
particulars, though they have also some points of similarity to the
squirrel. The head resembles the squirrel in every respect, except that
the ear is shorter, the tail like that of the ground-squirrel, the
toe-nails are long, the fur is fine, and the long hair is gray.

Saturday, September 8. The wind still continued from the southeast, but
moderately. At seven miles we reached a house on the north side, called
the Pawnee house, where a trader, named Trudeau, wintered in the year
1796-7: behind this, hills, much higher than usual, appear to the north,
about eight miles off. Before reaching this house, we came by three
small islands, on the north side, and a small creek on the south; and
after leaving it, reached another, at the end of seventeen miles, on
which we encamped, and called it Boat island: we here saw herds of
buffaloe, and some elk, deer, turkies, beaver, a squirrel, and a prairie
dog. The party on the north represent the country through which they
passed, as poor, rugged, and hilly, with the appearance of having been
lately burnt by the Indians; the broken hills, indeed, approach the
river on both sides, though each is bordered by a strip of woodland near
the water.

Sunday, September 9. We coasted along the island on which we had
encamped, and then passed three sand and willow islands, and a number of
smaller sandbars. The river is shallow, and joined by two small creeks
from the north, and one from the south. In the plains, to the south,
are great numbers of buffaloe, in herds of nearly five hundred; all
the copses of timber appear to contain elk or deer. We encamped on a
sandbar, on the southern shore, at the distance of fourteen and a
quarter miles.

September 10, Monday. The next day we made twenty miles. The morning was
cloudy and dark, but a light breeze from the southeast carried us past
two small islands on the south, and one on the north; till, at the
distance of ten and a half miles, we reached an island, extending for
two miles in the middle of the river, covered with red cedar, from which
it derives its name of Cedar island. Just below this island, on a hill,
to the south, is the backbone of a fish, forty-five feet long, tapering
towards the tail, and in a perfect state of petrifaction, fragments of
which were collected and sent to Washington. On both sides of the river
are high dark-coloured bluffs. About a mile and a half from the island,
on the southern shore, the party on that side discovered a large and
very strong impregnated spring of water; and another, not so strongly
impregnated, half a mile up the hill. Three miles beyond Cedar island is
a large island on the north, and a number of sandbars. After which is
another, about a mile in length, lying in the middle of the river, and
separated by a small channel, at its extremity, from another above it,
on which we encamped. These two islands are called Mud islands. The
river is shallow during this day's course, and is falling a little.
The elk and buffaloe are in great abundance, but the deer have become
scarce.

September 11, Tuesday. At six and a half miles we passed the upper
extremity of an island on the south; four miles beyond which is another
on the same side of the river; and about a quarter of a mile distant we
visited a large village of the barking-squirrel. It was situated on a
gentle declivity, and covered a space of nine hundred and seventy yards
long, and eight hundred yards wide; we killed four of them. We then
resumed our course, and during five and a half miles passed two islands
on the north, and then encamped at the distance of sixteen miles, on the
south side of the river, and just above a small run. The morning had
been cloudy, but in the afternoon it began raining, with a high
northwest wind, which continued during the greater part of the night.
The country seen to-day consists of narrow strips of lowland, rising
into uneven grounds, which are succeeded, at the distance of three
miles, by rich and level plains, but without any timber. The river
itself is wide, and crowded with sandbars. Elk, deer, squirrels, a
pelican, and a very large porcupine, were our game this day; some foxes
too were seen, but not caught.

In the morning we observed a man riding on horseback down towards the
boat, and we were much pleased to find that it was George Shannon, one
of our party, for whose safety we had been very uneasy. Our two horses
having strayed from us on the 26th of August, he was sent to search for
them. After he had found them he attempted to rejoin us, but seeing some
other tracks, which must have been those of Indians, and which he
mistook for our own, he concluded that we were ahead, and had been for
sixteen days following the bank of the river above us. During the first
four days he exhausted his bullets, and was then nearly starved, being
obliged to subsist, for twelve days, on a few grapes, and a rabbit which
he killed by making use of a hard piece of stick for a ball. One of his
horses gave out, and was left behind; the other he kept as a last
resource for food. Despairing of overtaking us, he was returning down
the river, in hopes of meeting some other boat; and was on the point of
killing his horse, when he was so fortunate as to join us.

Wednesday, September 12. The day was dark and cloudy; the wind from the
northwest. At a short distance we reached an island in the middle of the
river, which is covered with timber, a rare object now. We with great
difficulty were enabled to struggle through the sandbars, the water
being very rapid and shallow, so that we were several hours in making a
mile. Several times the boat wheeled on the bar, and the men were
obliged to jump out and prevent her from upsetting; at others, after
making a way up one channel, the shoalness of the water forced us back
to seek the deep channel. We advanced only four miles in the whole day
and encamped on the south. Along both sides of the river are high
grounds; on the southern side particularly, they form dark bluffs, in
which may be observed slate and coal intermixed. We saw also several
villages of barking-squirrels; great numbers of growse, and three foxes.

September 13, Thursday. We made twelve miles to-day through a number of
sandbars, which make it difficult to find the proper channel. The hills
on each side are high, and separated from the river by a narrow plain on
its borders. On the north, these lowlands are covered in part with
timber, and great quantities of grapes, which are now ripe: on the south
we found plenty of plums, but they are not yet ripe; and near the dark
bluffs, a run tainted with allum and copperas; the southern side being
more strongly impregnated with minerals than the northern. Last night
four beaver were caught in the traps; a porcupine was shot as it was
upon a cottontree, feeding on its leaves and branches. We encamped on
the north side, opposite to a small willow island. At night the
musquitoes were very troublesome, though the weather was cold and rainy
and the wind from the northwest.

Friday, September 14. At two miles we reached a round island on the
northern side; at about five, a run on the south; two and a half miles
further, a small creek; and at nine miles encamped near the month of a
creek, on the same side. The sandbars are very numerous, and render the
river wide and shallow, and obliged the crew to get into the water and
drag the boat over the bars several times. During the whole day we
searched along the southern shore, and at some distance into the
interior, to find an ancient volcano which we heard at St. Charles was
somewhere in this neighbourhood; but we could not discern the slightest
appearance of any thing volcanic. In the course of their search the
party shot a buck-goat and a hare. The hills, particularly on the south,
continue high, but the timber is confined to the islands and banks of
the river. We had occasion here to observe the rapid undermining of
these hills by the Missouri: the first attacks seem to be on the hills
which overhang the river; as soon as the violence of the current
destroys the grass at the foot of them, the whole texture appears
loosened, and the ground dissolves and mixes with the water: the muddy
mixture is then forced over the low-grounds, which it covers sometimes
to the depth of three inches, and gradually destroys the herbage; after
which it can offer no resistance to the water, and becomes at last
covered with sand.

Saturday, September 15. We passed, at an early hour, the creek near our
last night's encampment; and at two miles distance reached the mouth of
White river, coming in from the south. We ascended a short distance, and
sent a sergeant and another man to examine it higher up. This river has
a bed of about three hundred yards, though the water is confined to one
hundred and fifty: in the mouth is a sand island, and several sandbars.
The current is regular and swift, with sandbars projecting from the
points. It differs very much from the Platte, and Quieurre, in throwing
out, comparatively, little sand, but its general character is like that
of the Missouri. This resemblance was confirmed by the sergeant, who
ascended about twelve miles; at which distance it was about the same
width as near the mouth, and the course, which was generally west, had
been interrupted by islands and sandbars. The timber consisted chiefly
of elm; they saw pine burrs, and sticks of birch were seen floating down
the river; they had also met with goats, such as we have heretofore
seen; great quantities of buffaloe, near to which were wolves, some
deer, and villages of barking squirrels. At the confluence of White
river with the Missouri is an excellent position for a town; the land
rising by three gradual ascents, and the neighbourhood furnishing more
timber than is usual in this country. After passing high dark bluffs on
both sides, we reached the lower point of an island towards the south,
at the distance of six miles. The island bears an abundance of grapes,
and is covered with red cedar: it also contains a number of rabbits. At
the end of this island, which is small, a narrow channel separates it
from a large sand island, which we passed, and encamped, eight miles on
the north, under a high point of land opposite a large creek to the
south, on which we observe an unusual quantity of timber. The wind was
from the northwest this afternoon, and high, the weather cold, and its
dreariness increased by the howlings of a number of wolves around us.

September 16, Sunday. Early this morning, having reached a convenient
spot on the south side, and at one mile and a quarter distance, we
encamped just above a small creek, which we called Corvus, having killed
an animal of that genus near it. Finding that we could not proceed over
the sandbars, as fast as we desired, while the boat was so heavily
loaded, we concluded not to send back, as we originally intended, our
third periogue, but to detain the soldiers until spring, and in the mean
time lighten the boat by loading the periogue: this operation, added to
that of drying all our wet articles, detained us during the day. Our
camp is in a beautiful plain, with timber thinly scattered for three
quarters of a mile, and consisting chiefly of elm, cottonwood, some ash
of an indifferent quality, and a considerable quantity of a small
species of white oak: this tree seldom rises higher than thirty feet,
and branches very much; the bark is rough, thick and of a light colour;
the leaves small, deeply indented, and of a pale green; the cup which
contains the acorn is fringed on the edges, and embraces it about one
half: the acorn itself, which grows in great profusion, is of an
excellent flavour, and has none of the roughness which most other acorns
possess; they are now falling, and have probably attracted the number of
deer which we saw on this place, as all the animals we have seen are
fond of that food. The ground having been recently burnt by the Indians,
is covered with young green grass, and in the neighbourhood are great
quantities of fine plums. We killed a few deer for the sake of their
skins, which we wanted to cover the periogues, the meat being too poor
for food: the cold season coming on, a flannel shirt was given to each
man, and fresh powder to those who had exhausted their supply.

Monday, September 16. Whilst some of the party were engaged in the same
way as yesterday, others were employed in examining the surrounding
country. About a quarter of a mile behind our camp, and at an elevation
of twenty feet above it, a plain extends nearly three miles parallel to
the river, and about a mile back to the hills, towards which it
gradually ascends. Here we saw a grove of plum-trees loaded with fruit,
now ripe, and differing in nothing from those of the Atlantic states,
except that the tree is smaller and more thickly set. The ground of the
plain is occupied by the burrows of multitudes of barking squirrels, who
entice hither the wolves of a small kind, hawks, and polecats, all of
which animals we saw, and presumed that they fed on the squirrel. This
plain is intersected nearly in its whole extent by deep ravines and
steep irregular rising grounds from one to two hundred feet. On
ascending the range of hills which border the plain, we saw a second
high level plain stretching to the south as far as the eye could reach.
To the westward, a high range of hills about twenty miles distant runs
nearly north and south, but not to any great extent, as their rise and
termination is embraced by one view, and they seemed covered with a
verdure similar to that of the plains. The same view extended over the
irregular hills which border the northern side of the Missouri; all
around the country had been recently burnt, and a young green grass
about four inches high covered the ground, which was enlivened by herds
of antelopes and buffaloe; the last of which were in such multitudes,
that we cannot exaggerate in saying that at a single glance we saw three
thousand of them before us. Of all the animals we had seen the antelope
seems to possess the most wonderful fleetness: shy and timorous they
generally repose only on the ridges, which command a view of all the
approaches of an enemy: the acuteness of their sight distinguishes the
most distant danger, the delicate sensibility of their smell defeats the
precautions of concealment, and when alarmed their rapid career seems
more like the flight of birds than the movements of an earthly being.
After many unsuccessful attempts, captain Lewis at last, by winding
around the ridges, approached a party of seven, which were on an
eminence, towards which the wind was unfortunately blowing. The only
male of the party frequently encircled the summit of the hill, as if to
announce any danger to the females, who formed a group at the top.
Although they did not see captain Lewis, the smell alarmed them, and
they fled when he was at the distance of two hundred yards: he
immediately ran to the spot where they had been, a ravine concealed them
from him, but the next moment they appeared on a second ridge at the
distance of three miles. He doubted whether it could be the same, but
their number and the extreme rapidity with which they continued their
course, convinced him that they must have gone with a speed equal to
that of the most distinguished racehorse. Among our acquisitions to-day
was a mule-deer, a magpie, the common deer, and buffaloe: captain Lewis
also saw a hare, and killed a rattlesnake near the burrows of the
barking squirrels.

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