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saw the yellow and red courants, not yet ripe; also the goosberry which begins to ripen; the
wild rose which grows here in great abundance in the bottoms of all these rivers is now in full
bloom, and adds not a little to the bea[u]ty of the cenery. ... in short the air & character of this
river is so precisely that of the missouri below that the party with very few exceptions have
already pronounced the N. fork to be the Missouri; myself and Capt. C. not quite so precipitate
have not yet decided but if we were to give our opinions I believe we should be in the minority,
certain it is that the North fork gives the colouring matter and character which is retained from
hence to the gulph of Mexico. ... convinced I am that if it penetrated the Rocky Mountains to
any great distance it's waters would be clearer unless it should run an immence distance indeed
after leaving those mountains through these level plains in order to acquire it's turbid hue. ...
thus have our cogitating faculties been busily employed all day.
Those who have remained at camp today have been busily engaged in dressing skins for
cloathing, notwithstanding that many of them have their feet so mangled and bruised with the
stones and rough ground over which they passed barefoot, that they can scarcely walk or stand;
at least it is with great pain they do either. for some days past they were unable to wear their
mockersons; they have fallen off considerably, but notwithstanding the difficulties past, or
those which seem now to mennace us, they still remain perfectly cheerfull.
I had now my sack and blanket happerst in readiness to swing on my back, which is the first
time in my life that I had ever prepared a burthen of this kind, and I am fully convinced that it
will not be the last.
June 9, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
The Indian information also argued strongly in favour of the South fork. they informed us that
the water of the Missouri was nearly transparent at the great falls, this is the case with the water
of the South fork;
Those ideas as they occurred to me I indevoured to impress on the minds of the party all of
whom except Capt. C. being still firm in the belief that the N. Fork was the Missouri and that
which we ought to take; they said very cheefully that they were ready to follow us any wher[e]
we thought proper to direct but that they still thought that the other was the river and that they
were affraid that the South fork would soon termineate in the mountains and leave us at a great
distance from the Columbia. ... finding them so determined in this beleif, and wishing that if
we were in an error to be able to detect it and rectify it as soon as possible it was agreed
between Capt. C. and myself that one of us should set out with a small party by land up the
South fork and continue our rout up it untill we found the falls or reached the snowy Mountains
by which means we should be enabled to determine this question prety accurately.
I felt myself very unwell this morning and took a portion of salts from which I feel much releif
this evening. ... In the evening Cruzatte gave us some music on the violin and the men passed
the evening in dancing singing &c and were extreemly cheerfull.
June 10, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Sah-cah-gah, we a, our Indian woman is very sick this evening; Capt. C. blead her.
June 10, 1805
William Clark
Sahcahgagwea our Indian woman verry sick I blead her, ...
June 11, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I was taken with such violent pain in my intestens that I was unable to partake of the feast of
marrowbones. my pain still increased and towards evening was attended with a high fever; ...
having brought no medecine with me I resolved to try an experiment with some simples; ... by
10 in the evening I was entirely releived from pain and in fact every symptom of the disorder
forsook me; my fever abated, a gentle perspiration was produced and I had a comfortable and
refreshing nights rest. Goodrich who is remarkably fond of fishing caught several douzen fish
of two different species ...
June 11, 1805
William Clark
the Indian woman verry sick, I blead her which appeared to be of great service to her,
June 12, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... we met with two large bear, and killed them boath at the first fire, a circumstance which I
beleive has never happend with the party in killing the brown bear before. ... we had a most
beatifull and picturesk view of the Roecy mountsins which wer perfectly covered with Snow ...
each succeeding range rising higher than the preceding one untill the most distant appear to
loose their snowey tops in the clouds; this was an august spectacle and still rendered more
formidable by the recollection that we had them to pass.
June 13, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water and advancing a little further
I saw the spray arrise above the plain like a collumn of smoke which would frequently dispear
again in an instant caused I presume by the wind which blew pretty hard from the S.W. I did
not however loose my direction to this point which soon began to make a roaring too
tremendious to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri. ... to gaze on
this sublimely grand specticle ... formes the grandest sight I ever beheld, ... irregular and
somewhat projecting rocks below receives the water in it's passage down and brakes it into a
perfect white foam which assumes a thousand forms in a moment sometimes flying up in jets of
sparkling foam to the hight of fifteen or twenty feet and are scarcely formed before large roling
bodies of the same beaten and foaming water is thrown over and conceals them. ... from the
reflection of the sun on the sprey or mist which arrises from these falls there is a beatifull
rainbow produced which adds not a little to the beauty of this majestically grand senery. after
wrighting this imperfect discription I again viewed the falls and was so much disgusted with the
imperfect idea which it conveyed of the scene that I determined to draw my pen across it and
begin agin, but then reflected that I could not perhaps succeed better than pening the first
impressions of the mind; I wished for the pencil of Salvator Rosa [a Titian] or the pen of
Thompson, that I might be enabled to give to the enlightened world some just idea of this truly
magnifficent and sublimely grand object which has from the commencement of time been
concealed from the view of civilized man; ... of it's kind I will venture to ascert is second to but
one in the known world.
... the grizly bear we have never yet seen.
My fare is really sumptuous this evening; buffaloe's humps, tongues and marrowbones, fine
trout parched meal pepper and salt, and a good appetite; the last is not considered the least of the
luxuries.
June 14, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I now thought that if a skillfull painter had been asked to make a beautifull cascade that he
would most probably have p[r]esented the precise immage of this one; nor could I for some
time determine on which of those two great cataracts to bestoe the palm, on this or that which I
had discovered yesterday; at length I determined between these two great rivals for glory that
this was pleasingly beautifull, while the other was sublimely grand
I scelected a fat buffaloe and shot him very well, through the lungs; while I was gazeing
attentively on the poor anamal discharging blood in streams from his mouth and nostrils,
expecting him to fall every instant, and having entirely forgotten to reload my rifle, a large
white, or reather brown bear, had perceived and crept on me within 20 steps before I
discovered him; in the first moment I drew up my gun to shoot, but at the same instant
recolected that she was not loaded and that he was too near for me to hope to perform this
opperation before he reached me, as he was then briskly advancing on me; it was an open level
plain, not a bush within miles nor a tree within less than three hundred yards of me; the river
bank was sloping and not more than three feet above the level of the water; in short there was
no place by means of which I could conceal myself from this monster until I could charge my
rifle; ... I had no sooner terned myself about but he pitched at me, open mouthed and full
speed, I ran about 80 yards and found he gained on me fast, I then run into the water the idea
struk me to get into the water to such debth that I could stand and he would be obliged to swim,
and that I could in that situation defend myself with my espontoon; accordingly I ran haistily
into the water about waist deep, and faced about and presented the point of my espontoon, at
this instant he arrived at the edge of the water within about 20 feet of me; the moment I put
myself in this attitude of defence he sudonly wheeled about as if frightened, declined the combat
on such unequal grounds, and retreated with quite as great precipitation as he had just before
pursued me.
... It now seemed to me that all the beasts of the neighbourhood had made a league to distroy
me, or that some fortune was disposed to amuse herself at my expence, for I had not proceded
more than three hundred yards from the burrow of this tyger cat, before three bull buffaloe,
which wer feeding with a large herd about half a mile from me on my left, seperated from the
herd and ran full speed towards me, ... at sometimes for a moment I thought it might be a
dream, but the prickley pears which pierced my feet very severely once in a while, particularly
after it grew dark, convinced me that I was really awake, and that it was necessary to make the
best of my way to camp.
June 15, 1805
William Clark
our Indian woman sick & low spirited I gave her the bark & apply it exteranely to her region
which revived her much. ... aded to those dificuelties the rattle snakes [are] inumerable &
require great caution to prevent being bitten. ... the Indian woman much wors this evening, she
will not take any medison, her husband petetions to return &c, ...
June 16, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... I reached the camp found the Indian woman extreemly ill and much reduced by her
indisposition. this gave me some concern as well for the poor object herself, then with a young
child in her arms, as from the consideration of her being our only dependence for a friendly
negociation with the Snake Indians on whom we depend for horses to assist us in our portage
from the Missouri to the columbia river.
... the Sulpher spring ... the water is as transparent as possible strongly impreganted with
sulphur, and I suspect Iron also, as the colour of the hills and bluffs in the neighbourhood
indicate the existence of that metal.
I found that two dozes of barks and opium which I had given her since my arrival had produced
an alteration in her pulse for the better; they were now much fuller and more regular. I caused
her to drink the mineral water altogether. w[h]en I first came down I found that her pulse was
scarcely perceptible, very quick frequently irregular and attended with strong nervous
symptoms, that of the twitching of the fingers and leaders of the arm; now the pulse had
become regular much fuller and a gentle perspiration had taken place; the nervous symptoms
have also in a great measure abated, and she feels herself much freer from pain. she complains
principally of the lower region of the abdomen, I therefore continued the cataplasms of barks
and laudnumn which had been previously used by my friend Capt. Clark. I beleive her disorder
originated principally from an obstruction of the mensis in consequence of taking could.
June 19, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... she complained very much and her fever again returned. I rebuked Sharbono severely for
suffering her to indulge herself with such food he being privy to it and having been previously
told what she must only eat. I now gave her broken dozes of diluted nitre untill it produced
perspiration and at 10 P.M. 30 drops of laudnum which gave her a tolerable nights rest. ...
After dark my dog barked very much ...
June 20, 1805
William Clark
we have conceived our party sufficiently small, and therefore have concluded not to dispatch a
canoe with a part of our men to St. Louis as we have entended early in the Spring. we fear also
that such a measure might also discourage those who would in such case remain, and migh[t]
possibly hazard the fate of the expedition. We have never hinted to any one of the party that we
had such a scheem in contemplation, and all appear perfectly to have made up their minds to
Succeed in the expedition or perish in the attempt. We all believe that we are about to enter on
the most perilous and dificuelt part of our Voyage, yet I see no one repineing; all appear ready
to meet those dificuelties which await us with resolution and becomeing fortitude.
the Mountains to the N.W. and West of us are still entirely covered are white and glitter with the
reflection of the sun. I do not believe that the clouds that pervale at this season of the year reach
the summits of those lofty mountains; and if they do the probability is that they deposit snow
only for there has been no proceptable diminution of the snow which they contain since we first
saw them. I have thought it probable that these mountains might have derived their appellation
of Shineing Mountains, from their glittering appearance when the sun shines in certain
directions on the snow which cover them.
...my party repeatedly heard a nois which proceeded from a Direction a little to the N. of West,
a loud [noise] and resembling precisely the discharge of a piece of ordinance of 6 pounds at the
distance of 5 or six miles. ...I am at a great loss to account for this Phenomenon.
June 23, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
this evening the men repaired their mockersons, and put on double souls to protect their feet
from the prickley pears. during the late rains the buffaloe have troden up the praire very much
which having now become dry the sharp points of earth as hard as frozen ground stand up in
such abundance that there is no avoiding them. this is particular[l]y severe on the feet of the
men who have not only their own weight to bear in treading on those hacklelike points but have
also the addition of the burthen which they draw and which in fact is as much as they can
possibly move with. they are obliged to halt and rest frequently for a few minutes, at every halt
these poor fellows tumble down and are so much fortiegued that many of them are asleep in an
instant; in short their fatiegues are incredible; some are limping from the soreness of their feet,
others faint and unable to stand for a few minutes, with heat and fatiegue, yet no one
complains, all go with cheerfullness.
June 25, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Fields returned and informed me that he had seen two white bear near the river a few miles
above and in attempting to get a shoot [at] them had stumbled uppon a third which immediately
made at him being only a few steps distant; that in runing in order to escape from the bear he
had leaped down a steep bank of the river on a stony bar where he fell cut his hand bruised his
knees and bent his gun, ... this man has been truly unfortunate with these bear, this is the
second time that he has narrowly excaped from them.
The party ... which such as were able to shake a foot amused themselves in dancing on the
green to the music of the violin which Cruzatte plays extreemly well. ... it is worthy of remark
that the winds are sometimes so strong in these plains that the men informed me that they
hoisted a sail in the canoe and it had driven her along on the truck wheels. this is really sailing
on dry land.
June 29, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... I continued my rout to the fountain ... & think it may well be retained on the list of prodegies
of this neighbourhood towards which, nature seems to have dealth with a liberal hand, for I
have scarcely experienced a day since my first arrival in this quarter without experiencing some
novel occurrence among the party or witnessing the appearance of some uncommon object. I
think this fountain the largest I ever beheld, ...
(Flash flood)
S[h]arbono lost his gun, shot pouch, horn, tomahawk, and my wiping rod, Capt. Clark his
Umbrella and compass or circumferenter. ... the men who were all nearly naked and [no]
covering on the head were so sorely mawled with the hail which was so large and driven with
such force by the wind that it nocked many of them down and one particular[l]y as many as
three times most of them were bleeding freely and complained of being much bruised. ... Capt.
C. gave the party a dram to console them in some measure for their general defeat.
June 29, 1805
On his arrival there he observed a very dark cloud rising in the west which threatened rain, and looked around for some shelter, but could find no place where they would be secure from being blown into the river if the wind should prove as violent as it sometimes does in the plains. At length about a quarter of a mile above the falls he found a deep ravine where there were some shelving rocks, under which he took refuge. They were on the upper side of the ravine near the river, perfectly safe from the rain, and therefore laid down their guns, compass, and other articles which they carried with them. The shower was at first moderate; it then increased to a heavy rain, the effects of which they did not feel: soon after a torrent of rain and hail descended; the rain seemed to fall in a solid mass, and instantly collecting in the ravine come rolling down in a dreadful current, carrying the mud and rocks, and every thing that opposed it. Captain Clark fortunately saw it a moment before it reached them, and springing up with his gun and shotpouch in his left hand, with his right clambered up the steep bluff, pushing on the Indian woman with her child in her arms; her husband too had seized her hand, and was pulling her up the hill, but he was so terrified at the danger that but for captain Clark, himself and his wife and child would have been lost. So instantaneous was the rise of the water, that before captain
Clark had reached his gun and began to ascend the bank, the water was up to his waist, and he could scarce get up faster than it rose, till it reached the height of fifteen feet with a furious current, which had they waited a moment longer would have swept them into the river just above the great falls, down which they must inevitably have been precipitated. They reached the plain in safety, and found York who had separated from them just before the storm to hunt some buffalo, and was now returning to find his master.
July 19, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
wh[en]ever we get a view of the lofty summits of the mountains the snow presents itself, altho'
we are almost suffocated in this confined vally with heat. ... this evening we entered much the
most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. these clifts rise from the waters edge on either side
perpendicularly to the hight of (about) 1200 feet. every object here wears a dark and gloomy
aspect. the tow[er]ing and projecting rocks in many places seem ready to rumble on us. the
river appears to have forced it's way through this immence body of solid rock for the distance
of 5 3/4 Miles and where it makes it's exit below has th[r]own on either side vast collumns of
rocks mountains high. ... from the singular appearance of this place I called it the gates of the
rocky mounatains.
Capt. C. feell in with a gang of Elk of which he killed 2. and not being able to obtain as much
wood as would make a fire substituded the dung of the buffaloe ... prickly pear of the leveler
part of the rout much less painfull; they have now become so abundant in the open uplands that
it is impossible to avoid them and their thors are so keen and stif that they pearce a double
thickness of dressed deers skin with ease. Capt. C. informed me that he extracted 17 of these
bryers from his feet this evening after he encamped by the light of the fire. I have guarded or
reather fortigyed my feet against them by soaling my mockersons with the hide of the buffaloe
in parchment ...
July 28, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... we called the S.W. fork, that which we meant to ascend, Jefferson's River in honor of that
illustrious personage Thomas Jefferson. [the author of our enterprize.] the Middle fork we
called Madison's River in honor of James Madison, and the S.E. Fork we called Gallitin's
River in honor of Albert Gallitin. ... the beds of all these streams are formed of smooth pebble
and gravel, and their waters perfectly transparent; in short they are three noble streams.
I had a small bower or booth erected for the comfort of Capt. C.
this affords one of the best winter pastures on earth for horses or cows, and of course will be
much in favour of an establishment should it ever be thought necessary to fix one at this place.
Our present camp is precisely on the spot that the Snake Indians were encamped at the time the
Minnetares of the Knife R. first came in sight of them five years since. from hence they
retreated about three miles up Jeffersons river and concealed themselves in the woods, the
Minnetares pursued, attacked them, killed 4 men 4 women a number of boys, and mad[e]
prisoners of all the females and four boys, Sah-cah-gar-we-ah o[u]r Indian woman was one of
the female prisoners taken at that time; tho' I cannot discover that she shews any immotion of
sorrow in recollecting this event, or of joy in being again restored to her native country ; if she
has enough to eat and a few trinkets to wear I beleive she would be perfectly content anywhere.
July 31, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
nothing killed today and our fresh meat is out. when we have a plenty of fresh meat I find it
impossible to make the men take any care of it, or use it with the least frugallity. tho' I expect
that necessity will shortly teach them this art. ... we have a lame crew just now, two with
tumers or bad boils on various parts of them, one with a bad stone bruise, one with his arm
accedently dislocated but fortunately well replaced, and a fifth has streigned his back by sliping
and falling backwards on the funwall of the canoe.
July 31, 1805
The only game which we have seen are one bighorn, a few antelopes, deer, and one brown bear, which escaped from our pursuit. Nothing was, however, killed to-day, nor have we had any fresh meat except one beaver for the last two days, so that we are now reduced to an unusual situation, for we have hitherto always had a great abundance of flesh.
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