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No «rsBj--J^', CgyiMli f e^l£A^)V€///uA^ _/^ N \ Nf vv 11 ■■ ^'.kO ^1 0: » L. ■ ■\ „■ ^lUi^ HISTORY OF THH HXPHDITION t'M>l-R IIIK CiiMMANI) OK LHVVIS^Ni' CLARK. To ///(• Sourcs of I'lf A/ifsoiiri fiirrr, t/uiuf across tlw h'ocky .1/oiiii/,ii>is nit,/ i/own th,- Coliimhi.i Rivn- lo llu- l\uifh 0,,',iii, pnfoiiiud during I lit Wars lSo.f y-6, hy ();-,/,■; ,.////<• GoVERNMIINT OK Till; UnITI I) StaTI:S. A NHW HDITION, ruTiiFii.i.v RriiKiNiHii Kn.iM i,rri >m.v Airii()Ki.:n) Kuition (ii- 1814, wrrii Cnpioi-s CkITICM. C'.IMMKNIMVV, PkRJVUKU II'IIN ExvMJNAIlON OK rNIMIII.ISllKI) Ofkiciai. Akchives AM) Many (Ithkh SufHc ks i.f Infok.maiicin, I>:CI.lIDINO A Dll.niKNT S1I.DV or IIIK ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT JOURNALS A\l> FIHLD NOTHBOOKS OF Till- r.XPLORi:RS. TOGKTIIK.I! Willi tl Wcw »f0(irapbical an? JBlMio.uMiiblcal 1Inti\iMictioii, ttcw /Ratij aiiA otbcc 1Uu8tratfoM0, o.\\t> n Complete filler. IIY KLLIOI I COLLS I.alt r,i//.i/« and Assistant Surgton, Vn!t,\l St.itt-t Army, Late SiCrft.iry ,,,!./ X.ttHritHsl, Ciiit,;/ Slat.s Cfa/ogu.i/ Siiivfy, Mtmlur 0/ the Xa;i,^ V VI I'KKIACK lO rilK NKW EDITION. of this adventure stands easily first and alone. This is our national ejiic of exploration, conceived by Thomas Jeffer- son, wrouffht out by Lewis and Clark, and giv'en to the world by Nicholas Biddle. Perhaps no traveler's tale has ever been told with greater fidelity and minuteness, or has more nearly achieved abso- lute accuracy. Our heroes proved also model journalists. The imagination of Defoe, which evolved a fiction with startling verisimilitude, has been matched by those acute powers of actual ob.servation which gave us what we may call the " Robinson Crusoe " of fact. It is singular that this History, which has held its own for nearly a century as a standard work of reference, has never before been republished in full, nor ever until now been sub- jected to searching and systematic criticism. The more closely it is scrutinized, in the light of our present knowl- edge, the more luminous it appears. The severest tests which contemporaneous criticism can apply serve mainly to develop its strength and worth. The printed narrative would carry easily twice as much commentary as is now put upon it ; for it continually challenges and solicits the edi- torial pen, even without reference to those manuscript records which have proved a very mine of new wealth. The present edition is accurately described upon its title- page. The editorial notes are so copious and so various that there is little left to be said by way of preface. In undertaking the worl:, I expected to do little more than supervise a reprint of the original text. The acquisition of the manuscripts was not foreseen ; nor had I any idea of the embarrassing richness of resources about to become mine. The publisher, with not less sagacity than liberality, altered his previous plans accordingly, and left the whole matter in my hands. The question whether a new History of the Expedition should be written was promptly answered in the negative. The present edition gives the Riddle text with scrupulous fidelity, even to indicating the original pagina- tion—a convenience which every scholar will appreciate as rKKKACE TO THK NEW EDITION. VII highly as he does the unbroken numbering of pages of the present volumes. But I have not found it necessary to make a fetich of that text. I have punctilious preserved the orthography of proper names ' in all their variance and eccentricity ; and wherever I have amplified any statement in the text, or diverted the sense of a passage by a hair's breadth, square brackets indicate the fact. Yet I have not hesitated to touch the text here and there in a mere matter of grammar or punctuation. For the rest. I have prepared new titles and synopses of the chapters, and new headlines of the pages ; one new chapter is interpolated, by digesting the Clatsop diary for that purpose. Excepting in these several respects, the present edition is literally true to the original. Nothing whatever is omitted. The copy for this edition was actually in the printer's hands, in December, 1892, when I f^rst found myself in pos- session of over 3.000 pages of Lewis' and of Clark's manu- script. Consequently, what would otherwise have been simple supervision was turned into the very arduous and exacting editorial function which is represented by my notes. With scarcely an exception these were penned while a lively corps of compositors was setting type, from January to June, 1893. As this work upon press-proofs included all the research which the notes represent, the demand upon my mental alertness and staying powers proved more severe than I should care to meet again. It was a daily draft upon a fund of omniscience which I am satisfied I never possessed. These circumstances are not cited to forestall criticism, or condone any offense of which I may be convicted. I hope that every error which I have not detected in the orginal text, and every one which I have committed, whether in ignorance or by inadvertence, may be exposed and cor- rected— to the end that " Lewis and Clark," whose develop- ' Excepting Cai)t.iin Clark's, which «a.s wrongly '• Clarke" throughout, and is now correctly resi.elled ; and cxce|>t in one or two other cases, notably of Kansas for " Kan/as," in which the modern sjjcUing of a familiar name is inadvertently given. Vlll rREKACE TO THK NKW KDITION. ment ought to be brought abreast of that of the Great West, may approximate to that perfection which is said to belong to the gods. My commentary relates mainly to geography, ethnology, and natural history ; but it is too extensive and diversified to be concisely described, and if it cannot speak for itself, there is nothing to be said about it. I wish that the literal extracts from the codices were more copious than they are ; but all books, even such as this one, have necessary limits. The rest of the new matter in these volumes consists of a Supplement to Jefferson's Memoir of Lewis, Memoirs of Clark and of Gass, respectively, a bibliography, a much- needed index, this preface, and various illustrations. The modern map was selected as being on about the same scale as Captain Clark's original, thus facilitating comparison of his with our geography. Hut as it was not drawn for this work, I am responsible for nothing that appears upon it excepting the red marks I have made to indicate the route. These will be found as accurate as the map permits them to be ; but the result is to be taken simply as a diagram. Many friends, both known and unknown to me person- ally, have shouMi their interest in this work, and contributed to such excellence as the new matter it contains may be found to possess. My most sincere as wc.l as most formal acknowledgments are due to the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, which did not hesitate to trust the precious manuscripts to my keeping, and whose Secretary. Mr. Henry Phillips, Jr., showed me every jiersonal attention' Mr. Alfred J. Hill of St. Paul, Minn., helped me more than any other individual, with constant suggestion and criticism, and by the loan of several manuscript charts he had prepared for his own use with special reference to Lewis and Clark, as well as by calling my attention to various things which I might or should have otherwise overlooked. My citations of certain authcrities, notably Perrin du Lac, are upon Mr. Hill's representations. Access to and use of the archives of the State and War Departments, by permission of the respect- I'KKFACK TO TIIK NKW EDITION. ix ivc secretaries, was facilitated, in the former, by Mr. Andrew If. Allen, Chief of the Bureau of Rolls and Library, and Mr. Walter Manton, of the same Bureau, as well as by Mr. W. W. Rockhill, Chief Clerk; and in the latter, by Mr. Samuel Ilodgkins, Chief of the Record Division, and Mr. David Fitz Gcral'J, Librarian, as well as by Mr. John Tweedale, Chief Clerk, and Gen. Lewis A. Grant, Assistant Secretary of War. Mr. A. R. Spofford of the Library of Congress ; Major J. W. Powell, Director of the U. S. Geological Survey and of the U. S. Bureau of Ethnology; Mr. Henry Gannett, of the same Survey ; I'rof. G. Brown Goode, Director of the U. S. National Museum^ Prof. T. C. Mendenhall, Superin- tendent of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ; Mr. R. A. Brock, Secretar>' of the Virginia Historical Society; Hon. Charles Aldrich of the State Historical Department of Iowa ; and Mr. M. S. Hill, Secretary of the Taconia Academy of Sciences, each rendered valued official and personal favors. Judge Craig Biddle of Philadelphia; Mr. Horace Howard Furness of the same city; Judge James T. Mitchell of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ; Mr. Jefferson K. Clark of St. Louis ; Mr. Wm. Hancock Clark of Detroit, Mich.; Col. Meri- wether Lewis Clark of Louisville, K>-. ; Mr. V. L. Billon of St. Louis, Mo.; and Mr. R. S. Voorhis of Hannibal, Mo., supplied various data, biographical and historical. In natural his- tory, my tliaiiks are due to Prof. Theodore Gill of the Smithsonian Institution ; Mr. B. W. Evermann ; Prof. E. D. Cope of the University of Pennsylvania ; Mr. L. O. Howard of the Agricultural Department ; and especially Mr. F. H. Knowlton, wLo made most of the botanical identifications. I have also to thank for various favors the Hon. the Commissioners of the General Land OfBce and of the In- dian Bureau, respectively ; the Directors of the Black Eagle Fails Dam ; the Mayor of Benton, Mont.; Professor Alfred Newton of Cambridge, Eng.; Mr. W. P. Garrison of the New York Nation; Judge James Wickersham of Tacoma, Wash.; Prof. J. A. Allen of the American Museum of Natural History, N. V.; Mr. James E. Jiabb of Lewiston, X I'RKFAt'K Tf) THK NEW EDITION. Idaho; Mr. Peter Koch of Hozeman, Mont.; Governor Buchanan of Tcnne.ssce ; Mr. James D. Park of Franklin, Tcnn.; Mr. J. G. Jacob ol Wellsburg, W. Va.; Col. E. Polk Johnson of Frankfort, Ky.; Judge R. T. Durrett of Louisville, Ky. ; Judge John M. Lea of Nashville, Tenn.; Dr. W. C. N. Randolph of Charlottesville, Va.; Mr. F. Firmstone of Easton, Pa.; Rev. Dr. Edward D. Neill of St. Paul, Minn.; Gen. John Gibbon, U. S. Army; Mrs. Mary B. Anderson of Washington, D. C, who prepared the index under my direction; and Mr. Robert M. Trulan, of the Mershon Printing Company, whose faithful and skill- ful attentions were animated by an intelligent interest in the subject-matter, and who very ably seconded my cfTorts to produce an accurate impression. Most of my corre- spondents are also named in the course of my notes, where each such recognition seemed not less a pleasure than a duty. Elliott Coues. Smithsonian Institition, Washington, D. C, June 201 li, 1893. i SklM CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. PACII PREFACE BY THE EDITOR ^ Preface to the Original Edition, .... xiii Me.moir of Meriwether Lewis. By Thomas Jeffer.son, xv Supplement to Jefferson's Memoir of Meriwether Lewis. By Dr. Coues xliii Memoir of William Clark. By Dr. Coues, . . ixiii Memoir of Patrick Gass. By Dr. Coues, . . . xcix Bibliographical Introduction cvii HISTORY OF THE EXPEDITION. CHAPTER L Up the Missouri to the Platte i CHAPTER H. The Missouri from the Platte to the Vermilion River .^ CHAPTER U\. The Missouri from Vermilion to Teton River, . . 85 CHAPTER IV. The Missouri from Tfton River to the Mandans, . 132 xi Xlt CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. Wintering with the Mandans. CHAPTER VI. With the Manuans: Continued, rACR i8u 2I8 CHAPTER VU. The Missouri from Fort Mandan to the Yellowston E. 248 CHAPTER VHI. The M1S.S0URI FROM the Yellow.stone to the Mussel- shell, . 287 CHAPTER IX. The Missouri from the Musselshell to Maria's River, 32, i \\ \atimm m PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION. In presenting these volumes to the public, the editor owes cHiualiy to himself and to others to state the circumstances which have preceded the publication, and tc explain his own share in compiling them. It was the original design of Captain Lewis to have been himself the editor of his own tfavels, and he was on his way toward Philadelphia for that purpose when his sudden death frustrated these intentions. After a considerable and un- avoidable delay, the papers connected with the Expedition were deposited with another gentleman [Nicholas liiddle |, who, in order to render the lapse of time as little injurious as possible, proceeded immediately to collect and investigate all the materials within his reach. Of the incidents of each day during the Expedition, a mi- nute journal was kept by Captain Lewis or Captain Clark, and sometimes by both, which was afterward revised and enlarged at the different periods of leisure which occurred on the route. These were carefully perused in conjunction with Captain Clark himself, who was able, from his own recollection of the journey, as well as from a constant resi- dence in Louisiana since his return, to supply a great mass of explanations, and much additional information with regard to part of the route which has been more recently ex- plored. Hesidcs these, recourse was had to the manuscript journals (/. iv) kept by two of tlie sergeants [John Ord- way and Patrick Gass], one of which [Gass'], the least minute and valuable, has already been published. That nothing might be wanting to the accuracy of these details, a very intelligent and active member of the party, Mr. George Shannon, was sent to contribute whatever his mem- ory might add to this accumulated fund of information. xiv PREFACE TO THE ORHilNAl, EDITION. From these copious materials the narrative was sketched nearly in its present form, wlun other pursuits divertiil the attention of tlie writer and coinpelKil him lo transfer iiis manuscript, in its unfinished state, with all the documents connected with it, to the present editor, to prepare them for the press and superintend the publication. 'I'hat he may not seem to arrogate anytliiny from the exertions of others, lie should therefore state that, although the whole work was thus submitted to his entire discretion, he fc^unil but little to chanjje, and that his labor has been principally confined to revising the manuscript, comparing it with the original papers, and inserting such additional matter as appears to have been intentionally deferred by the writer till the jieriod of a more mature revisal. These circumstances, which would otherwise be indifferent to the public, are mentioned merely to account for imperfections, which are in some degree inseparable from any book of travels not written by the traveler. In a work of pure description indeed, like the present, where the incidents themselves are the sole objects of attraction, the i)art of an editor is necessarily subordinate, nor can his huPible pretensions aspire beyond the merit of rigid adherence to facts as they are stated to him. This has been very diligently attempted, and for this, in its full extent, the eilitor deems himself responsible. The present volumes, it will be perceived, comprise only the narrative of the journey. Those parts of the work which relate to the various objects of natural history ob- served or collected during the journey, as well as the alpha- bets of the (/. 7) Indian languages, are in the hands of Professor [Benjamin S. | Harton, and will, it is understood, shortly appear. | .See note ", p. 400.] To give still further interest to the work the editor ad- dressed a letter to Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson, requesting some authentic memoirs of Captain Lewis. For the very curious and valuable information contained in his answer, the j)ublic, as well as the editor himself, owe great obligations to the politeness and knowledge of that distinguished gentleman. Paul Allen. I'lllI.Al)KI.l'lllA,y> <.ac) ^"^ n'-*a.t.d^.5 >*^*-J .^ <-*- ' c^^-^x^^2^. tHa./^ Ok-'^t*- /^ ■i,^ tJ /2 -t a4^^« c^' 1^^* r/n^t^/yii- ^ ^^.^ *-^ ^6 4 - w i .? y \f % 0r S. /' *"! ^/ I" u > ^ A' ^ /^ c ^ ^' /<^ v if ii % MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. f \LeUer from Ex-President Thomas Jefferson.'] MONTICELLO, August \8f/l, 1813. Sir: In compliance with the request conveyed in your let- ter of May 25th,' I have endeavored to obtain, from the rela- tions and friends of the late Governor Lewis, information of such incidents of his life as might be not unacceptable to those who may read the narrative of his Western discoveries. The ordinary occurrences of a private life, and those also while acting in a subordinate sphere in the Army, in a time of peace, are not deemed sufficiently interesting to occupy the public attention ; but a general account of his parentage, ' This letter is not on file among the Jefferson Papers in the Bureau of Rolls and Library of the State Department at Washington, and probably was not pre- served. The rest of the record of Mr. Jefferson's connection with the History ' f the Expedition is complete in these archives. The original manuscript of the Memoir of Lewis, in Mr. Jefferson's hand-writing, six folios or twelve pages of letter-papei , now forms Docs. Nos. 222 and 223 of Vol. 13 of the ist teries of the Jefferson Papers. Doc. No. 138, Jeff. Papers, 2d. ser., \'ol. 3, is a letter from Mr. Jefferson to Mr. Allen, requesting to be informed when the Memoir would be required, etc. Doc. No. 139, ifiid., letter from the same to the same, forwards the manuscript of the Memoir therewith, orders 13 copies of the His- tory, etc. Doc. No. 136, iiiJ., is a letter from Mr. Allen to Mr. Jefferson, dated Philadelphia, Aug. i8th, 1813, in which is exhibited an achievement in impudence that deserves to become historical. The person says : " I am not apprehensive that the fulness of your Biography [of Lewis] will be an obstacle to its publication, now that I have prevailed upon the Booksellers to procras- tinate the volumes. I wish very much to enliven the dulness of the [Biddle] narrative by something more popular, splendid and attractive. The publick taste," etc., a,i nauseam. Doc. No. 137, ibid., is a letter from the same to the same, dated Philadelphia, Dec. i8th, 1813, in which the writer patronizes the name and fame of Captain Lewis, does not care to have any biography of Captain Clark, and favors the Ex-iVcMdent of the United States with sundry rellections and opinions. In this matter, of course, the real understanding was between XV XVI MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. with such smaller incidents as marked his early character, are briefly noted ; and to these are added, as being peculiarly within my own knowledge, whatever related to the public mission of which an account is now to be published. The result of my inquiries and recollections shall now be offered, to be enlarged or abridged as you may think best ; or other- wise to be used with the materials you may have collected from other sources. Meriwether Lewis, late Governor of Louisiana, was born on the i8th of August, 1774, near the town of Charlottes- ville, in the County of Albemarle, in Virginia, of one of the distinguished families of that state. John Lewis, one (/». viii) of his father's uncles, was a member of the king's council before the Revolution. Another of them, Fielding Lewis, married a sister of General Washington. His father, William Lewis, was the youngest of five sons of Colonel Robert Lewis of Albemarle, the fourth of whom, Charles, was one of tlie early patriots who stepped forward in the commencement of the Revolution, and commanded one of the regiments first raised in Virginia and placed on con- Mr, Jefferson and Mr. Middle ; the correspondence shows that Mr. .\llen was a mere dummy. The Memoir of Lewis was actually transmitted and submiUed by Mr. Jefferson to Mr. Diddle ; witness Doc. No. 52, Jeff. Papers, 2d. ser., Vol. 11 , as follow s ■. Monticcllo, Aug. 20, 1813. Sir In a letter from mr Paul Allen of Philadel|)hia I was informed that other business had obliged you to turn over to him the publication of Gov"". Lewis's j0urn.1l of his Western expedition ; and he re. />) of the same county; and was remark- able, even in infancy, for enterprise, boldness, and discretion. When only eight years of age he habitually went out, in the dead of night, alone with his dogs, into the forest to hunt the raccoon and opossum, which, seeking their food in the night, can then only be taken. In this exercise, no sea- son or circumstance could obstruct his purpose— plunging through the winter's snows and frozen streams in pursuit of his ■ ■T-— mjtJ im ,.maf — ^~— XVUl MKMOIK OK MKKIWKTHER LEWIS. object. At 13 he was put to the Latin school, and continued [under the tuition of Dr. Everett, Parson Maury, and Parson Wardcll] at that until 18, when he returned to his mother and entered on the cares of his farm ; having, as well as a younger brother, been left by his father with a competency for all the correct and comfortable purposes of temperate life. His talent for observation, which had led him to an accurate knowledge of the plants and animals of his own country, would have distinguished him as a farmer; but at the age of 20, yielding to the ardor of youth and a passion for more dazzling pursuits, he engaged as a volunteer in the body of militia which were called out by General Washing- ton, on occasion of the discontents produced by the excise taxes in the western parts of the United States;' and from that situation he was removed to the regular service as a lieutenant in the line. At 23 [in 1797] he was promoted to a captaincy ; and, always attracting the first attention where punctuality and fidelity were requisite, he was appointed paymaster to his regiment. About this time a circumstance occurred which, leading to the transaction which is the sub- ject of this book, will justify a recurrence to its original idea. While I resided in Paris, John Ledyard of Connecticut arrived there, well known in the United States for energy of body and mind. He had accompanied Captain Cook on his voyage to the Pacific ocean, and distinguished himself on that voyage by his intrepidity. Being of a roaming disposition, he was now panting for some new enterprise. His imme- diate object at Paris was to engage a mercantile company in the fur trade of the western coast of America, in {p. x) which, however, he failed. I then proposed to him to go by land to Kamtschatka, cross in some of the Russian vessels to Nootka Sound, fall down into the latitude of the Missouri, and penetrate to and through that to the United States. He eagerly seized the idea, and (Mily asked to be assured of ' The " discontents " thus delicately suggested are better known to history .is the " Whisky Insurrection " of 1794- The malcontents were cilled " insurgents." Young Lewis enlisted .is a private under one T. Walker. f MEMOIR OF MKRIWETHKR LEWIS. xix tlie permission of the Russian fjovernment. I interested, in obtaining this, M. dc Simoulin, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Empress at Paris, but more especially the Baron de Grimm, Minister Plenipotentiary of Saxe-Gotha, her more special agent and correspondent there in matters not imme- diately diplomatic. Her permission was obtained, and an assurance of protection while the course of the voyage should be through her territories. Ledyard set out from Paris, and arrived at St. Petersburgh after the Empress had left that place to pass the winter, I think, at Moscow. His finances not permitting him to make unnecessary stay at St. Petersburgh, he left it with a passport from one of the minis- ters ; and at -oo miles from Kamtchatka, was obliged to take up his winter-quarters. He was preparing, in the spring, to resume his journey, when he was arrested by an ofificer' of the Empress, who by this time had changed her mind and forbidden his proceeding. He was put into a close carriage, and conveyed day and night, without ever stopping, till they reached Poland ; where he was set down and left to himself. The fatigue of this journey broke down his con- stitution ; and when he returned to Paris his bodily strength was much impaired. His mind, however, remained firm, and he after this undertook the journey to Egypt. I received a letter from him, full of sanguine hopes, dated at Cairo, the 15th of November, 1788. the day before he was to set out for the head of the Nile ; on which day, how- ever, he ended his career and life. Thus failed the first attempt to explore the western part of our northern conti- nent. In 1792 I proposed to the American Philosophical Soci- ety that we should set on foot a subscription to engage some (/. .17) competent person to explore that region in the oppo- site direction-that is, by ascending the Missouri, crossing the Stony [Rocky] mountains, and descending the nearest river to the Pacific. Captain Lewis being then stationed at LiKirlottesville. on the recruiting service, warmly solicited me to obtain for him the execution of that object. I told r ^.'^^^Ji/ F' * .j » ». * * > » tlM.l,ajmm -.-^ ' XX MEMOIR OF MERIVVETHKR LEWIS. him it was proposed that the "?rson engaged should be attended by a single companion only, to avoid exciting alarm among the Indians. This did not deter him ; but Mr. Andrti Michaux, a professed botanist, author of "Flora Boreali-Americana " and of the " Histoire des Chesnes d'Amcrique," offering his services, they were accepted. He received his instruction, and when he had reached Kentucky in the prosecution of his journey, he was overtaken by an order from the Minister of France, then at Philadelphia, to relinquish the Expedition,' and to pursue elsewhere the botanical inquiries on which he was employed by that gov- ernment ; and thus failed the second attempt for exploring that region. In 1803, the act for establishing trading-houses with the Indian tribes being about to expire, some modifications of it were recommended to Congress by a confidential message * of ' I believe that Michaux s caac is here presented with the reserve of the true diplomatist. It is a matter of common tradition, if not of verifiable history, that the already celebrated French botanist, who had been selected by the Presi- dent to accompany the Expedition in the capacity of a scientific specialist, was discovered or at any rate suspected to be a spy in the secret service of the French Government ; and that his services were therefore declined by Mr. Jefferson himself, who probably had no trouble in securing his recall by an " order" from the French Minister. Hut hfiwevtr this may have been, certainly the most seri- ous defect in the organization of the Expedition was the lack of some trained scientist, who should also have been a medical man, and thus united the pro- fessional functions of physician, surgeon, and naturalist. * This is an occult document, not easy to find in print. It is not included in The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, nor in ordinary collections of State Papers. It is contained in The Addresses and Messages of the Presidents of the United States, Inaugural, Annual, and Special, from 1789 to 1846, etc., 2d ed., 2 vols., 8vo, New York, Edward Walker, 1846, Appendix, pp. xxv-xxvii, entitled " Jefferson's Confidential Message, recommending a Western Exploring Expedi- tion," Jan. i8th, 1803. It is addressed " Clentlemen of the .Senate and House of Representatives." Its astuteness and wariness may be judged by the words with which it concludes : " The interests of commerce place the ]irincipal object within the constitutional powers rind care of Congress, and that it should incident- ally advance the gcograjihical knowledge of our own continent, can but be an additional gratification. The nation claiming the territory, regarding this as a literary pursuit, which it is in the habit of permitting within its own dominions, would not be disposed to view it with jealousy, even if the expiring state of its interests there did not render it a matter of indifference, The appropriation of MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. »aci should be 1 exciting 1 ; but Mr. )f "Flora ; Chesnes pted. He Kentucky ■:en by an lelphia, to where the that gov- exploring 5 with the itions of it lessage * of e of the true iable history, by the Presi- pecialist, was ji the French Ur. Jefferson ' order" from he most serf- some trained ited the pro- Jt included in State Papers. )f the United c, 2d ed., 2 (xvii, entitled )ring Expedi- and House of le words w ith ncipal object luld incident- an but be an ing this as a 'n dominions, ig state of its iropriation of January i8th, and an extension of its views to the Indians on the Missouri. In order to prepare the way, the message proposed the sending an exploring party to trace the Mis- souri to its source, to cross the Highlands, and follow the best water-communication which offered itself from thence to the Pacific ocean. Congress approved the proposition, and voted a sum of money for carrying it into execution. Cap- tain Lewis, who had then been near two years with me as Private Secretary,' immediately renewed his solicitations to have the direction of the party. I had now had opportuni- ties of knowing him intimately. Of courage undaunted ; possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction ; careful iis a father of those committed to his charge, yet steady in the maintenance of order and discipline ; intimate (/. xii) with the Indian character, customs, and principles ; two thousand five hundred dollars, ' for the purpose of extending the external commerce of the United States," while understood and considered by the execu- tive as giving the legislative sanction, would cover the undertaking from notice, and prevent the obstructions which interested indiviiluals might otherwise prel viously prepare in its way." This message, perhaps penned by Private Secretary Lewis from President Jefferson's dictation, was favorably acted upon by Con- gress, with the result of placing the Expedition in the field. The estimate of $2,5cx) was Lewis' own, as witness Doc. No. 96a, Jeff. Papers L, 2d ser.. Vol. 51, lieing tlie following " Recapitulation of an Estimate of the sum necessary to carry into effect the -Miss'*- Expedicion," in Lewis' handwriting : " Mathematical Instruments, $217 ; Arms and Accoutrements extraordinary, $81 ; Camp Ecfpii- I'age, $255 ; Medicine & packing, $55 ; Means of transportation, S430 ; Indian prc-ents, $696 ; Provisions extr.iordinary, $224 ; Materials for making u], the various articles into portable packs, S55 ; For the pay of hunters, guides, and iMRrpreters, $300 ; In silver coin, to defray the expences of the party from Nashville to the last white settlement on the Missisourie, $100 ; Contingencies SS7 ; Total, $2,500." ' State Dept., Hur. of Rolls and Libr., Jeff. Papers L, 2d. ser.. Vol. 51, Doc. No. no, is a press-copy of the President's tender of the Private Secretaryship >n highly complimentar)- terms, dated Washn., Feb. 23d, 1801. Accejitance of same, in Lewis' handwriting, iih/.. Doc. No. 95, is in part as follows : ]3j.„ Sir Pittsburgh, March loth. 1801, Not untiU two late on friday last to answer by that davs mail, did I recieve your much esteemed favour of the 23rd. Ult. in it you have thought proper so n ' XXII MEMOIR OF MEKIWLIHKR LEWIS. habituated to the hunting life ; guarded, by exact observa- tion of the vegetables and animals of his own country, against losing time in the description of objects already pos- sessed ; honest, disinterested, liberal, of sound understand- ing, and a fidelity to truth so scrupulous that whatever he should report would be as certain as if seen by ourselves — with all these qualifications, as if selected and implanted by nature in one body for this express purpose, I could have no hesitation in confiding the enterprise to him." To fill up the measure desired, he wanted nothing but a greater famili- arity with the technical language of the natural sciences, and readiness in the astronomical observations necessary for the geography of his route. To acquire these he repaired im- mediately to Philadelphia, and placed himself under the tutorage of the distinguished professors of that place, who, with a zeal and emulation enkindled by an ardent devotion to science, communicated to him freely the information requisite for the purposes of the journey. While attending at Lancaster to the fabrication of the arms with which he chose that his men should be provided, he had the benefit of daily communication with Mr. Andrew Ellicot, whose experience in astronomical observation, and practice of it in the woods, enabled him to apprise Captain Lewis of the far to honour nic with your confidence, as to express a wish that I should accept the place of )'our private Secretary ; I most cordially ac(|uiesce, and with pleasure accept the oft'ice ; nor were further motives necessary to induce my com- plyance, than that you, Sir, should conceive that in the discharge of the duties of that office, I could be servicable to my country, or ucefull to youreself : per- mit me here, Sir. to do further justice to my feelings, by expressing the lively sensibility with which I received this mark of your confidence and esteem. . . . Receive I pray you. Sir, the most undisembled assurance, of the attatch- ment and friendship of Your most obedient, & Very Humble Servt, Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson. President of the I'. States. * The substance of the eulogy of this sentence forms the inscri])tion on the east face of Lewis' monument, erected by the Legislature of Tennessee in 1848. See p. !x, beyond. >(^>i^ifif^^till treat it as a [.hilosophism [/. ,., as we should now say, crankery], and would rejoice at Its f.idure. Their bitterness incrc.iscs with the diminution of their nund)ers and despair of a resurrection. 1 ho|,e you will t.ake care of vourself, and be the liv- ing witness of their malice and folly. Present my salutations to Mr Clarke assure all your |iarty that we have our eyes turned o„ tl,ein with anxiety for their safety & the success of their enterpri/e. accept yourself assurances of sincere esteem and attachment." Various other letters of 'l". J. lo .\I L are also pre- served in press-copies in Jeff. Papers L, 2d ser., Vol. 51 ; as ,' V Doc No III i^B"^ XXIV MEMOIR OF MEKIVVETHLK LKWIS. (/. xiii) "To Meriwether Lewis, Esquire, Captain of the First Regiment of Infantry of the United States of America : " Your situation as Secretary of tiie President of the United States has made you acquainted with the objects of my confidential message of January iSth, 1803, to the legislature ; you have seen the act they passed, which, though expressed in general terms, was meant to sanction those objects, and you are appointed to carry them into execution. "Instruments for ascertaining, by celestial observations, the geography of the country through which you will pass, Apr. 27th, 1803 ; No. 112, Apr. 30th, 1803 ; No. 113, May l6th, 1603 ; No. 114, July utii, 1S03 ; No. 115, July I5lh, 1803 ; No. lifi, A;)r. 23<1, 1S03. Tlicse are Jefferson's side of the continued correspondence witli i^evvis during that year and the beginning of 1804. Tiie originals of Lewis' side of this correspondence are also on file, bound in the same volume. These have never been puldished ; and as they enable us to trace all his movements in preiiaring for the Kxpedition, in 1803-4, I will abstract them, as follows ; Doc. No. 97, five pages, l^ancaster, I'a., Apr. 20th, 1803. M. L. arrives there Apr. 19th, and puts himself under in- structions of Mr. Andrew Ellicot to learn to work astron. insts. ; steps taken to en^^age recruits from posts of Southwest Point, Massac, Kaskaskais (>/() and lUincjis ; one John Conner engaged as interpreter (engagement later canceled) ; rifles and tomahawks being made at Harper's Ferry, where I,ewis was long detained about the building of his boat " Experiment" (see p. 406, beyond). — Doc. No. 98, I'hilada., I'a., May 14th, 1803; various maUers, but chiefly Mr. Elli- cot's and Mr. Patterson's views regarding astron. insts. — Doc. No. 99, Philada., May 29th ; preparations so far forward that he expects to leave for Washn. June 29th ; has submitted JefTerson's instructions to Drs. Rush, Harton, and Wistar, who approve them ; is informed by Major McRca,com'd'g at S. \V. Point that out of 20 volunteers for the F.xped. only 3 |)ossessed the re(iuisite i|ualilications ; has taken sketches from Vancouver's work for composing a map Mr. Oallatin prom- ised to project and complete ; has been unable to procure " Danvill's," i. e., D'Anville's, map ; and " the maps attached to Vancouver's Voyage cannot be pro- cured seperately from that work, which is both too costly and too weighty for me either to jfurchase or carry." — Doc. No. 109, I'hilada., June 27th, 1S03 ; wholly personal matters. Doc. No. 108, dated 12 o'clock Harper's Ferry, July 8th, 1803; leaves in an hour, " taking the rout of Charlestown, Frankfort, Uniontown and Redstone old fort to Pittsburgh." — Doc. No. 100, Pittsburgh, July 22d, 1803, delayed there by non-completion of a boat which had been promised for July 20th, was now promi.sed for Aug. 5ih (but in fact was not finished till Aug. 31st). — Doc. No. loi, Pittsburgh, July 26th, 1803. (5J^~'rhis is the Lieut. Hook matter : see .■jjBGfK-- MEMOIR OF MKKIWKTirKK LEWIS. XXV have been already provided. Light articles for barter and presents among the Indians, arms for your attendants, say for from ten to twelve men, boats, tents, and other travel- ing apparatus, with ammunition, medicine, surgical instru- ments, and provisions, you will have prepared, with such aids as the Secretary of War can yield in his department ; and from him also you will receive authority to engage among our troops, by voluntary agreement, tlie number of attendants above mentioned ; over whom you, as their com- manding officer, are invested with all the powers the laws give in such a case. "As your movements, while within the limits of the in full in my Memoir of Clark, beyond.) — Doc. No. 102, Wlieeliiii^, Sipt. 8lh, 1803, in ]iart .IS follows; " It Wiis not until 7 D'Ciock on the inorniiii; of the 31st. Ultni"' that my boat was tonipleteil, she was inst.;ntly loailed, and at 10 A. M. on till; same day I left I'lttsburgh, where I had been moste shamefully de- tained by the unpardonabU: negli^^ence of my boat-builder . . . atcordiu}; to Ills usual (ustom he got drunk, ipiarreled with his workmen, . . I spent most of my time with the workmen altLrnately presuading and threateninfj ... I shall leave this place tomorrow morning, and lose no time in ^etinj; on." . . — Doc. No. 103, dated "On board my boat O[)posite Marietta," Sept. I3tli, 1803 ; just arrived there ; been oblijjed to use horses or oxen to draj; his boat over shoals ; " I (ind them the most eltlcient sailors in the present state of the navii^atioii of the river, altho' ihey may be considered rather clumsy." — Doc. No. 104, (.'incinnati, Oct. 3d, 1803 ; chiefly devoted to discovery by Dr. \\m. (Joforlh of bones of " mammoth " (mastodon), found at I'ig lione I.ick ; item, interpreter Conner has declined ; William Clark has accepted ; item, so refreshing in its n.aivete that I must ([uote it : " As this Session of ('ongress has commenced earlyer than usual, and as from a variety of incidental circumstances my ])rogress has been unex- pectedly delayed, and feeling as I do in the most anxious manner a wish to keep ihcni in a good humour on the subject of the cxncdicion in which I am engaged," this ingenuous young diplomat, who evidently had not served a Jefferson in vain, ])roposes to make a side-trip, perhaps up the Canceze (Kansas) river, and prevail on Captain Clark to make a feint somewhere else, as a .sop to a congressional Cerberus thirsting for information about " Jefferson's Purchase." — Doe. No. , St. Louis, March afith, 1804, describes Osage plum and apple, and incloses speci- mens. — Doc. No. 105, St. I.ouis, May l8th, 1804 (when the i:x|ied. had started, b\it Captain I-. had not joined it), is a list of articles for'd to I'rest. J. xi'v) "The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal streams of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregan [.f/V], Colorado, or any other river, may offer the most direct and practicable water-communication across the continent, for the purposes of commerce. " Beginning at the mouth of the Missouri, you will take observations of latitude and longitude, at all remarkable points on the river, and especially at the mouths of rivers, at rapids, at islands, and other places and objects distin- guished by such natural marks and characters, of a durable kind, as that they may with certainty be recognized here- after. The courses of the river between these points of observation may be supplied by the compass, the log-line, and by time, corrected by the observations themselves. The variations of tlie needle, too, at different places, should be noticed. " The interesting points of the portage between the heads of the Missouri, and of the water offering the best commu- nication with the Pacific ocean, should also be fixed by MEMOIR OF MFRIWKTHKR LEWIS. xxvi! I observation ; and the course of that water to the ocean, in the same m.inner as tliat uf the Missouri. " Your observations are to be taken with {jreat pains and accuracy ; to be entered distinctly and intelligibly for others as well as yourself ; to comprehend all the elements neces- sary, with the aid of the usual tables, to fix the latitude and lonfjitude of the places at which they were taken ; and are to be rendered tu the War Office, for the purpose of having the calculations made concurrently by proper per- sons within the United States. Several copies of these, as well as of your other notes, should be made at leisure times, and put into the care of the most trustworthy of your attend.uits to guard, by multiplying them against the accidental losses to which they will be exposed. A further guard would be, that one of these copies be on the cuticular membranes of the paper-birch [Br/it/a papyrifcra\ as less liable to injury from damp than common paper. i^p.xv) " The commerce which may be carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue renders a knowl- edge of those people important. You will therefore en- deavor to make yourself acquainted, as far as a diligent pursuit of your journey shall admit, with the names of the natit)ns and their numbers : " The extent and limits of their possessions ; " Their relations with other tribes or nations; "Their language, traditions, and monuments; " Their ordinary occupations in agriculture, fishing, hunt- ing, war, arts, and tiie implements for these ; "Their food, clothing, and domestic accommodations ; " The diseases prevalent among them, and the remedies they use ; " Moral and physical circumstances which distinguish them from the tribes we know ; " Peculiarities in their laws, customs, and dispositions ; " And articles of commerce they may need or furnish, and to what extent. " And, considering the interest which every nation has in XXVlll MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. extending and strengthening the authority of reason and justice among the people around them, it will be useful to acquire what knowledge you can of the state of morality, religion, and information among them ; as it may bettei' en- able those who may endeavor to civilize and instruct them, to adapt their measures to the existing notions and practices of those on whom they are to operate. "Other objects worthy of notice will be : " The soil and face of the country ; its growth and vege- table productions, especially those not of the United States ; " The animals of the country generally, and especially those not known in the United States ; " The remains and accounts of any which may be deemed rare or extinct ; "The mineral productions of every kind, but more particularly metals, limestone, pit-coal, saltpetre; salines (/. xvi) and mineral waters, noting the temperature of the last, and such circumstances as may indicate their character ; " Volcanic appearances ; "Climate, as characterized by the thermometer, by the proportion of rainy, cloudy, and clear days ; by lightning, hail, snow, ice; by the access and recess of f rost ; by the winds prevailing at different seasons; the dates at which particular plants put forth or lose their flower or leaf; times of appearance of particular birds, reptiles, or insects. ' I' Although your route will be along the channel of the Missouri, yet you will endeavor to inform yourself, by inquiry, of the character and extent of the country watered by its branches, and especially on its southern side. The North river, or Rio Ikavo [Rio Grande del Norte], which runs into the Gulf of Mexico, and the North river, or Rio Colorado, which runs into tlie Gulf of California, are under- stood to be the principal streams heading opposite to the waters of the Missouri and running southwardly. Whether the dividing grounds between the Missouri and them are mountains or flat lands, what are their distance from the ^*w - ■ — ^>«* — .• MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. XXIX Missouri, the character of the intermediate country, and the people inhabiting it, are worthy of particular inquiry. The northern waters of the Missouri are less to be inquired after, because they have been ascertained to a considerable degree, and are still in a course of ascertainment by English traders and travelers ; but if you can learn anything certain of the most northern source of the Missisipi [sic], and of its position relatively to the Lake of the Woods, it will be interesting to us. Some account too of the path of the Canadian traders from the Missisipi at the mouth of Ouis- consing [Wisconsin river] to where it strikes the Missouri, and of the soil and rive'-s in its course, is desirable. " In all your intercourse with the natives, treat them in the most friendly and conciliatory manner which their own conduct will admit ; allay all jealousies as to the object of your journey ; satisfy them of its innocence ; make them (/. .vrii) acquainted with the position, extent, character, peaceable and commercial dispositions of the United States; of our wish to be neighborly, friendly, and useful to them, and of our dispositions to a commercial intercourse with them ; confer with them on the points most convenient as mutual emporiums, and the articles of most desirable inter- change for them k1 us. If a few of their influential chiefs, within practicable distance, wish to visit us, arrange such a visit with them, and furnish them with authority to call on our officers on their entering the United States, to have them conveyed to this place at the public expense. If any of them should wish to have some of their people brought up with us, and taught such arts as may be useful to them, we will receive, instruct, and take care of them. Such a .nission, whether of influential chiefs, or of young people, would give some security to your own party. Carry with you some matter of the kine-pox ; inform those of them with whom you may be of its efficacy as a preservative from the small- pox, and instruct and encourage them in the use of it. This may be especially done wherever you winter. " As it is impossible for us to foresee in what manner you XXX MEMOIR OF MKKIWETHER LEWIS. will be received by those people, whether with hospitality or hostility, so is it impossible to prescribe the exact degree of perseverance with which you are to pursue your journey. We value too much the lives of citizens to offer them to probable destruction. Your numbers will be sufficient to secure you against the unauthorized opposition of individ- uals, or of small parties ; but if a superior force, authorized or not authorized by a nation, should be arrayed against your further passage, and inflexibly determined to arrest it, you must derline its further pursuit and return. In the loss of yourselves we should lose also the information you will have acquired. By returning safely with that, you may enable us to renew the essay with better calculated means. To your own discretion, therefore, must be left the degree of danger you may risk, and the point at which you should decline; {p. xviii) only saying, we wish you to err on the side of your safety, and to bring back your party safe, even if it be with less information. " As far up the Missouri as the white settlements extend, an intercourse will probably be found to exist between them and the Spanish posts of St. Louis opposite Cahokia," or St. Genevieve opposite Kaskaskia." From still further up the river the traders may furnish a conveyance for letters. Beyond that you may perhaps be able to engage Indians to '' The Cahokia was a tribe of Indians of tlic Illinois confederation, who occupied a village about the mouth of Cahokia creek, St. Clair Co., 111., and are supposed to have become extinct about 1800. The name survived as that of a village on the E. bank of the Mississippi, four or live miles l)elow St. I.ouis. ' The river of this name runs S. \V. in Illinois and falls into the E. side of the Mississippi at Chester, Randolph Co., 111. The old French town of St. tiene- vieve was on a creek called Gabarec, near the AV. bank of the Mississi|ipi, a little liigher up ; it is now the principal town of the county of the same n.amc in Mis- souri. The Kaskaskia was named from an Indian tribe, and was also called Ocoa. At its nouth was st.irted the town of Tiirtland before iSli), to rival the old town of Kaskaskia. There commences the celebrated valley along the Mis- sissippi which became known as the " American bottom," extending along the E. bank to the I'i.asa Mills, four miles above the mouth of the Missouri. This tract contained the villages of K.iskaskia, I'rairie dcs Roches, Cahokia, I'rairie du Tout, Ilarrisonville, and Fort Chartres. The latter, originally built too close to the river, was undermined in iSoS. It stood about 20 miles above Kaskaskia. \ or :9 MEMOIR OF MKKIVVKTHER LEWIS. xxxi bring letters for the government to Cahokia, or Kaskaskia on promising that they shall there receive such special com- pensation as you shall have stipulated with them. Avail yourself of these means to communicate to us, at seasonable intervals, a copy of your journal, notes, and observations of every kmd, putting into cipher'" whatever might do injury if betrayed. " Should you reach the Pacific ocean, inform yourself of the circumstances which may decide whether the furs of those parts may not be collected as advantageously at the head of the Missouri (convenient as is supposed to the waters of the Colorado and Oregan, or Columbia), as at Nootka Sound, or any other point of that coast; and that trade be consequently conducted through the Missouri and United States more beneficially than by the circumnaviga- tion now practiced. " On your arrival on that coast, endeavor to learn if there be any port within your reach frequented by the sea vessels of any nation, and to send two of your trusty people back by sea. .n such way as shall appear practicable, with a copy o your notes ; and should you be of opinion that the return of your party by the way they went will be imminentlv dangerous, then ship the whole, and return by sea, by the way e.tlicr of Cape Horn, or the Cape of Good Hope, as you shall be able. As you will be without money, clothes or provisions, you must endeavor to use the credit of 'the United States to obtain them ; for which purpose open letters (A .n.r) of credit " shall be furnished you, authorizing you to draw on the Executive of the United States, or any of Its officers, in any part of the world, in which draughts -I-he con.truction „f tl,c ci,,l>.r for communication bcueen Presi.ient Jcffer- son a,ul Captain Lews ,s ,lis,.layed on a doc. now boun.l between Docs. Nos 07 lowin Ik' is this open letter of cre.lit, probably the most remark.-ible hy any indiviilual. It has 1 it from the hand icen ])riiited, but never ever held writintj: this is ahalf-sheet ■press copy of tlie original doci once correctly. I publish iment. in lefferson'^ Doc. N o, 1)4, Je(T. Taper,, 1st scr., \ )r one folio, written one side, of letter- Iiand- paper, beinp; 9, lUiicau of Rolls and Library, S tate XXXll MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. can be disposed of, and to apply with our recommendations to the consuls, agents, merchants, or citizens of any nation with which we have intercourse, assuring them in our name that any aids they may furnish you shall be honorably repaid, and on demand. Our consuls, Thomas Hewes, at Hatavia in Java, William Buchanan in the Isles of France and Bourbon, and John Elmslie at the Cape of Good Hope, will be able to supply your necessities by draughts on us. " Should you find it safe to return by the way you go, after sending two of your party round by sea, or with your whole party, if no conveyance by sea can be found, du ^o ; making such observations on your return as may serve to supply I>ept. It is accompcinied, ifiij., by ihe first rough draft, in Jefferson's hand, full of interlineations and erasures. Captain Lewis received the following final text : Washington. US. of America. July 4. 1803. Dear Sir In the journey which you are about to undertake for the discovery of the course and source of the Missouri, and of the most convenient water comnuinication from tlience to tlie Pacific ocean, your party being small, it is to be expected tliat you will encounter consideral)le dangers from the Indian inhabitants, should you escape those dangers, and re.ich the Pacific ocean, you may find it imprudent to hazard a return the same way, and be forced to seek a passage round by sea, in such vessels as you may tind on the Western coast, but you will be without money, without clothes, i.\: other necessaries ; as a sufficient supply cannot be carried with you from hence, your resource in that case can only be the credit of the US. for which purpose I hereby authorise you to draw on the Secretaries of St.ate, of the Treasury, of War & of the Xavy of the US. according as you may find your draughts will be most negociable, for the purpose of obtaining money or necessaries for yourself & your men ; and I solemnly pledge the faith of the United States that these draughts shall be paid punctually at the date they are made payable. I also .isk of the Consuls, agents, merchants v 5SSSSS XXXVI MKMOIK OF MERIWETIIKR LEWIS. From this time liis journal, now published, will give the history of his journey to and from the Pacific ocean, until his return to St. Louis on the 23d of September, 1806." Never did a similar event excite more joy through the United States. The humblest of its citizens had taken a lively interest in the issue of this journey, and looked for- ward with impatience for the information it would furnish. Their anxieties too for the safety of the corps had been kept (/. .v.ri) in a state of excitement by lugubrious rumors, circulated from time to time on uncertain authorities, and uncontradicted by letters or other direct information, from the time they had left the Mandan towns, on their ascent up the river in April [Apr. 7th "] of the preceding year, 1805, until their actual return to St. Louis. " As stated in my note ■". p. 283 nf the History, we have the ori(;in.il dr.ift of Lewis' letter of Sept. 23(1, iScy), announcin(j to President Jefferson the return of the Expedition in safety to St. Louis. We also have tlie original draft of the President's reply, now forming Doc. N'o. Ity, Jeff. Papers L, 2<1 ser.. Vol. 51, dated "Washington Oct. 20 1806." It begins abruptly: "I received, my dear Sir, with unspeakable joy your letter of Sep. 23 announcing the return of yourself, Capt Clarke iV your party in good health to St. Louis, the unknown scenes in which you were engaged \ the length of time without hearing of you hail begun to be felt awfully," etc. The joy was felt nowhere more intensely and sincerely than in the heart of the most exalted citizen of the United States. '■■ Here the allusion to the last direct information Mr. Jefferson had of the Expedition implies the celebrated Mandan letter of Captain Lewis, which was one of the .\ccompanying Documents of Jefferson's Mess.ige to Congress of Feb. 19th, 1806, Liter taken up in various .Apocrypha (see Bibliogrr.phy, beyond). Besides having its date misprinted April " 17th," instead of 7th, this letter was judiciously jiruned down for publication by Mr. Jefferson himself, and consequently has never beer, luinted in full. The original occujiies six pages or three folios of letter-pai)er size, in Lewis' usual line and even hand. It is now Doc. \o. 107 of the Jeff. Papers, 2d ser.. Vol. 51, in the archives of the St.ite Dept. .and it shows the pencilings of Mr. Jefferson for deletion of certain passages which he thought be>;t not to publish at that time. Regarding other Mandan matters of this date, if the reader will turn to note', p. 250 of the History, he will find mention of the complete invoice of articles which were sent by the barge to President Jefferson. The oris^iHaloi this invoice is extant, as Doc. No. 105a, Jeff. Papers L, 2d. ser., Vol. 51. This is in (Captain Clark's hand ; it is headed : " Invoice of articles forw.ardeil from Fort Mandan to the Presiilent of the United Slates through Capt"- [.\mos] Stoddard at St. Louis and M'- H. \^. Trist the Collector of the Port of New Orleans." MEMOIR OF MKRIWK'^HKR LEWIS. XXXVll I (. hnte ' hides Bvoice I is in r..rt iMard It was the middle" of February, 1807, before Captain Lewis, with his companion, Captain Clark, reached the City of Washington, where Congress was then in session. That body granted to the two chiefs and their followers the dona- " lie w-is cert.iinly in Wasliington by the nth, as witness the following; letter, aildressed tci Aiij;uste Chouteau, sen. (!>. New Orleans, Sept. 2f)th, 1750 ; L-xrch i2th] a General of its militia and A^ent of the United States for Indian affairs in that department. A considerable time intervened before the Governor's arrival at St. Louis. He found the territory distracted by feuds and contentions among the officers of the government, and the people themselves divided by these into factions and parties. He determined at once to take no :.ide with either, but to use every endeavor to conciliate and har- monize them. The even-handed justice he administered to all soon established a respect for his person and authority, and perseverance and time wore down animosities and re- united the citizens again into one family." "On this matter of the grant of lands l)y Act of Congress, see the note '. p. cxi, beyond, in the Hibliogr.i|ihical Introduction. " Meanwhile Captain Lewis had resigned from the .\rmy, Mar. 2d, 1807. See liis letter of resignation, in facsimile from a photograph of the original (now on file in the Record l>ivision of the War Uept,), among the jilates which illustrate the present work. It is extraordinary that the the History of the Expedition : " I am very often applied to to know when your work will begin to appear ; and I have so long promised co|iies to my literary correspondents in France, that I am almost bankrupt in their eyes. 1 shall be very happy to receive from your- self information of your exjiectations im this svibjccl, everybody is impatient for it." The first post-office at St. Louis was establi'-hcd early in 1S08, witli Rufus i I 99fe xl MKMOIK OK MKKIWKllIKU I.KWIS. tloti, the constant exertion which that reiiuired of all the faculties (/. x.iii) of boiiy and mind suspended these dis- tressinj^ affections ; but after his establishment at St. Louis in sedentary occupations, they returned to him with re- doubled vi^or and began seriously to alarm his frienils. He was in a paroxysm of one of these when his affairs reiulered it necessary for him to go to Washington. " He proceeded to the Chickasaw bluffs,'" where he arrived on the i^ili of September, i.Scx), with a view of continuing his journey Kaston as postmaster. Mails were then iisii^illy :il)i)iit six weeks from New S'ork, I'hlladelpliia, niul Wasliiii^loii ; ami the only miil routes west of Iniliaiia and Kentucky were lo ('alii)kia ami tlienec to St. l.ouis and St. ( liatles. Dur- ing this year of (iovernor Lewis' incumbency the first book ever printed in St. l.ouis was published in OeccMnbcr. It was a volume of 372 pages, l)eing the Laws of the Territory of Louisiana, compiled by I'rederii k Hates and printed liy Joseph Charless. .\lready had the first newspaper appeared, July latli, iS".'^. This was the Missouri (ja/ctte, foundeil by Mr. (Iharless ; the lirst issue «.is a sheet of foolscap 8x 12 inches. The name was changed Nov. 30th, 1809, to Louisiana fia/ette, and this was changed back to the original name July i8th, 1812 ("( 'ongress having changed the name of this Territory, the iilor also changed his paper to its first appellation " ). Mr. (Jharless conducted it through twelve vulumes to .Sept. 13th, 1810, when it had 1,000 subscribers, having started with 170; it was then transferred to another editor. I'here was no opposition i)aper till ^Lly, 1S15, when appeared the Western Journal, wiiich, in 1S17, became the Western Kmigrant, and, in l8l<), the .St. Louis iMiipiirer, with the suliseipiently famous 'Thom.as H. lienton as editor. " It ai)pears from liillon's sketch (.Vnnals of St. Louis, 1888, p. 378) that befure leaving St. Louis on his last journey, (lOvernor Lewis had, on the njth day of .\ugust, 1809, appointed his " three most intimate frieiuls, William (lark, Alex- ander Stuart, and William C Can, his lawful attorneys, willi full authority to dispose of all or any part of his projjcrty, real and personal, and to p.ay or receive all debts due by or to him," etc. 'This power of attorney w.as executed in the presence of Jeremiah Connor and Samuel Solomon as witnesses. From the fact of his naming three attorneys, clothed with such full powers as are usually exercised by executors only, Mr. liillon remarks that he might have h.ad some foreboding that he wouhl never return to St. Louis, even if he then enter- tained no idea of .self-destruction. In 1810 Ldward Hempstead was appointed administrator of his est.ate by the General Court of Louisiana 'Territory. He had purchased seveial pieces of land in the vicinity of the village of St. Louis, among them a ^yi arpent piece, just above the then north end of the village. On a part of this is now the Helcher sugar refinery, and a part of it now forms Lewis street. -"On the Mississippi, at present site of the city uf Memphis, Shelby Co., 'Tenn. f^ MKMOIU «»1' MKKIWKIIIKk I.KWIS. nU thoncc by water. Mr. Nccly, A^jcnt of the United States uitli tlie Chickasaw Indians, arriving there two days alter, found liini extremely indisposed and betraying at times some symptoms of a derangement of mind. The rumors of a war with ICn^jland, and apprehensions that he might lose tile papers lie was brin^in^j on, among wliitli were the vouchers of his public accounts and the journals and papers of his Western li.vpedition, induced him here to change his mind and to take his course by land through the Chickasaw country [Tennessee]. Although he appeared somewhat relieved, Mr. Neely kindly determined to accompany and watch over him. Unfortunately, at their encampment, after having passed the Tennessee [river] one day's journey, they lost two horses, which obliged Mr. Neely to halt for their recovery. The Governor proceeded under a promise to wait for him at the house of the first white inhabitant on his road. He stopped at the house of a Mr. Grinder," who not being at home, his wife, alarmed at the symptoms of de- rangement she discovered, gave him up the house and retired to rest herself in an outhouse, the Governor's and Neely's servants lodging in another. .'^ l)out three o'clock in the night [of Oct. i ith, 1S09I he tlid thi -ed which plunged his friends into affliction and deprived his country of one of her most valued citizens, whose valor and intelligence would have been now employed in avenging the wrongs of his country, and in emulating by land the splendid deeds which *' In whnt is now Lewis t'o., 'I'enn., two miles west of the county town of Newhiirgh. Kor LircunistaiicL-s of the journey .ind the (|uestion of suicide or murder, see the Supplement to this MenK'ir, licyond. I have a letter /(^d; rm.e of whom was a negro, he inquired for his pow- der, saying he was sure he had some powder in a canister. The servant gave no distinct reply, and Lewis, in the mean while, walked backwards and forwards befo'-e the door, talking to himself. Sometimes, she said, he would seem as if he were walking up to her; and would suddenly wheel round, and walk back as fast as he could. Supper being ready he sat down, but had eaten only a few mouthfuls when he started up, speaking to himself in a violent manner. At these times, she says, she observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. lie lighted his pipe, and draw- MEMOIR 0¥ MERIWETHER LEWIS. xlv ing a chair to the door sat down, saying to Mrs. Grinder, in a kind tone of voice, ' Madam this is a very pleasant even- ing.' He smoked for some time, but quitted his seat and traversed the yard as before. He again sat down to his pipe, seemed again composed, and casting his eyes wishfully towards the west, observed what a sweet evening it was. Mrs. Grinder was preparing a bed for him ; but he said he would sleep on the floor, and desired the servant to bring the bear skins and buffaloe robe, which were immediately spread out for him ; and it being now dusk the woman went off to the kitchen, and the two men to the barn, which stands about 200 yards off. The kitchen is only a few paces from the room where Lewis was, and the woman being considerably alarmed by the behaviour of her guest could not sleep, but listened to him walking backwards and forwards, she thinks, for several hours, and talking aloud, as she said, ' like a law- yer.' She then heard the report of a pistol, and something fall heavily on the floor, and the words 'O Lord!' Imme- diately afterwards she heard another pistol, and in a few minutes she heard him at her door calling out ' O madam ! give me some water, and heal my wounds.' The logs being open, and unplastercd, she saw him stagger back and fall against a stump that stands between the kitchen and room. He crawled for some distance, raised himself by the side of a tree, wliere he sat about a minute. He once more got to the room ; afterwards he came to the kitchen door, but did not speak ; she then heard him scraping the bucket with a gourd for water; but it appears that this cooling element was denied the dying man ! As soon as day broke and not before, the terror of tae woman having permitted him to remain for two hours in this most deplorable situation, she sent two of her children to the barn, her husband not being at home, to bring the servants; and on going in they found him lying on the bed ; he uncovered his side and shewed them where the bullet had entered ; a piece of the forehead was blown off, and had exposed the brains, without having bled much. He begged they would take his rifle and blow m xlvi SUPPLEMENT TO JEFFERSON'S out his 'trains, and he would give them all the money he had in his trunk. He often said ' I am no coward ; but I am so strong, so hard to die.' He begg'd the servant not to be afraid of him, for that he would not hurt him. He expired in about two hours, or just as the sun rose above the trees. He lies buried close by the common path, with a few loose rails thrown over his grave. I gave Grinder money to put a post fence round it, to shelter it from the hogs, and from the wolves ; and he gave me his written promise he would do it. I left this place in a very melancholy mood, which was not much allayed by the prospect of the gloomy and savage wilderness which 1 was just entering alone. . . ." ' Such is the horrible story told to Wilson by an eye- and ear-witness. We must accept the substantial accuracy of Wilson's version, written almost immediately after he heard the narrative of Mrs. Grinder, and by one noted for habitual precision of statement. There is no more room to doubt Wilson's painstaking correctness than there is reason for doubting his veracity. But the narrative of Mrs. Grinder is very extraordinary. A woman who could do as she said she did, after hearing and seeing what she testifies, must be judged "fit for treason, stratagem, and spoils," and not to be believed under oath. The story is wildly improbable upon its face ; it does not hang together ; there is every sign that it is a concoction on the part of an accomplice in crime, either before or after the event. On the theory that Mrs. Grinder was privy to a plot to murder Governor Lewis, and therefore had her own part to play in the tragedy, even if that part were a passive one — or on the theory that, becoming afterward cognizant of the murder, she told a story to shield ' The " melnncliiily pcK't-ii,\turalist," aa Wilson has often been styled, was moved to compose an elejjy on Lewis, which was ])ublished with the letter of which the above is an extract. The first and also the last of the nineteen verses is : Far hence be each acciisinj; thought ! Witli his my kindred tears shall flow ; Pale Pity consecrates the spot, Where poor lost Licwis now lies low ! " MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. xlvii the actual criminal or criminals — on either of these theories \vc could understand Mrs. Grinder; otherwise her story is simply incredible. Yet it is upon such evidence as this that the imputation of suicide rests. Governor Lewis' alleged actions, before he retired to his room " about dusk," seem nothing extraordinary. He cer- tainly appears to have been fretted or worried about some- thing; but there was nothing in his conduct which should have so alarmed Grinder's wife that she could not sleep, but lay listening " she thinks for several hours." The sort of a woman likely to be the wife of a keeper of a " stand " on the Natchez Trace in 1809 is not likely to have had such weak nerves as that. And where was Grinder himself on this fate- ful night ? Then she hears two pistol-shots, a heavy fall, and an appeal for help. This, however, only moves her to peep through the cracks in the logs of the detached kitchen. There she sees her guest staggering, falling, and crawling about in the yard in search of water. Still she does not stir, and it is not till daybreak, about " two hours " after the shots were fired, that the terror of the woman permits her to give the alarm. This she docs by standing " two children " to the burn to bring the servants, who meanwhile had heard nothing ; and the whole party now, for the first time, musters courage enough to enter Governor Lewis' room. Two hours more pass, during which they are begged and offered money to put him out of his misery ; but nothing is done, and the governor expires as the sun tops the trees. Governor Lewis may have committed the deed which history has laid to his charge, in a fit of suicidal mania ; and the woman's incoherent story may not have been intended to deceive, but may have arisen from confused memories of an exciting night. That is conceivable; but my contention is that the testimony, as we have it, does not suffice to prove suicide, and does raise a strong suspicion that Governor Lewis was foully dealt with by some person or persons unknown — presumably Grinder, or him and some accomplices. Until other evidence is forthcoming the victim of untimely fate ill xlviii SUPPLEMENT TO JEFFERSON'S should be given the full benefit of the doubt, that no stigma may rest on his illustrious name. History may never be able to disprove the alleged suicide ; neither has history thus far proven the allegation. This death remains a mystery; but mystery should not be paraded as history. Very recently the question has been reopened, with a view of setting aside the verdict of posterity, by Mr. James D. Park, a lawyer of Franklin, Tenn., who inclines strongly to the theory of murder and robbery, not suicide. Mr. Park's article, over the pseudonym "John Quill," was published in the Nashville (Tenn.) American of Sunday, September 6th, 1891. It occupies 4j/( columns of the news- paper, and has two illustrations — one a portrait of Lewis, from the miniature profile in the possession of the State His- torical Society of Tennessee at Nashville;'' the other a pic- ture of the monument, from a sketch made by Mr. Park on the spot. Whatever view be taken of the tragedy, Mr. Park's article is a valuable historical document, bringing news to most persons. Some of it is biographical, citing the brief notice in Howe's Historical Collections of Virginia.' and the more extended sketch of Lewis' life in the Analectic Maga- zine and Naval Chronicle, VH. April, 1816, pp. 329-333 (with frontisp. portrait) — both of which were in turn based on Jefferson's Memoir; another portion is historical, giving the ''On Nov. ifitli, 1892, I cklivtred in Washiiij^ton, before the American Onii- tliologists' Union, an off-h.ind .iddrcss nnmin.illy relatiujj; to tlie birds of Lewis .ind Clark, l)iit mainly occupied with the question of Lewis' death. A reporter who was present took me down, with the result of a somewhat sensational, but in the main correct, article of two columns' length in the St. Louis (llobe-Democrat of Nov. i()th, iS(}2. Tlds has two portraits, of Lewis and of Clark respectively. I allude to this article jiartly from my Inbliographicat instincts, but mainly to say that the jiortrait of Lewis is there j^iven as that of Clark, and vice versa ; ■nlso, that the former is from a iihoto};raph of this same Nashville miniature. 'Historical Collections of Virginia: Containing a Collection of the most interesting l-'acts, Traditions, I!ioj;ra])hical Sketches, Anecdotes, etc., relating to its History, .Vntiijuities, etc., to which is added a historical and descriptive sketch of the I >istrict of Columbia. Hy Henry Howe. Published by William K. liabcock, Charleston, S. C, 185b, i vol. ovo. (lliographical notice of Captain Lewis, p. 171. Piographical notice of Caiitain Clark, p. 234. liuth inaccurate in some jiarticulars.) MEMOIR OF MERIWETHER LEWIS. xlix action of the Tennessee Legislature, and the first report of the committee appointed to erect the monument, includ- ing a copy of the several inscriptions. The most original matter is the result of Mr. Park's researches on the spot, which inclined him to the view of murder and not suicide. The picture of the monument is the first ever printed ; though roughly executed, as usual with newspaper cuts, it gives an excellent idea of the object. I was put in private correspondence with Mr. Park, through the good offices of Governor Buchanan of Tennessee, and will adduce the substance of his new evidence, nearly in his own words. As adequate to support the theory of suicide has been held Mr. Jefferson's statement of hereditary hypochondria, developed to desperation under worry over some trouble about public money accounts. Mr. Jefferson touches very lightly upon the latter feature of the case, but others have spoken more pointedly. Thus in Howe's Historical Collec- tions, p. 1 7 1, we read: "He was subject to constitutional hypochondria, and while under the influence of a severe attack, shot himself on the borders of Tennessee in 1809, at the age of 35. This event was ascribed to the protest of some bills which he drew on the public account." Again, we find in Jacob's Life and Times of I'atrick Gass, pp. no, III, remarks upon the same score, with some particulars to which ex-President Jefferson does no more than allude. Says Jacob : " Lewis was appointed very shortly after his return in 1806, Governor of Louisiana Territory, as some acknowl- ment of his merit, and compensation for his services. In this capacity he acted for some time, but unfortunately a misunderstanding arose between him and the government in regard to the settlement of his public accounts. He was the very soul of honor and of unimpeachable integrity, and the implied imputation dwelt too heavily upon his proud and sensitive spirit. He started to Washington City for an explanation, but never reached his destination. In com- pany with another man [Mr. Neely] he traveled the old i I I 1 SUPPLEMENT TO JEFFERSON'S route followed by the boatmen at that day, through the Indian country, and having reached a small cabin occupied by a m^.n named Grinders [Grinder] as a kind of tavern for travellers, just within the Chickasaw nation, near the Tennessee line, and between 25 and 30 [read 60 or 70J miles of Nashville, his man left him to go in search of a horse that had strayed. During his absence after the horse, Lewis shot himself twice with a pistol, and this failing to effect his purpose, he killed himself by cutting his throat with a knife [!]. No one saw him commit the act, but some of the [Grinder] family afterwards reported that they had observed indications that his mind was affected, on the morning of [evening before] his death. His body was buried at the corner of the cabin, and for a long time after, the spot was remembered by the adventurous traders who passed that way [along the Natchez Trace], between New Orleans and the upper country. Thus was ushered into eternity a brave and chivalrous spirit, goaded to desperation by the chafing of wounded honor. . . It is enough for the historian to say that he died with the cloud on his memorj' ; and while he records his fate with a careful pen, he would ask of the world its most charitable judgment. The charges against him were hushed, communities and States vied to do him honor, and [in 184S] the Legislature of Tennessee, his adopted State, to manifest an appreciation of what was high and noble in his character and services, ordered a monument to be erected to his memory at the State's expense." Mr. Jacob's paragraph in Gass fairly reflects accredited history, excepting what he says of recourse to the knife. A similar view of the case is presented in J. B. Killebrew's Resources of Tennessee (Nashville, 1874), p. 791, where Lewis county is described : " In the very centre of the pres- ent county, on the line of the old Natchez Trace, while on a journey from the Territory of Louisiana, of which he was Governor, Merriwether \su-] Lewis committed suicide, being at the time a little over 35 years of age. On this very spot he was buried, and the Legislature of Tennessee in I MEMOIR OF MliRIWETHER LEWIS. li nit 1848 had a suitable monument erected to his memory. . . In the midst of dense woods, several miles from any human habitation, on the crest of a bold broad ridge, with deep gorges running toward the northeast and west, and near the commencement of the flat lands, this monument stands, seldom visited, and almost forgotten by the present genera- tion. Its entire height is about 25 [read 20^] feet, and it is surrounded by an iron fence in a state of great dilapida- tion, many of the rods having been taken away." The Analectic Magazine and Naval Chronicle,' Vol. VII., No. 40, April, 1816, gives a full-length portrait of Captain Lewis in Indian dress, as a frontispiece; and the same num- ber of this magazine contains, pp. 3-9-333, a " Notice of Captain M. Lewis." This is simply abridged from the Jef- ferson Memoir, and is mostly in the words of the latter. Concerning the portrait the editor says : " The portrait of captain Lewis, given in the present num- ber, is taken from a drawing of that officer belonging to his fellow traveler, governor Clark, who considers it an e.xccl- lent likeness, and prizes it highly. The gentleman [name not given] who lent it to us remained here but a short time, and was obliged to take it with him ; to which circumstance it is owing that our engraving from it is not executed in so good a style as we could have wished. But that engraving is a faithful copy of the original, which is believed to be the only likeness of Captain Lewis now e.xtant. The ornaments i i V s re :s- >n lie [e, jry lin ■• Published monthly by Moses Thomas, 3vo, Phil.ida. ; printed Ijy J. Max- well — the same who printed the History of the F.xjiedition for Bradfonl & Inskeep. In saying that the portrait he published was from the only likeness of Lewis extant in l3i6. the editor is mistaken, unless the others we possess were executed after the death of tlieir subject. The portrait in Indian dress is at present in St. Louis, and may be learned of through Mr. J. K. Clark, 3121 Locust St. The one from which the engraving contained in the present work was prepared is the oil painting by (Charles WiKon Peale, which has for many years hung in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, with its com[)anion-piece, Captain Clark, also reproduced by my publisher. Besides this, there is left the profile miniature in the possession of the Tennessee Historical Society in Nash- ville. Of the latter, which is very beautiful, photographs are abundant, and I sup[iose may be procured at the usual price for pictures of cabinet size. I : m SUITLKMENT TO JKKKEKSONS worn by him when in the costume of an Indian warrior, (as represented in the picture) are preserved in the Philadelphia [I'eale's] Museum." We may now recur to Mr. Park's article above described. Jefferson's account (says Mr. Park in substance) was written in the lijjht of such information as had reached him in 1813, at his home in Virj^inia. It would be interesting to know the exact sources of his information were this possible now, to judge for ourselves whether they were entirely free from suspicion. Probably such accounts did not convey the idea of murder and robbery. It then required several weeks for the news to travel from the scene to Washinjjton ; and whether the details of the death of Governor Lewis ever reached the national capital in ofificial form cannot now be learned. During the first years of this century a great military road was cut through the then wilderness of Tennessee and Mis- sissippi, known as the " Natchez Trace." It was made by Lieutenant Edmund Pendleton Gaines, U. S. A., who rose to be a major general during the war of 1812-15. It led southwest from Nashville, Tenn., to Natchez on the Missis- sippi river, and was the only public road in that region, cut to facilitate the movement of troops and the transportation of supplies to and from the newly acquired " Spanish country." This old road has since been abandoned in many places, but in other parts of its length it is still (1891) used. Even where given up, and passing through open woods or inclosed in fields, its course can still be traced through Tennessee and Mississippi by its well-worn bed, lower than the adjoining land. Governor Lewis struck across country directly east- ward from the Chickasaw Bluffs (the present site of Mem- phis, Tenn.), and probably made the Natchez Trace at or about where this Trace crosses the Tennessee river, in what is now Lauderdale Co., in northern Alabama, about 20 miles below the town of Florence, and traveled it for about a day's march west of Newburgh, Lewis Co., Tenn., the scene of the tragedy. At this point in the journey, observes Mr. il; r <^j gg 4»'.:Wi>*Vajjtf-y-'^^^^^^ MEMOIR OK MERIWKrHKR I.KWIS. m Park, "the conduct of Mr. Nccly, the Indian agent, as men- tioned in Mr. Jefferson's account, seems to have been very strange. He had at the Chickasaw IMuffs volunteered to accompany Governor Lewis from there througli tlie Indian country to the seat of government, in order to h)ok after and watch over his distinguislied guest, whom he liad found (juite indisposed, and, as alleged, showing signs of a disordered mind. They liad servants and horses in their train ; yet the recapture of two horses that had strayed from the camp was deemed by Mr. Neely of more importance than the welfare and safety of his friend, whom he permitted to go forward with the servants while he remained a whole day behind to look up the horses. The accounts do not show that he ever found them, or ever caught uj) with Governor Lewis." Thus it appears that from the point above noted Governor Lewis kept on, unattended by Mr. Neely, along the Natchez Trace. On this road, at intervals of about a day's journey, say some 30 miles, there were primitive places of enter- tainment for man and beast, called " stands." Governor Lewis reached one of these, kept by a Mr. Grinder. The site of " Grinder's stand " is still seen, on a spot about sixty miles in an air-line southwest of Nashville, marked by the ruins of a stone chimney, a mound of earth, and the remains of a garden or small clearing in the forest. It is on the crest of a ridge, along which runs the Natchez Trace, not now used at this point. Even at this day the nearest habita- tion is a mile and a half or two miles distant. North of the site of the old house, and about 150 yards from it, on the east side of the road, is the great explorer's grave, and the monument erected by the State of Tennessee to his memory. I give the results of Mr. Park's inquiries on the spot, Nov. 21st, 1.S89, in his own words: "It has always been the firm belief of the people of this region that Governor Lewis was murdered and robbed. The oldest citizens now living remember the rumor current at the time as to the murder, and it seems that no thought of suicide ever obtained foot- ing here. The writer recently had an interview with Mrs. * mage 3 rjB^a— a^fcwii liv SUrPLEMENT TO JKFFKRSDN's Christina B. Anthony, who Hvcs some two miles from the Lewis grave, and has lived all her life of "j"] years in the neighborhood. She says that 'old man Grinder' kept a ' stand ' for travelers on the Natchez Trace. I'olly Spencer, whom she knew well before her death about 40 years ago, was a hired girl at Grinder's when Governor Lewis was killed. I'olly had often told the circumstances of the murder so far as she personally knew them. She was washing dishes in the kitchen after supper with some of the females in the family, when they heard a shot in the room where Captain Lewis was sleeping. All rushed into the room and found him dead in his bed. Captain Lewis, being fatigued from his journey, had retired immediately after supper. His only companion, she said, was a negro boy, who was attending the horses in the barn at the time. Old Grinder, who was of Indian blood, was at once sus- pected of the murder, ran away, was captured on Cane creek, brought back, and tried ; but the proof not being positive, he was released. Only ::5 cents was found on the person of Captain Lewis after he was shot. Old Grinder soon afterward removed to the western part of the State, and it was reported in his old neighborhood had bought a number of slaves and a farm, and seemed to have plenty of money. Before this he had always been quite poor. " Mrs. Anthony says the people always believed old Grinder killed Mr. Lewis and got his money. She had never heard of the theory of suicide until the writer men- tioned it to her. Mrs. Anthony was a young married woman, boarding with the father of Polly Spencer, when Polly told her of these circumstances. Mrs. Anthony thus heard an ear-witness, so to speak, relate the story of the murder, which is pretty direct evidence. She is a bright, active, intelligent old lady, and has for many years kept the little hotel at the hamlet of Newburgh, the county seat of Lewis County, wliich is just two miles east of the monu- ment. She refers to her brother, Jason Boshears, 80 years I .%-« •k^pjff^' - MEMOIk OF MERIWKTIIKK IKVVIS. w of age, livinp near Mount Pleasant, 20 miles distant, and Mrs. Sallic Harham Sims, 82 years of age, living at JEtnai Furnace, Hickman County, who were born and formerly lived near by, and who, she thinks, could give more in detail the circumstances of the murder, as developed on the trial of old Grinder. It was, howevei, inconvenient for the writer to look up these two old persons. " Others living in Lewis and adjoining counties have been conversed with, who remember the general belief at the time that Grinder killed his guest for the purpose of robbery. He must have observed that Captain Lewis was a person of distinction and wealth ; that he was almost alone and prob- ably had money with him. It seems incredible that a young man of 35, the governor of the vast territory of Louisiana, then on his way from his capital to that of his nation, where he know he would be received with all the distinction and consideration due to his ofifice and reputa- tion, should take his own life. His whole character is a denial of this theory. He was too brave and conscientious in the discharge of every duty, })ublic and private ; too con- spicuous a person in the eyes of the country, and crowned with too many laurels, to cowardly sneak out of the world by the back way, a self-murderer. This idea was doubtless in- vented to cover up the double crime of robbery and murder, and seems to have been the only version of his death that reached Mr. Jefferson and his other friends in Virginia." This is literally a lawyer's brief, summing such evidence as could be procured to defend Governor Lewis from the charge of suicide. It is probably as strong a presentation of the case as is now possible. It also falls in well with the Wilson evidence already adduced — which is the more re- markable, in that Wilson took Mrs. Grinder's wild story to be a statement of fact, and evidently believed that poor Lewis had killed himself. That the new Park testimony is conclusive, however. Mr. Park himself would probably not urge. That the theory of murder was a matter of common report, acted upon at the time to the extent of the arrest Ivi SUPPLEMENT TO JEEFERSON's and trial of Grinder, and that it has ever since been believed by the community, is established by direct testimony. But the evidence, mainly circumstantial, did not suffice to convict Grinder or anyone else of murder. The fragmentary evi- dence which has come down to us, moreover, docs not hang together well. It is even opens up the doubt that we have tlic true date of death within 24 hours. Jefferson's account makes the hour "about three o'clock in the night," when Polly Spencer is not likely to have been washing dishes in the kitchen with others of the household. This means 3 a. m., of the historical date, October nth, i Ix SUPPLEMENT TO JEFFERSON'S upper part of the skeleton examined, and such evidences found as to leave no doubt of the place of interment. Wit- nesses were called and their certiticatc, with that of the Sur- veyor, prove the fact beyond dispute. " The inscription upon the plinth was furnished by Prof. Nathaniel Cross, of the University of Nashville. It is beautiful and appropriate. It is placed on the different sides of the plinth, and is as follows : ' [west face.] MERKIWETIIKK LEWIS, Born near Charlottesville, N'irgiiiia, August l8, 1774, Died October 11, 1809, aged 35 years. [south F.VCE.] An officer of the Rejjular Army — Commander of the Expedition to the Oregon in 1803-180O — Oovernor of the Territory of Louisiana — His melancholy death occurred where this monument now stands, and under which rest his mortal remains. [east face.] In the language of Mr. Jefferson : ' I lis courage was undaunted ness and |)erseverance yielded to nothing hut imixwsihilities . rigid disciplinarian, yet tender as a father of those coni- mittc-»»- V^X-tr-- ^e^x^€. y^^^<^-^^ ^-^*^ ^ i,^^^ ^» ^ V ^>^^ '^^ ./^^C-ti^ P^ ^^-X^rf-^S^rf*^^^ I 7 . r'^^X /fc^-r::^^. x-'^ ^^Ce. -• .^ t^^^ c-^crif^^* V Iji.^ ^ b-«.«^^%^ '^ *» -.^. ^y^ 5^- . -^ '-^"^ ;^iic ^. y^ /^ i^^^^^^i^-^ >4r .x. .^.jr-^ **--'>»-# /jS--**, :^^ »<. ./, 5^ -^- ^^ -^T'^^-^^ <:x-^ jtxc^e •<%» *=2^ II ,y 'r ir 4/1 J) >f V ^J VI r / I' h ^ A r /, s'i 4--'. ■.**ii~ MEMOIR OF WILLIAM CLARK. BY DR. COUES. Wt: possess a genealogy of that Clark family of which William is the most illustrious member, from about the begin- ning of the last century to the present clay. In the early part of the eighteenth century, John Clark ist and Miss or Mrs. Kurd resided in King and Queen Co.. Va. They married, and were William's grandparents. Their children were John 2d, Benjamin, and Elizabeth. John Clark 2d, b. K. and Q. Co., Va., Oct. 20th, 1724, d. Mulberry Hill, Ky., Aug.—, 1799- aged 75 years; and Ann Rogers, b. K. and Q. Co., Va., Oct. 20th, 1734, d. at Mulberry Hill, Ky., Dec. 24th, 1798, aged 64 years; were married in K. and Q. Co. Va., in 1749, lived together 49 years, and were William's parents. They had the following six sons and four daughters : I.Jonathan: b. Albemarle Co., Va., Aug. 1st, 1750; d. Mulberry Hill, Ky., in 1816. He married Sarah Hite, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. 2. George Rogers ist : b. Albemarle Co., Va., Nov. 19th, 1752; d. Locust Grove, Ky., p-eb. 13th. 1818. aged 66 years, and was buried there. He never married. He was the most distinguished member of his family until his fame was shaded by the greater renown to which William attained. George Rogers and William held several positions of the same military or civic title, and hence have been sometimes confused. When " the brother" of William is mentioned in annals, etc., George Rogers is generally meant. 3. Ann: b. Caroline Co., Va., July 14th, 1755; married Owen Gwathmey, Oct. 25th, 1773; had five sons and Ixiii ■-*•' ^^i^MI IXIV MK.MOIK oi' WILLIAM CLAKK. five (lauplitcrs ; tl. in 1822, ajjcd 66 years, at Locust Grove, Ky. 4. John jii : b. Caroline Co., Va., Sept. 15th, 1757 ; d. Oct. 17th, 1783, atjed 26; never married ; was " imprisoned by liritish durini; war five years on Lonfj Island." (So family bible : but see next parat;raph.) 5. Richard: b. Cari)line Co., V.i., July 6tli, 1760; never married; lost in l<'eb. or Mar., 1785, aped 25 years; "supposed to have been killed by Indians at I.ittic Wabash." (So family bible ; some obscurity and con- fusion of record rej^ardinfr Richard and John 3d. Another account, furnished to Mr. Jefferson K. Clark by his cousin, Mrs. Caroline OTallon Pope, states that Richard, a lieutenant in the Continental army, was captured at Germantown, I'a., and died in a pri.son-ship at New York, in 1783; and that John, a captain in the army, was killed by Indians on the Wabash in 1785.) 6. Edmund ist : b. Caroline Co., Va., Sept. 25th, 1762; d. Louisville, Ky., in 1817, ajjcd 55 years; never mar- ried ; was an army officer with rank of captain, left out when the army was reduced. 7. Lucy: b. Cartjline Co., Va., Sept. 15th, 1765; married William Croijhan ; liad five sons and two daughters; d. at Locust Grove, near Louisville, Ky., Mar. 4th, 1837 or 1838. "^.Elizabeth: b. Caroline Co., Va., Feb. iith, 1768; married Colonel Richard Clough Anderson ; had one son and three daughters; died in 1795, aged 27 years. 9- William: b. Caroline Co., Va., Aug. ist, 1770; mar- ried (!) Julia Hancock, at Fincastle, Va., Jan. 5th, 1808; she died at Fotheringay, Va., June 27th, 1820, leaving four sons and one daughter; he married (2) Harriet Kennerly (b. Fincastle, July 25th, 1788, widow of Dr. John Radford), at St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 28th, 1821 ; she died there Dec. 25th, 1 831, leaving two sons and one daughter by Dr. Radford, and one son MEMoik (11 WIIIIAM CIAKK iKir living (one having died) by William Clark ; he died at St. Louis, Mo., at the residence of liis >,on, Meriwether Lewis 1st. Sept. 1st. 1838. and was buried at Athlonc, from the residence of Colonel J. { )"Kall(.n. near St. Louis. 10. Fnincis, commonly called luunty ; b. Caroline Co., Va., Jan. j( ill. 17;}; m.irried (i| in 17^0, ij,-. James O'Fallon (b. .Athlone. Ireland ; d. Louisville, Ky.. 1793), (2) Charles AL Tluustt)n. (3) Dennis iMtzluiKh : Iiiid (l) tw.) chiklren. J.,lin and Benjamin: (2) ft.ur chil- dren ; ( ;, 1 one child; liied at St. Louis, Mo. Her eldest Sun, John, acquired the title of colonel in tlie milit.iry service, fron) which he resij^'ned in July, 1818; he survived till Dec. 17th, 1865, in business in St. F.DLiis. Re^rartlin^r Wilham's first wife's family, we have the fol- lowing <;enealo^'y ; Robert Hancock (son of R(,bert I lancck), b. Mar. 2:;(l, l/ii ; Kdw.ird ist. b. June juth, 1713 ; Din.di or Diana, b! Jan. r4tli, 1717. married; Patterson, b. . liatl no heirs ; William, b. M.iy 30th, 1720; George- jsf, b. July 22d. 17-4,' married M.uy J..nes; Thomas, b. Oct. 15th. 1727. lost at sea; Joshua, b. i-Yb. 9th. 1729, l,,st at sea. Li the ne.xt {^^eneration : Kdward 3d, s,,n of Georp^^c Hancock 1st and Mary Jones his wife, b. Mar. 8. 1752. in M.^ntL^omery Co., Va.; Giorgc- jj. b. June 13th. 1754. d. at Fotherin^MV. Va.! July i.Sth, 1S20; Auf,nistus. b. Oct. 14th. 1756, d. in the army ; M.ny, b. Nov. 4th. 1759, married ( 1 i Mr. Rayford.(2) Samuel Kennerly. George 2d, above, married at I-'incastle. Va., Sept. iSth, 17^1^. lV,-t,T Strother (dau. of Mary Keiiiurly Strother,' b. Sei)t. loth. 1746. married ( i ) Geor^^e Strother of Cul- pepper Co.. Va.. (2) Patrick Lnckhart. who d. at Fincastle, Va.. in iSof); d. at Fotheriny.iy. Va., June 2d, 1830), who was b. Sept. lC)t]i, 1763. The children of Geor-c 2d and Peggy Strother hi.s wife, were : •■*ii- wrm ma m^mmmm Ixvi MEM(^IR OV WIl.I.IAM CI. ARK. I. Mary, b. Friday, Feb. I4tli, 1783 ; married J. D. Griffin ; d. Apr. 26th, 1826, leaving throe sons and one daughter. ?. Caroline, b. Saturday, Mar. j6th, 1785 ; married Wm. r jston ; d. at Louisville, Ky. i.Jolin Strothcr, b. Sunday, Mar. 25th, 1787; d. Aug. 2d, 1795. 4. Julia, also called Judith, b. Monday, Nov. 21st, 1791 ; niairied William Clark, Jan. 5th, 1808, at Fincastle, Va.; d. at Fotheringaj-, Va., June 27th, 1820, leaving four sons and one daughter. 5. George Jid, b. Good Friday, Apr. 6th, 1798; married (i) F.. Croghan (dau. of Wm. Cn^ghan and Lucy Clark, of Locust Grove), \2) Mary Davidson, of New Orleano, Miss. The children of vVilliam Clark and J alia Hancock his first wife, were : 1. Meriwether Lewis isf .■ b. St. Louis Mo., Jan. lOth, 1809 ; married (i) Abby Churcli 11, Louisville, Ky., Jan. 9th, 1834; he died at Frankfort, Ky., Oct. 28th, 1881. His first x/c was b. Louisville, Ky., Mar. 9th, 1817; d. St. Lcjis, Jan. 14th, 185?. Tlic.r children were: William Hancock, b. St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 25th, 1S39, "'^^^' hving; Samuel Churchill, b. St. Louis, Mo., Sepi. I2th, 1843, killed in battle of Elk Horn, at I'ea Ridi^e, Ark., com'd'g the Clark battery, i ) a. m.. Mar. 8th, 1862, buried at Fort Smith, Ark.; Mary Eli/.a, b. St. Louis, ]\I()., May 31st, 1845, d. Spring(iro\e, K\'., May, 1847 ; Meriwether Lewis 2d, b. Louisville Ky., Jan. 27th, 1846, living- John O'Fallon 2d, b. St. Louis, Mo., July 7th, 1848, d. Frankf(Mt, Kv., Feb., 186;, killed bv accidental discharge of a pistol in hands of a schoolmate at Sayre Institute ; George Rogers 2d, b. St. Louis, Mo., Apr. 19th, 18^0, (I. of yellow fever at (.ireenville. Miss.; Charles Jeffer- son, b. St. Loui ;, Mo., Jan. lotli, 1S52. living. .Meri- wether Lewis 1st married (2) Julia Davidson, at Louis- ville, Ky., Dec. 30th, 1865 ; she was b. in New Orleans, La.. July 8th, 1826, and is living ; they had no issue. 2. JJ''i//i,tin Pres/oii : b. St. Louis. Mo., (^ct, 5th, 1811; 1 ■' I MKMOIR ()!.• WILLIAM CLARK. Ixvii never married ; d. there, ,suddeiil>-, of heart disease, May i6th, 1840; buried at Athlone. 3. Mary Margaret : b. St. Louis., Mo., Jan. 1st, 18 14; d. at ear Middletown, Ky., Oct. 15th, 1821 ; Mrs. Preston's, n buried at Mulberry Hill near Louisvi 4. George Rogers Hancock : b. St. L lie, Ky. ouis, Mo., May 6th, 18 16; married there Ellenor Ann or Eleanor Ann Glasgow, Tuesday, Mar. 30th, 1841. Their children were: Julia, b. St. Louis, 3 a. m., Friday, Mar. 6th, 1842 ; Sarah, Sadie, or Seddie Lconida, b. there 2 a. m., Oct. 6th, 1843, d. Dec. i8th, 1864; John O'Fallo.i ist, b. there 3 p.' m., Dec. 17th, 1844; Ellen Glasgow, b. there 3 p. m., Jan. 22d, 1846. He died Sept. 29th, 1858. at the residence of his half-brother, Jefferson K. Clark, at Minoma, St Louis Co., Mo., in his 43d year, and was buried Oct. 2d, 1858, in Bellefontainc cemetery. S. John Julius: b. St. Louis. Iulv6th, 1818 ; d. there Sept 5th. 1831. The children of William Clark and his second wife, Mrs. Harriet Kennerly' Radford (widow of Dr. John Radford), who were married at St. Louis, Nov. 28th, 1821, were: I. Thomas Jcfcrson ox Jefferson Kearny, b. St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 29th, 1824;' married Mary Susan Glasgow' (dau.' of William Glasgow, Sr.) there, May 8th, 1849: both are living there now (1893). 2. Ednnmd jj, b. St. Louis, Sept. 9th, 1826; d. there, Aug. I2th. 1827. •H.,-net kennerly (b. Fi„c:,stle, V,i., July 25.h, ,788, .1. St. Louis, Mo., Pec, jjih. .3,,) .ind John Radfora were n.rrie.l .u Fincustle, V;,., Uec. 2yi, ,806. He was born there J.in = S.h, .738. Their children w,.-re: \Villi.,m, b. Sept. „th, 1807; Mary P., b. Mar. 5th, t3..(who marn-d Gen. S. W. Kearney) ; John D., h. June 6th, iS.fi fwho married Sophia Menard of Kaskaskia, 111.). W.lban. Ciaik's two wives were tirst consins, being respectively children of a brother and a s,ster-the last bein^. a sister of James and GeorRe H Kennerly 'The year ",4, in which Mr. JelTLrson K. Clark was burn, w.a.s memorable in the annals of M.ssonn, the .nen youngest State in the Union, and about to participate for the lirsi time in a presidential election. It was the closing year of the .administration of our first five Presidents of Rev,.lntl,.nary stock or connection, and was marked by a visit, after .m interval of 4 , ye irs from one who had strenuously .issiste.l in the striiREle f.ir in.leprndence-Gener.d Lafayette 'I be late Admiral Radford, \J. 8. N. .formerly owner of the house .726 N St , Wasl Mi^toi. IX C., .n which I now reside), was a half-Uother of Mr. J. K. Clark, being a son of Will,.ani Clark s second wife by her first loisb.uul. J l.wiu MEMOIR (IF WII IIAM Cl.AKK. The foregoing data for five generations are derived in part from records in tlie family bible of George Rogers Hancock- Clark, copied Oct. 1st, iSSi, by Frederick L. Billon, of St. Louis, ami l.itcly secured from him : in part from William Hancock Clark, who at my request obligingly prepared and furnished a tabular statement of the lineal issue of William Cl.uk, living and dead at the present date of July, 1893. This genealogical cliart, inchuling two more generations, is published on a separate folding sheet with this work. William Clark's parents resided in Albemarle Co., Va.. until their two eldest children had been born ; when, in '754. tbi-y removed t.. the vicinity of Charlottesville, Caro- line Co.. in the same State, where all their other children first saw the light.' In 17S4, or about that year, when V. illiam was 14 years old, they mo\-ed again to what was then c.dlcd the Falls of the Ohio, now Louisville, Kv. Their place of resitlence w.is known as Mulberry Hill. Louisville at that time consisted merely of a few cabins clustered about a fortification which had been erected by his elder brother. George Rogers Clark. William received his first title or distinction of any sort while yet a mere lad, being made a member of the Society of the Cincinnati on March ist. 1787, before he had completed his seventeenth year. His original certificate of member- ship is e.xtant : it bears the signatures of George Washing- ton, President, and General Henry Kno.K. Secretary. His first military title was that of Ensign L^ S. A., to which grade he was appointed in I7S(S. On the 8th of January, 1790, he received the following commission, which is curious enough to be presented in full. I copy from a careful copy of the original : ' rir. W. C. X. Kandolph, ^on of Prtsiiletit Jerterscin's executor, writes to me from Charlnitrsville. Va., ,i.Kl.-r .l,,le ..( I.ui, , itli, iSg,, that the h.qi^e in ivliidi William was born was sittiateil within a mile and .i hall from that town: aiul th.it the exact spot is identifiable, llioiii;h the haildiiii: has di.sa|i|)earcil. MLMOIK (JF WILLIAM CLARK. Ixix Territory of tJw U M IK I) Stat e.s Korth Wist of the Riru-r Ohio \ ScU r.v HIS r.XCELLEXCV ARTHUR Si CLAIR Esq ; Governor an.l Comxuuider in Chief of the Territory of the United States Xorth West of the River Ohio To William Clark Es'iuire Greeting ^ Vou liein}^ appointed a Captain of Militia in the Town >S; vicinity of Clarks- viile— By Virtue of the Lower vested in nie, I do l)y these presents (reposing Special Trust and Conlideiice in vour Loyalty, Couras,'e and ( iood Conduct) con- .-nission you acconiin^dy— Vou are therefore carefully and .liligently to dis- chc:ge the Duty of a Captain in leading, ordering and exercising said Militia in Arms, both Inferior Oliicers and Soldiers ; and to keep them in g.M>d Order and Discipline. And they are hereby commanded to obey you as their Captain, and you are yourself to observe and follow such Orders anrl Instructions as you sliall from 'lime to Time receive from me or your Su[)erior Ofllcets Given under my Hand, and the Seal of the Said Territory of the Ur.lted States, the eighth.layof January in the Vear of our Lord ly-jo and of the Independ- ence of the United States of America, the fourteenth Ar St Cl.Aiu By His Excellency's Command WiMiiRoi' Sargknt Secretary Captain Clark was commissioned as a lieutenant of infantry, March 7th, 1791, and assijjjned to the fourtli Sub-Legion, Sept. 4th, 179^. While holdino- this rank, at the dat'c of March 19th, 1793, he acted as adjutant and quarterinaster. We find him on sick-leave in 1795, and July ist, 1796, he resigned from the army on account of ill-health/ • We htir ,,f ,„ie W,i;i,„n Cl.irk in lmsi,ierand to Wm. Clark, for $.0, a lot ,53 ft. s.,„are. bounded by David Hilde- brand and Wm. Cla:k, and by two streets ; also, about the same dale, Wm. Clark to CreRoire Sjrpy, of St. Louis, montage f,>r $128.50 on above, etc. It is likewise of record, July 5th .Sc, concession by Gov. i:)elas,us to Willian, Ci.irk of .s^« arpents of land, unlocated, and some other transactions connected with this property, etc. lint tlih Willia.ni Clark was another per,on ol the same name, sometime of Port.igc des Sioii.v. The subject ..( ,1,U memoir became in due course a sort of sun-god in the myths of the West, and like another Hercules absorbed various tr.nlition that lacked lixity of time, place, and circumstance rhe most rem.arkable instu.ce tl, u has come to my knowledge is that of one William CI .rk who, though he bcc- am- a ju Ige of the Supreme Court of his Stale, has thus f..r completely, and perhaps perm.uienlly. best his identity. The s,,:netime .issociation of thi, Iud.;e Clark with George Ixx MK.MOIK OF WILLIAM CLAKK. The yea- 1803 saw the beginning of Captain Clark's real career, to which previous events of his life merely led up. His friend, Meriwether Lewis, at this time President Jeffer- son's private secretary, who as an ensign had at one time served under Captain Clark's orders, desired his association on equal terms in the conduct of tlic Expedition then about to be sot on foot. Captain Clark assented, and the two young officers entered into those relations which linked their names forever.'" It is commonly said tl-.at Captain Clark re-entered the regular army under these circum- stances in 1803. It is also said in Jefferson's Memoir of Lewis, antch, that he was commissioned as a captain. These are mistakes. The commission he received was that of second lieutenant, Corps of Artillerists, and not the Rogers Cl.irk (brother of our William), as trustees of a certain town, tended to promote this confusion. On looking up this case, I fitui the date to be when William was about 13 years old, and therefore not likely to li.ivc been the trustee of anything more than the contents of a Ijoy's pockets. Item, I find among the .MS. Ctarkiai.a ia my possession that t.n March 3d, 1801, William Clark. Henry Vand.'rburg, and John C'.ritTin, judges appointed by Gov. W. H. Harrison, of the newly organized Indiana rcrritory, held tllcir first tcrnt at Vincennes. Here again is no doubt tlie lost yH^Av H'iiliam Clark. Item, one of our best biographical cyclo- pedias has a short notice of th's jurist, in which I tliink some matters pertaining to Gencril Clark arc involved. ^ .-\s a matter of curious history, perhaps known to no other person at the moment of my penning this note, I will cite the fact that in July, 1803, it looked as if " Lewis and Clark '' was going to be " Lewis and Hook," or " Hooke." Captain Lewis had extended his invitation to Captain Clark, and h.ul received no answer. Mails were infiei;uent and irregular in those days ; no doubt Captain Clark took time tt) sleep over the proposition ; but delays sc-nied dangerous if not fatal, to Captain Lewis' ardent imagination, already at a white heat of most puissant purpose. He h.id actually sought a substi'ute, in anticipation ctf Captain Clark's declination, when he penned the letter, now forming Doc. No. loi. Jeff. Papers L, ad ser.. Vol. 51, of which the following are some extracts : Pittsburgh July 26th. 1803. Dear Sir, 1 have rrcieved as yet no answer from Mr. Clark ; in the event of Mr. Clark's declining to accompany me Li'ut Hooke of this place has engaged to do so, if permitted ; and I think froin his disposition and qualificaiions that 1 might safely calculate on being .as .ably assisted by him in the execution of the obj«*<.ts of my mission, as I could wish, or would be, by any other officer in the Army. Lieut Hoohe is about 26 years of .ige, [etc. J . . . Should I recieve no answer from Mr. Claik pievious to my leavi-g this plate, or he decline going with me, I would be much gr.uifyed with being ;'.uthori;'::d to t.ike Lieut. Hooke with me, [etc.] ... If Lieut. Hooke sets out twenty days -ifter nic, by t. iking the rout of Limestone, Loiosville and \"in- cennes, Se will reach the mouth of the Missourie as early as I shall. 1 am with the most sincere att.ichnient Your Obt. Servt, Meiiwether Lewis. The Presidtut of ihe United States. fc MEMOIR MK WILLIAM CLARK. Ixxi captaincy of En<,nncers he had been led to expect. The date of this coinmi.ssion was March 26th, 1804; his routine promotion to a first lieutenantcy came Jan. 31st, 1806. It will be recollected that his title was already that of captain, from prior military service; but during that Expedition! which was to convert all possible titles into sounding brass,' his actual rank in the arm'^ was that of a subaltern. On this point, once a matter oi some delicacy, now simply a question of historical accur.^cy, I am fortunately able to sink the biographer in the autobiographer. We will hear what Captain Clark once had to say on the subject himself. In the extensive unpublished C rk-Biddle correspond- ence, mainly relating to the History of the Expedition obligingly placed in :uy hands by Judge Craig Riddle, of Philadelphia, son of Nicholas Biddle, Esq., I find the fol- lowing two letters : DrSir. I'hiK Julys. 1811 [A page about engraving, etc., and then :] There is one and only one more thing about -.vhich I wi>h you would give me ., .formation. It is the e.xact relative situation in point of rank and command between Captain Lewis and yourself. I think you mentioned to me that vour commission was that of I ieu tenant of Engineers [rea.l of Artillerists], which place.l you completely on an e.pialny witli Cap.tain Lewis who was a Captain of Infantry or Artillery [the for- mer], and that in all other respects you were e(]ual in ':omma,id. I am desirous of being correct and I will get you to state to me whether I have understood you j.recisely, so as to avoid all errors on that subject. With my Compts tc Mrs. Clarke \nc\ I remain yrs sincerel/ Genl William Clarke [..^ ' N[:cho!as]. L[iddle]. .St Louis Upper Louisiana Dear Sir, St Louis 15th .-.ugust 181 1 Ky the last mail I ha.l the honor of receiving your letter of the 8th, of July, which I do .assure y„u gave me much pleasure ; as well to hear from you .as to learn th.it you li.ad got thro' ,he work, and had it re.a.lv for the press as soon as Mr. C.nrad pleased. I hope Mr. C. is getting it in a state of forw.irdness,-I feel convinced that your arrangement of the Map is a good one, f wish it was engraved and out. Vou express a desire K, know the exact relation which I stood m point of Rank and Command with Captain Lewis— r,y/(,j/ /;/ eery p,i„t of iu-i—(\ did not I '•] M' ki Ixxii Mi;MiiIk (i|. V.II.I.IAM Cl.ARK. think iiiy?'i.-lf very well treated as I did not i;ft the appoiiitiiient which was prom- ised me, as I was not disposed to make any noise about tlio business have never mentioned the particulars to anyone, and must re^piest you not to mention my disapoinlment and the cause to anyone. — In March [Mai, 7thJ 171^1 I ua^ ajipoinleiUi I.ieut. in Waynes army and was kept on conmiaud about iS months before I joined the maiii army [Sept. 4th, 171)2). When I joined I was anexed to a (.'hosen Ritle (Company, (jf which I had the command, and received a StatT appointment, both of which I retained untill after the Treaty at tireenville and at the time of takeing posse.ssion of the ■\Vestcrn posts, I ;vi?^'//,v/ [July l>t, 171/)] and returned to a I'arni in in Kentucky on wdiich I lived several years in Ijad health (Capt. Lewi', was appointed an Ensijjn and arranjjed to tiie company which I commanded a tiew months before I resiijned) During the time 1 [was] liveingon my Kami in Kent.y. I had fre- (pient occasions to visit the Eastern States li Washington where I became acquainted with the rre->id'. Mr. Jefferson. In [July] lSi)3 I was applied to by Captain Lewis by Letter, w]\'> was then I'rivate .Sccty to the I'resident, to accom- pany him on an Expedition to the I'acific, stating the gen'- plan and objects, and ,c purpose for which it w,i.s intendeon 1".-; ore. He so good as to place me on equal footing with ('apt. Lewis in every point of view withoiit exposeing anything which might have taken place or even mentioning the Commission at all. I hope you will do me the honor to write to me often and without reserve — Accept the .icknowdedgements of Mrs. (_!lark and my self for the friendly senti- ments expressed in the latter part of your letter and accept of our wormest wishes for your [health] and li.ipiness. I remain your sincere Mr. Xichs. Hirl.lle Erien.l I Attv at LiT.v I'hih. Wm Clark MI'.MOIR OF WH.I.IAM CI.AIU-C. IWlll (■ No question coiicornint; tlic relations of the two noble younjf officers diuin;^ the Expedition is possible, (")n the one hand, it is certain that Captain Lewis was absolutely in command of the I^xijedition, taking official precedence over his lieutenant, Cajjtain Clark, whom he outranked, and who was us fully subject to his lawful orders as any enlisted man of the party. On the other hand, it is not less certain that in their mutual relations the technic.d point was ni er r.'.ised between the two captains, and tliat the actual command and conduct of the Expedition devolved upon each in exactly equal dej^ree. It would appear from the foregoiiiL; letter that Captain Clark tendered his resignation in 1X06, immediately upon his return to St. Louis. The official date of his resignation is Feb. 27th, 1S07, and thus but a few days before that of the next commission which lire received, a copy of a copy of which is as follows : Thom.i.^ Jefferson rresiMcnt of tlie United Mates of .\inerica Ti) all who shall sec tlieie Tresents, (Jreetiiij; Know \'ii, that reposing special trust ami contiileiH'c in tlio patriotism, valour, fidelity and abilities of William Clark, I do by tliese present.-. ap;ninl him the said William Clark, l!ri|^adier General of the Militia of tlie Te-rrir JTy of Loui- siana ; He is therefore carefully and diligently to (lischarj;e the duty of lirigadier General — And Iil- is to oliserve and follow sucti orders an I directions from time to time as lie sliall receive ftoni the President of tlie United States of Ani'Tica for the time lieing, or I'ther superior ofCicer set over him according to the i.nvs for regulating anil ciisciplining the Mditia of said Territory — And I do strictly charge and require all officers and soldier^ under his command to lie obedient to his orders — This commission to continue in force until the end of the next Session of the Senate of the United States and im longer (liven under my hand at the City of Washnigton the Twelfth day of March in the year of our Lord One Thousand tight llnndn'd and .Seven, anil in the thirty-fourth year of the Independence of said States. By the President i.f the Tho* Jefferson United States of America i Seal ;■ IIv I'cirliorn With this commission General Clark was also mad'/ Indian Agent for Louisiana. In those davs this title was not i ,iiituaai*itcMii ii«n*wiimfi[ I i Ixxiv MKMOIK ol' WILLIAM (.LAKK. synonymous with " thief," and the position was one of l.jnor, not to be souglu or used for dishonest purposes. I have examined much official correspondence (on file in the War Department) between General Clark and General Henry Dcarijurn, then Secretary of War. The official sif^nature of -sometimes Most of the former is usually " Wni. Clark, I. A. 1. written in fu as " Indian Awnt for Louisiana. these letters bear dates of the first year of his a^jency, and their contents show that At'ent Cl.irk had his hands full at this ti I -■rt tc some of his Indian affairs beyond. General Clark was reappointed Brigadier General of the Militia of Louisiana, Feb. 2"th. iSll, by President James Madison, William Eustis being Secretary of War. Meanwhile he married Miss Julia Hancock, Jan. 5th, 1S08, at I-'incastle, Va. In that year also, the Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons of Tennsylvania, having chartered St. Louis Lodge No, iii, William Clark was entered, passed, and raised therein, as witness his dii)loma of Sept. l8th, 1809, signed by Frederick Rates. On the i6th of Novem- ber, iSio, he was appointed Insjiector General of the Militia of Missouri, by Governor Benjamin Howard. It will be convenient to continue with the list of official honors and dignities of which General Clark was the recipient. Governor Lewis had met his untimely fate in i8of). Governor Benjamin Howard, his successor, in 18 10 (April 17th) was himself succeeded " by General Clark, July 1st, 1813, as Governor of Missouri Territory, by virtue of the following appointment (copied from a copy of the original): Lthh"; Madison, rresident of the United States of .\merica To nil who shall sec thc<' ]ireseiils, dreeting Know \'f. th.Tt rei^sini; s| ecia! Trust .iiid Confidence in the Integrity, Patri- otism and Ability of Wiliiani C"'ark. of St. Louis — I do appoint liini (iovernor in and near tlie Missouri Territory, and do authorize and empower liim to •* After ;i slioit iritcr\ ;tl. tl-.iring \vti'*.h Tiederitk I'ates nctcti ,is ( liivernor. Governor CK^rk rcaclieti St. Ixuii^ the last of June i>r first of July. 1813. The Missouri G.i/ctte of July -^d, 1813, lias .111 item noticing his arrival " on Thiirstlay last." lUiring the first session of the (Jeneral A'-eniljly. w hich Linivcned .it St. Louis on Monday. July 5th, iSi j, hoth houses united in an addresti to the new Governor, whose reply, owing to his absence on public business, was not rt-ielvcd till July jfih. MEMOIR (,V WILLIAM CIAKK. Ixxv execute and fulfil ,he chuies of that office acccnlins to I-aw ; nn.l ,„ Have .n.i an Ilf \: ' "'"^ '" ""• ''"""^' '''■^•■'^^-•■^ -'' emolu„K.„.s ,., the e ln„ >lStaesa„, nulonger. unless the ITesi.lent of the Unite.l States for the fme l,e,„j; .l.ouUl be ,,lease,l sooner to revoke arul .letennine this Con.mission In I esfmony whereof, I have caused these letters t.. l,e n.a.le patent an.l the Seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed-Given under ,ny hand at the C.ty of Washini^Iun the first day of July A. I). ,813 ; and of the Independence of the United States the Thirty Seventh. -.'j^eal ;. Hy ,h« President : J'""" ^'^^'^^^^^n. James Monroe Sec. of State. Governor Clark wa.s rccommissioned ' as such, by the same June i6th, 1816; as such, by the same, Jan. 21st, 1817 ; and as such, by James Monroe, President of the United State. John Quincy Adams being Secretary of State, Jan 24th 1820. The latter year determined his frubernatorial func- tions ; for on the first election of a governor for the State of Missouri he was defeated by Alexander McNair Never theless, he was soon placed in other important official po.i- tions. In May. ,822, President Monroe appointed him Superintendent of Indian Affairs ;' in October, 1824 he was commissioned by the same as Surveyor General of the States of Illinois and Missouri, and of the Territory of Arkansas- and on March 4th, 1825, he was rccommissioned^ by Presi' dent John Quincy Adams. Henry Clay being Secretary of 'nurinR his early incuml.tncy cf this ofTlcc, Governor CI.->rk's chief clerk wa, T.n,e. Kennerly, who w.,s married n 1S17, ami who've fir^t .nn 1,^, • o ' Clark Kennerly. A da„«h,er r,f ,he .- „ e , " n a, 1 ,d '" ?' T' '"""' '''"■■"" *. An (iffice which had laielv been irn!»H K.. \,-. r /- r. .hi. pn.i.ion un.il his death n« Hi '''":• .^"P"'"''"''"' Clark held President Van liuren. """'°' ""' ^"'^"' '■"^''"' •TP-nted hy • The long famous post of Jefferson Harracks wi< fsnhi;.^^,! -_j . , .S... ,n July of th.. ye.ar C^Lalhot Ch.am^her:,:ir l:^^^^^^^^^^^^ ::: in^si;!::':-; ij::;;::ri: t:i,::t:-:t::f "^ nener^^ame:;;^;;;- p...dent Of .he United s.a.es. In ^^.::Z :ni::::::^-r;z^f:-:'-^^ Henry Leavenworth, wuh the 3d T. S, Infantry, whose camp w,s ol ed cj, Ml. , the ,hen Governor of Missouri. This was ,he origin of Jeffer on I rr ck wh "' ," completion of winter-c,,ar,ers, the officers gave a balUo the citizens of S. ^uton jr,;:; ^ f IXXVl MI'.MOIK dl' WII.IIAM CI, ARK. V State. He laid out tlu' town of I'.ulucili. Ky., in 1S2.S, ;uul in 1S30 effected the important treaty (A Prairie dii Cliien. Meanwliile, the first .Mrs. Clark havin^f ilied, June 27th, I1S20, Gcner.il Clark married Mrs. Harriet Kennerly Rad- ford, Nov. 2Sth, 1S21. At the latter date he had had five children ; the four si:)ns were growing up ; the only daughter, Marv, had died a f ew we eks before. Of the two chiUlr i-n of the second marriage, the elder is still living ( I S93) ; the younger died 111 in f.incy." General Clark himself paid the debt of nature on the ist of September, 1838, on the first day )f the second month of h at thi ;nco le second montn oi nis sixty-nnith year, at rne resuier of his eldest son. The Missouri Saturday News of Sept. 8th, 1838, appeared in mourning, and had a feeling and appreci- ative obituary, by the editor, Chas. Keemle, together with a poem to his memory, by Mr. I'ield. His funeral was the most impressive th.it had ever taken i)lace in St. Louis ; it was a public demonstration of the profound respect and warm affection of the conimunity in which he had resided for more than thirty years, during the whole of which periotl he had been prominently identified with the administration of public affairs, both civil and military. It is simply impossible, within the limits of a mere sketch like the present article, to do anything like justice to the full- 1S2'. The compliment was retiirncil by the citi/ens t.> tlu; niilit.iry on J.inu.iry jut, ami the local " Jenkins " gave an accutint of the latter atTair in the ct>lunins of the Missouri Kcpiilj- lican "if Fehniary 6ih, where we read : " The Iarj;e Intiiaii Conncil Room (General Clark's") was selected for the occasion, and was detnrated in a style retlectinjj nuich credit oti those who superintended its arran,;;enient " — with rnuLh more on the music, d.mcing, toilets, and toasts of theoccasion — altogether forming, in the lan,;nai;e (if Jenkins,";! toute enscnihit! that would have done honor to any city, and was a favora'ile evidetice of the advance of society west of the Mississippi," '" It is interesting to turn from tlry data like these and those which have preceded, to a fath- er's own words aliout his children. General Clark wrote as follows to Mr. Jefferson, in a letter, dated St. Louis, Dec. 15th, 18^5. now fded in Jeff. P.ipers C, 2d ser., Vol. at ; "... I ha\e /7:'^sons the oldest of them Meriwether Lewis of 17 years of age is a C.idet at West Point ; he is a youth of Cap.u ity \- Application, anxious to receive an education whi'di he wishes to com- plete at sonie university after he leaves W, Point. My secon[d] son William [Preston] is 14 years of age, Hoald, Sprightly with good Capacity detlclent in application. — My y\ Son (jeorge Rogers [ Hancock] is it years old possessing application and a mind ci[u,d to any boy of his age— my 4th Snn John [Julius] is 3 years old is Sprightly hut unfortunately r)eformed — my 5th Son Thomas Jefferson is only 2 years old an.l very proiuisuig." 'I'he last-named is the still (t^ jt* livin;4 ,ine ; whence it .ippe.irs that at some time the given name of " I'homas Jefferson " wa. chaugeil to " Jetferson Ke.irny." ciia»''*< MKMdlK (>1- \VlI.I.IA^r CIAk I XXVI I ro uivlod life of a man of William Clark cliaractcr, versatile accomplishments, and b s remarkable i)ersonal ments. What has i)rece(le(l riliiant achi eve- milestones of 1 re(iuire a v merely points to some of th( lis lon.i,' journey; to fill in the detail.- oium would is e. and that is a labor which must be left to his uture bio^.rapher. Should it ever fall to my share, it would be assuredly a labor of love; ior the study of a sinc^le epi- sode in his career has filled me with the most vivid admira- lon or the man himself, aside from his exploits. The few bare facts which I have already presented will be found more numerous and more accurate than those which have hith- erto appeared in any sin.^de article-so little does the world rea ly know of some of our greatest men ! I am tempted to desist at this point from any further presentation of a subject my treatment of which must necessarily be inade- quate. and. therefore, in a case where personal name and fame are concerned, unjust. ]5ut since I am in possession of some datum.points of Clark's career which are either entirely unkn.nvn or inaccurately known, these mav be ap propnately j.laced on record here and now, with the under- standm^r that they shall be taken as materials onlv, and not ^is a finished work. I will first present some item; touching the man of business; next <;ive some illustrations of what the In.hans thou.n^ht of this fri.nd ; and finish with various particulars pertinent to any history of that exploration which immortalized twin names. Mr Clark was eminently a man of affairs, who could turn a trade as well as he did various other things. Some of his transactions are of record. On Au.i;. rSth. isoS. Peter Chou- teau and wife transferred to him. for 8Soo. 1.400 arpents of lan.l ,n St. Louis Co., 2-^ lea-ues N.W. of St I ouis bounded on the north by a tract belon..in^r to MeriwetluT Lewis. On Jan. 7th, iSi r, he bought of Alexander McNair for $,500, the north half of hl„ck No. 0, ,,0 French feet on Main .Street, St. Louis, runnin.^r east to the river, with the old IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) • w Si 1.0 I.I ijfUM iia ""'" 12 2 III m 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 11.6 "^ 6" — ► p> <^ w ^/; "c>l c^^i m % o m Photographic Sciences Corporation ,s^^ ^ o '% \ *> «^#- 6^ % ^^ V .,<. <.^ ''^'- n WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER. NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 A. <'' -:^, ^/ i ^ ixxviu MEMOIR OF WILLIAM CLARK. French house built of posts by Rene Kierscreau, and the three small stone stores of Alexis Marie. He lived here for a time, and had his Indian office in one of these stores, where is now the corner of Main and Pine streets. On Oct. 7th, 1 8 14. he purchased from J no. G. Comegys, for $1,000, 47 feet front on Main street, back east to the river, in block 10, between Pine and Olive streets. Here he built, in 1816, on the south, 21 feet fronc, a two-story brick house, when only about half a dozen structures of that material existed in St. Louis. The lower story was used as a store ; the upper was first occupied by the Missouri Masonic Lodge No. 12 for a couple of years ; from 1H23 to 1827 it was occupied by Mr. Frederick L. Billon, the noted annalist of St. Louis (b. Apr. 23d, 1 801, and still living, 1893). The north 26 feet front was sold to James Kennedy, for §3,500, July 19th, 1821. On Dec. 13th. 181 5, Mr. Clark bought from Antoine Flandrin, for $1,300, the N.E. quarter of block 39, on the S.W. corner of Main and Almond streets, with the house built of posts by N. Beaugenou in 1765. The first marriage ever recorded in St. Louis, that of B.'s daughter, in April, 1766, took place In this bouse. Mr. Clark occupied it for t'vo or three years, and after him Captain M. Wherry for several more. On April 2d, 1 8 16, Mr. Clark purchased of Col. A. Chouteau, for $4. 500, the north half of block 12, on the S.E. corner of Main and Vine streets, with the old stone house built by Louis Chancellier in 1767. This s:ructure was removed ; in iSiS-rg Mr. Clark erected here his large brick mansion, and after- ward his brick row south of it for his Indian council-house and museum of Indian curiosities. But after these and other dealings in real estate, Mr. Clark died in the house which had been the year before bought from George Atchi- son by Meriwether Lewis Clark. Almost throughout the History of the Expedition we read of fur-bearing animals, and of the fur-trade. It docs not surprise us to learn that Captain Ciark became pecuniarily in- terested in this then remunerative and flourishing industry, in which many thousands of men were engaged and a vast tl MEMOIR i)V WILLIAM CLARK. Ixxix amount of capital was invested, (^ne of the earliest if not the first indications of activity on his part in this direction is of record at the date March 7th, 1S09, when were associated, for the purposes of a trading-camp on the Missouri, Benja- min Wilki.ison, Pierre Chouteau, Sr.» Auguste Chouteau, Jr., Manuel Lisa, Reuben Lewis, William Clark, and Sylvestre Labbadie, all of St. Louis; Pierre Menard, and William Mor- rison, of Kaskaskia; Andrew Henry, of Louisiana, and Den- nis Fitzhugh, of Kentucky. The Louisiana Gazette of Feb. 1st. 1812, prints the following advertisement: ** Missouri Fur Company. Capital $50,000 ; 50 sliares at $1,000. Syl- vestre Labbadie, Wm. Clark, and Manuel Lisa, the old Com- pany, hold $27,000 in goods, &c., up the Missouri River. Subscriptions desired for the remaining $23,000." We have every reason to believe that a fair share of profit accrued ix. i r.iost if \U)t all of William Clark*s business ventures. T'lf :...»ne cannot be said of the only literary enterprise with w/.ich i»is name ever was or ever will be associated.'* The inside liistory of Lewis and Clark's *' A certain connection which may hecailed literary is represented in his election as a corre- sponding member of the U. S. Naval Lyceum, June aSth, iSj;. In zuwiogy, his name attaches to several species of animals, discovered by or dedicated to him. In palxontulugy, lie lent a hand to help Mr. Jefferson secure specimens of important fossils which were named and described by Cuvier. Thus in Jeff. Papers, liit ser.. Vol 12, Uoc. No. 340, is a letter from Mr. Jeffersm to him, dated Washington, Dec. !'>th, 1807, relating to the cUcction of hemes of the mammoth, which Mr. Jefferson wished to procure to send lu the Institute of France; item. if>itf., Doc. No. 802, another letter from the same to him, of date Sept. loth, 180), relating to bones upon which the genus ^/fif/.j./r^i was iiased. In this letter Mr. Jefferson apuloKizes for the trouble he is putting General Clark to, saying handsomely : " The world has, of right, no further claims on yourself *V ( lovr. I.t'w i-,, but >urh as you may voliini.irily render according to your convenience or as they may make i( your interest." Let me also mention here a letter from Lafayette to General Clark, dated Paris, r;;li. ist, 1830, a copy of which is before me. and one clau>e nf which 1 will cite : "The grisley be.tr you had the goodness to send to me, has been the ivr^TC admired on this side the Atlantic as '.t was the first animal of the kind, living or dead, that has ever made its appearance in Kurope. I was inclined to make a pel of him, as he vas then very v;enlle. Hut it was thought wi?.er to put him under the lare of the Itnard of Professors at the Jardin dcs I'lantes. . . . His large size and ferocious temper have since been developed." In botany, K. Pnrsh erected the getius C/ifk/ii, of the evenin,; primrose family (natural order Onaip-tUi'iP), which contains annual herbs nf Oregon .mil Cahforni.t, sniie species ul which are cultivated for urn.uncnt, as C. ////. //**//.» and (\ r/^i^.tfn They have alternate, mostly entire leaves, with showy flowers in the upper .ixiK, or the upper running ini<» a loose raceme ; llowers rcijular and symmetri.al ; c.dyx-tube exleruled beyond the ovary ; petals 4, cuneate or rhombic, sometimes 3 -lobe I, raided on a sI(.oider claw, never yellow ; stamens 8, with slender filaments allernalcl*- longer and shorter ; stigmas 4 ; pnd 4sidcd, linear, tapering upward. C. puUhella i;i about i fi)i)t nlnh, with narrow lance-linear leaves, and deeply idohed petals, purple or in cultivation rose-colored or white, and producing a partly double blossom. ir mmmmmmBmmmm Ixxx MEMOIR Ol- WILLIAM CLAKK. immortal book is a yawning chasm between cash and glory. Lewis was tkad ; Clark piisheil the work to publication. His total receipts from this business were no dollars and no cents ; but the assignees of his insolvent publishers, who had failed while the book was in press, generously gave him the copper-plates, as likewise permission to try it again, if he liked to be literary. These old coppers are serviceable at present writing as paper-weights on my desk ; but Captain Clark never ventured to avail himself of the copyright thus made over to him. General and Governor Clark was known far and wide to the Indians as the " Red-heatl." It is significant of his repute among them that St. Louis was for thorn simply the Red-head's town — as we should say, " Clarksville." The pith of this whole matter is in the words of a Sac chief who had been called in council by Major Benjamin O'Fallon at St. Louis, April 3d. iSJl, on the subject of certain hostilities which were to be suppressed : " .American chief ! We have opened our ears to your words and those of the Red-head. Brother! We receive you as the son of the Red-head ; inas- much as we love him, we will love you and do not wish to offend you. " General Clark possessed in an eminent degree those personal ciua'ities v.hich commanded the respect of Indians as well as of all other persons whose privilege it was to know him ; they recognized in him a great chief, whether friend or foe. Th',.ysaw he preferred to be the former;" and they fouml this to be to their own advantage. They com- pared his fair and honorable dealings with the lying and cheat- ing which to them were no novel elements in the character of ('. r/r_i;tin\ is more r f.mmonly seen in cnnscrvrttnrie*; ; it i*- fully ? feet hiv;h. with l.incc-ov.ite or oblong leaves on Knip Ijranthes anJ entire lil-.c-purple pct.nU. brn.idcr thiin long. i'Aty^ia is one of n ^rouji ff jiencr.. ini Iiidinc (/■>/. '//>rr-;. the e\eni?iK primroses proper, and belongs to that ortlt-r whif h contains the familiar fuchsias. I'-" \ letter of (Icneral Cl.irk lo Mr. Jefferson, d.iteil St. I nui~. Iter. isih. 1F35. now filed in Jeff. I'ajiers C, ::d ser.. Vol. 31. gives a sipn of the aniitv that inspired his policv with the Indians : " In my present sitnali4>n of Superintendent of Irifiiaii af.airs. it wr.iiM afford me pleasure to he enabled lo meIior.»tc the (ondiiioa i>f th-isc nnfortun.tte people place'' .mder mv rharpe, know- ing as I il-> their rett heilness, and their rapid tierline. — It is to be lamented that the depltrable kitualiun of the Indians do n(>t receive more of the luimain feelings of the nation." MEMOIR OK Wl 1. 1,1AM CLARK. Ixxxi many whites with whom they were brought in contact ; they discovered him to be a man of his word ; and they reposed unbounded confidence in all that he said. Probably no officer of the government ever made his personal influence more widely and deeply felt ; his superintendency grew to be a sort of lawful autocracy, wielded in the best int<'rests of all concerned, on the strong principle of even-ha: Jed jus- tice; his word became Indian law, from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Thousands of Indians had made his personal acquaintance when he traveled among them ; and in later years there could have been few who did not regard his signature as "medicine" of the most salutary sort. We sometimes hear of persons who are credited with great insight into what is called " the Indian character." Granting that Indians have all the defects of their qualities, and that some of these are peculiar to this remarkably picturesque race of men, it does not follow that there is not as much human nature in an Indian as in any other person. No professional secret is violated in saying that to treat an Indian as if he were a human being is to encourage him to return the compliment. General Clark received back from the Indians only what he gave out to them ; reciprocity in fair dealing was established ; for the rest, they recognized his superiority in mental and material resources ; they felt and feared his power. Had he not been at heart their sin- cere friend and well-wisher — had the moral element been eliminated from the equation — had he only made terms with them with the idea that it is cheaper to feed than to fight Indians — he never could have acquired that ascendency which enabled him to exercise perfect control. During his long administration of Indian affairs, beginning soon after his return from the Expedition, aad ending only with his life, he was instrumental in bringing about many important treaties, not only between his government and the Indians, but also between different tribes of the latter. Me was master of a situation whose possibilities, both for good and evil, were enormous ; in his hands, possible evil turned to F HBF, Ixxxii MKMOIk OF WILLIAM CLARK certain good. This man was a large factor in the civiliza- tion of that great West which Lewis and Clark discovered. It may be said of him with special pertinence, stat magni nominis umbra — for the explorer stands in the shadow of his own great name as such, obscuring that of the soldier, statesman, diplomat, and patriot. The world is slow to concede the greatness of any man in more than one thing. We will now turn to the light another facet in the complex of this many-sided man, namely, his instrumentality in the publication of that History of the Expedition which was rewritten for the press by Nicholas Biddle from the manu- script journals and field notebooks of Lewis and Clark. Captain Lewis is believed, no doubt rightly, to have been on his way East to attend to this matter when he met his fate ; whereupon, that duty devolved upon his comrade, and was almost immediately assumed by him. My informa- tion upon this score is not less accurate than extensive, and will be found almost entirely novel, as it is derived mainly from the never published Clark-Biddle correspondence, now in my hands. These letters speak autobiographically for themselves, and I will therefore select a few for presentation. The one of earliest date is as follows : Near Fincastle Virgi. 2o'l'. Feby 1810 Dear Sir I expected to have had the pleasure of hereiiig from you previous to my setting out from Philadelphia hut as I did not receve a note from you at that time cal- culateil on receeving a letter from y.ni at this place on the Subject of writing my Western Tour &c. as I have been disappointed in hereing from you on this Sub- ject feel my self much at a loss to ah,la.lelph.a to re,,uest you to come on here if possible and spend a short ,me I am at present with Col. Hancock my father in Law whoTon I refred and plesen.ly situated [place] in view of the'xown of p!^ asTle_ should r;aur„TnTh;':s:'n\^^''"'*' '"'r '"* '-"' "^ "agerstowTwini: ' « ft aunton in the S(ai,'f which passes this place once a week — .. "^r :.;*;:,r ■ ""'"■' °' "" '•""■ ""■ '»'-™ -^ -^ »r Vour Obe Servt Mr. Nicholis Diddle ^^''" Clark Phila. This letter is folded, sealed without envelop super scnbed ''Nicholis Biddle esquire Atty at Law Philadelphia " marked by postmaster, in MS.. " Fincastle Faby 2ah 20'" [cents], and indorsed by Mr. Biddle. "From Gen' VV Clarke 20 Feby. 1 8 10". Sir, Philada, March 3. i8io I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 20th Feby which reached tTatT ?r "! '"" "^"'^ '''^ "y tTother-snote will have app i ed y, u that It will be out of my power to undertake what you had the n oH.In!.; offer, and the only object of the present is to renew my re^e. .!t b' ,g i Jd to S r "u';''""-' "■'? ^"'^ "'^'■"- ''y °-"''^'''- necessarily onfi' me to I h.la. and I have neither health nor leisure to do sufficient justice to the fru t! of your enterprise ami ingenuity-You cannot be long however w It ma' a more ortunate selection, but if I can be of any assistance to yo he e i„ Jf proposed publication it shall be very cheerfully given. GenlWmn..rk Being with high respect »■ -Castle ^'°^'' „. Virginia ^^ Middle Before Mr. Biddle could have heard from General CI trk again he changed his mind and wrote as follows: Sir, I'hiladL-lj.liia SatunKiy A!an.h 17, iSio. I had the pleasure of writinu to vou on the 1,1 ;.,.t .1 ¥ ■^ffli Ixxxiv MEMOIR OF WILLIAM CLARK. c your satisfaction. Having since then seen Mr. Conrad, iV Or Ilartcn, what I learnt from them, joined with a prospect of better health ^ more time than I had originally expected induced me to consent provided you had not in the mean time, as I thought probable, made a better choice. Mr Connid mentioned to me to day that your last letter of the (/h jnst. represents you as under no engage- ments of that sort. I will ilierefore very readily agree to do all that is in my power for the ailvancemeni of the work ; and I think I can piomise with sinne contidence that it shall be ready as soon as the ])ublisher [Mr. John Conrad] is prepared to print it. Having made up my mind tod.-iv, I am desirous that no delay should occur on my part. As therefore you express a wish that I should see you, I am arranging my business so as to leave this on Wednesday next, & take the route by Ilagerstown Winchester iVc. In this way I hojie to make you a short visit very soon after the receipt of my letter. In the mean time I remain with high respect Yrs S'q N. Biddle Genl Wm Clark. Fincastle Virginia But before General Clark received the above he wrote . Fin Castle Vga March 25«h. 1810 Dear Sir I was extreamly sorry to find by your letter of the yortant a part of your route it should be shown very distinctly. In all other respects your present maii, (m a scale rather larger, and diminished or increased as to ilegrees of latitude [/. f., taking in less or more country north and south of the route] as you may judge best, will be (juite suflicient. [Hut the map as ]iublished was on a scale much reduced from the original.) J f m^SBHV ^9mm OT «■■ Ixxxvi MEMOIR OK WILLIAM CLARK. On my arrivtl I found that propoMls were circulating here (or a second edition of Gass's journal [of which three Philadelphia editions f the I'hilosophical Society], and at my service. Ordway's, which is much better than (iass's, is really very useful : and as these two as well asyour's and Captain Lewis's and my own notes are all tu be examined, in order to leave nothing omitted, the labor is by no means light. . . Shannon has not yet arrived. . . I must now begin my catechism of incjuiries with which you remember I impor- tuned you not a little when 1 had the pleasure of seeing you [<■/. p. 31], . . In the mean time I remain with my best respects to M" Clarke, & my very warmest wishes for your fine little son [Meriwether Lewis Clark]. Your's very sincerely Gen William Clarke Nicholas Biddle St Louis Upper Louisiana The next letter in point of date is a long one from Mr. F. R. Hassler, who was getting up the map. dated Schenec- tady, Aug. 1 2th, 1 8 10, full of astronomical calculations for longitude, etc. It is addressed to Mr. Biddle. The next on my file is from General Clark : St. Louis Deer. 2oerintcnil the printini; yet iiutwithstaiiilii)); all my exertions the pulilication has liuen prevented from time to time till at last Mr t'onrad's dirticultios have ohln^eil him to surrender everylhiiij; to his credilors ..V yixo up Imsinos-., This miifortune is very much to be re^jretteil on his account, \ I nm sorry that we did not know sooner that he Would not lie aide to publish. Hut since thin);s have taken this turn, it i« perhaps better that the printing was not bei^un than that we should be entangled with his assignees, since now we can place it in other hands. I have alreaily spoken to Mr |lra pl.ice I reeved your letter of the 4'h o( July, in which you inform me the fahie [l.iilure] of Mf. I'oiiral, and the .State of our work. Mf. I'onrad has disapointed us both I liii I , he lias disapoinled me in a way I had not the smallest suspicion of. I think we might have e\pccicl from him some iMtimitioii of his situation which would [have] prevented a delay of the work — I hope you have suckceeded i;i engageing Mr. liradfor 1 to print the work and in makeiiii; such other arrangements as you may have thought best — I expect to go on to riiikidelphia i;i a week or ten days, where I hope to have the pleasure to meet you ; as I shall take Indian Chiefs with me, it will not be in my ))ower to stay in your City as long as I could wish. I must therefore intrude on your goodness and assistance Mrs. Clark and my two scms came on with Tie as far as Hagers Town from thence they preceded to Col. Hancocks to remain nntill our ileticucltes are adjusted to the X VV Accept of my wormest Solicitations Yours Truly Wm Clark Nicholas Riddle Esq PhiU. i^ MI-.MOIR OK WILLIAM < LARK. Ixxxix The course of publication never ran more crookedly than about this time, and was as full of shoaU as the Kooskoos- kee. Here is an interestinj; letter from a yreat man — one who, however, was greater in steerinjj boats than books ; I'liilatlclphia Septembur s. tnisine.i here was to sec you, ainl make some arranj;ements respettinn tlic ]iul)- licalion of the \v..rlv (Lewi-, ami t'larks Jouriuil). Krom the situation of my pul)liik duties, I am iou\pellei| to return tomorrow without elTettinj; the objects of my wishes — I have expeited you for two days, ami have delayed one lonjjer than the Contract made with the man to Carry the Indian Chiefs to l'ittsl)urt;h autherised — I am a puMiik oDicer and must move with a parcel of people (Indians^ who are placed under my Cliar^;!-. (ant' I persuade you to beiouie /iiliiiitf,/ in Lewis and (larks work, I hope you will Concent, and under that ho|>e I take the liberty of offering you the half of every profit arising; from it, if you will attend to it, have it Cimipleted as far as it i> ])ossible and neces-,ary, jireuteil published \i . including the advances which have and may be necessary iVc. If you will ai;ree to this jnoposition (which I hope you will) please to write to me at I'ittsburjjh or Louisvilie, inclose aj»ree- ments which I can excutee there ; and I will send you orders for such specimens &c. as are in the hancis of Mr. Conr.id and other t»entlemcn in this City. Should you not incline to become interested in this way, be so good as to write to me at pittsl)urnl\, and i;ive me your oppiiiion on this subject. I have not seen Mr. lira Ifonl, thinking it proliable you v.oiild become inter- ested and Coulil make a much better bargain with him than I could. Pocf. Hartain [liartonl says he can do his part in a very short time, should you become illtere^ted you will in Course employ -,ome other persons if the Docf. should not please you I'lease to write to me as soon as possible and accept the assurence of my high- est respect an '. F.steem \' most Ob He Sert Mr. Nich'. liiddle \Vm Clark It be^an to look very much as if no publisher could be found williii;^ to uiulert.ike Lewis and Clark. I'or example : Dear Sir Johnson iV Warner have, at last, positively declined maUiiii; any sort of int'ss however was so great that no one was willing to embark in it, and after a great deal of fruitless negociation I was obliged to return and on the advice of Mf. Conrad accept M'. Bradford's proposals. This I w.is desirous of deferring in hopes of obtaining better terms, but none could be had owing to the nature of the times. I now wait only for the engravers who will soon I hope finish their work and then we can strike off the printing im- inimediately iV in a little time the work will be published. The agreement with Mr. Bradford you will see when you arrive, but as I am not sure whether you are not already on this side of Washington I will add no more than that I am Very sincerely Gen' William Clarke Yrs Washington N. R The spectacle of a Biddle begging all Philadelphia to pub- lish Lewis and Claik! Mr. Conrad's advice proved sound. Mr. Biddle was forced to Mr. Bradford's terms. These were doubtless as liberal as the latter could afford to make them — for the sequel showed that Bradford and Inskeep would fail even before they could publish the book. The next document I possess is a pc ver of attorney — ominous of much litigation to come : I William Cl.irk .if the Missouri territory do hereby constitute Nicholas Hiddle of Philad.i my lawful .\itornty in all tilings relative to my tr.insactions with Bradford & Inskeep or any other person^ concerned in the publicaticm of Lewis \' Clark s travels, and do hereby empower liini for me to demand, recover iV receive all my claims and rights thereto nr to tlie profits thereof — make such arrangements and commence such legal processes, consent to such compniiiiises as he may judge proper \ generally to do every thing relative to the said MEMOIR (»K WILLIAM CLARK. xci work as fully as I could were I personally present— with power also to make such substitutes as he may think advisable. Hereby ratifying whatever he or his substitutes may lawfully do in the premises. In witness whereof 1 have set my hand and seal hereto this 29th day of March 1813 at Philadelphia Wm Clark -; Seal. }• Witness at signing Benji; O'Fallon Meanwhile the work was put to press by Bradford and Inskeep. The composition and presswork occupied about one year, in the course of which the publishers became insolvent, and made an assignment. I have inspected the original manuscript of the balance-sheet headed " Dr. Lewis and Clarks Travels in ace. currt. with the Estate of Bradford & Inskeep, Cr.," showing every item of debit and credit. The net price of the books was $6.00 the set, with various discounts to the trade of 50 per cent, or less. The cost of manufacture, etc., was S3.496.97. The total sales credited amounted to S5.535-47. showing a profit. This, however, was offset by amt. of unpaid bills, $686.27; and of bad debts and cops, not paid for, $1,198.13— altogether a debit of •^5.381.37. against a credit of $5,535.47, reducing net profits to $154.10. Whereupon, one Paul Allen appears on the scene for the first time to the naked eye of history, with a claim for alleged services of $500, or so much thereof as he had not taken out in trade with the publishers ; which more than wiped out the nomiral credit of $154.10. This dismal story is not quite told yet. The edition was ostensibly of 2,000 copies ; but when the above-described balance-sheet was drawn up, there were 392 n( thetn lacking plates, probably not delivered because certain bills were uit paid ; there were 35 otherwise defective copies, and 156 copies were missing, " supposed to be destroyed in binder's or print- er's hands." Deducting 583 copies, defective or missing, from an ostensible edition of 2,000. it appears that no more than 1.417 perfect copies of Lewis and Clark ever existed." " For .in it<:mi^.-.iion of the .-.bove account, .ee my nnte in the New York Vation of January ,Ah. 1893. The oriRin,,! number nf ..4,7 copies bec-ime. in the course of time so much re.luce.1 by or.lm:,ry « r;ar and tear, mutilation, and destruction, that the price of a perfect copy ha, rf late year, set, led somewhere about $,o-nu,re or less, a, cr,rdin« to the respective tempers of buyers and sellers. What it will rise or fall to in .804 remains to be seen. / XCIl MF.MOIK OI- WILLIAM CI.ARK. Thus, by dint of luck, pluck, and perseverance on the part of the surviving author and his steadfast editor, the History that was to make so much history appeared, in February, 1814. If we take the day on which was made the first sale credited in the above account, as that of actual publication, the exact date was Feb. 20th, 1814. Mr. Hiddle soon afterward announced the fact of publication to Gov- ernor Clark, as follows : Phila. March 23, 1S14. My dear Sir, I havL' at la>t the [ileasure of informing you that the travels are i)ul)lished, that thfV have sdUI vtry well 1 unclerstaml. and liave hecMi well thought of by the readers. Henceforth you may sleep ujion ymir fame, which must last as liinj; as Imoks can endure. Mr. Hradfonl ha^ I presume sent you a copy of the work. The j^entleman who received and jirepareil it for the press, Mr. Allen, is a very capaide ]ierson [!], and a> I did not put the tinisliing hand to the Volumes 1 did not think it right to take from him the credit of his own exertion and care \>\ aunouncini; personally tlie part wliich I had in the com|iilation. I am content that my trouble in the business should be recognized only by the pleasure which attended it and also by the satisfaction of making your acipiaint- ance, which I shall always value. I could have wishe^«-|.>. . , MEMOIR OF WILLIAM C \RK. XClll " I have borrowed a Copy of my Book which has reached this place but have not had time to read it as yet." The rest of the inside history of the book, as represented in this correspondence, is simply the dreary story of lawyer- ing in settlement of an insolvent estate. Mr. Biddle had full power of attorney from General Clark, as we have seen ; he was able and indefatigable in his efforts to protect and benefit his client. The case dragged its slow length along till 1818: and much of the correspondence is between the lawyers on each side. Charles Chauncey, Esq., atty. at law : Thomas Astley. ditto : Mr. G. W. Thomas (with an offer to take the remaining stock of books on certain terms) ; Mr. Mathew Carey (publisher of the Phila. eds. of Gass) ; Mr. Paul Allen (whining in accents of injured innocence); and others too numerous to specify, appear on the scene ; the arithmetic of the eminent counsel for and against the estate of Bradford and Inskeep fetched out variant sums— in fine, no feature of total failure was lacking, for the devil on two sticks had stalked through the whole business. Far from this scene of legal action after mercantile disaster, in St. Louis, was General Clark, who seems to have been slow to realize that nothing can be made of nothing. In 1816 he is still anxious to know how his book-property stands. One letter brings up yet another aspect to the case : ,, ... .St. Louis March 31st 1816. Dear Sir ... As Doctr. Marks the half Prother of Cov Lewis h-is expressed to me in a letter some concern about his brothers interest in the Books, and asked of me for a jiower of Atty. to receive of tha pubHsher the Hooks I must request you to deliver to the order of his mother .Mrs. .Marks, such Books Papers iS:c. as you may think Govr Lewis's Heirs shuuld receive at least fully the one half of my part. . . Your mo. ub t HI Sert t'f"" ^'- H J Wm Clark But the half of nothing is nothing again ; and having already mentioned the fact that in the final settlement of the unhappy affair. General Clark's total receipts were some copper-plates and the right to bring out a second edition— XCIV MEMOIR OK WII.r.IAM CI.ARK. of neither of which did he ever avail himself — I will con- clude a history cf the History with the following letter : St Louis Deer. 28tl>. 1817 Dear Sir Vour letter of tiie aist of October informing me of the State of my busi- ness with the asse of Mess'. Hradfoni & Insl'iH^ MEMOIR OF WILLIAM CLARK. xCV m.-uble-covered books, one (I) brown book, and eleven (n) r.-d books ; together with a number of loose letters and other documents. Meanwhile, in November, 1817 Mr Jefferson " had deposited with the same Society three (3) more bound volumes which had been in his hands, the same being two (2) small marble-covered notebooks, and one (i) red book. A thirteenth red book was also deposited about this time, but by whom is not now known; but it seems probable, from the letter of Mr. Jefferson cited in the note leavc. Ihe Writings of Thomas Jcftersnn, by H. A. WaHhi.iirton 8v,> ^,1 ,a. w i. 93, Letter to M. Dupon, e.,u. .:h I knew there had been ten or twelve [there were at east .8], having nyself read then.. These were all she couhl tinci.'' Some f rtherTiX i hrHrst!,:; :7t:T rr " "°. '; ■■":' *"■ '■''■■ '- "■^- '-'--' •— - •- p-' - - tne History ar... th- fin.al deposit of the ,MSS. with the Philosophic ,1 So. lelv l,v il,„ f 11 ■ «t« from Mr. Jeft-rson to .;enera. Clark w on file in the \Z:l!:,t^^[^',^^ .he State Hepartment. As it is specially intercstins in connection with General (lark's li^ ::::^:r:7:Zu:::::r """" ''-■ '''''-• -'- -'-' - "«'»« ..p^odnced .„";:;:. Dear Sir Monticello, Sep 8, 1H16 little The travelling journal of (lovr. Lewis , . , , . =""' yurself having been published some ..me ago, I had hoped to hear that something was doing with the astronlmi I obs ."'" r ■ ,:r;;Sd:' ;^::^:' -e^^-rr--- ;;-.-- ...;;,^"...p^f r ^ intention. 1 got a friend to apply for them to mr Bi .1 e in " .f h , 'sVu^ler t", H 7""'' be. referring him for authority ,0 the instructions inserted in tbHite , (Vvr lew "I . .he vocabularies to the Phiios. Society ... p.^ilU' i'l;' ""rdd';:.!:^;::;,::;::;; ^:n::^ and respect ,'ou with constant fricmlship Gcnl. Win. Clarke Th : Jefferson XCVI MEMOIR OF WII.MAM fl.ARK. below, that this was one of " four " books deposited by Mr. Jefferson, who certainly received that number (not three) from the executors of Dr. Barton's estate. I have before me the orifjinal and also a copy, both in Mr. Kiddle's hand, of the letter making his own deposit, dated Philada., April 6th, l8i8. and addressed to Hon. Wm. Til^hman, Chairman of the Historical Committee of the Philosophical Society; item, a copy of the receipt (^iven by the Society in accepting the custody of these records." In the terms of this agree- ment it was expressly provided that William Clark, his heirs or assigns, were and are always to have access to and use of these manuscripts for the preparation of any other edi- tion of the History. Maneiit verba scripia — the "written words " slept the sleep of the just, while the printed words went round the world, during three-quarters of a century, till one day they awoke to a new lease of life. The follow- ing letter requires no comment beyond my profound acknowledgment of its significance : Saint Loris, Nov. 25M, 1892. Tresidknt and Directors of the Philosophical Society. i'lENTI EMEN : — According to the inventory .ind receipt given in 1818 by your Society for the papers an>l manuscripts of Lewis and Clark, explorers of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, it was agreed that the heirs of Genl. Clark should at .ill times have access to them for any future edition of his travels. Mr. Elliott Coues is now eng.iged in writing one, and I request that you will let him have access and use of the manuscripts for that purpose. Very respectfully, [Signed] Jefferson K. Ci.ark, (only surviving son of General William Clark). '" With recard lo this finishing of the tleposil of the I., nnd C. MSS, with the Philosophir.il Society, see ..Iso Jeff. P.ipers. 2d ser., Vol. 51, I>oc. No. 86, letter of N. P.idille to Win. Tilgh- ni.in. Phila.. April loth, i8t8, endorst' 1 MEMOIR OF PATRICK GASS. BY DR. COUES. I COMPILE the following biographical sketch of the famous I sh sergean .na.nly from material presented by one who knew h,m well, Mr. J. G. Jacob, author of The Life and Times of I atnck Gass, c.ted on p. cxxiii, and editor of the VVellsbX Herald, of VVellsburg. VV.Va. In private correspondenc mT Jacob mforms me that the substance of it appeared in the ^jass was born June 12th itti -if 1/ n- l- u I J ,- ■' '■^tn, 1771, at railmg Snrme-s Cum berland Co., near what was afterward Chan.bersburg Fra^^ l.n Co. Pa. When Mr. Jacob wrote of him, in .858 he was Le::'and cfat' T'^::'.^^^^'y '-^^ the'sole sutlvor as on shin. ?h ' '^'^P^"'^''"^"- "■"^ -S- -'^ vitality were astonish ng. the more so, considering the hardships he had long endured and his many years of the besetting'sin of an old sold.er. In stature he was low, having in his most erect m hood never exceeded f^ve feet seven ; he was compac ly bu.It broad-chested and strong-limbed. lean and wiry only very late n. hfe was he bowed and crippled with rheulitism centur! H^ . '.T"'^, '"''""''^ ^°^ '^'' '^'"'^ ^^ almost a century. He died April 3d, 1870. Marvlln? f'''' ^"'^"' ""'"'^ '''''' ^""^^ mountain into Maryland From 1777 to ,780 the boy lived with his ^rand self that he never learned to read, write, and cipher till he had come of age. His next recorded move uas in ,780 ^tate of he American army. In ,782 the family " went west -that IS, across the Alleghenies. In ,784 thev reached the forks of Yough, and located near Unil'tlwn' MKMOIR (»!• PATRICK OASS. then called Rcasontown ; but next year was again " up stakes " with them, and they finally settled at Catfish camp, so called from a noted Indian chief of the time, and serving as a sort of halfway place between the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers. Here Patrick seems to have first developed some of his qualities, for he used to explore the vicinity, and has left his impressions of the site, as it was in 1790, of what is now Wellsbiirg, W. Va. There was at that day but one house, a log cabin, built and occupied for many years by one Alexander Wells; it was still standing in 185S. We next hear of the Irish lad in 1 792, when, having attained his majority, he was stationed as a soldier under Captain Caton at Yellow creek, guarding the frontier against Indians. These had long been troublesome, and were just then elateil at having defeated General Arthur St. Clair's army, in November, 179 1. General Anthony Wayne was sent against them, and the militia all along the frontier was drafted into service. Patrick had been serving in the place of his father, who had been drafted ; he was soon after pressed into the service himself, and stationed at Bennett's fort, on Wheeling creek, near Wheeling ; but he does not seem to have been in any actual engagement. Indian hos- tilities were soon after put down entirely and forever in that region by the defeat of the redskins on the Miami by General Wayne, in August. 1792. While stationed at Wheeling creek young Gass met the scout, Lewis Wetzel, a tall, slim, dark-visaged man, notorious for his deadly hatred of Indians, and credited by tradition with having killed more of them than perhaps any man of his time. They had murdered some of his relations, and he wreaked upon them a terrible vengeance, which in his case, as in many others, became a monomania. He used to shoot peaceable Indians on sight ; and on one occasion, being arrested and jailed in consequence, he was released by a mob — such being public sentiment on this score. Wetzel became a boatman, of the kind facetiously called " half- horse, half-alligator," and died a sot a few years later. MEMOIR OF PATRICK GASS. d Peace being restored, younj^ Gass became a carpenter, having; bound himself in 1794 for two years or more. He built about this time at least one house which was standing in VVcllsburg in 1859, ''"^' '''^" worked on a house for Mr. James Ruchanan, father of the boy who was afterward Pre;5ident of the United States, and whom Gass used to call " little Jimmy." The elder Buchanan was an Irishman who had emigrated to this country at an early day, and in York county had married a Miss Speer, the future mother of a president. The Gass family was connected by marriage with the Speers, and Patrick used to say that " little Jimmy" must have got his qualities from his mother, as his father was more thrifty than statesmanlike. About this time, in 1794, Patrick met General Washington, when the latter was out with some troops to suppress the Whisky Insurrection of 1794. His biographer remarks that he " was too much of a patriot to resist the government, and ho loved good old Monongahcla too well to enlist against the Whisky Hoys; so he wisely remained neutral." Gass seems to have stuck to his trade for the most part till May, 1799, when, under the presidency of the elder Adams, a war-cloud appeared on the horizon in the prospect of a rupture with the French. Throwing down his jack- phiiie, he enlisted in the 19th Regiment under Gen. Alex- ander Hamilton. He was sent from Carlisle to Harper's Ferry in June, 1800, and was soon afterward discharged from the service at Little York, Pa. But being evidently "cut out for the army," he immediately re-enlisted for five years under Major Cass, the father of General Lewis Cass. His intelligence and other merits caused his promotion as a non-commissioned officer, and he was intrusted with some responsible duties in recruiting, and in arresting deserters. His career was about to begin. In 1801 Gass went with a company under Captain Bissell up the Tennessee river, and in the autumn of 1802 Bissell's company, with a battery of artillery, was sent to Kaskaskia, in Illinois. There they were when, in the autumn of 1803, Cll MEMOIK OF I'ATRICK GASS. a call was made by the government for volunteers to accom- pany the Expedition of Lewis and Clark. Captain Lewis himself came tc Kaskaskia in search of suitable material for his corps ; and here was the meetinjj of two soldiers who were to tempt fate tojjether — Meriwether Lewis, American j)atrician, in commanil, and I'.itrick Gass, Irish plebeian, in the ranks — each in his own sphere on the very ed^je of fame. To one of Gass' adventurous and hardy nature, this was a golden opportunity. Of course he instantly volunteered — to tread where white man had never set foot before seemed l^lory mountain-hi^h. Hut he did not very easily secure his captain's permission to transfer. He was a ^'ood carpenter as well as a pood soldier, and was wanted in the garrison. So Captain Hissell objected. Whereupon the resolute I'.it- rick persisted, and havinp found out Captain Lewis' where- abouts hunted the latter up and put the case plump. The result was his enlistment under Captain Lewis, his own commanding officer's objections notwithstandinp. Here I send Sergeant Gass to the I'acific ocean and back to St. Louis; for I shall use his Journal all through the following pages to check and corroborate the narrative of his commanding officers. Shoulder-straps and chevrons understand each other well, and the latter may be heard to advantage with the former. The following e.xtract ' of a cer- tificate delivered by Captain Lewis to Sergeant Gass, dated St. Louis, October lOth, 1806, attests the high character and good conduct of this non-commissioned ofificer during the E.xpedition : " As a tribute justly due to the merits of the .said Patrick Gass, I with cheerfulness declare, that the ample support, which he gave me, under every difficulty ; tlie manly firmness, which he evinced on every necessary occasion ; and the forti- tude with which he bore the fatigues and painful sufferings incident to that long voyage, intitles him to my highest confidence and sincere thanks, while it eminently recom- ' Quoted from the |uilplishcr's (D.ivid M'KethaM\) I'ref.ite to tlie original edition of Gass' Journal, dated March 26th, 1807. ! MEMOIR <»F rATKirK GASS. cm itK'iuls hi-n to the consideration and respect of his fellow citizens." At St. Louis, Gass and his companions were of course lionized. Very real lions they were, with a story to tell that is immortal. Gass' biographer remarks upon the serf,'eant's story, as subsequently published in 1807, that "it i;ives evidence of close observation and much shrewdness of reasonin^^. It is strictly and conscientiously accurate, for, contrary to the received aphorism re^jarding travelers' tales, we have never perused a W(.>rk so devoid of the ima^jinative, or where was m.iiiifested so little desire to garnish plain prose with poetic tinsel. All is unpretending matter of fact. . . We see the atl venturers just as they were ; and with rare modesty the author — although we have authority fi.)r saying he w.is one of the most useful, efficient, and intelligent men of the party — is kept strictly in the back- ground, or, if mentioned at all, it is only incidentally in con- nection with some special party of which he was a member. " Remaining but a short time at St. Louis, Gass went to Vincennes, Ind., and thence to Louisville, Ky., where, with a couple of comrades, he rejoined Lewis and Clark. They had with them a deputation of Indians, headed by a chief called Big '.Vhite, whom they were taking to Washington. The party paid their respects to President Jefferson, made tiieir report to the proper officials, delivered their specimens and curiosities, and were discharged. Gass received his pay in gold, with the promise of future consideration, and went home to his friends in Wellsburg. Here it was that he arranged with the Irish schoolmaster, David M'Keehan, for the publication of his Journal, which appeared early in 1S07, thus seven years before Lewis anil Ci.irk's own narrative was published. This prompt piece of work ended his connec- tion with Lewis and Clark, during which he had spanned America from the tide-water of the I'otomac to that of tlie Columbia, and thus formed a link in the chain that bound the Atlantic with the Pacific for the first time in the history of the United States. '/i -ya CIV MEMOIR OK PATRICK GASS. Gass never exchanged the pen for the sword, for he was one of those who are marked by nature for heroism in very humble life ; but he quickly threw down the pen and shouldered the musket again. In the spring of 1807 we find him a soldier still, and he served at the then frontier post of Kaskaskia for the next four years of his life. Embers of the Revolutionary War smoldered till 18 12, when they burst into the second War of Independence. Formal declaration of war was made Juno 18th, 18 12, under the administration of President Madison. Shortly before this Gass was at Nashville, Tenn., where he was drafted into the regiment raised by General Jackson to fight the Creeks, during some Indian disturbances which had broken out. He had, however, the option of enlistment for five years in the regular army. This he promptly accepted, with a bounty of $100, and marched north under General Gaines. He was at Fort Massac in Illinois, in 1813 ; and the 1st of July, 1814, found him at Pittsburgh, in a battalion under command of Colonel Nichols, with the Northern Army commanded by General Brown. He took part in the assault on Fort Erie, and was conspicuous for his bravery in the famous battle of Lundy's Lane, where he was attached to the 2 1st Regiment under the gallant Colonel Miller. Gass is said to have distinctly recollected hearing Miller's memorable answer, when ordered by General Ripley to capture the British battery : " I will try, sir." Sergeant Gass shoivs up gallantly in a sortie made on the 17th of August, where he was intrusted with the duty of s[)iking the enemy's guns. His selection for such duty, requiring cool courage, was a high compliment to the sergeant, and shows the estimation in which he was held. He was dis- charged from the service at Sackett's Harbor, in June, 181 5, and returned to Wellsburg once more. The war closed, and with it Gass' career. He retired to an obscurity whence he never emerged. He was past forty, and had lived his life, though his years were not yet half counted. He had nothing to show for the past, and nothing i MEMOIR OF PATRICK GASS. cv but memory to live on. His book was financia ' a failure and temporarily forgotten ; in fact, it has always been rare,' and practically known only to the bibliographer. So he simply settled down to make a living as best he could, tell his soldier's stories, and reap the wild oats he had sown Having all the " defects of his qualities," he naturally gave way to drink, and for forty years was a sad drunkard The marvel is that he lived so long with such habits, and that, too, after he had endured hardship enough to under- mine the constitution of most men. He seemed made of steel that would neither break nor bend. What romance may have entered into the young soldier's life we can only infer from his character and habits. But love conquered the old soldier at 58, and he was married in 1831 to Miss Maria Hamilton. During their married life which lasted for 15 years, till her death in 1846, Mrs. Gass presented her husband with seven children. " It was cus- tomary," says his biographer, "to joke the old soldier on his rapid increase of family. Such jokes were always good- naturedly received, and he would characteristically remark that, ' as all his life long he had striven to do his duty he would not neglect it now, but by industry make amends for his delay.' " He is represented as being a good husband and father, kind and affectionate in his family. To the statement that Mr. Gass never emerged from obscurity, one slight exception must be made. He was naturally interested in pension laws, considering that the pittance he drew from the government was ostensibly his only means of support, and that very late in life, when in- firmity overtook him. he was thrown in part on the charity of the county. In some action taken by old soldiers Mr. Gass came to the fore, and figured at the convention held in Washington, January 8th. 1855. A call had emanated from the veterans of the war of 18 12, who had assembled in Phil- adelphia, January 9th, 1854, for surviving soldiers to meet in their respective neighborhoods and elect delegates to the Washington convention. Mr. Gass had the post of honor CVl MEMOIR OF PATRICK GASS. at Wellsburg, December 25th, 1854, and was one of a committee of three selected to go to Washington. During the convention they were received by President Pierce and his Cabinet. The veterans memorialized Congress, and returned to their homes — with the usual barren result. Writing in 1858, his biographer does not hesitate to say: " There is probably not now living a single man who has done so much for the public as Mr. Gass, and received so little. Among the many unique features of his character, this is not the least singular. He has never been a beggar, neither has he ever had emolument thrust upon him by the country he so faithfully served ; hence he is both poor and humble. He is still living, December, 1858, a hale, hearty Virginia Democrat of the old school." I might have been excused if at this point I had concluded my sketch with the remark that no doubt Mr. Gass soon died. But I wished if possible to complete the record of this wonderful life. I sent to Wellsburg a letter of inquiry, which the postmaster was requested to deliver to "any friend, relative, or descendant of the late Patrick Gass." This was answered in a few days, and my respondent proved to be Mr. Jacob himself. From him I learned that Mr. Gass did not answer his last roll-call till the 3d of April, 1870, when he was in his 99th year. A short time before his death he professed the Campbellite faith, and was baptized in the Ohio river in the presence of a large concourse. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Wellsburg. Thus ended a life in some respects unparalleled. Gass was one of the most extraordinary men America ever pro- duced. Men have turned their centenary — but how many have done so after such sieges of war, whisky, and women as Gass withstood for nearly a hundred years? It may help us to appreciate the duration of his life, if we remember that he attained nearly the average [)eriod of human existence in the eighteenth century, and then rounded out to the full tlie traditional three-score and ten years in the nineteenth. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. BY DR. COUES. Publication of the results of this memorable undertaking was attended by the untoward circumstances that neither Lewis nor Clark became the ostensible author, and that, pending the preparation of their MSS. for the press at other hands, two separate sources of incomplete information re- specting their Expedition became available. These were eagerly seized by certain dishonest publishers, who appreci- ated the lively and general interest which the intrepid ex- plorers had awakened. The result was the appearance of several spurious books which purported to be, in one way or another, the "Narrative," "Travels," or "Journey," of " Lewis and Clark," though the claim of none of them to be so considered rested upon any proper foundation. The bibliography of the subject, if not more extensive than would be expected, was in a confused state, until the appear- ance of my monograph in 1876; and quotation of " Lewis and Clark " has too often been made with reference to the bogus books. I have been led to examine this matter with care, and with the result here presented, which should place the subject in a white light. I have examined almost every edition, whether authentic or apocryphal, and am able to give the titk's of others not seen. Probably the best account of these books, aside from my special bibliography of 1 876, is contained in Sabin's Bibliography of Americana, and the next in Field's Essay towards an Indian Bibliogra- phy. New York, 8vo, 1873. The latter author includes none of the foreign versions, and omits several others I have seen. All of the numerous editions and versions of " Lewis and evii cvm BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. Clark" which I have seen or heard of may be traced to one or another of three sources, namely : I. 'Y\iG Jefferson Message and Accompanying Documents. (1806.) II. The 6'ajj Journal. (1807.) III. The Biddle History of the Expedition. (1814.) Of these, the last-named alone is the complete, authentic, and authorized account, prepared by Nicholas Biddle from the original MSS. of Lewis and Clark. The Gass Journal is a perfectly authentic narrative of the journey, by a non- commissioned officer attached to the party, but is not a " Lewis and Clark." From President Jefferson's oflficial communication, which is, of course, exactly what it purports to be, sprung a number of books to which the names of Lewis and Clark are more or less prominently attached ; all of which are, nevertheless, spurious in as far as they claim to be narratives of the Expedition. These three classes of books will be successively considered. I.— THE JEFFERSON PRODROME AND THE APOCRYPHA. On the 19th of February, 1806, the Expedition being then at Fort Clatsop, in Oregon, President Jefferson addressed to Congress a communication, entitled as follows : [1806.] Message \ from tJie \ President of the United States I commnnieating \ Discoveries \ made in exploring \ the Missouri, Red River and Washita, \ by \ Captains Lewis and Clark, Doctor Sibley, \ and Mr. Dunbar ; \ with I a Statistical Account \ of the \ Countries adjacent. \ — I February 19, 1806. ] Read, and ordered to lie on the table. I — I City of Washington: \ A. & G. Way, print- ers. I ... I 1806. %vo. pp. 1-171, 3 /. {State Papers.) It is necessary to examine this State Paper closely, in onler to see liow the Apocrypha depend upon it. The Message itself is a curt official letter. (This is also to be found, unaccompanied l)y the documents, in various places, as e. g., in The Addresses and Messages of the Presidents of the United States, etc., 2d cd., 2 vols., 8vo, New VorU, Edward Walker, I. pp. 185, 186 ; in The Writings BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. CIX of Thomas Jefferson, ed. by H. A. Washington, 1854, Washington, Taylor and Maury, VIII. pp. 5g, 60 ; also, in various eds. of the Apocrypha, serving as a dishonest advertisement of the same.) Next comes : (l) A semi-official letter to the President from Captain Lewis, misdated Fort Mandan, April 17th, (1. <•., 7th) 1805, giving a progress-report of the Expedition at that date. &c. (2)' "A Statistical View of the Indian Nations inhabiting the Territory of Louisiana and the Countries Adjacent to its Northern and Western Boundaries," by Captain Lewis, is the second of the accompanying documents ; this is an elaborate set of statistics of various tribes, with miscellaneous particulars. It is these last particulars— abridged, mutilated, and patched together— that constitute the " Statistical View " printed in the various Apocrypha. (3) The third paper is Dr. Sibley's " Historical Sketches of the Several Indian Tribes in Louisiana, south of the Arkansas River, and between the Mississippi and the River Grand." These Sketches are transferred bodily, with some abridgment and mutilation, to the Apocrypha. (4) Dr. Sibley's Indian Sketches are followed by an account of Red River, in the form of a letter to General Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War. This does not seem to have found favor with the compilers of the Apoc- rypha, for it is generally omitted, and an anonymous article entitled " Origin of the American Indian Population," stolen bodily from Jonathan Carver, is in- serted instead. But Sibley's Red River is duly and truly given in Phillips' English ed. of 1807. (5) The fifth article consists of " Obser%'ations made in a Voyage commencing at St. Catharine's Landing, on the East Bank of the Mississippi, proceeding downwards to the Mouth of Red River, and from thence ascending that River, the Black River, and the Washita River from the Journals of William C. Dunbar, Esq., and Dr. Hunter." With omission of some meteorological tables appended to the original, this document, like Dr. Sibley's Sketches, is introduced into the Apocrypha with little change.' But it is obvious that none of these documents concerns Lewis and Clark, excepting (i) and (2) ; and that only (i) of these concerns the actual History of the Expedition. The President's Message, with the Accompanying Docu- ments, was reprinted in New York as a pamphlet, which I have not seen; but the title of which, nearly identical with that of the original, except as relates to the imprint, is kindly furnished to me by Mr. F. B. Perkins, late of the Boston Public Library, as follows: [1806.] Mi-ssage \ from the \ President of the United States, I eominunieating \ Biseorerirs \ made in exploring the I Missouri, Red River and Washita, \ by \ Captains Lewis and Clarke, Doctor Sibley \ and Mr. Dunbar ; \ with I a Statistical Account \ of the \ Countries adja- cent. I — I Read in Congress, February 19, 1806. i — | IM CX BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. Nezv- York : \ Printed by Hopkins and Seymour, \ and sold by G. F. Hopkins. No. Ii8, Pcarl-strect. \ — \ 1806. One vol., %vo,pp. 1 78+1 folded I. not paged. Sabin gives another New York imprint of this, as G. F. Hopkins, 1806, pp. 178 and folder; also, an edition described as of Natchez, printed by Andrew Marshal, 8vo, pp. 174, reprinted in part in the Political Cabinet, an appendix to the Monthly Anthology, Boston, 1807, later collected under title of American State Papers, Boston, 1808, pp. 39-92 ; of these I know nothing further. In London, the President's Message, with the Accompanying Documents, was repub- lished in a faithful reprint under a modified title, as follows : [1807.] Travels \ in the \ Interior Parts of America ; \ com- municating I Discoveries \ made in Exploring \ the Mis- souri. Red River and Washita, \ by \ Captains Lewis and Clark, I Doctor Sibley, \ and \ Mr. Dunbar ; \ luith \ a Statistical Account \ of the \ Countries adjacent. \ — ] As laid before the Senate, \ by the \ President of the United States. I In February, 1806, | and never before published in Great Britain. \ — | London : \ Printed for Richard Phillips, 6. Bridge Street, \ Blackfriars, \ By f.G. Barnard, 57, Snow-hill. I — I 1807. %vo., pp. 1-24, then a folding table, then pp. 17-116. Forming a part, separately paged, of Vol. JV. of Phillips' Collection of Modern and Contemporary Voyages, &c. The contents of this tract are as follows : Title, backed blank, pp. i, 2 ; Jefferson's Message, pp. 3, 4 ; Extract of a Letter from Captain Lewis to Presi- dent Jefferson, being the Fort Mandan letter of Apr. " 17th," /. f., 7th, pp. 4-7; A Statistical View of the Indian Nations, etc., by Captain Lewis, pp. 7-24, table, and pp. 17-39 • Historical Sketches of the several In. ,-8. ■ leaf foUhJ. Ih.s IS a rare tract, hard to find. Mr. A, R.Spofford showed me the only copy I have seen, Contit^ r' ,""'-'""• "^y """"'"'' "' ■■ '■> ''""-■^ "' "-■ ^^"'- Alston, jun.. dated ^f Z an rchl'T ", ■' "°'; "."' '"■"'^'^'' "' '''''■ ^''1""""« certain informa.ion o Le«„ and Clark s Expedition. (,) Letter of Gen, H. Dearborn, in reply, dated War n par ,„en.. Jan. „th .807. transmitting to the Committee a copy of Captain Lewl'muste- ..11 of l„s party together with a copy of his letter to the Secretary of War relative to tbT" .me p. .67 and pp ,54..5, of the present work). Gen. Oearborn's proposition for erants of land to :;7o?.b'e o'n r^-'"' f ^ '■^"^■''''"" " '- '^-^ '""'■-"■ ••^^^ .He nb;:: 7f opo P ^!.e , ? ,:, at r'T 1 ,""""""• ' «^"" "• "'"^ -"-commissioned officer and «i h h, !n V ; f n"'' = '" '""""•■"" ^"'•'^'"=' "< '■«»: ^"J •" captain Lewis, of ..500. « th the,ad,i,„on of double pay to each while engaged in the enterprise" The Secrota H V> ur adds, ha, Captain Lewis objected to receiving any more land than should be gr , d also to Captain Clark. The folding sheet which forms part of this trict is C int.in ™ f ""^ . " roll, printed very closely after the autograph MS. \-he m: :Z::t:^Z^7:o::::^Z accompanied p.issed and became an Act of Congress. aocuments wm cxn BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. 1*5 1: traveller," is stolen bodily and copied word for word from Jonathan Carver's " Travels," etc., of which the third edition appeared in 1781 ; being Chap. I. of that part of his book subtitled " Of the Origin, Manners, Customs, Religions, and Languages of the Indians," occupying pp. 1 15-139 of the Phila. ed. of 1796 — as anyone may see by making the comparison. Here the plagiarism is barefaced ; but else- where it is disguised, and some little patience is required to discover the full proportions of the scheme to make Carver's old work pass for Lewis and Clark's. It is really a notable literary forgery, in constructing which the operator even went so far as to cut out of Carver's narration names which would serve to identify tribes of which Carver treated, in order that what was said of them might be misapplied to other tribes met with by Lewis and Clark. This miserable trick, by which Carver was robbed and ethnology travestied, has misled every bibliographer. I myself was at a loss to account for much of the matter of the Apocrypha, when, in 1876, I prepared my original bibliography. Some of the Apocrypha are illustrated ; others are not. The titles and captions are well contrived to make them appear as the work of our authors. The Apocrypha were not wholly superseded by the appearance of the authentic History in 1 8 14, but continued to be published at least until 1840, though they are now scarce and seldom if ever quoted. Two editions of the Apocrypha appeared the same year in England and America. They are very similar, but not identical. I do not know which has actual priority, but suppose that the English was taken from the American. The title of the English 8vo, 1809, is as follows : [1809.] T/te I Travels \ of\ Capts. Lczvis& Clarke, \ from \ St. Louis, by way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, \ to the I Pacific Ocean ; \ performed in the years 1804, 1805, &• 1806, I by order of the \ Government of the United States. \ Containing \ delineations of the manners, customs, \ religion, &c. I Of the Indians, \ compiled from \ Various Authentic niHLIOGRAl'HICAI, INTRODUCTION. cxiii Sources, and Original Documents, \ and \ A Summary of the Statistical View of \ the Indian Nations, \ from the official communication of\ — \ Meriiuether Lezvis. | — | Illustrated -with a Map of the Country, inhabited by the \ Western Tribes of Indians. \ — | London : | Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Ormc. \ Paternoster Roxv. \ 1809. I ' One vol., %vo, map {frontisp.\ pp. i-x, 1-309. {No illus- trattons except the map. No copyright. Title-p. backed ''Irintedby C. Sto7i'cr, Paternoster-Roxc', London," and the same reset on p. 309.) The composition of this motley volume is as follows : After frontispiece map)and ntle.page comes : (,) " Message from the President, to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States." pp. iii, iv. (2) " Introduction." anonymous, pp. v-,x. (3) '• Travels to the Pacific Ocean," pp. i-,,;, purporting to be by Captam Lews. Not a word of this audacious forgery is by or fron> CaptamLew,s. .Some of it is garbled from Gass ; two authentic and genuine ette^ of Captam Clark, to his brother George Rogers Clark and to Governor W. H. Harrison, respectively, are interpolated, ending on .,. 24 ; then comes pp. 25-117. the great theft from Jon.ithan Carver, ingeniously mutilated and garbled, m order that it might be palmed off as Lewis anhe(l as early as April. The typography of the title- page is ingeniously so arranged as to make it ajijiear, at tirst sight, that Meri- wether Lewis is the author of the book. The title-jiage is followed by Lester's copyright. Then comes the " recommemlatioii " from President Jefferson, artfully twisted into a recommendation of the book itself. A mutilated version of Jefferson's Message succeeds. Then comes the compiler's introduction, con- .sisting of some meditations on the value of geographical knowledge, and a state- ment, from some person unknown, of the commerce of the Missouri. The running heads of the pages to p. 153 read, " New Travels among the Indians." This part of the book is meant to pass for Lewis and Clark's Narrative ; the anonymous compiler audaciously opens with the now familiar " On the 14th of May. 181)4. we embarked from St. Louis," etc.; but mo?,t of this matter is stolen from Jonathan Carver, as already sufficiently indicated. The other pieces are 4 i UrBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. cxv «hin« .hat prec . Ve hi r i 7 I" """' ''""'^"' '^"""'=^""" """ -X' their sever I off H„, .bub L ! "'"'"'''" '""'* "'"'^''' ^'"' loyal British .^^^^^^^^T' '"""^""f "[-'"^ ^"--^ -ti.ens a„,l very readable bo k as n irll , ,7 ""', *"'^'' "-""''• '"'''-■-'■ "^^^ -<-• We have next to notice two Baltimore editions o" the Apocrypha pubhshcd by Fisher. None of the former ed.tors of Lewis and Clark alludes Lo these bookl norTe hey represented in Field's bibliography. I have before me /rrtz./.r I of\ Captains Lc^vts and dark, I i„ the years '7;'Vr ^'^';-'''«'-' '^''^/ I tis source-o/the various tribes r«j/^w^_^^,/_,/,,,,^,,^, J _,.^„,,,,^^^^ _ ^^ and silver nnnes-annnal and ve,.. | ,.,/, producLs Xil ^ Ztrti'L~ ' ;^'"""7'- ' ^^-'^^•^^^Anthonj.Miiten. f^^rgir, l-or the purchasers. \ 1812. - Sharan, ■ie.phil'issL ,. the nsLr^ri '^"'"" '^ "" ' '^^'^ "^^^ -" ">'^ ^'>i'- f ' f I <^/''"''; ^^:^v. ,r;/./a,rXv, I inthejrars ,804-5 --6 1 ^;.v.,../..,/^,/ description of the river JPiZl} and\ Its souree-of the various tribes of Indians t^Zl I u>hu-h they passed~,uanners and eustoms-soil | -fl iva^ CXVl lUBLKHlRAI'IIUAl. INTRODUCTION. if I mate — commfrcc — i^oU and silver \ mints — animal and vegetable \ productions. \ Interspersed \ With very enter, taining anecdotes, and a variety of \ other useful and pleasing information, re- \ markably calculated to delight and I instruct the readers. \ To which is added \ A com- plete Dictionary of the Indian tongue \ — \ hy William Fisher, Esq. \ — | Baltimore : \ printed and published by P. Mauro, I No lo, North Hozuard St. \ 1813. One vol., \2mo, portraits / pp. iii-xii, 13-262, tvith 3 full-page -a'oodcuts. i^No copyright.) William Fisher, Esq., must have been a bold man, and he may not have been a bad man too. Whereas the cuiiipiler, editor, thief, or whatever he may have been, of the London and I'hila(lel|>hia editions of iSot^, retired behind nn anonym, William Fisher not only stole his [iroduLtion bixlily, and gave it anotlier name, but also formally announced himself .is the author of tin- same; for the edition of 1813 is a literal reprint, .-is nearly as may be, of that of i8oif the proprietor of thl» edition »*y% . "The great (ieniaixl for the Journal of I.ewii \ I'larkc, h.iH inilucv,lentical (barnn, ,"-,.. „f . ,v..,.„y i„,i,,,,„ ,„ ,,,^,,. „,^, ■ much l,c„cr ,h.n , n, .f any AnK-rican .lin'on. I,„prin, •• uJuU Jc ' Marshall-.,K.e,, ( ,ol>Ien.S,,,ar.," v.rso of ,i„e an.l ,.„ p. ,S,. Th.rc i. a now mmm ■^ -A* .•^T^ cxx BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. " Advertisement by the English Pubhsher," pp. iii, iv, dated London, April l8th, 1808. The publisher also furnishes new chapter-heads, by dates of the Journal comprehended in each chapter, and summary of contents of each. (These date- heads are used by Lallemant in his French edition.) There is no new editorial tt'.\t. This edition is the best one in the English language — for those who do not care frr princeps editions. [18 10.] Voyage \ des Capitaines \ Lewis et Clarke, \ Dcpuis r embouchure du Missouri, jusqtih l" entree \ de la Colotnbia dans rOci'an Pacifiqiie ; \ fait dans les amines 1804, '805 et 1806, I par ordre du Gouverncment des ^tats-Unis : | contenant \ Le Journal authcntique des ^vdneinents les plus remar- \ quablcs du Voyage, ainsi que la Description des \ Habitants, du Sol, du Climat, et des Productions \ animates et v^g^ tales des pays Situi's it I'ouest de \ V Amdriqtte Sep- tentrionale. \ Rddigi^ en Anglais par Patrice Gass, Employe* dans I r Expedition ; \ Et traduit en Fran(^ais par A.J. N. Lalletnant, \ Vun des Secrtftaires de la Marine. \ Avec des Notes, deux Lettres du Capitaine Clarke, \ et une Carte grav^e par J. B. Tardieu. \ — \ A Paris, \ Chez Arthus- Bertrand, Libraire, rue Hautefcuillc, n°. 23. | — j 18 10. One vol., 8vo,pp. i-xxiij, \-i^i, and map. This is a faithful and complete French translation of Gass' Journal, doubtless made from ihe English ed. of l3o8 : but whether L.illemant had this text or the original of I Soy before him is immaterial, as the two are substantially the same. The original editor's (M'Keehan's) notes are translated, and the F'rench editor adds a few of his own. The vol. opens with a half-title, verso advts., pp. i, ii ; title, verso blank, pp. iii, iv ; Message du President des Etats-Unis, etc., pp. v-vij (not in the oris^inal) ; p. viij, blank ; pp. ix-.\viij, abridged translation of the original editor's preface; p|). 1-415, the Journal, entire; pp. 416-432, two Letters of Clark, genuine and authentic, translated in F'rench (being the same that are given in the spurious London ed. of l8og and in otiier Apocrypha) ; pp. 433-443, table of contents, by chapter-heads, not in the orig. ed. V^ol. ends " de I'imprimeriede M" \'« Jeunehomme, rue Hautefeuille, N". 20." The map measures 1)^ x i^J/^ inches ; it is legended | Carte | Pour servir au Voyage | des Cap"'. Lewis et Clarke, | a 1' Ocean l'acifi(]ue. | Grave par J. H. Tardieu. | It is copied from the familiar old London Longmans map of iSoc), with French names lettered instead of English. I had never seen this book when my former Bibliography was prepared, in 1S76, and could only give an abridgetl title at second hand. I was right in then supjjosing it to be a version of the Gass Journal. riliSth, Journal se date- iditorial who do lcp7iis 'otnbia , 1805 lis: I s plus des I males ' Sep- nployd J.N. 'ec dis Carte rthus- 5 10. )uhtless text or ally the French advts. , s-Unis, jridged entire ; ited in I and in t in the ifeuille, I Pour I Grave ngmans ared, in in then BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. cxxi Phn^S rr' ''^"'''" ^'^' ''''''"^ American) appeared in Philadelphia m 1810, as follows: ""' r°'i 1- ^/'"'"''^ I 'f ''^'' I Voyages and Travels I ./ a and Cap. | Clarke of the Army of the United States I from I the mouth of the River Missouri through the \ inte rtorpartsof North America, | tothc Paeifc Ocfan, | DuHn, relat:o„ of the most interesting transac \ tions during the expedUron,~A description of \ the country,- And an ^^conntofus rnhab:. \ tants, soil, climate, curiosities, aZ ve. I getable and animal productions. \ - \ By Patrick ^ass one of the persons employed in the expedition. I _ I With I geographical and explanatory notes. I _ j \cop\ P^ fTri T"'"'"^ '" ^^"'•^ I - I P'^iladelplia { Prtntedfor Mat hew Carey, | No. 122, Market-stre ft I _ loIO. • I I One vol., i2mo, pp. i-vtii, 9-262. with 6 full page illus- trations on separate inserts backed blank. The title of this edition is substantially the same as thit nf H,« f their lines than for any approacht^- '^leV:; btuty .• "^""'^ ^^'"'"'^ °' inj vearisfr'^l;" Tl"" "' '''° "^^ "'^-^'^ ^^e follow- ng year, 8u. though I can find no allusion to it in any bibl.ograph.es examined. Fortunately I have a copy before me-one of the best-thumbed books I ever "^^L died Though , ,s mutilated, the upper half of the title naee and the whole last leaf of the book being torn out enoul of the title remains for identification. It^ as follows "^ ^'ly^\ ■ ■ ■ \-\By Patrick Cass, | One of the persons employed in the expedition \ - | With Geo- cxxn BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. graphical and Explanatory Notes. \ — | Third Edition — with six Engravings. \ — | [^Copy-right secured according to Law.] I — I Printed for Mat hew Carey, | No. 122 Market street, \ Philadelphia. | — | 181 1. One vol. i2nio, pp. i-viii, 9-262, ivith 6 full page illus- trations on separate inserts backed blank. This is exactly the same as the I'hila. ed. of iSio, but title-page is reset in a little , 1807, is to be counted as one. and the French version as another, then the Philadelphia umo of 1 812 is the sixth. Sabin gives a Phila. re-issue of 181 5, and alludes to a possible Dutch translation ; of neither of these do I know anything further. Very copious extracts, together amounting to an epitome of the Journal of Gass, have lately (1892) been published by Colonel John Doniphan, in a series of eight articles, running through as many numbers, weekly, of the Daily News of St. Joseph, Mo. These articles average nearly two columns apiece. They are of the following dates : I, May 7th; II, May 14th; III, May2lst; IV, May 28th ; V.June 4th ; VI, June i ith ; VII, June 18th ; VIiI, June 25th, 1892. These articles collectively are a fuller and clearer reflection of the Journal than is contained in Jacob's Life and Times of Patrick Gass, 1859. The latter is our only biography of the famous sergeant, and incidentally a booklet of much curious information. Following is the full title : I BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. cxxiit [1859]. The I Life and Times \ of \ Patrick Gass, I now sole surrnvor | .///,. overland expedition to the Pacific \un r Lew. and Clark, in 1804-5-6; | ./.., , , .J^', t war wuk Great Britain, from | 1812 to 1815, and alar Uapantrn tke \ Battle of Lundy^s Lane. | To^tker wftT{ sZ/"T' '^ ''' ^'^''^'^'" condensed ;\ -andl t the upper Olno country, | biographies, reminiscences, itshers and Printers, Wellsbnrg, Va. | 1859 /rontisp. portrait and autograph of Gass. entltt'd^'S °^,^f,"'^"d^ '° P- '93, of which only Chap. II, pp ,,.,,, life which I give is .ain.y prepZ ^tihis Jl'.^l^-^-'^^--' ^^^^ «^. ^-s' ni.-THE AUTHENTIC HISTORY OF THE EXPEDITION. ^'I'nr T'^'^^l '■^•' '^'' ^^P'^i^ion I under the command '■ of\ Captains Lewis and Clark, | /. | the sources of the Missop I thence {across the Rocky Mountains | and down the I River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. | Performed during the years .Zo^-^^6. \ By order of the | Govrnmcnt of nelnited States. | Prepared for the press | by Pall Allen, Esquire. \ In two Volumes. I Vol. I {in \ Philnrfrl pina: \Publislied by Bradford aid W^^JJ Itf H.Inskeep. Newyork. \ J. Maxxvell, Printer. ( 1814 Two vols Svo. Vol /., pp. /-,.,,,-,; ,_^.^^ ,^, -^^^ \ fsZ . " '"'"'' "'"^'' ^^'" ''-'P^- ^--' ^-522. ail .nJtr''''''''.'>f '■'•"'''''■ J''=»''^'"'h^^e twovoh.mesi.s the original genuine TheTeff T;""" 'T^ °' the Expedition which has con'e d u'to " ' The .Tefferson Message and Accompanying Documents are original genuine and u.hent.c, but not the History of the Expedition at all tnough repe .'eZ , Lsed upto appearas such, ,„thevario.,,s Apocrypha. The Gass Journal is a ogna, Benu.ne, and authentic account of the Expedition, but is not Lewis ad St ^sf^msmm I CXXIV BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. narrative. The author of this booic is Nicholas Biddle, whose work was faced, prefaced, and defaced by one Paul Allen. f W. /. Title leaf, on which Clark's name is spelled correctly, backed with original copyright of Bradford and Inskeep, 1814, certified by David Caldwell, Clerk of the District of Pennsylvania, pp. i, ii ; original preface, signed Paul Allen, pp. iii-v (p. vi blank) ; Life of Captain Lewis, by Th. Jefferson, pp. vii-xxiii (p. xxiv blank). Contents, pp. xxv-xxviii, recapitulating the synopses of chaps, i-xvii, which this vol. contains ; main text of the Narrative, pp. 1-470. yol. II. Title leaf as before ; contents, pp. iii-ix (p. x blank) ; main text of the Narrative, pp. 1-433 (P- 434 blank). Appendix begins p. 435, and consists of the following pieces ; (l) " Observations and reflections on the present and future state of Upper Louisiana, in relation to the Government of the Indian nations inhabiting that country, and the trade and intercourse with the same. By Captain Lewis," pp. 435-461. Then comes, without break in the text, and without sign of its being a new heading, (2) " A summary statement of the rivers, creeks, and most reinarkalile places," . . . etc., by Cajjtains Lewis and Clark, pp. 462-470, being an itinerary, in tabular form, with notes ; then comes (3) an " Estimate of the Western Indians," pp. 471-476 ; then starts in on the middle of p. 476 (4) certain " Thermometrical Observations," etc., which run to the mid- dle of p. 495, and are followed by " Remarks and Reflections," making a new heading, and running top. 522 inclusive, the end of the volume. This is a con- fusing thing, from the way it is set in type ; it really makes four appendices, as will be found fully explained in the present new edition. The work thus described makes two octavo volumes of ordinary size, 36 lines to the page, type-bed 6^ x 3^ inches, 1. p. type, very thick and heavy, almost like a full-face font, not pleasant to the eye, though the lines look as if leaded ; the paper very thin, though rough, bringing an average of about 500 pages into a moderately thick volume ; the binding was very strong, so that copies remain to-day in excellent state. The running head of all the left-hand pages is the words " Lewis and Clarke's Expedition," and of the right-hand pages " Up the Missouri " — which latter is misleading before the close of Vol. I, when the Expe- dition had long left the Missouri and was across the Rocky mountains. After p. 433 of Vol. II the running head is simply " Appendix" on both odd and even pages. The type-setting is bad — very bad ; misprints abound, to the number of several thousand ; in tine, the individual who is announced as having prepa.ed the work for the press, and is supposed to have read the proofs, capped the climax of all possible typographical terrorization. The punctuation is exasperat- ting, in more particulars than one ; besides the thousands of superfluous commas with which the text is peppered, as was the fasliion in the close pointing of the period, there runs through the book a peculiarly vicious use of colons, quite aside from their proper office. There is hardly a case of such colons that were not better replaced by a full stop and beginning of a new sentence, or even of a new paragraph. The Dublin edition reproduces the text punctuatim , as a rule ; in the London editions the pointing is somewhat improved. In the capitulation of the text the editor has shown good judgment. As nearly as seemed consistent with making chapters of approximately e()ual lengths, the I BIBLIOGRAPHICAI, INTRODUCTION. CXXV bilher.rr,:' '" "** """ "'"' ""''^''' ^"'ees in .he journey, as will be seen by the ,„les I have p.,t ,o .he several chap.ers in .his new edi.io; The oriZ" of comr.::"^ """'•' "^ "-" '''''-'' '"' ^" '"^^ - -p-^-" i-hT^a^r; The illus.rations consis. of one large foMing n,a,, and five copper-pla.es pace feaur JTV'T" '" "'^'"^'""'^ "' ^^^^'' """">• •'■ ^ci. this i^p ; ior.it,cation on the Missouri nver a. Bon Homme island ; (2) Plan of the Portage a. ,he (irea, Falls of the Missouri. (That view of h Great fI 1 winch .s ■„ .he Dublin .8:7 ed.. I have ye. .0 see in a copy of ,8 4 The three pla.es n, Vol. II are : (:) The Grea. Falls of .he Columbia • (^ Th Gre.! Shoo, or Rapids of .he Columbia; (3) The .Mou.h of .he Col'u m ia Som copies are wi.hou. any illus.ra.ions a. all. The work was no. indexed-a serious defect, for which .he os.ensible edi.or hould 1. .aken .0 .ask. as .his omission has made consul.a.ion of he wind u b<«k difficult and .edious. when one has wan.ed .0 look up a poin onl . bi found by searching .he pages; for .he analyses of the chap.ers ;« far rom be.ng minu.e enough .0 condone ,he offense of which soLone as guZ There ought ,0 be a law against indexless books, wi.h heavy penal.y ^ '" An ex.ended review and analysis of .he work, with copious ex.rac.s, and signed B. ^v.ll be found m .he Analec.ic Magazine, Philada. ,815, V. n s pp 125-149. 210-234. Some of the other contemporaneous reviews of 'which I one. mad. mem„ran\viM|r extract: "The work [1./., the llidillc cilition] licin^ now nearly out of print, it seemed to the publishers a suitable time to put forth an edition of the Journal of Lewis and Clarke pruned of unimportant tietails, with a sketch of the progress of maritime discovery on the Pacific coast, a summary account of earlier attempts to penetrate this vast wilderness, and such extracts and illustrations from the narratives of later travelers, led by objects of traile, the love of science, or relitjious zeal, as the limits of the under- taking would allow. [The editor's (M'Vickar's) introduction, pp. vii.-li. of Vol. I, consists of this matter.] The matter of the ori^^inal journal is indicated by inverted cominas, and where portions of it, enibracinj; minute and uninterest- inj; particulars, have been omitted, the leading facts have been briefly stated by the editor in his own words, so that the connection of the narrative is preserveil unbroken, and nothing of importance is lost to the reader. . . The seventh chapter of the second volume [of the American edition of 1814], giving nii account of the quadrupeds, birds, aiul ])laiits found on t!ie Columbia ami its tril)utaries, has, to avoid unnecessary interruption of the course of the narrative, been transferred to the appendix." This, then, is an editorial abridgment, or digest, of the original ; faithfully and, on the whole, judiciously executed. I"he natural history chapter, besides being relegated to an appendix, is transpose is to its b' inical and zoological portions, the botany coming first in the original, the zoology in the present edition ; it is, furthermore, like the rest of the work, abridged at the editor's dis- cretion, the omissions being indicated by .asterisks. In this appendix the Esti- mate of the Western Indians is given, headed however, " Enumeration of Indian Nations and tlioir Places of General Residence," and is not printed in the awkward form of the original. The original Summary Statement follows, printed indifferent form from the original. The Thermometrical Tables, and their accompanying Remarks and Retlections, are omitted. There is a slight change in contents of the two \'ols., the last chapter (xvii.) of Vol. I of the original being carried over to make chap. i. of Vol. II of this edi- tion ; and by the relegation of chap. vii. of Vol, II of the original to the appen- dix of the present eilition, the numeration of the chapters is altered, though they come out the same number in Vol, II, namely, xix. The " contents " call for one folding map and 6 other plates, 3 in each Vol. I accordingly so collate the book, though I have seen copies without the foUler, and others with this but no other illustrations. These are all reduced to suit the sm.ill size of the book, and the map, particularly, is too small to trace satis- factorily the route. Hosides the imjiortant and interesting eilitorial introduction, as above noticeil. Dr. M'Vickar supplies various footnotes, but attempts no systematic criticism of Lew is and Clark's geography, ethnology, or natural history. Sabin says that the M'Vickar ed. was reprinted in London, 1842, 2 vols., i2mo, with modilied title, to suit the English demand that grew out of the " Oregon fever " in 1842. For title, see Sabin's No. 40,834, on p. 313 of Vol. X. of his liibl. .Vnier. M CXXXll BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. R^sum^ of the several publications noticed in the foregoing pages. I. Jefferson's Message and Accompanying Documents, 8vo, Washington, A. & G. Way, 1806. — The same, 8vo, New York, Hopkins & Seymour, 1806. — The same, 8vo, Lon- don, R. Phillips, 1807. — (The three preceding genuine.) — The same, mutilated, abridged, and " Carverized " with irrele- vant matter, 8vo, London, 1809. — The same, do., do., do., i2mo, Philadelphia, H. Lester, 1809.-— The same, with slight modification, 1 2mo, Baltimore, W. Fisher, 181 2 and 181 3. — The same, with slight further alteration, i6mo, Dayton, B. F. Ells, 1840. — 8 editions (all spurious except the first three). n. Gass' Journal, i2mo, Pittsburgh, D. M'Keehan, 1807. The same. 8vo. London, J, Budd, 1808. The same, i2mo, Philadelphia, IVI. Carey, 1810, 1811, and " 1812 " (latter not seen by me). — The same, 8vo, Paris, A. Bertrand, 1810 (French translation). — 6 editions (all genuine). in. The Biddle History of the Expedition, 2 vols., 8vo, Philadelphia, Bradford & Inskeep, 1814. — The same, I vol., 4to, London, T. Rees, 1814. — The same, 3 vols., 8vo, London, T. Recs, 181 5 and 1817. — The same (?) " 8vo, Weimar, 181 5 " (German something, not seen by me). — The same, 3 vols., 8vo, Dordrecht, A. Blusse & Zoon, 1816-18 (Dutch translation). — The same, 2 vols., 8vo, Dublin, J. Christie, 1817 (the best of all). — The same, much abridged, V. ith notes, '; vols., i8mo, New York, Harper & Bro., 1842- 91. — 27 editions. In all,^ 40 or 41 different imprints of the three series of books, about 20 of which may be considered as actually different editions, prior to the appearance of the 4 vol. ed. of the History, New York, Francis P. Harper. 1893. ' Fvciuvive cf (ertaiii issue?, unknown to int, Imt ii:dii:ited in S:iMn's I'il-I. Anicr., as duly noted in tlie fiirt'i;uit!g pages. The basis of the forej^oing l*ihliographical Intro(hiction is my article eutitleil ; An Aecount of the various Publications relating to the Travels of Lewis a^d Clarke f.T/V], with a Commen- tary on the Zoological Uetults of their Kxpedition, in H"!l. u. S. Geol. and (Icogr. Surv, 'I'err.. id ser., No. fi, Feb. .Sth, i87d, pp. 417-444, and separate, Svo, Washington, 1S76— the same having been recast and improved for the present occasion. I '7 I LEWIS AND CLARK'S EXPEDITION. CHAPTER I. UP THE MISSOURI TO THE PLATTE. Preliminaries-The Expedition leaves Wood river-Cold-water creek-Piper's landing- La Chnrbonn.cre-Town of St. Charles- Bon Homme river-Osage Woman river-Tav em cave- Devil's Kace-ground-La Charrette-Buffalo, Shepherd, and Ash creeks- Gasconade r.ver-Ueer creek-Rush creek-Iiig and Little Muddy rivers-Osage river -Osago Ind.an traditions-Cupboard. Moreau, Cedar, Nightingale. Lead, Little Good Woman, I.utle Man.ton, and Split Kock creeks-Saline r.ver-Rig Manitou river-tJood Woman r,ver-Mme river-Arrow rock, prairie, and creek-Blackbird and Deer creeks -Ihe two Ch,,ntons-Des Moines rivcr-Chicot or Stump island-Plum creek-En' gagement of Mr. Dnrion-Round Bend creek-lhe Missouris-Grand river-Sn ,ke bluffs and creek-P..nther island-Tiger and Tal.o creeks-Sauk prairie-L'Eau Beau or Clear-water creek-Fire-prairie creek-Fort Point -Hay-cabin. Chariton scarty. I.a Charbonn.ere, La Benite and Blue-water creeks-The Kansas river and Indians-Little Sha low r.ver-D.amond island-Iiiscuit creek-Isles des Parcs-Park creek-Turkey ?„dr ""7 " r\^"^ i.^lands-Go.sling l..ke-Fourth of July. Independence. and\dlow.ochrecreeks-Reevey's and St. .M,d,ael's prairies-Ordway's creek-Littl^ and Great Nadowa .slands-Pike pond-Monter's creek-Loup or Wolf river-Pane's creek-Solomon s island-Tarkio creek-Nemaha river-Rig Tarkio river-Nishna- batona nver-L,.tle Nemaha r.ver-Fair Sun and Bald islands-Bald-pated prairie- Oven ,sl.,nds-lerr,ens oven-L'Eau qui Pleure. or Weeping-waler-The Expedition reaches the Pl.ute nver. and o.nps ten miles beyond its mouth. ^N the acquisition of Louisiana, in the year 1803 [April 30th], the attention of the Government of the United States was earnestly directed toward exploring and improv- ing the new territory. Accordingly, in the summer of the same year, an expedition was planned by the President [Jefferson] for the purpose of discovering the courses and sources of the Missouri, and the most convenient water communication thence to the Pacific ocean. His private secretary, Captain Meriwetlier Lewis, and Captain William U.nk, both officers of the Army of the United States were associated in the command of this enterprise. After receiving the requisite instructions. Captain Lewis left the Pi 2 ORGANIZATION OF THE EXrEDITION. seat of government [July 5th, 1803], and being joined by Captain Clark at Louisville, in Kentucky, proceeded to St. Louis,' where they arrived in the month of December. Their original intention was to pass the winter at La Char- rette (/. j), the highest settlement on the Missouri. But the Spanish commandant of the province, not having received an official account of its transfer to the United States, was obliged by the general policy of his government to prevent strangers from passing through the Spanish territory. They therefore camped at the mouth of Wood [Du Bois] river, on the eastern side of the Mississippi, out of his jurisdiction, where they passed the winter in disciplining the men, and making the necessary preparations for setting out early in the spring, before which the cession was ofifi- cially announced. The party consisted of [the two ofificers] ; nineyoung men from Kentucky ; 14 soldiers of the L^nitcd States Army, who had volunteered their services ; two French watermen [Cru- zattc, Labichu] ; an interpreter and hunter [Drewyer] ; and a black servant [York] belonging to Captain Clark. All these, except the last, were enlisted to serve as privates during the expedition, and three sergeants [Floyd, Ordway, Pryor, were] appointed from among them by the captains. In addition ' Before it was n.imed St. Louis, this place r..:d been called Pain Court. It was founded by I'ierre La Clede and his associates in 1764, or not until 84 years after the establishment of Fort Crevecneur on the Illinois river, and was lonjj inhabited almost exclusively by the French. In Lewis and Clark's time it was a mere village. The inhabitants undertook 10 incorporate as a town July 23d, iSoS, underanact of the Territorial Legislature of June iSth, 1808. l?ut an elec tion of trustees made on the former date proved illegal, and the mistake was not rectified till November gth, 1809, when the Court of Common I'leas was petitioned for incorporation. The Court approved, and the first valid election of trustees was ordered for December 4th, 1809. Probably the best pen-pictureof St. Lo\iis during the ne.xt few years is in Irving's Astoria. Up to 1816 St. Louis was confined to its original three streets. The first oflicial survey of the town was made in June, 1818, by Jose[)h C. Pirown, Deputy United States Surveyor. In October. 1817, " Illinois Town " was laid out, opposite St. Louis. ' For ratification of the treaty, and actual transfer of Louisiana to the United States, in which latter transaction Captain Lewis had a hand, see my notes near the end of Jefferson's memoir of Captain Lewis, aiiltd. STORES AND INDIAN PRESENTS. 3 to these were engaged a corporal and six soldiers, and nine watermen, to accompany t!ie expedition as far as the Man- dan nation, in order to assist in carrying the stores, or in re- pelhng an attack, wliich was most to be apprehended between Wood river and that tribe/ The necessary stores were subdivided into seven bales, and one box containing a small portion of each article in case of accident. They consisted of a great variety of clothing, working utensils, locks, flints powder, ball, and articles of the greatest use. To these were added 14 bales and one box of Indian presents, dis- tributed m the same manner, and composed of richly laced coats and other articles of dress, medals, flags, knives, and tomahawks for the chiefs, with ornaments of different kinds particulawy beads, looking-glasses, handkerchiefs, paints, and generally such articles as were deemed best calculated ' This enumeration c,f forty-five persons agrees with the number stated in the Journal o (.ass, who counts forty-tliree, besides the two captains. The ori.innl text .s amb,guous for " an interpreter an.l hunter " might l,e one person r': pe sons, and „, the latter case, the same or no, the san.c as the ' two Frencli N-ter,ncn. I!u, the two French watermen were Cruxatte and l.abiche • and tlK. nuerpre.er and ,ho hunter was one CJeorge Drewyer ; thus making the'.otal 45, ^v.th no discrepancy from T.ass. It will be observed that 16 of the men were only engaged ,0 go as far as the Mandans. Who they were is unknown now e-xcepttng Corporal Warrington. The muster of the party given in Chapter ' "hen the Lxpedtfon left the Mandans, April 7,h, 1805, includes all thi l,!' winch have come down to us together with that of Charles Flovd, then alreidv deceased, f .ass says (p. 12) : " The corps consisted of fortv-three men ( [besidesl ."chuhng Cap,a,„ Lewis and Captain Clarke, who were io command the epe ' ...on), pa. of the regular troops of the United .States, and part eng.aged for -h.s part.cnlar enterpnse. The expedition was embarked on board a batteaj and two pc.,ogues," HiHon's Annals of St. Louis (,888, p. 376) makes a corre" count o the party, though with a wrong co.nposition. •• Capt. Lewis's pam^ conststed or,g„,.a ly of 28 persons, vi..: , young men frotn Kentuckv ,4 U S r pra^l'""^;" T'^'^'V"'";' '■-- -^'' ^>-k. -"> a neg.; sertani of n tv I nl- r '""";^''^'-^- '" "- ^P-'«- t-aptain Lewis added to his part I Indian interpreter [who was also the] l hunter, and 1, U , uA boat hands, the party then numbering 45 in all." See further on this'subje;-; in Chap- ter v„, where I iscuss the official list of twen.y-nine persons recogiized bv tlie g.ivernment as belonging ,0 Captain Lewis' party-this being the number of names on the original manuscript muster-roll which I have examined in the arcliives of the War Department at Washing!, ,n. - A ■n ■ 4 DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION FROM WOOD RIVER. for the taste of the Indians. The party was to embark on board of three boats : the first was a keel-boat 55 feet long, drawing three feet of water, carrying one large square-sail and 22 oars. A deck of ten feet in the bow and stern formed a fore- {p. j) castle and cabin, whil: the middle was covered by lockers, which might be raised so as to form a breast- work in case of attack. This was accompanied by two perioques' or open boats, one of six and the other of seven oars. Two horses were at the same time to be led along the banks of the river for the purpose of bringing home game, or hunting in case of scarcity. Of the proceedings of this expedition, the following is a succinct and circumstantial narrative.' All the preparations being completed, we left our camp on Monday, May 14th, 1804." This spot is at the mouth of Wood [Du Bois] river, a small stream which empties into the Mississippi [on the east side], opposite the entrance of the Missouri. It is situated in latitude 38° 55' 19.6" north, and longitude from Greenwich 89° 57' 45" west. On both sides of the Mississippi the land for two or three miles is M * Sic — misprint for " periogue," the usual form of the word in Lewis and Clari{, and also in Gass. The letter of Captain Lewis to President Jefferson, dated Fort Mandan, April 7th, 1805 (published with Jefferson's Message of Feb- uary i6th, 1806), prints " peroque.'' Sometimes the word occurs as " perogue "; never once /;>o^w^, the accepted spelling, to which M'Vicker alters in his edition of 1842. I leave it as I find it — "periogue." Similar boats would now be named Mackinaws. They have been much used on the Missouri, I traveled in one nearly a thousand miles down the river, from the head of navigation to Uismarck, and found it safe and commodious. It was shaped like a flat-iron, with pointed bow but square stern, flat-bottomed, roomy yet with little draft, manned with four oars, and steered with a long pivoted sweep. It carried a crew of twelve men, besides myself and three companions, with a month's pro- visions, and could be fitted with a m.-ist and sail (made of a tent-fly) to help along when the wind was abaft ; yet it was not too he.ivy to be shoved off a sand-bar when we ran aground, if we all jumped overboard — an incident that no day passed without. ' The foregoing is an original editorial introduction ; the narrative of Lewis and Clark begins at this point. * Captain Clark in command ; Captain Lewis was detained a few days (till May 2lst.)— (Jass, p. 11. -# COLD-WATER CREEK-LA CHARUONNIERE. 5 rich and level, but gradually swells into a high pleasant country with less timber on the western than on the eastern side, but all susceptible of cultivation. The point which separates the two rivers on the north extends for 15 or 20 m.les he greater part of which is an open level plain, in wh.ch the people of the neighborhood cultivate what little gram they raise. Not being able to set sail before 4 onTh.r 'l''^^'"''^' "'^re than four miles, and camped on tlie first island, opposite a small creek called Cold-water ' Maj ist/i. The rain, which had continued yesterday and last n.ght, ceased this morn.^ng. We then proceeded, and atter passmg two sma'! islands about ten miles further an>nt J \vT '! ';"' ""''y '■•'^P''^' ^"^ ^he banks are al .ng .n. We found that our boat was too heavily laden n the stern, m consequence of which she ran on logs three times to-day. It became necessary to throw the greatest weight on the bow of the boat, a precaution very ne^cessary T"u'"?^^- ^^ ^°'^' '^'^ ^'■^^^"••' ^"d Mississippi rivers JimLer. °' "'"' ''^ ^"^' ^"^"^'^'^ °^ ---1^^ The next morning [May i6th] we set sail at five o'clock. At he distance of a few miles, we passed a remarkable large coal lull on the north side, called by the French La Char- bonn.^re. and arrived at the town of St. Charles [at 2 p m I Here we remained a few days. ' ''Camped on the north bank six miles up the river. "-Gass n ,2 Thi r^ :r Wi r "^•"^^""'"^' '"'"' ' ""''-^ '-^ -^ estabiishe V G e' ! ^^::^:p;rr-Li:tzr 'Without any accent in the original text ; also, often spelled with one ;, in bo.,ks of that date and subsequently. It means a coal-p' or colliery Tl e name was g.ven by the French watermen and the early setters, from "he iS DvriL I .K , , ''" '"P''°^^^ '" ^' ''"^ '° the decompostion of pyntes. Another place, further up the river, receives the same name 6 THE TOWN OF ST. CHARLES. St. Charles' is a small town on the north bank of the Missouri, about 21 miles from its confluence witli the Mis- sissippi. It is situated in a narrow plain, sufficiently high to protect it from the annual rising of the river in June, and at the foot of a range of small hills, which have occasioned its being called Petite Cote,'" a name by wliich it is more known to the French than by that of St. Charles. One principal street, about a mile in length and running parallel with the river, divides the town, which is composed of nearly lOO small wooden houses, besides a chapel. The inhabit- ants, about 450 in number, are chiefly descendants from the French of Canada. In their manners they unite all the careless gayety and amiable hospitality of the best times of France. Yet, like most of their countrymen in America, they are but ill qualified for the rude life of the frontier — not that they are without talent, for they possess much natural genius and vivacity; not that they are destitute of enterprise, for their hunting excursions are long, laborious, and hazardous; but their exertions are all desultory; their industry is without system and without perseverance. The surrounding country, therefore, though rich, is not generally well cultivated; the inhabitants chiefly subsist by hunting and trade with the Indians, and confine their culture to gardening, in which they excel. Alnv 2\st. Being joined by Captain Lewis who had been detained by business at St. Louis, we set sail on Monday, May 2lst, in the afternoon [4 p. m.], but were ' Now .It the same site and by same name, in St. Ch.irles Qo. . Mn. The town declined somewhat after Lewis and Cl.Trk's visit, but had befjun to revive when Major Long's party passed it on the "Western Engineer," Tune 26th, 1819. Pop. lately s.cxjc. '" Not accented in the original text. This French n.nine for .1 range of hills or the like acclivity, formerly very common in the West, is usually superseded now by its synonym in this sense, cotean : as. Cotcau dc Missouri. The latter is often spoken as an English word in the West ; as, a prairie coteau. The most notable instance of the retention of the word is probably its applicntion to the ver>' long, but low, dividing ridge which separates the Missouri watershed from that of Mouse river, a tributary of the Assiniboin. BON HOMME RIVER— KICKAPOO INDIANS. 7 prevented by wind and rain from going more than about three m.les, when we camp. (/. j) ed on the upper point of an island, nearly opposite a creek which falls in on the south side. Maj> 22d. We made about 18 miles, passing several small arms on the bank of the river, a number of islands and a arge creek on the south side, called Bon Homme, o^ Good Man s river." A small number of emigrants from the United States have settled on the banks of this creek vhich are very fertile. We also passed some high lands' and camped on the north side, near a small creek. Here we met with a camp of Kickapoo '» Indians, who had left us at bt. Charles with a promise of procuring us some pro- visions by the time we overtook them. They made us a present of four deer, and we gave them in return two quarts of whisky. This tribe reside on the heads of the Kaskaskia and Illinois rivers, on the other side of the Mis- sissippi, but occasionally hunt on the Missouri. May 2id. Two miles from our camp of last night we reached a river emptying itself on the north side, called [Femme Osage or] Osage Woman river." It is about 30 yards wide, and has a settlement of 30 or 40 families from "Of varying form. Hon Homme or Donhomme ; Lewis and Clarke use the latter (m.spnnted Ronhommer in the Dublin ed., 1817). Gass spells it ronum, p. ,3. There is still a place of this name in St. Louis Co.. Mo not to .'t. " : '''"^ °"' ""^ '^"^ '"""^ "^""^ '" ''*• ^'^°'^- See Sept. ist, beyond The K.ckapoos come of the great Algonquian family or linguistic stock" and «.ere among the principal tribes, of which about 36 are now recognized Ihe name, .according to different .luthorities, is either (.) a corruption of the Pox word g,kapu. signifying -'smooth, without rapids or obstruction " as a nver. or (2) a Pottawattomi word, meaning "one who stands firmly." from k.-.k..bu, to stand ; or (3) a derisive term, meaning "otter's ghost." Of all the Algonkms „, a broad sense, there are now left about 95.0cx>. of whom 35,Ooo are m the Umted St..tes and 60,000 in Canada. Of these the Kickapoos are a mere h.andful-according to the latest returns, 325 at the Sac and Fox agency. Indian Terr and 237 at the Pottawattomi agency, Kas. Pesides these there are supposed to be some 200 Kickapoos in Mexico. "In (iass noted simply as "the Os.ige River," with editorial footnote surmis- .ng perhaps Ltttle Osage." The mistake was in not noting " Fr>,n,„ O.age " On Lew,5 map of 1806 (pub. 1887) the name stands "Ossage Womans Cr '• 8 THE TAVERN— devil's RACE-GROUND— LA CHARRETTE. the United States. About a mile and a half beyond this is a large cave on the south side, at the foot of cliffs nearly 300 feet high, overhanging the water, which becomes very swift at this place. The cave is 120 feet wide, 40 feet deep, and 20 high ; it is known by the name of the Tavern " among the traders, who have written their names on the rock and painted some images which command the homage of the Indians and French. About a mile further we passed a small creek called Tavern creek, and camped on the south side of the river, having gone nine miles. May 2^th. Early this morning we ascended a very diffi- cult rapid, called the Devil's Race-ground, where the current sets for half a mile against some projecting rocks on the south side. We were less fortunate in attempting a second rapid of equal difficulty. Passing near the southern shore, the (/. 6) bank fell in so fast as to oblige us to cross the river instantly, between the northern side and a sand-bar which is constantly moving and banking with the violence of the current. The boat struck on it, and would have upset immediately if the men had not jumped into the water and held her till the sand washed from under her. We camped on the south side, having ascended ten miles. Mayz^th. Passed on the south side the mouth of Wood " river, on the north two small creeks and several islands, and stopped for the night at the entrance of a creek on the north side, called by the French La Charrette," ten miles from our last camp, and a little above a small village of the same name. It consists of seven small houses, and as many poor families, who have fixed themselves here for the con- '^Gass calls it Tavern cove, p. 13. See Brackenridge's Journal, 1814, p. 203. " Not to be confounded with another of the same name : see May 14th. '*Gass calls this St. Johns, p. 13. This village was founded by the original French colonists. It was about this time a residence of the famous Daniel Boone (b. Bucks Co., Pa., Feb. nth, 1735), type of American backwoodsman, who was met hereby the overland party of "Astorians," in January, 1811, avery old man, but still erect in form, strong in limb, and unflinching in spirit. This Nestor died in La Charrette, Sept. 26th, 1820, full of sylvan honor and renown. His latter years were spent with his son-in-law Flanders Callaway. (Compare BUFFALO AND OTTER ISLANDS— GASCONADE RIVER. 9 venieiice of trade. They form the last establishment of whites on the Missouri. It rained last night, yet we found this morning that the river had fallen several inches. May zdth. — The wind being favorable, we made 18 miles to-day. We passed in the morning several islands, the largest of which is Buffalo island, separated from the southern side by a small channel which receives the waters of Buffalo creek. On the same side is Shepherd's creek, a little beyond which we camped on the northern side. May 27///. — We sailed along a large island called Otter island, on the northern side. This is nearly ten miles in length, narrow but high in its situation, and one of the most fertile in the whole river. Between it and the northern shore, three small creeks, one of which has the same name [Otter"] with the island, empty. On the southern shore is a creek 20 yards wide, called Ash creek. In the course of the day we met two canoes loaded with furs, whic'i had been two months on their route from the Mahar [Omaha] nation, residing more than 700 miles up the river, one large raft from the Pawnees on the Platte river, and three others from the Grand Osage river. At (/. 7) the distance of 15 miles we camped on a willow-island, at the entrance of Gasconade river." Tliis river falls into the Missouri from the south, 100 miles from the Mississippi. Its length is about 150 miles, Irving's Astoria, ed. 1861, p. 146, and Appleton's Amer. Cyclop. II., p. 83.) The Missouri Gazette of Jan. 17th, 1814, notes an Act of Congress for the relief of Colonel Daniel Boone, confirming to him 1000 arpents of land, claimed by him under a grant of Jan. zSth, 1798, and the Recorder of Land Titles for the Territory of Missouri is directed to issue to him a certificate for the same. Approved by James Madison, President U. S. " Or in those days the corresponding French name Loulie, which our text tr.'inslates into English. Thus we read in Long's Expedition of Loutre island, creek, .ind prairie, the latter described as 23 miles long (p. 68 of the London ed). A Mr. Talbot of Kentucky settled at Loutre or Otter creek, in 1810. When M.ijor Long's Expedition passed in i8ig several forts had been built for protection against the Indians, chiefly Sacs and Kickapoos. Near here was the scene of the massacre of Captain Callaway and his men. " The first considerable river that falls into the Missouri entirely within the State of the same name. Its mouth is in Gasconade Co., Mo , half a mile above 10 SEVERAL TRIBUTARIES OF THE MISSOURI. in a course generally northeast, through a hilly country. On its banks are a number of saltpetre caves, and it is believed some mines of lead are in the vicinity. Its width at the mouth is 157 yards, and its depth 19 feet. May 2S//1. — Here we halted for the purpose of hunting, drying our provisions, and making the necessary celestial observations. May 2gf/i. — We set sail at four o'clock [p. m.] " and at four miles distant camped on the south side, above a small creek, called Deer creek. May lOth. — We set out early, and at two miles distant reached a large cave, on the north, called Montbrun's [" Mombran's " in Gass] tavern, after a French trader of that name, just above a creek called after the same person. Beyond this is a large island. At the distance of four miles, Rush creek comes in from the south; at 11, Big Muddy river on the north, about 50 yards wide ; three miles further is Little Muddy river on the same side [in Callaway Co., Mo.], opposite to which we camped, at the mouth of Grindstone creek [Osage Co.]. The rain which began last night continued through the day, accompanied with high wind and some hail. The river has been rising fast for two days, and the country around appears full of water. Along the sides of the river we observe much timber, the Cottonwood, sycamore, hickory, white walnut, some grapevines, and rushes. The high west wind and rain compelled us to remain all the next day, May 31st. In the afternoon a boat came down from the Grand Osage river, bringing a letter from a person sent to the Osage nation on the Arkansaw river, which mentioned that the a marked mass of rocks which were ornamented with Indian pictographs. It rises in hilly country near some of the sources of the Voungar or Yungar branch of the Grand Osage, and has a clear, rapid current, navigable for a few miles only. The name was often spelled "Gaskenade," as in Gass, p. 14. " The late start is accounted for by Gass, who says : " Tuesday 2gtA. — Seven men were sent out to hunt, six of whom returned. We waited here till 5 o'clock p. m. for the man who had not come in, and then proceeded," etc., p. 14. BEAR CREEK— OSAGE RIVER. II letter announcing the cession of Louisiana had been com- mitted to the flames ; that the Indians would not believe that the Americans were owners of that country, and dis- regarded St. Louis and its supplies. The party was occu- pied in hunting, in the course of which they caught in(/. S) the woods several very large rats \^Neotoma Jloridana : see note under date of July 7th, beyond]. Friday, June \st, 1804. — We set sail early this morning, and at six miles distant passed Bear creek, a stream about 25 yards wide ; but the wind being ahead and the current rapid, we were unable to make more than 13 miles, to the mouth of the Osage river. Here we camped and remained the following day, for the purpose of making celestial ob- servations."' The Osage empties itself into the Missouri at 133 miles distant from the mouth of the latter. Its general course is west and west-southwest through a rich and level coun- try.^' At the junction the Missouri is about 875 yards wide, and the Osage 397." The low point of junction is in latitude 38° 31' 16" north, and at a short distance from it is a higli commanding position, whence we enjoyed a delightful prospect of the country. The Osage river gives or owes its name to a nation in- '"Gass notes here that the periogue which had been left at the mouth of the Gasconade for the missing hunter came up with the man who had been lost. " The Osage rises in Kansas, south of the Kansas river, in a range of hills which were known as the Ozark mountains. It enters Missouri, and empties into the Missouri below Jefferson City, separating Cole from Osage Co. The course is cistwardly — the direction stated by the authors being/row the Missouri. The largest tributary was called the Youngar or Vungar, falling in about 140 miles from the mouth of the Osage. In Long's Expedition, which passed here in July, 1819, there are noted, between the Gasconade and the Osage, "Bear creek, the Au Vase, and other tributaries," but the only locality marked on Long's map is the village of Cote sans Dessein, opposite the lower mouth of the Os.ige, and then containing about 30 families, mostly French. This place was established about 1808, and so named from a neighboring hill. Here was an attack and massacre during the late war by Sacs, Foxes, and lowas ; the hero of which affair was there when Long's Expedition passed. See Brackenridge's Journal, 18 14, p. 209. " Gass makes it 197, and gives the Missouri as 875, as in our text. 'I I la THE OSAOE INDIANS. habiting its banks nt a considerable distance from this place. Their present name, however, seems to have originated from the French traders, for both among themselves and their neighbors they are called the Wasbashas." They number between 1,200 and 1,300 warriors, and consist of three tribes: the Great Osages, of about 500 warriors, living in a village on the south bank of the river; the Little Osages, of nearly half that number, residing at the distance of six miles from them ; and the Arkansaw band," a colony of Osages, of 600 warriors, who left them some years ago, under the command of a chief called Big-foot, and settled on the Vermilion river, a branch of the Arkansaw. In per- son the Osages are among the largest and best-formed Indians, and are said to possess fine military capacities; but residing as they do in villages, and having made consider, able advance in agriculture, they seem less addicted to war than their northern neighbors, to whom the use of rifles gives a great superiority. Among the peculiarities of this people, there is nothing more re- (/. p) markable than the tradition relative to their origin. According to universal belief, the founder of the " Wabasha, whence our familiar word Wabash, is corrupted from U'azhazhn, the Dakdtan name of the Osage Indians. Other forms of the word are ll'ajoja and H'liwsashe. The Osaj»es call themselves ll'acacf, pronounced nearly " Wazhazhe." Osage is twice misspelled " Ossage " on Lewis' map of 1806. '■* This " Arkansaw band " of Osages must not be confounded with the Ar- kansaw or Arkensa Indians of early times, now known as the Qu.npaw (Kwapa) tribe of the great Siouan family. In 1805, according to Dr. Sibley, the latter lived along the Arkansaw river, in three villages on the south side, about twelve miles above the post or station. He believed that at that date they did not ex- ceed 100 men in number, and were diminishing. They were at war with u,» Osages, their own relations, but friendly with all other Indians, and i •*' whites. They were considered the proprietors of the country on the Ai >v up to the forks, or to the country claimed by the Osages, and cultivate^ 1 n. The native name of the Arkansaw band signifies " Dwellers in a Highland Grove." This band spoke the Osage language. The two Osage nations and the Arkansaw band constituted a principal tribe of the great Siouan family. They numbered, in iSqi, 1,500 at the Osage agency. Indian Terr.; besides which there were 65 at school in Lawrence, Kas., and six at Carlisle, Pa. lM : ••■■'•^#ni«-.is**^w»-'^ OSAdK. TkAMlIONS— CUrilOAKD CKI'KK. '3 nation was a snail passing a quiet existence along the banks of the Osage, till a liigii floud swept liim clown to the Mis- souri, and left him exposed on the shore. Tiie heat of the sun at length ripened him into a man ; but with the change of his nature he had not forgotten his native seat on the Osage, toward which he immediately bent his way. He was, however, soon overtaken by hunger and fatigue, when happily the Great Spirit appeared, and giving him a bow and arrow, showed him how to kill and cook deer, and cover himself with the skin. He then proceeded to ins original residence, but as he approached the river, he was met by a beaver, who inquired haughtily who he was, and by what authority he came to disturb his possession. The Osage answered that the river was his ov/n, for he had once lived on its borders. As they stood disputing, the daughter of the beaver came, and having by her entreaties reconciled her father to this young stranger, it was proposed that the Osage should marry the young beaver, and share with her family the enjoyment of the river. The Osage readily con- sented, and from this happy union there soon came the vil- lage and the nation of the Wabasha, or Osages, who have ever since preserved a pious reverence for their ances- tors, abstaining from the chase of the beaver, because in killing that animal tliey killed a brother of the Osage. Of late years, however, since the trade with the whites has rendered beaver-skins more valuable, the sanctity of these maternal relatives has visibly reduced, and the poor animals have nearly lost all their privileges of kindred. June %d. On the afternoon we proceeded, and at three miles distant reached a creek, called Cupboard" creek, from a rock of that appearance near its entrance. Two miles r lix " Not marked on Clark's map, 1814 ; not on Nicollet's map, 1843, nor Oen, land Office map, 1876, nor on U. S. Geol. Surv, map, nor on Mo. R. Com- mission map ; an insignificant stream ; liv the text three-fifths of the way from the Osage to the Moreau, by the Mo. R, Comm. distances 140 miles from mouth of the Missouri, and now called Rising creek. 14 MORKAU, NKWiriNGALE, CEDAK, AM) MAST CREEKS. further we camped at Moreau" creek, a stream 20 yards wide, on tlie southern side. June ^tli. This morning we passed, at an early hour, Cedar island on the north, so called (/>. id) from the abundance of the tree of that name. Near this is a small creek, which we named Nightingale" creek, from a bird of that species which sang for us during the night. Beyond Cedar island are some others of smaller extent, and at seven miles' distance is a creek 15 or 20 yards wide, enter- ing from the north, known by the name of Cedar creek. "" At "jYi miles further, we passed on the south side another creek, which we called Mast" creek, from the circum- stance of our mast being broken by running under a concealed tree. A little above is anotiier creek on the left, one mile beyond which we crimped on the southern shore under high projecting cliffs. The French had reported that lead ore was to be found in this place, but on examining the hills we could discern no appear- ance of that mineral." Along the river on the south, is a I ''' Present name of that river which empties into the Missouri in Cole Co., a little below the capital of the state, Jefferson City (formerly Missouriopolis, as on Long's map, 1S23). It is laid down, unlettered, by D'Anville, 1752; it is K, i ^[orou of I'errin du Lac, 1805; Marrow Cr. ci Lewis, l3o6 (laid down, tin iettcreil, by Clark, 1814); of Gass, 1807; of Brackenridge 1816; Murrow in Lewis and Clark's text later on. The name is I'rench. certainly personal (Moreau's Cr. of Lonj;. 1S23), but of uncertain sense in its application to the river, as it might mean either " nose bag " or " black horse." " No species of nightingale '/'i/m/iii> /ui\iiii,i). in any proner sense of the word, is found in Xorth .Vmerica. The so-called " Virgin- . nightingale " is the cardinal red-bird {CiirMitii/is fiixi'iinutiA. '" Cedar island and creek (or river) are present na in..-j on ordinary maps ; .it mouth of the stream is Cedar City, Calloway Co., opposite Jefferson City. Several other places called " Cedar " will occur in our te.xt. ■"' .\Lirked, unlettered, on Lewis' map, 1806 ; not on Clark's, 1814, nor on any other maps examined. The name occurs in Long's text, 1823, but has lung since lapsed, and the creek is probably not identifiable with certainty. It may be sought on the south side of the river, about 150 miles up, by Mo. R. Com mission ilistances. '" This place is elsewhere called Lead-mine hill, as also by Brackenridge, 1814, who locates it nine miles above Cedar creek. I i ™:.OO.WO^UN.u™MA^^TOU.ETC.,CKHEKS .5 walnut timber. On he torth T ' , ''T' "*''' '''' ''"^^ situated. We made rt ? ''"'' ''' '■''^'' •"•"^ "ell falling slowlj' '^^^ "'"" ^'^'^ ^-y- The rive,- is onthe„ortha-n:" 'totl. ;::tr" 'r^ --!>: another. Good Woman creek- n H V .^ '''" "^'"^'"^ "^ Little ^outh, were the onlv.; ^^^"" ^^'^^ ^^"'^'^' '-■'^^'l^'. on the eieve.;o.io:k\r "t:^;;::^^^^''''""'-'''''^'^' ^^ ^^>^-ther, in ,,„ich two ^ ," fr' i '"" "'"^^ ^■^'"^■^' from 80 leagues up the K '" ''"''" ^''-'^'^'-•'Hii.ig, wintered and ouZ .'"'"' '■'^''■' "'''^^•'-^ ^'''-T I'ad told us that the Ka,m „^- " ' P"'"''''"^- ^''^T ti- plain, hav4l^;^j^'';;;; ;^"-^uuuiug ,,ff,,, i^ Tu.) niiles further we " Che H "'"'"' ^^" ^'"'^ ••■■^•^'••• creeic. which takes ts;/ ^''^ ■^-'^'' kittle Manitou" ^Hngthehustora,;:;;;;; ,:i^J-7^'^^--eresem. ^'pjKctingrock. Which ma, reprr::::^;^.!::;:;::- ;;- ^"U.h, ,.„K, is ,:.„ ,„ a,,;,:; ' ; ; ;;•- -;" ^'-'i'^au (.,. , counties on («•'"•n.■e/.,,,/.^,,,„,„„„f„„^^ '.'J "fM^.n,tou of IV„in du Lac. ,8.„ of I!ra..enn,i,e, ,8r, ,, .;::^ \;,T";'",r "^ ff-"'-' ■^43; Ma„i,„; " painted rocks " of the ,.vf n „ , ''•""'""" '^'•^■ek-, p 26s Tl„. '-".. '«=3. .w,o .av! u. x;t.;?''^?''^ "^''"^ -^^ ^'-^- -^^^^^^ These rocks. like the strean,, n Lr „ ,„ °f "T ,'" "^"'^ ••' ''"-" '— > "--. '"-Rlu. „p the riv... The, , , T/"""' "•"" ""-- "f «!- san,e sod or devil. It has suffered the ermST "' ""■•""'"^^ ^•"■"•'' "'-">- "sually Manito „, ,,„,,,^,„ > ' • ' ™'^"o'- "> s,,oHin,^ an.i is now Seosraphv, ''"*''"''' '""''f-'^^'. but Moniteau in Missouri m "f :::v. n l6 SAND AND SPLIT ROCK CREEKS — SALINE RIVER. Near this is a sand-bar extending several miles, which (/. //'■ renders navigation difficult, and a small creek called Sand creek" on the south, where we stopped for dinner, and gathered wild cresses and tongue-grass from the sand-bar. The rapidity of the current, added to our having ! ken our mast, prevented our going more than I2j^ mi. s. The scouts and hunters, whom we always kept out, reported that they had seen fresh tracks of Indians. /line 6f/t. This morning we left our camp, which was on the south side, opposite a large island in the middle of the river, and at five miles reached a creek on the north side, about 20 yards wide, called Split Rock'' creek, from a fissure in the point of a neighboring rock. Three miles beyond this, on the south, is Saline" [or Salt] river; it is about 30 yards wide, and has its name from the number of salt-licks and springs, which render its water brackish. The river is very rapid and the banks falling in. After leaving Saline river, we passed one large island and several '' Sand creek is not easily identified. It should be about 168 miles up the river, nearly opposite a considerable island which appears on the Commission map. The wild cresses and the tongue-grass are the same (for I find that Clark writes "creases or tung-grass ") and are a species of L/pidium, tongue- grass being another name of pepper-grass, which latter is applied to all the numerous species- of these cruciferous plants, but especially to L. sativum. Two of the species which occur along the Missouri are L. rudctale and Z. virj^inianitm. ^'So lettered on Lewis' map ; on Clark's, laid dowr, but unlettered; to be found on most maps, next below (Big) Manitou river, usually by its earlier French name. Roche percee or Rocher perce, but v;iiiously misspelled or un accented (as for example Roche a Pierce and a Pierce of Long's text, 1823). This stream runs south through Boone Co. , west of llie county seat Columbia, and empties just above Providence. Nearly opposite its mouth is the forked rivulet called Splice creek by Long. 1823. but not noticed in our text. '' Now Little Saline, running chiefly in Cooper Co., but emptying in Moniteau Co., according to G. L. O. map of 1876. Name Saine creek in Gass, ed. 1811, by misprint. .Salt R. lette.edon Lewis' and on Clark's maps, and on I'ike's, 18 10. Little Saline of Long's text, 1823, but not laid down on his map. Mr. A. J. Hill's MS. river-chart remarks that it is apparently the R. a la Rargueof Kenau- dii^re, 1723. It is not to be confounded with another Salt or Saline river, a little higher up, on the north side of the Missouri. The large island noted in the te.xt is plainly shown on the Mo. R, Commission map. niG MANITOU AND GOOD WOMAN CREEKS. 17 lUed , and i-bar. n our The 1 that /as on of the I side, ;rom a : miles •; it is lumber rackish. After several >iles up the find that tm. toiigue- to all the . sativum. /,' and L. tered-, to be its earlier jelled or un Itext, 1823V [t Columbia, the lorked a. [in Moniteau L, ed. 181 1. Ivike's, 1810. Mr. A. J- L,e of Kenau- Lline river, a Lnd noted in smaller ones, having made 14 miles. The water rose a foot last night. June p/i. We passed at ^y^ miles, Big Manitou" creek, near which is a limestone rock inlaid with flint of various colors, and embellished, or at least covered, with uncouth paintings of animals and inscriptions. We landed to ex- amine it, but found the place occupied by a nest of rattle- snakes, of which we killed three. We also examined some licks and springs of salt water, two or three miles up this river. We then proceeded by some small willow-islands, and camped at the mouth of [Big] Good Woman" river on the north. It is about 35 yards wide, and said to be navi- gable for boats several Ic^igues. The hunters, who had hitherto given us only deer, brought in this evening three bears \^Urstts aiiicricaiiiis\ and had seen some indications of bufTalo. We had come 14 miles. June S//i. We saw several small willow-islands, and a creek" on the south, near which are a number of deer-licks ; at nine miles' distance we came to Mine river." This river, "" Which Gass naturally calls the river of the Big Devil, p. 16 ; lettered sim- ply Manitou R. on Lewis' map, but G. Manitou R. on Clark's ; R. grand Man- ithou of Perrin du Lac, 181)5 i ManitoD of Rrackcnridge, 1814 ; Rig Manito of Long, 1823 ; Grand Maniteau of Nicollet, 1843 I "ow oommonly Moniteau creek, in Howard Co., emptying at town of kocheport, at or near junction of Roone Co. The rock noted in the text lias the same name as the river. The te.\t does not notice a rivulet, just above the river, anil on the same side, which Long (1823) called Little Saline river, and which is on the Commission map as Salt creek. Long also names a Big Manito island near here ; and a large island appears on the map just cited, 190 miles up the river. This is the L de Mani- ihoj of I'errin tlu Lac. ^' In Howard Co., emptying below the t. 12) which falls into the Missouri from the south, is said to be navigable for boats 80 or 90 miles, and is about 70 yards wide at its mouth. It forks about five or six leagues from the Missouri, and at the point of junction are some very rich salt springs; the west branch, in particular, is so much impregnated, that for 20 miles the water is not palatable. Several branches of the Manitou and Good Woman are equally tinctured. The French report, also, that lead ore has been found on different parts of the river. We made several excursions near the river through the low rich country on its banks, and nfter dinner went on to the island of Mills, where we camped. We met with a party of three hunters from the Sioux river ; they had been out for twelve months, and collected about $900 worth of pel- tries and furs. We ascended this river twelve miles. /inti' g//i. We set out early, and reached a cliff called the Arrow Rock," near to which is a prairie called the Prairie of Arrows, and Arrow creek, a small stream about eight yards wide, whose source is in the adjoining prairies on the south. At this cliff the Missou.' is confined within a bed of 200 yards ; and about four miles to the southeast is a large lick and salt spring of great strength. About three miles further is Blackbird [now Richland] creek on the north side, opposite which 's an island and a prairie inclosing a Ion of D'Anville, 1752 ; but it had been called R. h la Mine by Renaudiere. 172?. This name has varied to I. amine occisionally. In 1819, when Lonfj passed, Booneville had eight houses. The earliest settlement in this vicinity was Poone's Lick, about four rniles from Franklin, givinj; name to the surround- ingcountry. Clark'smapof 4 marks the site of " Boon's Salt Works." An establishment of this kind was full blast at the time of Long's visit ; Brack- enridge, writing of iSn, names one Braxton Cooper in charge of salt works then, and says that the settlement, though only a year old, consisted of 75 fami- lies. Dr. Baldwin, botanist of Long's expedition, died at Franklin, August 31st, l8if), *" Present name of the prominent landuwrk on the south side of the river, translating Pierre A tlechc of the French (D'Anville, 1752). .Arrow Rock is also the present name of a town on the same side of the river, in Saline Co, Across the river, and a little higher up, is the town of Lisbon, Howard Co. The rock was go called from being resorted to by Indians for stone arrow he.ads. THE TWO CHARATON RIVERS. 19 small lake. Five miles beyond this we camped on the south side, after making, in the course of the day, 13 miles. The land on the north is a high rich plain. On the south it is also even, of a good quality, and rising from 50 to 200 feet. /ttne \otlt. We passed Deer" creek ; and, at the distance of five miles, the two rivers called by the French the two Ciiaratons," a corruption of Thieraton \read Charretin], the first of which is 30, the second 70 yards wide. They enter the Missouri together ; both are navigable for boats. The country through which they pass is broken, rich, and thickly covered with timber. The Ayauway" nation, (/>./?) ;naudiere, Ihen Long Is vicinity surround- ■ks." A" it ; Brack- ;alt works ,{75 fami- |n, August the river. ■v Kock is Isaline Co. oward Co. low-heads. *' Deer-lick creek of Gass, p. 16 ; present name, Hurricane creek. Just above this, on the same side of the Missouri (right hand, going up), a certain Bear creek comes in, on Owen's map, 1848 ; and the same is indicated on various other maps. This seems to have escaped the attention of Lewis and Clark. *'' This word has never been satisfactorily explained : certainly the explana- tion attempted in the text is itself a misprint or other blunder. It might be either Charleton or Charlatan : the former is given on p. 387 of the nrig. cd.; the latter would match Gasconade, as applied to another river. The various forms in which we find it add to our perplexity. Thus, it is the Chtraton of Collot in 1796 ; Charleton is Perrin du I.ac's style, 1805 ; Lewis' map of 1806 has Charliton ; Clark's, 1814, prints the two Charatons ; Bracken- ridije, 1814, gives Chareton and Chariton, p. 2it and p. 265 ; Long, 1823, Charaton ; Nicollet's map, 1843, Chariton; some of the spurious Lewis and Clark books make it Chareturn ; Gass strikes out for himself with the two Char- lottes, p. 16; Pike. 1810, is satisfied with two Charlatans ; Lapie, 1821, has but one river, which he calls K. des deux Charlatans. I only discovered what it ought to be on consulting L. and C.'s MSS. (See note under date of June 24th.) The name has now settled into the form Chariton for both rivers, for the county, and for a town. The two rivers were formerly distinguished in French as Grand and Petit Charletons (so Perrin du Lac); they have also been called Great and Little, and West and East. They are probably the pair of rivers called les rivieres aux Racines by D'Anville, 1752, though his map runs them separately into the Missouri. These rivers reach the Missouri through Chariton Co., with Howard Co. adjoining at the confluence. The Chicago ami Alton R R. crosses the Missouri a little below this point, and both Charitons are crossed above by the W'abash, St. Louis and Pacific K. R. The streams are straightish, north-south, parallel with many branches of the Grand river, which cnmes into the Missouri a little higher up. This is the main drainage into tlie Missouri of the rise to 1,000 feet to the west and north. Last of the Charitons the drainage is into the Mississippi. ■" This -.vord, lacking any true consonants, is fluidic, and varies much in \h ; — '^— ''C'-'J,.^^--'^ jiJft^: ■ * Mia ■f< ■ % i .. C' 20 CHICOT OK STUMl' ISLAND. consisting of 300 men, have a village near its head waters, on the river De Moines/' Further on we passed a large island called Chicot'' or Stump island, and camped on the south, after making ten miles. A head wind forced us to remain there all the next day, [June nth], during which we dried the meat wj had killed, and examined the surrounding country, which consists of good land, well watered, and supplied with timber. The prairies also differ from those eastward of the Mississippi, inasmuch as the latter are generally without any covering except grass, whilst the former abound with hazel-nuts orthography. Lewis and Clark spell it several ways, as Ayaway, Ayoway, Ayahwa, Ayawai, etc. Other forms are Ayovai, Ayauvai, Aiaoaez (plural). Another series is lawai, laway, etc. In Lewis' Statistical View it is marked for accent ah -e-o-war . From the liquid state the word has solidified into our familiar Iowa. These Indians on their separation were called Pa-ho-ja (gray snow) ; they are also among the many different Indians who have been styled Pierced-noses. The lowas were a tribe of the great Siouan family, descendants of the old Missouris. In Lewis and Clark's time they had one village, 40 leagues up the Des Moines river, with a population of 800, of which 200 were warriors. Lewis represents them as turbulent savages, who were at war with many of their neighbors, even of their own kindred, and frequently abused their traders and committed depredations on persons navigating the Missouri, though they were at peace with the Ottoes and Missouris, some of the Siou.x and Yankton tribes, and all nations east of the Mississippi. They traded in furs and peltries. (London ed., 1807, p. 22.) The remnants of the lowas are 165 on the Clreat Xemaha Reservation in Kansas, 102 on the Sac and Fo.'c Reservation in Okla- homa, five at school at Lawrence, Kas., and one at Carlisle, I'a. — 273. " The name of the river Des Moines is obviously French, but it does not mean "of the monks." It is an old word of Algonkin origin, used by Illinois Indians met by Marquette and Joliet. These Indians called their place Moin- gona, Moingonan, or Mouingouinas — a word found in some form on very old maps (and down to 1S43 at least). Later the French clipped the word to Moin, calling the people les Moins, and their river la riviere des Moins. Finally, the name became associated with the Trappist monks ('is moines de la Trappe) ; and the river of the Moins became la riviere des Moines, by a spurious etymol- ogy. Traces of this history of the name survive in its various spellings, as Des Moins, De Moin. De Moyen, Demoin, Demoir, even " Demon," etc. The Sioux name of the river is Inyanshasha-watpa. literally " stone-red-red-river," or as we should say Redstone river. Compare Nicollet's Report, 1843, p. 22 and map, where Moingonan is used. " Plainly shown on the Mo. R. Commission map, at the 330th mile up the river. Chicot is French, meaning stump. Present name, Harrison island. m PLUM CREEK — MR. DURION. 21 [Corj'/its amcricana}, grapes [probably I'Uis cordifolia\ and other fruits, among which is the Osage plum \_Maclura aurantiaca /] of a superior size and quality. June \2th. In the morning we passed through difificult places in the river, and reached Plum"' creek on the south side. At one o'clock we met two rafts loaded, the one with furs, the other with the tallow of buffalo; they were from the Sioux nation, and on their way to St. Louis ; but we were fortunate enough to engagt^ one of the men, a Mr. Durion," who had lived with that nation more than 20 years and was high in their confidence, to accompany us thither. We made nine miles. June \ith. We passed, at between four and five miles, a *' No trace of this on either Lewis' or Clark's map. But there are two or three small creeks on the south side, in Saline Co., between Stump island and Howl- ing Green Bend (L. and C.'s Round I5end below). One of these is marked Edmundson's creek on Owen's map of 184S ; one is now called Bear creek ; another, Salt creek. I'lum creek is probably the first of these. •" " Got from them an old Frenchman, who could speak the languages of the Indians up the Missouri, and who agreed to go with us as an interpreter." Gass, p. 17. Irving spells the name Dorion, and thus sketches the old fellow: "Old Dorion was one of those French Creoles, descendants of the ancient Canadian stock, who abound on the western frontier, and amalgamate or cohabit with the savages. He had sojourned among various tribes, and perhaps left progeny among them all ; but his regular, or habitual wife, was a Sioux squ.iw. By her he had a hopeful brood of half-breed sons, of whom Pierre was one. The domestic affairs of old Dorion were conducted on the true Indian plan. Father and son would occasionally get drunk together, and then the cabin was the scene of ruffian brawl and fighting, in the course of which the old Frenchman was ap,' to get soundly belabored by his mongrel offspring. In a furious scuflle of this kind one of the sons got the old man upon the ground, and was on the point of sc.-ilping him. 'Hold! niy son,' cried the old fellow, in imploring accents, ' you are too brave, too honorable to scalp your father.' This appeal touched the French side of the half-breed's heart, so he suffered the old man to wear his scalp unharmed." Astoria, ed. 1S61, p. 141. Pierre appears to have been a sulky brute, who beat his wife and made him- self as much of a nuisance as possible in every way. His wife was encumbered with two children already, and had another^;? route. Thisscjuaw proved herself a heroine ; the parallel between her and Sacajawea, of whom Lewis and Clark tell us much later on, is quite close. Her mongrel spouse was murdered by Indians shortly after the overland expedition of Hunt and his party to Astoria, Ibid., p. 493. ' »2 ROUND BEND CREEKS. •»7 1 , bend of the river, and two creeks on the north, called the Round Bend'" creeks. Between these two creeks is the prairie, in which once stood the ancient village of the Missouris.*" Of this village there remains no vestige, nor is there anything to recall this great and numerous nation, except a feeble remnant of about 30 families. They were driven from their original seats by the invasions of the Sauks [Sacs] and other Indians from the Mississippi, vi'ho destroyed at this village 200 of them in one contest, and *' Marked by .1 mere scratch on Lewis' map, not lettered ; no trace on Clark's. Larger and later maps usually show these creeks, or one forked creek, at the head of the bend, in Chariton Co. One modern name is Palmer's creek. The Round Bend of the Missouri itself is now known as Bowling Green Bend. ■" The Missouri or Missouria Indians (JVi-ii -t'a-tci) were one of the principal tribes of the great Siouan linguistic stock or family. In Bowell's classification they are enumerated as the tenth of eighteen Sioux triLes. Lewis' Statistical View (1806) spells their native name Xeii.' -dar-cha. Some of the many forms of this name are Xeotacha and .W;;!,''^"'- The word is said to mean " those who settle at the mouth of a river, " /. c, the Missouri. They later moved up to where they were found by the French in about 1700. They lived in one village with the Otoes, mustering a total of 300 persons, with 80 warriors. They traded with the merchants of St. Louis, and their commerce was substantially the same as that of the Otoes. They were at peace with the Pawnees proper, Sacs, and Fo.xes. but warred with the Omahas. Poncas, Sioux, Osages, Kansas, and Pawnee Loups. At that d.ite they were already the mere remn.int of a numerous nation inhabiting the Missouri when first known to the French. Their ancient and principal village was on an extensive and fertile prairie on the north bank of the river, just below the mouth of Grand River. The smallpox, and war with the Sacs and Foxes, reduced them to mere dependence on the Otoes, with whom they resided and hunted in Lewis' time ; though they were viewed by the Otoes .as inferiors and sometimes maltreated ; but they were the real owners of the country for a considerable distance above their village, thence to the month of the Osage, and on to the .Mississippi. In 1752 D'Anville called the Missouri the Pekitanoui, or Riviere des Missouris. The Sacs and Foxes were in Lewis and Clark's time already so firmly con- solidated as to be regarded as one nation, and they have been usually since spoken of together. Tliey are members of the great Algonquian family. The name of the former tribe is rendered by Lewis O saukee, whence Saukee, Sauk, then Sac or Sacque. They had two villages on the west side of the Mississippi, "140 leagues " above St. Louis, and counted 2,000 population, with 500 warriors. They warred with the Osages, Cliippew.iys, and Sioux, but were at peace with other tribes. The name of the Foxes is rendered Ijv Lewis Ot-targar-me ; its French style was Reynard, clipped to Renard and other MISSOURI INDIANS. sought refuge near the Little Osage, on the other side of the river. The encroachment of the same enemies forced, about 30 years since, both these nations from the banks of the Missouri. A few retired with the Osage, and the remainder found an asylum on the Platte river, among the Ottoes,'" who are themselves declining. Oppo- {p. i^) site the plain there was an island and a French fort, but there is now no appearance of either, the successive inundations having probably washed them away, as the willow-island, forms. They numbered 1,200, with 300 warriors, and had one village near the Sacs. Of the two tribes together Lewis remarks in 1805 : " Thty speak the same language. They formerly resided on the east side of the Mississippi, and still claim the land on that side of the river from the mouth of the Oisconsin [Wisconsin] to the Illinois river, and eastward toward Lake Michigan, but to what particular boundary I am not informed ; they also claim, by conquest, the whole of the country belonging to the ancient Missouris, which forms one of the mo?t valuable portions of Louisiana \i. <•. , of trans-Mississippian regions in the U. S. of 1805], but what proportion of this territory they are willing to assign to the Ayouways [lowas], who also claim .-i part of it, I do not know, as they are at war with the Sioux who live N. and N. W. of them, except the Yankton-ahnah. Their boundaries in that quarter are also undefined. Their trade would become much more valuable if peace were established between them and the nations west of the Missouri with whom they are at war. Their population has remained nearly the same for many years. They raise an abundance of corn, beans, and melons. They sometimes hunt in the country west of them, toward the Missouri, but their principal hunting is on both sides of the Mississippi from the mouth of the Oisconsin to the mouth of the Illinois river. These people are extremely friendly to the whites, and seldom injure their traders : but they are the most implacable enemies of ihe Indian nations with whom they are at war. To them is justly attributed the almost entire destruction of the Missouris, the Illinois, Cahokias, Kaskaskias, and I'iorias." (London ed., 1807, p. 23.) The Sacs .-ind Foxes now number f)8r ; there are 515 at their Agency in Indian Terr., 3S1 at their .\gency in Iowa, 77 at the I'ottawottomi and Grand N'emalia .Agency in Kansas, and eight at the Lawrence, Carlisle, and Hampton schools. '"The Otos, Otoes, Ottos or Ottoes, were Indians whose native name Lewis renders W'ad-dokc-taii-tAh in his Statistical View of 1S06, and Powell spells Wa-to- ijta-ta in l8or. Other forms are Wahtohtana, Wahtotata, Wadotan, etc., said to have arisen in a circumstance which occurred on their separation from the Missouris, when their chief abduc'ed a squaw of the l.-itter nation. The French used to call them Othouez, etc. Tiioir single vilKige was shared by the Missouris. They numbered 500, with 1 20 warriors, and resided on the south side of the Platte, 1 H GRAND RIVER. which is in the situation described by Du Pratz," is small and of recent formation. Five miles from this place is the mouth of Grand river," where we camped. This river fol. lows a course nearly south, or southeast, and is between 80 and 100 yards wide where it enters the Missouri, near a delightful and rich plain. A raccoon [Proijon /ofor], a bear [i'rsus anwruanus], and some deer [^Cariacus virginu anus] were obtained to-day. /low 14///. We proceeded at six o'clock in the morning. The current was so rapid, and the banks cii the north were falling in so constantly, that we were obliged to approach 15 leagues from its mouth. They traded with the merchants of St. Louis, and made war and were at peace with tiie same tribes as the Missouris. Lewis remarks : " 'I'hey have no idea of the exclusive possession of any country, nor do they assign themselves any limits I do not believe that they would object to the introduction of any well-disposed Indians ; they treat the traders with respect and hospitality, generally. In their occupations of hunting and cultivation, they are same with the Kansas and Osages. They hunt on the Saline and Nimmehaw [Xeinaha] rivers, and west of them in the plains. The country in which they hunt lies well ; it is extremely fertile and well watered ; that part of it which borders on the Nimmehaw and Missouri possesses a good portion of timber. Population rather increasing. They have always resided near the place where their village is situated, and are the descendants of the Missouris." There were lately 35S Otoes and Missouris together in the Indian Territory. " Le Page Du Prat/, Hist, de la Louisiane, etc., orig. ed. 3 vols., 12 mo., Paris, 1758 ; English trans., 1763, 1774, etc. Lewis and Clark are clearly mis- taken in quoting Du Pratz for the situation of a large island and French fort anywhere along here. Du Pratz says: "There was a French Fort for some time on an island a few leagues in length over against the Missouris ; the French settled in this fort at the east point, and called it Fort Orleans." We have also "Fort D'Orleans abandonne" marked on D'Anville's map, pub. 1752, across the Missouri from his Petits Osages et Missouris. This locality is certainly at the large island which the Ex|)cdition will pass June i6th, above Malta liend, ago miles up river by the Commission map. ''' Present name : to be distinguished from Grand River in Dakota, greatly higher up the Missouri. It is the first river of any size above the Charitons, and by far the largest of any thence to the Kansas. At its confluence with the Missouri, where it separates Chariton from Carroll Co., is Prunswick, in the latter county. Its mouth is crossed by the W. St. L. and C. K. R., and a railroad follows it up past Chillicothe, continuing nearly in a straight line to Council Pluffs and Omaha. Its name holds over from la riviere Grande of the old French writers, as Renaudiere, 1723 SNAKE liLUFFS AND CKEEK. 25 the sand-bars on the south. These were moving continually, and formed tlio worst passage we had seen, which we sur- mounted with much difficulty. We met a trading raft from the Pawnee nation on tlie Platte, and attempted unsuccess- fully to engage one of their party to return with us. At the distance of eight miles, we came to some high cliffs, called Snake" bluffs, from the number of that animal in the neighborhood; and immediately above these bluffs is Snake creek, about 18 yards wide, on which we camped. One of our hunters, a half-Indian, brought us an account of iiis having to-day passed a small lake, near which a number of deer were feeding, and in the pond he heard a snake mak- ing a guttural noise like a turkey. He fired liis gun, but the noise became louder. He adds that he has heard the Indians mention this species of snake, and this story is confirmed by a Frenchman of our party." June \^th. The river being very high, the sand-bars were so rolling and numerous, and the current was so strong, that we were unable to stem it even with oars added to our sails. This obliged us to go nearer the banks, which were "This name may be traced to Perrin du Lac, 1805, who speaks of a bluff above la riviere Grande, and marks on his map " Wachanto ou endroit de serpens." Snake creek is lettered on Lewis' map, 1806, on the north side ; it is traced but not named on Clark's, 1814. The present name of a creek on the south near here is Miami ; and a prominent point above, on the north, is White Kock. The stretch of river today is between Saline and Carroll Cos., and from 258 to 263 miles up the Missouri. See next note below. ".•\ snake story, told by an Indian and confirmed by a Frenchman, may be taken for what it is worth. Gass omits the story. However this may be, cer- tainly some superstition or tradition concerning serpents has given name to Snake creek — the considerable stream in Carroll Co. now known as VVakenda creek (the Wyaconda river of Nicollet. 1843, whose nami! is the same word as Perrin du Lac's Wachanto). The first element of this word is the Indian W'akou (spelled in a dozen ways or more), meaning " medicine' — that is, .iny- thing an Indian does not understand. Various maps consulted differ much in locating the mouth of the stream, which has apparently changed its position by several miles, through a change in the bed of the river. Late maps bring it much nearer the mouth of Grand river than the older ones do. It may have once been above White Kock. The county town of Carrollton is on a branch of this river. :yK=si 26 VILLAGES OF LITTLE OSACiES AND MISSOURIS. falling in, so that wc could not make, though the boat was occasionally towed, more than 14 miles. We passed several islands, and one creek on the south side, and camped on the north op- {/>. ij) posite a beautiful plain, which extends as far back as the Osage river, and some miles up the Missouri. In front of our camp are the remains of an old village of the Little Osagcs, situated at some distance from the river, at the foot of a small hill. About three miles above them, in view of our camp, is the situation of the old village of the Missouris after they fled from the Sauks [Sacs]." The inroads of the same tribe compelled the Little Osages to retire from the Missouri a few years ago, and establish themselves near the Great Osages. The river, which is here about one mile wide, had risen in the morning, but fell toward evening. jK/h' xdtli. Early this morning we joined the camp of our hunters, who had provided two deer and two bear, and then passing an island and a prairie on the north, covered with a species of timothy, made our way through bad sand-bars and a swift current, to a camp for the evening on the north side, at ten miles' distance. The timber which we examined to-day was not sufficiently strong for oars. The mosqui- toes '" and ticks are exceedingly troublesome. June x'jth. We set out early, and having come to a con- venient place at one mile's distance, for procuring timber and making oars, we occupied ourselves in that way on this and the following day [June 18th]. The country on the north of the river is rich and covered with timber; among which we procured the ash for oars. At two miles it changes into extensive prairies, and at seven or eight miles* distance becomes higher and waving. The prairie and high "The sites of both these Indian tribes (Little Osages and Missouri^) are plainly marked on D'Anville's map of 1752, and also on Perrin du Lac's, 1805. The location is very near the present Malta Rend, in Saline Co., and a little above this place is the large island of Du Pratz, where was old Fort Orleans, to be reached tomorrow. '* Spelled throughout the work either musquisoes or musquctoes. I alter to the usual orthography. INOIAN CRf)SSIN(; ri.ACK— TIUEK CKEEK. V to lands on the south commence more immediately on the river; the whole is well watered and provided with K-""'-'. such as deer, elk," and bear. The hunters brought in "' a fat horse which was probably lost by some war-party — this being the crossing-place" for the Sauks [SacsJ, Ayau- ways [lowas], and Sioux, in their excursions against the Osages. June \()th. The oars being finished, we proceeded under a gentle breeze by two large and some smaller islands. The sand-bars are numerous and so bad that at one place we (/>. i6) were forced to clear away the driftwood in order to pass; the water too was so rapid that we were under the necessity of towing the boat for half a mile round a point of rocks on the south side. We passed two creeks ; one called Tiger" creek, on the north, 25 yards wide, at the ex- tremity of a large island called Panther Island ; the other, Tabo creek, on the south, 15 yards wide. Along the shores " This animal, which will be repeatedly noticed throughout this work, is iIk- wapiti, Ccrviis civuuUnns. "Klk" is most properly the name of a Kuropoiin animal, Al«s machlis, resembling the American moose ; but " elk " has been, since Lewis and Clark, the almost universal name of the wapiti. '" A bear they had killed and " .Such a point on the river is marked on Nicollet's map of 1843 as the Grand Pass — but it seems to be a little lower down the river, and to have been passed by Lewis and Clark on the l6th. South of the northward loop of the river, and west of Malta Bend, is a body of water still called Grand Pass lake on some maps. '" I am satisfied of an error here. The account cannot be squared with geography, and the fact that Gass gives a different itinerary for the 19th and 2oth, shows a bad snag here. Gass says for the iqth : " Passed Tabo creek on the south side, and a small creek on the north "; and for the 20lh : " Passed Tiger creek, .\ large creek that flows in from the north." Now, according to General Land Ollicc and Missouri River Commission maps, which agree well, the stretch of " llYz " miles m.ide on the irjth, which separates Carroll from Lafa- yette Co., shows : (l) A lar;.,e island, where is now W'averly, Lafayette Co., 300 miles up river ; (2) Another large island, five miles further ; (3) Little Tabo creek on the south, and close to it liig Tabo creek on the same side, with Hover between their mouths, and some small islands in the river, all these points about 310 miles up ; (4) There is no creek on the north large enough to be shown on either of the maps cited ; (5) The " Tiger " creek of both Lewis' and Clark's maps is a sizable stream, but beyond any of the points noted for the 19th. There- re 28 TANTIIER ISLAND— SAUK rKAIKIK. are gooscbcnics and raspberries in great abundance. At the distance of 17 'i miles we campeti cm tiie sriitli, near a lake about two miles from the river and several in circum- ference, much frequented by deer and ail kinds of fowls. On the north the liliui is higher and better calculated for farms than tliat on the south, which asreiuls rnoie gradu- ally, but is till rich and pleasant. The mosquitoes and other animals are so troublesome that mosquito biers [sic — bars] or nets were distributed to the party. The next morning [June 20th], wc jiassed a large [/. c, I'anther] islan.i, opposite which oi. the north is (Tiger creek and I" a large and beautiful prairie, called Sauk i)rai:ie, the land being fine and well timbered on both sides the river. I'elicans [Pdtriih.i : crytltrorliynclius\ were seen to-day. We made dy^ miles, and camped at the lower jjoint of a small island, along the north side of which we proceeded the next fore \Vf must ; j;ree with (lass that 1 ij;cr crt-i'k was not p.isscil till the 2otli, ?\\'\ carr) I'aiither island to this date; we must suppose (lass' " small tretk on tlie nortii " to be little I'abo irtek, on tlie ioiith, not noted by Lewis and Clark. Then the Itjth is all plain sailiiij^, viz., first lar^e island ( I >over, 300 miles up); second larfjc isLnd, 305 miles u] , lietwceii whiih two islands they had to tow the boat around a bluff, on the south (r.ow known :is Sheeps'-nose ruck); mouths of both 'labo creeks, some small isl.inds, and j,.esent town of Dover, 310 miles up ; then ']i miles further to camp, on the s luth, " ne.ir a lake." This fetches out exactly : for a lake, or lake bed, is s.iown, on the maps cited, at just the rifjlit spot, i.'ext morning, the 20th, they speedily reach their " 'I'ijjer " cieek, now called Crooked creek, which has a larj;e island still at or near its mouth. Tabo or Tabbo (properly I'.ibcau. personal name of a ceilain Can.idi.an who was hereabouts) is slill the name of 'wo creeks, distin^uisheil as liijf anil Lit- tle, lyinjj wholly within Lafayette Co. is'either is shown on Lewis' map ; an unlettcre.l trace seems to indicate one of them on ClT-k's lor Tij^cr creek, sec next note. " See last note. This is Ty(jers (reek of Lewis' m.'.p. and Tyjjer creek of Clark's, now called Crooked creek or river, in K.iy < o. L. and C.'s name sur- vived for many years ; thus, we lind it on Nicollet's map of 1843, with Crooked creek as the name of a branch of this stream. Kichmond. tlie county town (jf Lay. is on one of it i small tributaries. Ikit it had lon^; before been n.imed l)y D'.Vnville riviere V.iseuse (Muddy riverl. anil is so niark^'d on his m.i|(of \-(''z. So is S.iuk prairie oilier tliau L. .md C . having been so named by Lerrin 1 Hi Lac in French form in iSu;. t. . 4 ri,EAk-WATER CREKKS. 29 cay. .A;,. „,,, but not witliout danger, in consequence of the sands and the rapidity of the water, which rose three ■nches last night, liehind another island come in from the south two creeks, called Eau-beau" or Clenr-vvater creeks. On the north .s a very remarkable bend, where the high •nu is approach the river, and form an acute angle at the head of a large island produced by a narrow channel through the po.nt of the bend. We passed several other islands and camped at 7% mile, on the south. nic uater.s veryrap.d and crowded with concealed timber. We passed two large islands and an extensive prairie on he sou h beg.nn.ng with a rich low land, and rising to the - s.v e • . ii !• 1 . - . . '^- u>i.rL I IH n.ii looks .IS if It were MiMnt f,,r ti,. I'renchchcnae, "o;ikirrove ") Kin-,11,, .i,„ i " «ere meant lor the l.rcit and I.utle Sniabar, or Snibar-a nirmus word which I fike to 1, n.. on, cou-„y seat of Lafayet.e, the fu,„ e si,e of which the Lpedhio^ -.^ "" the 2oth, just 320 ndk-s up the .M,:,s,niM. ' II n 'f 30 FIRE-PRAIRIE RIVER— SITE OF FORT OSAGE. io>^ miles we camped on the south, opposite a large creek, called Fire-prairie" river. June 2id. The wind was against us this morning, and became so violent that we made only 1)4 miles, and were obliged to lie-to during the day at a small island. This is separated from the northern side by a narrow channel which cannot be passed by boats, being choked by trees and drifted wood. Directly opposite, on the south, is a high commanding position, more than 70 feet above high- water mark, and overlooking the river, which is here of bu' little width. This spot has many advantages for a fort and trading-house with the Indians.* The river fell eight inches last night. * Tlie United States built, in September, 1808, a factory and a fort on this spot, which is very convenient for trading with the Osages, Ayauways, and Kansas.** [Original note.] *■* Present name of a creek on the south side, in Jackson Co., emptying into the Missouri at or near the junction of Lafayetie Co., or shortened usually to Fire creek. " So called from the circumstance of three or four Indians having been burned to death by the sudden conflagration of the dry grass in the meadows at its source," says Long (vol. i. p. 93 of the London ed , 1823). Hut L. and C.'s creek of this name is on the north, as per text and Lewis' map, where the creek is laid down and lettered. Gass also makes camp "on the south side opposite a large creek, called the Fire-prairie, and which is 60 yards wide." There is no stream of any such size on the north of the Missouri, though there is one now called Clear creek, or Fishing creek, four or tive miles hiijher up the Missouri on the north, which might be stretclied to answer to L. and C.'s Fireprairie creek. especLiUy as its mouth may have shifted since their time. Hut to do so would leave the modern Fire or Prairie creek nameless in Lewis and Clark. '* This spot is called Fort Point in the Summary Statement at the end of this work. It is in what is now Jackson Co., Mo., about halfway between Lexing- ton and Independence. The fort of course is not named in the L. and C. MSS.. but it is marked " Fort Clark" on Clark's map, 1814, and is given as " Fort Clark (or Osage) " in Prackenridge's Journal, 1814, p. 205 (to be distinguished from another Fort Clark, at the Mandans, in N. Dak ). Fort Point also became known as Sibley, the name of the present town of Sibley, at or near the same place. In 1S19 it was the e.\treme frontier settlement. Fort Osage was long a notable establishment. In the summer of 1S08 Gen- eral Clark held a treaty with the Osage Indians, having been escorted to their nation by a troop of cavalry under Capt. M. Wherry from St Charles, and the fort was built at once thereafter. It was commanded in 1809 by Capt Eil 11. Clemson. 1st U. S. Infantry. I t CHARATON SCARTV. 31 ort 1 June 24th. We passed, at eight miles' distance, Hay cabin"' creek, coming In from the south, about 20 yards wide, and so called from camps of straw built on it. To the north are some rocks projecting into the river, and a little beyond them is a creek on the same side, called Charaton Scarty"" — that is, Charaton like the Otter. We halted,"' after making wji miles, the country on botli sides being fine and interspersed with prairies, in which we now see numerou-i herds of deer, pasturing in the plains or feed- ing on the young willows of the river. " " Passed a creek on the south side called Depie," Gass. p. 19. This " Depie," elsewhere" Depre"and " Dispre,'' is meant for (i''/i\)y>r/i'.f (of Spirits). No such word occurs here in the MS. of Clark, who writes " Hay Cabbin Creek," and the same is lettered on Lewis' map, 180C. It is now the Little lUue river, in Jackson Co., Mo. ''" See note at date of June loth. Since that was penned, I have come into possession of all the original manuscripts of Lewis and Clark which Nicholas Kiddie had when he wrote this book, and several other field note-books which were at that time in the hands of President Jefferson. These throw new light on the puzzling word "Charaton." On June loth, Clark wrote: "passed the two Rivers of Charletons which mouth together" ; on June 24th, he wrote: " Sharreton Carta," as the name of the creek now in question. Lewis' MSS. yield us "Charetton" in one place and "Shariton" in another. Now when Diddle struck these snags he upset, and wrote a letter to Clark (now before me), dated July 7th, l>Io, asking : " What is the real name & spelling of the stream called Sharriton Carta, and also the Two Charletons ? Get some of the French- men at St. Louis to put them down exactly as they shuuld be printed.' Chuk s reply I never saw ; the upshot as above printed has hitherto defied conjecture. But the meaning is now clear. For " Charaton Scarty" read C/iarrr/iustVdr/i's, i. e., two creeks, each named Charretin. which are separated or divergent in their courses, though emptying together into the Missouri. There are a pair of creeks in Clay Co., Mo., which exactly answer this description, and are in just the right place. Then for the attempted explanation, " like the Otter, "read simply, " like the othci" i. ■■., like the two oilier rivers called by the .same name, liaving one mouth, though they are separated (ijcartcs) in their courses. T.ic word Char- retin (also Chartin) will be found in any good French dictionary. It is a deriva- tive of Charrette. which we have seen before as a place-name on the Missouri, " Gass notes a halt at noon to-day, in order as he says, to " jirk " some meat which a party had brought in, and he explains that " jirk " is meat cut in small pieces and dried in the sun. I'lark writes " jurk. " The word as a verb is now generally spelled /«■>/■, and jerked meat is known .is jerky. It has noth- ing to do with the English verb of the same form (jeyk), but is a corruption of a Chilian word, fh,t>yui. meaning sun-dried meat. 1 11 \ 'I J \f ' 32 LA B^NITE AND BLUE-WATER CREEKS. /um- 2^th. A thick fog detained r.s till eight o'clock, when we set sail, and at throe miles reached a bank of stone- coal on the north, which appeared to be very abundant. Just belovv it is a creek called after the bank La Charbon- niere."" Four miles further, on the southern side, comes in a small creek, called La Benite."' The prairies here approach the river and contain many fruits, such as plums, raspber- ries, wild apples, and nearer the river vast quantities of miil- ber- ( />. i8) ries. Our camp was at 13 miles' distance, on an island to the north, opposite some hills higher than usual — almost 160 or 180 feet. June 26th. At one mile we passed, at the end of a small island, Blue-water'" creek, which is about 30 yards wide at its entrance from the south.* Here the Missouri is con- fined within a narrow bed, and the current still more so by counter-curents or whirls on one side and a high bank on the other. We passed a small island and a sand-bar, where our tow-rope broke twice, and we rowed around with great exertions. We saw a number of parroquets \Coiiurus iaroliHCi!sis~\, and killed some deer. After 9^ miles we camped at the upper point of the mouth of the Kansas river." * A few miles up Bine-water creek are quarries of plaster of Paris [gj'psum], since worked and brought down to St. Louis. [Original note.] ''' Clark's MS, has " Chabonea," which Biddle erases and interlines Charbcn. (See note at May i6th.) This is now Rush creek, Clay Co., Mo. '^Called "Labenile," in Gass. by misprint; in the original MSS. Benoit's and Bcnnet's ; Benito's found also. It is r personal name, whether Be'nite (blessed) or Benct (silly) ; one of this name was a factor of the Missouri Kur Co., iSii. Now Mill creek, Tackson Co., Mo, The fruits mentioned in this para- graph are : plurr.i, probably t'runns americana ; raspberries, Ruhtis strigosus ; wild apples, Pyrus corouaria ; mulberries, Morns rtthra. ■"This is Perrin du Lac's R. de I'Eau Bleue. now Big Blue river, mouthing in Jackson Co,, Mo., about halfway between Independence and Kansas City. Just below it, on the same side, is Rock creek, not noticed in the text — and yesterd.iy the Expedition mi?sed Shoal cteek, on the north, in Clay Co. ■" The Kansas, with its very numerous tributaries, waters the greater part of the present St.ite of the same name, and by its great nor'hern fork, the Republican liver, waters .also a southern portion of Nebraska. It heads in prairie, between sources of the South Platte ;md .\rkansaw rivers, in the State of Colorado. At i-S THE KANSAS RIVER. J3 Here we remained two days [June 27th, 28th], during which we made the necessary observations, recruited the party and repaired the boat. The Kansas river takes its rise in the plains between tiie Arkansaw and Platte rivers, and pur- sues a course ge icrally east till its junction with the Mis sour., which is ii. la.itude 38- 31' 13" ; here it is 340^^ yards wide though It is wider a short distance above the mouth 1 he Missouri itself is about 500 yards in width ; the point of union is low and subject to inundations for 250 yards • tt then rises a little above high-water mark, and continues so as far back as the hills. On the south of the Kansas the hills or high lands come within ij^ miles of the river- on the north of the Missouri they do not approach nearer than several miles ; but on all sides the country is fine The comparative specific gravities of the two rivers are, for the Missouri 78°, the Kansas 72°- the waters of the latter have a very disagreeable taste ; the former has risen during yes- terday and to-day about two feet. On the banks of the Kansas reside the Indians of the same name," consisting of ilr'' "n rr"i""'' ''"•' ^"'^ ''='"^^= ^'^y- ^^- -^^^ Kansas .sstiU somef mes c.-> led the Ka^v. Some early French forms of the name on various maps are R. des Quans. R. Can., R. des Kancds, R. des Padoucas et Kanse etc all denved from the Indians of the same names. The Lewis anu . MSS. spell the name m a dozen different way.. (See note below.) Up to this pomt the M.ssoun river has pursued its tortuous way for 388 miles throu..h M,ssour, State, on the whole nearly east-west. But at the mouth of the Kans^a t turns northwesteriy, and thence separates the northeast corner of Kansas Srin r" TH \r ^'"" '^°""'" """'^'"^ ^^"^ Leavenworth, Atchison "d Domphan. The .M.ssour, counties are Platte, Bu..:.anan, Andrew, and Holt The pnncpal pouus on this section of the river above Wyandotte and Kansas city, are Leavenworth and Atchison, Kas., and St. Joseph, .Mo. Some diV tance up the Kansas nver is Topeka. In this corner of Kansas are the Indian tom," '" "' ^°^"- '°""^' '-'"^^^P""^' -^ '''-^''-•" '• As already stated, the name is spell.d throughout this work Kanzas wh.ch umformly alter to the only form now current, Kansas. In books and mapsot the period ,t varies much-with initial . or ,,„ instead of /■ ,■ f.rst vowd l'ri, also spelled cabrit. cabra. cabrie. and cabree, is the Spanish cabicn. a goat. ■■* IVesent nam?. Little Platte. PLatte City is on this river, in cnintv of same name, diagonally opposite Leavenworth ; at its mt.uth is Parkville. The posi- tion of the mouth of the river has changed much since 1804. 36 ISLES DES PARCS OR FIELD ISLANDS, ETC. mond " island, where a small creek [wej called Biscuit creek empties. At l}4 miles above the island is a large sand-bar in the middle of the river, beyond which we stopped to re- fresh the men, who suffered very much from the heat. Here we observed great quantities of grapes and raspberries. Between one and two miles further are three islands, [/>.Jo] and a creek on the south known by the French name of Remore." The main current, which is now on the south side of the largest of the three islands, ran three years [ago], as we were told, on the north, and there was then no appearance of the two smaller islands. At 4^ miles we reached the lower point of a cluster of islands, two large and two small, called Isles des Pares " or Field Islands. Paccaun [pecan, Carya olivccformis\ trees were this day seen, and large quantities of deer and turkeys YMclcagris am€ricana\ on the banks. We had advanced 12 miles. July 2d. We left camp, opposite to which is a high and beautiful prairie on the southern side, and passed up the south of the islands, which are high meadows, and a creek on the north called Pare [or Park] creek. Here for half an hour the river became covered with drift-wood, which rendered navigation dangerous, and was probably caused by the giving way of some sand-bar, which had detained the wood. After making five miles we passed a stream on the south called Turkey creek, near a sand-bar, where we could scarcely stem the current with twenty oars and all the poles we had. On the north at about two miles further is a large island called by the Indians Wau-car-da- U " Present namp : so called from its shape. Clark wrote Dimond. Biscuit creek, so named by Clark, is uncertain ; I find it on no map examined ; possibly it had some connection with a former course of the Little Platte. '* " Remore " is certainly a mangled word. It so stands very plainly in Clark's MS., which perhaps gives us the required clew ; for he says " Remore (or Tree Frog)," whence I conjecture Grenouille to be the word intended. The stream is now known as Nine Mile creek, in Wvandotte Co., K.as. "'' Isles des Parques in Clark's ^^S.; Isles des Pares or Four Islands of Long, 1S23 ; one of them is J. de Pare of I'crrin du Lac, and Park Island of Nicollet, 1843 ; now Spar island. The situation is nearly opposite Leavenworth, Kas. BEAR-MEDICINE AND COW ISLANDS. 37 war-card-da," or the Bear-medicine island. Here we landed and replaced our mast, which had been broken three days ago, by running against a tree overhanging the river. Thence we proceeded, and after night stopped on the north side, above the island, having come iiy. miles. Opposite our camp is a valley, in which was situated an old village of the Kansas, between two high points of land, on the bank of the river. About a mile in the rear of the village was a small fort, built by the French on an elevation. There are now no traces of the village, but the situation of the fort may be recognized by some remains of chimneys, and the general outline of the fortification, as well as by the fine spring which supplied it with water. The party who were stationed here were probably cut off by the Indians, as there are no accounts of them. (/• ^^) July id. A gentle breeze from the south carried us ii>/ miles this day, past two islands, one a small willow- island, the other l.-irge, and called by the Frei.ch Isle des Vaclies,'^ or Cow island. At the head of this island, on the " AV-one word with five hyphens. At first sight it loolra\ with the nuts on it. The morning of the 4th of July was announced by t' ■ discharge of our gun. At one mile we reached the mouth of a bayeau [bayou] or creek," coming from a large lake on the north side, which appears as if it had once been the bed of the river, to which it runs parallel for several miles. The water of it is clear and supplied by a small creek and several springs, and the number of goslings which we saw on it induced us to call it Gosling lake. It is about three- quarters of a mile wide, and seven or eight miles long. One of our men was bitten by a snake, but a poultice of bark and gunpowder was sufificient to cure the wound. At \o% miles we reached a creek on the south, about 12 yards wide, coming from an extensive prairie which approached the borders of the river. To this creek, which had no name, we gave that of Fourth of July creek ; above it is a high mound, where three Indian paths center, and from which is a very extensive prospect. After 15 miles' sail we came-to on the north a little above a creek on the south side, about 30 yards wide, which we called Independence creek, in honor of the day, which we could celebrate only by an evening gun, and an additional gill of whisky to the men."' ^'^ Ciistoy fiiiiad'iitsis. which becomes extremely abundant higher up the Mis- souri, and on most of its headwaters, in and near the Rocky mountains. *•' Called Pond creek in Gass, p. 2o. Nicollet notes an old cut-off here (1843). Owen's map marks a Sugar creek and lake. "'' Gass says of this celebration : " One of our people got snake-bitten, but not seriously ; '' he discreetly says nothing about the whisky. This man was Joseph Fields. The Expedition to-day passes the present site of Atchison, Kas., be- \ YELLOW-OCHRK CREEK— REEVEV's PRAIRIE. jy /u/j %th. Wc crossed over to the south and came along the bank- of an extensive and beautiful prairie, inter- (/. 22) spcrsed with copses of timber, and watered by Independ- ence creek. On this bank formerly stood the second vil- lage of the Kansas ; [judging] from the remains it must have been once a large town. We passed several bad sand- bars, and a small creek to the south, which we called Vel- lovv-ochre'' creek, from a bank of that mineral a little above it. The river continues to fall. On the shores are great quantities of summer and fall grapes ^Vitis icstivalis :^\\A V. corili/o/ia\,hQxnG%, and wild roses [Rosa si-tigcm]. Deer are not so abundant as usual, but there are numerous tracks of elk around us. We camped at ten miles' distance on the south side under a high bank, opposite which was a low land covered with tall rushes! and some timber. July 6th. We set sail, and at one mile passed a sand-bar, three miles further an island, and a prairie to the north, at the distance of four miles, called Reevey's"' prairie, after a man who was killed there ; at which place the river is con- fined to a very narrow channel, and by a sand-bar from the south. Four miles beyond is another sand-bar terminated by a small willow-island, and forming a very considerable bend in the river toward the north. The sand of the bar is light, intermixed with small pebbles and some pit-coal. The river falls slowly; and, owing either to the muddiness of its water, or the extreme heat of the weather, the men perspire profusely. We camped on the south, having made tween Fourth of July .md Independence creeks. The latter stream is still so called. It empties into the Missouri in .Atchison Co. *^ " Yellow-oaker " creek of Clark's MS. which to-day cites De Bourgmont, concerning the Kans.is and Missouris, as they were about 1724. The E.xpedi- tion to-day passes the Wasabi Wachonda of I'errin du I.ac (to be distinguished from the island of the same name passed July 2d, see note there), and c.nmps in Doniphan Co., Kas., apparently close by the creek marked Yellow-ochre on Nicollet's map. "^ So in Clark's MS. ; elsewhere, Revoes. I have no clew to the correct form of the name. '!! t; %>^.^:v^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I iM m Ili32 1^ 1^ M 1.8 pS 1.4 1 1.6 ■• 6" ► Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-O03 T ■TP 40 ST. MICHAEL'S PRAIRIE. f l 12 miles. The bird called whip-poor-will [Antrostomus voctferus] sat on the boat for some time." /lily Jth. The rapidity of the water obliged us to draw the boat along with ropes. At 6^ miles we came to a sand-bar, at a point opposite a fine rich prairie on the north, called St. Michael's. The prairies of this neighborhood have the appearance of distinct farms, divided by narrow strips of woodland, which follow the borders of the small runs leading to the river. Above this, about a mile, is a cliff of yellow clay on the north. At four o'clock we passed a narrow part of the channel, where the water is confined within a bed 200 yards wide, the current running directly against the southern bank, with (/. 2j) no sand on the north to confine it or break its force. We made 14 miles, and halted on the north, after which we had a violent gust about seven o'clock. One of the hunters saw in a pond to the north which we passed yesterday a number of young swans. We saw a large rat,"' and killed a wolf [^Canis lupus occideHtalis\. Another of our men had a stroke of the sun ; he was bled, and took a preparation of niter, which relieved him considerably. July %th. We set out early, and soon passed a small creek "'Gass here names a " Whippcrwill " creek from this circumstance, p. 20, apparently thnt now called Peter's creek, in Doniphan Co., Kas. The Expe- dition appr9achei St. Joseph, Mo., to be passed to-morrow. "• This^ is the wood-rat, Ntotoma JioriJami, the same species as that men- tioned 0:1 p. II. No means of identifying; the species is here given, but Gass furnishej the requisite information. He says at this date (p. 20) ; " Killed a wolf and a large wood-rat on the bank. The principal difference between it and the commoner rat io, its having hair on the tail." X. thridana is now known to extend up the Missouri about as far as the mouth of the Niobrara. It was unknown to science when thus discovered by Lewis and Clark. It was rediscovered by Mr. Thomas Say, of Major Long's party, on the Mississippi, a little below St. Louis, at the mouth of the Merameg river, June 7th, i8ig. It had been named Min floridanu! by Mr. George Ord in 1818 (Bull. Soc. Philom. Phila., 1818, p. 181). In 1825 Messrs. Say and Ord made this species the type of their new genus AVfi/cwij, founded in the Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.. IV. pt. ii. p. 346; seep. 352. jil. x. tigs. 1-4. See Long'i Exped. R. Mts., I. 1823, p. 54 (p. 50 of the Knglish 3-vol. ed.). Another species of the same genus, N. fitti-na, of the Kocky mDuntains, was also discovered on this Expedition. ORDWAY S CREEK— NODAWA RIVER. 41 on the north, which we called Ordway's " creek, from our sergeant of that name, who had been sent on shore with the horses, and went up it. On the same side are three small islands, one of which is the Little Nodawa, and a large island called the Great Nowada [sic — read Nodawa], extend- ing more than five miles, and containing 7,000 or 8,000 acres of high good land, rarely overflowed ; this is one of the largest islands of the Missouri. It is separated from the northern shore by a small channel from 45 to 80 yards wide, up which we passed, and found near the western extremity of the island the mouth of the river Nodawa." This river pursues nearly a southern course, is navigable for boats to some distance, and about 70 yards wide above the mouth, though not so wide immediately there, as the mud from the Missouri contracts its channel. At 12^ miles we camped on the north side, near the head of Nodawa island, opposite a smaller one in the middle of the river. Five of the men tt^-e this day sick with violent headaches. The rive, con- tinjes to fall. y«/v 9///. We passed the island opposite which we last night camped, and saw near the head of it a creek falling in from a pond on the north, to which we gave the name of Pike pond, from the numbers of that animal which some of our party saw from the shore. The wind changed at eight o'clock from N.E. to S.W., and brought rain. At six miles we passed the mouth of Monter's"' creek on the •'' Nf entioned, but without name, in Clark's MS. of this date. There is a creek in Andrew Co., Mo., which answers to this ; but its present name I do not know. *"■ Nadawa in Clark's MS., accented Na-da-wa ; Nodawa on his map, 1814 ; Nodanaon Lewis' map, 1806 ; Nodowa on Pike's, 1810 ; Nodaway in Long's text, 1823 ; Nadoway in Nicollet's ; Perrin du Lac has Madiwoay ; Lapie, 1821, marks Nodaoua on his map ; Bradbury spells Naduet. The word is Indian, and means some kind of snake ; hence the river has sometimes been called Snake river. The name settled into Nod.iway of present geographers. There is also a Noda- way Co., and a town of the same name, in .Andrew Co., Mo. The river separates Holt Co. on the west from portions of Andrew and Nodaway Co. on the east ; higher up it runs entirely in the latter, but quite nt.ir the border of Atchison Co. Its sources are still further north. •• So in Clark's MS., erased and Montain's interlined by Diddle, but Men- 42 WOLF RIVER— SOLOMON'S ISLAND— LITTLE TARKIO. south; and t^o miles above, a few cabins, where one of our party had camped (/. 2^) with some Frenchmen about two years ago. Further on we passed an island on the north, opposite some cliffs on the southside, near which Loup '"or Wolf river falls into the Missouri. This river is about 60 yards wide, heads near the same sources as the Kansas," and is navigable for boats at some distance up. At 14 miles we camped on the south side. July \oth. We proceeded by a prairie on the upper side of Wolf river, and at four miles passed a creek 1 5 yards wide, on the south, called Pape's" creek after a Spaniard of that name, who killed himself there. At six miles we dined on an island called by the French Isle de Salomon," or Solomon's island, opposite which on the south is a beautiful plain covered with grass, intermixed with wild rye and a kind of wild potato." After making ten miles we stopped for the night on the northern side, opposite a cliff of yellow clay. The river has neither risen nor fallen to-day. On the north the low land is very extensive, and covered with vines ; on the south, the hills approach nearer the river, and back of them commence the plains. There are a great many goslings along the banks. July nth. After three miles' sailingwe came to a willow- island on the north side, behind which enters a creek called by the Indians Tarkio." Above this creek on the north ter's restored in the text. The stream is now Charleston creek, Doniphan Co., Kas. *■' It is the Riviere du Loup of early French maps, now called Wolf river, run- ning in northeastern Kansas, and reaching the Missouri through Doniphan Co. Its mouth is 520 miles up the Missouri. This day's camp wns just beyond it. " Not nearly — for this is a comparatively short stream. '•' Clark.wrote " a creek called Pappie " ; now Cedar creek, Doniphan Co., Kas. "Clark's MS. has " Isld. called de Salamin," which Biddle altered as above. '* The wild rye is probably Elymus striatus. The wild potato is questionably a species of Solanum ; were the locality further northwest, we might identify it as a leguminous plant, the pomme de terre of the French, Psoralm tsculenta. " " Tarico" in Gass : now Little Tarkio ; a sloughy stream, whose waters have leaked into the Missouri in places at least 3o miles apart. The lowermost of these had some connection with the Pike pond of July 9th, close to the Noda- way river. The uppermost, of July nth, is now at the 53otli mile point. BIG NEMAHA RIVER. 43 the lowlands are subject to overflow, and further back the undergrowth, of vines particularly, is so abundant that they can scarcely be passed. Three miles from the [Little] Tarkio we camped on a large sand-island on the north, immediately opposite the [Big] Nemahaw river, July \2th. We remained hTe to-day for the purpose of refreshing the party, and n xking lunar observations The [Hig] Nemahaw" empties into the Missouri from the south, and is 8o yards wide at the confluence, which is in lat. 39° 55' 56". Captain Clarke ascended it in the perioque \_sic\ about two miles, to the mouth of a small creek on the lower side. On going ashore he found on the level plain several artificial mounds or graves, and on the adjoining hills others of a larger size. This appearance indicates sufficiently the former population of this country, the mounds being cer- tainly intended as tombs. The Indians of the Missouri still preserve the custom of interring the dead on high ground. From the top of the highest mound a delightful prospect presented itself ; the level and extensive meadows watered by the Nemahaw, and enlivened by the few trees and shrubs skirting the borders of the river and its tributary streams; the low land of the Missouri covered with undu- lating grass, nearly five feet high, gradually rising to a second plain, where rich weeds and flowers are interspersed with copses of the Osage plum ; further back are seen small •• This is also spelled Nimehaw, Nimmeha, and with several vowel variations ; on Clark's map, by mistake, engraved Gd. Hemawhs.w ; on Pike's map, Nemshaw ; on Long's, Nemawhaw ; some old French spellings are Nidmahaw and Nimakas ; the present form of the word is Nemaha. There is a county of this name in Nebraska. At this point the Expedition has passed that section of the river which separates the northeast corner of Kansas from Missouri, and is on that short section where the river separates the southeast corner of Nebraska from Missouri — with Holt and Atchison Cos., Mo., on the right ascending the river, and Richardson and Nemaha Cos., Neb., on the left hantl going up. The parallel of 40' N. marks off these two sections of the Missouri, and the Expedition crossed this parallel July iith. Hence the latitude given above is several minutes out of the way, the mouth of the liig Nemaha being north of 40°, and almost 540 miles up the Missouri. iT^ ■! . nil 44 BIG TARKIO RIVER— ST. JOSEPH S ISLAND. groves of trees ; an abundance of grapes ; the wild cherry " of the Missouri, resembling our own, but larger, and grow- ing on a small bush ; and the choke-cherry, which we observed for the first time. Some of the grapes gathered to-day are nearly ripe. On the south of the [Big] Nema- haw, about a quarter of a mile from its mouth, is a cliff of freestone, on wiiich are various inscriptions and marks made by the Indians. The sand-island where we are camped is covered with the two species of willow, broad- and nar- row-leaved. July i^t/t. We proceeded at sunrise with a fair wind from the south, and at two miles passed the mouth of a small river on the north, called BigTarkio." A channel from the bed of the Missouri once ran into this river, and formed an island called St. Joseph's ; " but the channel is now filled up, and the island is added to the northern shore. Further on to the south is situated an extensive plain, covered with a grass resembling timothy in its general appearance, except the seed, which is like flaxseed, and also a number of grape- vines. At twelve miles we passed an island on the north, above which is a large sand-bar '"" covered with willows; and at 20j4 miles stopped on a large sand-bar in the middle of the river, opposite a high, handsome prairie which extends to the hills four or five miles distant, though near (/. 26) the bank the land is low and subject to be overflowed. " This is probably Prunus pumila. The choke-cherry next named is P. lir- giniana. The willows are two species of Salix, but uncertain ; that called the narrow-leaved may be S. lotigi folia. •* Present name ; distinctively Big Tarkio river, to discriminate it from the Little Tarkio, which latter has entered the Missouri at pwints lower down, one of them near vhe mouth of the Nodaway. (See note ". date of July nth, and recall the creek mentioned on July ()th, as falling in from Pike pond.) Both the Tarkios run in Atchison and thence through Holt Co., Mo. " As by Perrin du Lac. in French form. Just below this, j>t the 540th mile up the Missouri, is now an islaud. This is marked Antelope island on Nicollet's map, 1843. '"*Now an island which shows on the Mo. R. Comm. map, next below the 560th mile point. An unnoticed stream passed to-day, on the south, is Win- nebago creek, Richardson Co., Neb. A SUDDEN SQUALL— NISHNAHBATONA RIVER. 45 This day was exceedingly fine and pleasant, a storm of wind and rain from the N.N.E., last night, having cooled the air. July i/^th. We had some hard showers of rain before seven o'clock, when we set out. We had just reached the end of the sand-island, and seen the opposite banks falling in, and so lined with timber that we could not approach it without danger, when a sudden squall from the northeast struric the boat on the starboard qnarter, and would have certainly dashed her to pieces on the sand-island, if the party had not leaped into the river, and with the aid of the anchor and cable kept her off. The waves dashed over lier for the space of 40 minutes ; after which, the river became almost instantaneously calm and smooth. The two periogues were ahead, in a situation nearly similar, but fortunately no damage was done to the boats or the load- ing. The wind having shifted to the southeast, we came, at the distance of two miles, to an island on the north, where we dined. One mile above, on the same side of the river, is a small factory, where a merchant "" of St. Louis traded with the Ottoes and Pawnees two years ago. Near this is an extensive lowland, part of which is overflowed occasionally ; the rest is rich and well timbered. The wind again changed to northwest by north. At 7J^ miles, we reached the lower point of a large island, on the north side. A small distance above this point is a river called by the Maha [Omaha] Indians Nishnahbatoiia.""' This is a considerable creek, nearly as large as Mine river, and runs parallel to the Missouri the greater part of its course, being 50 yards wide at the mouth. In the prairies or "" Clark's MS. says " Mr. Bennet of St. Louis." There was a William Ben- net, who is mentioned in Billon's Annals, p. 106, but is not identifiable as this person, especially as there were several persons named Benoit. '" Elsewhere in the te.xt Neeshnabatona, as first in Clark's MS.; in Class Wash-ba-to-nan, p. 22 ; Nishmahbatana of Pike's map ; Nishnabotona of Brackenridge ; Nishnebottona of Long's map; Nishnabatona of Nicollet and of Lapie ; Nichinibatone, of Perrin du Lac ; Nichinanbatonais, of Collot's map. The modern name is commonly Nishnabotona or Nishnabotna. This is a notable side-stream of the Missouri, falling in through Atchison Co., J; f>r T rr I 46 LITTLE NEMAHA RIVER. glades we saw wild timothy, lamb's-quarter, cuckleberries,'" and, on the edges of the river, summer grapes, plums, and gooseberries. We also saw to-day, for the first time, some elk, at which some of the party shot, but at too great a distance. We camped on the north side of the island, a little above the Nishnahbatona, having made nine miles. The river fell a little. KP' 27) July 1 5///. A thick fog prevented our leaving the camp before seven. At about four miles we reached the extremity of the large island,'" and crossing to the south, at the distance of 7 miles, arrived at the Little Nemaha [in Nemaha Co., Neb.], a small river from the south, 40 yards wide a little above its mouth, but contracting, as do almost all the waters emptying into the Missouri, at its confluence. At 9^ miles, we camped on a woody point, on the south. Along the southern bank is a rich lowland covered with pea-vine and rich weeds, and watered by small streams rising in the adjoining prairies. They arc rich, and th-jugh with abundance of grass, have no timber except what grows near the water; interspersed through both are grape-vines, plums of two kinds, two species of wild cherries, hazel-nuts, and gooseberries. On the south there is one unbroken plain ; on the north the river is skirted with some timber, behind which the plain extends four or five miles to the hills, which seem to have little wood. Mo. ; on it is the county town of Rockport. Across the Missouri river here is Nemaha Co. . N'eb., with Auburn as its county town. Atchison Co. is the extreme northwest corner of the State of Missouri ; over the .State line is Fremont Co., la.; and through the southwest corner of Iowa is most of tlie extent of the Nishnabotona and its tribut.-irie?. ""This looks like a misprint for huckleberries : but it is a mistake for cockle- burs, for I find " cuckle burs" in Clark's MS. of this passage. The common cockle-bur or clot-bur is Xiintliium strnmarium, a weedy composite plant with close spiny Involucres. The lamb's-quarter is the familiar Chenopodium alhum, a succulent weed often used for greens. The timothy, frequently mentioned in our text, is uncertain. The true timothy is a grass, Phltum pratense. "**An island answering to this appears at the 570th mile point of the Mo. R. Comm. map, and Gass names an Elk island at this date. This is the Isle Acboven of Perrin du Lac, and Morgan's island of Nicollet's map. — ■■" 1 I , the the bkle- vith Id in Isle FAIR SUN AND BALD ISLANDS— BALD-PATED PRAIRIE. 47 July \6th. We continued our route between a large island opposite last night's camp and an extensive prairie on the south. About six miles, we came to another large island, called Fairsun '" island, on the same side; above which is a spot where about 20 acres of the hill have fallen into the river. Near this Is a cliff of sandstone for two miles, which is much frequented by birds. At this place the river is about a mile wide, but not deep ; as the timber, or saw- yers,"" may be seen scattered across the whole of its bottom. At 20 miles' distance, we saw on the south an island, called by the French L'Isle Chance {sic '"'], or Bald island, opposite a large prairie, which we called Bald-pated prairie, from a ridge of naked hills which bound it, running parallel with the river as far as we could see, at from three to six miles' distance. To the south the hills touch the river. We camped a quarter of a mile beyond this, in a point of woods on the north side. The river continues to fall. {p. 2S) July 17th. We remained here this day, ;n order to make observations and correct the chronometer, which ran down on Sunday. The latitude we found to be 40° 27' 5^V north. The observation of the time proved our chro- nometer too slow by 6' 51 ^". The highlands bear from our camp N. 25° W., up the river. Captain Lewis rode up the country, and saw the Nishnahbatona, ten or twelve miles from its mouth, at a place not more than 300 yards "" 5/1— one word ; properly Fair Sun, as written by Clark, being from the French isle i Beau Soleil ; now Sun island, lying halfway between the sSoth and 590th mile points. '"* A sawyer is a snag or timber so fixed in the water that it oscillates or bobs up and down under the varying stress of the current, and forms a special danger to navigation. A firmly embedded snag is called a planter. "" Misprint for F. chauve (bald). Clark wrote a word now blind, having been over-written and turned into Chauven's, above which Biddle interlined Chauve clearly ; but after all this " Chance " was printed. The course of the river pur- sued by the Expedition at this point has altered greatly. It now nowhere approaches the Nishnabotona so closely as the text of July 17th states. In the present shorter and straighter course of the Missouri along here, there is a large island beginning at the 590th mile point. The camp of July i6th-i7th is in the N. W. corner of Atchison Co. , Mo. frf J 48 BALD HILLS— OVEN ISLANDS. ^ M \r from the Missouri, and a little above our camp. It then passes near the foot of the Bald Hills, and is at least six feet below the level of the Missouri. On its banks are oak, walnut, and mulberry. The common current of the Mis- souri, taken with the log, is 50 fathoms in 40", at some places, and even 20". /it/y iSt/i. The morning was fair, and a gentle wind, from S.E. by S., carried us along between the prairie on the north, and Bald island to the south ; opposite the middle of which the Nishnahbatona approaches the nearest to the Missouri. The current here ran 50 fathoms in 41*. At 1 3 '2 miles, we reached an island on the north, near to which tlie banks overflow ; while on the south, the hills pro- ject over the river and form high cliffs. At one point a part of the cliff, nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, and about 200 feet in height, has fallen into the river. It is composed chiefly of sandstone intermixed with an iron ore of bad quality ; near the bottom is a soft slatestone with pebbles. We passed several bad sand-bars in the course of the day, made 18 miles, and camped'"* on the south, opposite the lower point of the Oven islands. The country around is generally divided into prairies, with little timber, except on low points, islands, and near creeks, and that consisting of Cottonwood, mulberry, elm, and sycamore. '"' The river falls fast. An Indian dog came to the bank; he appeared to have been lost and was nearly starved ; we gave him some food, but he would not follow us. {p.3g)jHly iqth. The Oven"" islands are small and two in '"* In Otoe Co., Neb., a little below Nebraska City. This day's journey car- ries the Expedition past the boundary between Missouri and Iowa, where they enter upon that section of the river which separates Iowa on the east from Nebraska on the west. '"• These trees, named in that order, are Populus monili/era, Mortis rubra, Ulmus americana, and Platanus occidentalis. The last is the button-wood or Americin plane-tree. "" Between 600 and 610 miles up river were several islands, sometimes called Oven ; {or example, Nicollet's map shows two, some distance apart, called Upper and Lower. At the 6ioth mile point the Mo. R. Comm. map shows two abreast. TERRIEN'S OVEN-— APPROACHING THE PLATTE. 49 to I in car- bd or tailed Ipper teast. number; one near the south shore, the other in the middle of the river. Opposite to them is the prairie called Ter- rien's Oven, from a trader of that name. At 4}4 miles, we reached some high cliffs of a yellow earth, on the south, near which are two beautiful runs of water, rising in the adjacent prairies, one of them with a deer-lick about 200 yards from its mouth. In this neighborhood we observed some iron ore in the bank. At 2}4 miles above the runs, a large portion of the hills, for nearly three-quarters of a mile, has fallen into the river. We camped on the western extremity of an island,'" in the middle of the river, having made lo^ miles.'" The river falls a little. The sand-bars which we passed to-day are more numerous, and the rolling sands more frequent and dangerous, than any we have seen ; these obstacles increasing as we approach the Platte river. The Missouri here is wider also than below, where the timber on the banks resists the current ; while here the prairies which approach are more easily washed and under- mined. The hunters have brought for the last few days no quadruped but deer ; great quantities of young geese are seen to-day. One of the hunters brought calamus, which he had gathered opposite our camp, and a large quantity of sweet-flag.'" yw/y 20///. There was a heavy dew last night, and this morning was foggy and cool. We passed at about three miles' distance a small willow-island to the north, and a creek on the south, about 25 yards wide, called by the French one large and the other small, which may be those of our text, but are certainly not Nicollet's. As to the name Terrien's Oven, I suspect a snag. Clark wrote twice, July i8th and 19th, a phrase " Four le tourtue," or " tourlii," or " tourtre "—the last word a little blind in ending, but its first syllable plain, and a large capital F for the first word. Then he speaks of the " Baker's (^ven Islands," and Biddle interlines " Raker's 0»en " at the entry of the 18th. This does not agree with the printed text, and the case remains obscure. '" Called Island of Willows by Gass, p. 23. '" A little above the present site of Nebraska City, Neb., near the boundary between Cass and Otoe Cos., Neb. ; on the other hand is Fremont Co., la. "•Probably by collating different journals, Kiddle introduces calamus and sweet-flag. These are the same well-known plant, Atorus (alamus. t w 55? 50 l.'EAU QUI PLEURE, OR WEEPING WATER. L'Eau qui Pleure, or the Weeping Water,'" which empties just above a cliff of brown clay. Thence we made 2}4 miles to another island ; three miles further to a third, six miles beyond which is a fourth island; '" at the head of which we camped on the southern shore ; in all 18 miles. The party who walked on the shore to-day 'ound the plains to the south rich, but much parched (/>. ,;o) with frequent fires, and with no timber, except the scattering trees .nbout the sources of the runs, which are numerous and fine. On the north is a similar prairie country. The river continues to fall. A large yellow wolf was this day killed. For a month past the party have been troubled with boils, and occasionally with the dysentery. These were large tumors, which broke out under the arms, on the legs, and generally in the parts most exposed to action, which sometimes became too painful to permit the men to work. After remaining some days, they disappeared without any assistance, except a poultice of the bark of the elm, or of Indian meal. This disorder, which we ascribe to the mud- diness of the river-water, has not affected the general health of the party, which is quite as good as, if not better than, that of the same number of men in any other situation. /ii/}' 21st. We had a breeze from the southeast, by the aid of which we passed, at about ten miles, a willow-island "■• " Water-which-cries, or the Weeping stream," Gass, p. 20; " I'Eue que pleure, or the water which cry's," Clark, MS., with "Weeping Water "interlined by Biddle, to whom perhaps we owe the present alliterative name of that stream which makes into the Missouri at the junction of Otoe and Cass Cos. The French form occurs in Perrin du Lac. '"Some of these islands are called Trudeau's on Nicollet's map, and others, 5 Barrel islands. Here is also a certain Five Barrel creek on the north, not noticed in our text, but so named on Nicollet's and on Owen's map. Some other points not noted by the Expedition in approaching the Platte, July 20th and 3ist, are : a creek on the right hand (in Iowa) marked Kegg creek on Owen's map, and Keg creek on Lieut. G. K. Warren's (about 1859); it retains the latter name. On the left are bluffs, as Calumet point and Rock bluff, near the camp of the 30th, and also a point called Iron Eye hill. The latter name is traceable to the fEil de Fer of Perrin du Lac, an Indian's name (see text of Aug. 19th). " Encamped some distance above a hill called L'aileffroi, from an Indian chief who was scaffolded here some years ago," Brackenbridge's Journal, 1 814, p. 225. 11 THE PLATTE RIVER REACHED. 51 >i hot on the south, near highlands covered with timbT at tne bank, and formed of limestone with cemented shells. On the opposite side is a bad sand-bar, and the land near it is cut through at high water by small channels forming a number of islands. The wind lulled at seven o'clock, and we reached, in the rain, the mouth of the great river Platte,'" at the distance of 14 miles. The highlands which had accompanied us on the south for the last eight or ten miles stopped at about three-quarters of a mile from the entrance of the Platte. Captains Lewis and Clark ascended the river in a periogue for about one mile ; they found the current very rapid, rolling over sand and divided into a number of chan- nels, none of which are deeper than five or six feet. One of our Frenchmen, who spent two winters on it, says that it spreads much more at some distance from the mouth ; that its depth is generally not more than five or six feet ; that there are many ^mall islands scattered through it; and '"Falling into the Missouri btlween Cass Co., Neb., on its right (south) bank, an.Ji) di.iiis pass it in small flat canoes made of hides. That tiie Saline or Salt River, which in some seasons is too brackish to be drunk, falls into it from the south about 30 miles ••p, and a little above it [/. <•.. Salt river] Elkliorn river [falls into the Platte] from the north, running nearly parallel with the Missouri [for some little distance]. The river is, in fact, much more rapid than the Missouri, the bed of whicli it fills with moving sands, and drives the current on the northern shore, on which it is constantly encroaching. At its junction the I'latte is about 600 yards wide, and the same number of miles from the Mississippi. With much ilifficulty we worked around the sand-bars near the mouth, and camc-to above the point, having made 15 miles. A number of wolves were seen and heard around us in the evening. /ti/y ^Jif. This morning we set sail, and having found, at the distance of ton miles from the Platte, a high and shaded situai:::)n on tl;e north,'" we camped there, intending to make the icquisite observations, and to send for the neighboring tribes, for tlie purpose of making known the recent change in the government, and the wish of the United States to cultivate their friendship. "'' As the Missouri in this section of its course runs approximately south be- tween Iowa ami Nebraska, camps on the left bank of the river (right liand goinj; lip) are on the lUtst side rather than the north — that is, independently of the minor l)ends of the river. Here I may remark, also, that L. and C.'s MSS. very seldom have expressions referring to points of the compass in noting sides of the river they are asccndiii);. They say " .Starboard Side " and "Larboard Side" almobt invariably. These terms Hiddle uniformly tdits .is "north" and " south," or otherwise as the cise may approximately be. Moreover, the MSS. usually abbreviate to " Stard. Sd," and " I.ard. Sd.," or simply " S. S. ' and " L. S." Here is a possible source of error, as " S. S." might be read "south siile."aiul capital " L. S." in manuscript looks very much like '' S. S."if the lower loop of the L is not well formed, Probably here is the simple explanation of occasional wrong location of I., and C.'s creeks and camps. The c.imp of this day, Julv 22d, is on the f'isl side of the Missouri, by estimate ten miles above the Platte; it is therefore on or close to the boundary between Millsand Pottawatamie Cos., la., and nearly or about the same distance below the present site of Coun- cil UlulTs and Omaha — past Ccrro Gordo, Ia.,an, ,i,ie ,1, r "•'•""'^-A d«cr.i„„_I.i„|e si.„„ or vi'"-'«- aha c^;.k-^,^^.,J'^k,Tr''V "''''' ■'"" ^"''-'— '>!-' "...a.,, r>^-..h„f s.,,..a,„ c.,ari.s il' - 1;' V Tir;*'''"'""''''- ''''''•"' — ■'- l>l..frs-l>,„„„„i„„ ..f ,.a,rick »-.,-! • ""l''l"f^-< 'r.a. Si„„x riv.r-Mi„„al lurther,, |„. bank, aic higher, and opposite oui .u„D firs. „,„3 approach the ,iver, a,K, 1 covered iih ti.i,be,. M,ch as oak, walnut, and eh„. The inter,„e, I , country „ w.a.ered by PapiMon ■ „r Butterfly r-T, bo ■!> ya,d,, „.,de, and throe miles from the Patte , ,1 U'e stayed here seve,al days, during which we dried our a..d ,naps of the country we had passed, for the Preside," "^^^:^^-rt.:i:T^:r"rcr "t" '■>■" ^ .^amc is tl,c. same, """'"'"""• ^°- '"- '^"^ ^'"P"" ir, Ahlls Co. l,s present S3 ir I ,:l ,1 f ! )l \ 54 INDIAN EMBASSY— ELK-HORN RIVER. of the United States, to whom we intend to send them by a periogue from tliis place. The hunters have found game scarce in this neighborhood ; they have seen deer, turkeys, and grouse;' we have also an abundance of ripe grapes; and one of our men caught a white catfish,' the eyes of which were small, and its tail resembling that of a dolphin. The present season is that in which the Indians go out on the prairies to hunt the buffalo ; but as we discovered some hunters' tracks, and observed the plains on fire in the direction of their villages, we hoped that they might have returned to gather the green Indian corn. We therefore dispatched two men ' to (p. jj) the Ottoe or Pawnee villages with a present of tobacco, and an invitation to the chiefs to visit us. They returned after two days' absence. Their first course was through an open prairie to the south, on which they crossed Butterfly creek. They then reached a small beautiful river, called Come [sic — read Corne] de Cerf, or Elk-horn" river, about lOO yards wide, with clear water and a gravelly channel. It empties a little below the Ottoe village into the Platte, which they crossed, and arrived at the town about 45 miles from our camp. They found no Indians there, though they saw some fresh tracks of a small party. The ''•ttoes were once a powerful nation and lived about 20 miles above the Platte, on the southern bank of the Missouri. Being reduced, they migrated to the neighbor- hood of the Pawnees, under whose protection they now lI , "These .ire the pinn.ited grouse or prairie-hen, whose best-k-nown technical name is Cuf'iiioiiia tufiu'i'. lately changed by the rules of the .American Orni- thologists' Union to Tvmpiinuchus americanits. ■* Ictnlui US piinctiilHS. From this fish the present station of the Expedition was named Camp White Catfish. Clark enters in his journal of July 23d : " I comnier is in Perrin du Lac. Clark here wrote "Corne de Charf or Elk Horn river," and elsewhere " Hartshorn" river. OTTO AND PAWNEE INDIANS. 55 t-al [li- ?n I live. Their village is on the south side of the Platte, about 30 miles from its mouth ; and their number is 200 men. including about 30 families of Missouri Indians, who are incorporated with them. Five leagues above them, on the same side of the river, resides the nation of Pawnees.' This people were among the most numerous of the Missouri Indians, but have gradually been dispersed and broken, and even since the year 1797 have undergone some sensible changes. They now consist of four bands ; the first is [the Grand Pawnee,] the one just mentioned, of about 500 men, to whom of late ' To appreciate the position of the Pawnee nations among Indians we must first distinguish them from any tribes of the great Siouan family, and next recognizt their relationship with the Caddoes, as members of the same linguistic stock. Though the Pawnees and Caddoes were long supposed, as by Gallatin and many later writers, to be primitively distinct, they have now been deter- mined to be branches of one family, for which the term Caddoan is selected by Powell as designative. In his clear classification the Caddoans consist ; 1. Of a ni<>th,rii group, consisting of the Arikara or Ree tribe alone (see beyond). 2. Of a middle group, comprising the four nations of Pawnees. 3. Of a southern group, including the Ciddoes and other tribes which were in Te.xas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and the Indian Territory. Accr-rding to Dr. Dunbar (1806 ; English ed. 1S07, 2d English ed. i8o<). p. 15) the original hunting-ground of the Pawnees extended from the river now called Niobrara, in Nebraska, south to the Arkansas river, though no definite bound.iry can be fixed. In later times they have resided on the Platte river, west of what is now Columbus, Neb. The Pawnee tribes were removed to the Indian Territory in 1876. According to the Indian Report for i8Sq they were officially enumerated as 824 in number, representing a little over one-third of the entire remaining Caddoan stock (2,259). Though Lewis and Clark here spell the name Pawnee, this was not the usual form of the word in their day, when we more frequently find Pani, Pania, or I'anea. Lewis uses Pania, plural Panias, in his Statistical View of 1806. The Pawnees ot Gallatin (Trans, and Coll. Amer. .Vntiq., ser. ii. 1836, pp. 128, 306) included all the Pawnees of the Middle Group and also the Ricaras or lilack Pawnees. The Pawnees or Panias of Latham (Nat. Hist. Man, 1850, p. 344) included the Loiips and Republicans. The I'awnees of Hayden (Cont. Ethnol. and Philol. Missouri Indians, 1862. pp. 232, 345) included the Pawnees and Arikaras, being thus the same as Gallatin's. Gal- latin (/. c.) renders the word Pawnies. Another form is Pahnies (Perghaus, 1845). Gatschet renders Panis in 1884. The four principal tribes of the Pawnee nation recognized by Powell in l8<)l were : I. The Grand, or Pawnee proper, as here given by Lewis and Clark, w y 1— •^>ii 5« TRIBES OF THE PAWNEES. years have been added the second band, who are called Republican Pawnees, from their having lived on the Republican branch of the Kansas river, whence they emi- grated to join the principal band of Pawnees; the Repub- lican Pawnees amount to nearly 250 men. The third are the Pawnee Loups, or Wolf Pawnees, who reside on the Wolf fork of the Platte, about go miles from the principal Pawnees, and number 280 men. The fourth band origi- nally resided on the Kansas and Arkansas, but in their wars with the Osages were so often defeated that they at last retired to their present position on the Red river, where 9. The Pawnee Republican, as given by Lewis and Claric. 3. The Tapage, who did not wander far from their habitat on the Platte. 4. The Sicidi, who are the Pawnee Loups of Lewis and Clark, otherwise called the Pani-mahas. The Panias proper of Lewis' Statistical View, 1806, also there called Pa nee, are represented as speaking their own language, and living in one villago up the Platte, 30 leagues from its mouth, on the south side, and as con- sisting of 1,600, with 400 warriors. They were at war with the Pania-pique, both Oiages, Kanzas, Ricaras, Sioux, and some othur Indians, but at peace with the Pawnee Loups, Mahas, Poncas, Ottoes, Missouris, and Ayauways. They traded with St. Louis merchants. " With respect to their idea of the possession of the soil, it is similar to that of the Ottoes ; they hunt on the south side of the ri.er Platte higher up and on the head of the Kansas. . . They have resided in the country which they now [1805] inhabit, since they were known to the whites. . , The periods of their residence at their vil- lage and hunting, are similar to the Kansas and Osages. Their population is increasing. They are friendly and hospitable to all white persons ; pay great respect and deference to their traders, with whom they are punctual in the pay- ment of their debts. Tliey are, in all respects, a friendly, well disposed people. They cultivate corn, beans, melons, &c." (Lewis' Statist. View, London ed. 1807, p. 14.) The Republicans are also called by Lewis, in his Statistical View, Ar-rah-pa- hoo' — that is, Arapahoes. He says they lived in 1805 in the same village with the Panias proper, having a population of 1,400, with 300 warriors. "About ten years since [«. e., in 1795 or 1796] they withdrew themselves from the mother nation, and established a village on a large northwardly branch of the Kanzas, to which they have given name ; they afterward subdivided and lived in differ- ent parts of the country on the waters of Kanzas river ; but being harassed by their turbulent neighbors, the Kanzas [of Siouan stock], they rejoined the Panias proper last spring [1S04]." (Stat. Vi^w, Eng. ed. 1807, p. 15.) The third band, Loups or Wolves, Lewis calls in his View Skec'-e-ree, i. e., the Skidi of modern nomenclature; they are otherwise known as Pani-mahas. In 1805 they numbered 1,000, with 280 warriors, as given in the text. In trade, i KANINAVIESCH INDIANS "■- rove ,„ .he P.a,„r,„,'r„1ria;:^ '"'""'^ °' "'• ">="■ They are supoo ed !" ■■' ""« "' =''°'" 400 ';om .he Pawnee n:Z1J:u':ZTr''' °"S'-"y tl.= improvements of the pi ,, (i, ''?S""»'=d from .n W.la e, b„. ,„^^ .hrougTr X"::' "" "° '-«- "ve se no idea of an exclusive richt rT ^"''"' ^''"« Pe°P'e have like the Wolf river above their vfage and" on'r'"" "' ?,*= '^°""^^- ''"'^y ^- - hat r.ver [Wolf]. This country is Jerv"'! "I" T'^'^'^ ^""^'^ '"<= -""'h of hough there is an extensive boJJ oVL "j'^^ ° •''^' °f the Panias proper; NV olf nver belo.v their vilLRe and .her rr """ '"^•^-^^ '^"^> between the They cultivate corn, beans &cTh! ' ^?'" ^"^ '^' ^erf. or Elkhorn river also applicable to them. They are se do' ! ''''''" °' ''' °''^^ P- -^ usually bring their furs and pelfrv to l";/'^*'^'^ ''^ ^">' '"''-■ and ther fore traffic with the whites." ZSl ^l]' ""'^^ °' ""= ^^"- P-P", where they - j:^ -;:r T^;::-^^^^^^ - ^ed i„ .e text, as being then on ITl^f ■^'"- Antic,. Soc. II. ,836,7p i LT ?'' '^ ^^"='''" ^^rans. of the Pawnee family, but kept sepl 1 k; r • ' ' "'""^ '■"'^'■^^'^'' as Tribes. III. 1853, p. 402 See Jl p ^^ ^^"atm in Schoolcraft's Indian V.;847. p. 407. and of Latham. X t H;r 1'"'^'^'' ''''■ "'^'^ -^'-^ From all the indications given bv r I' '^5°' P" 344. apposed that the Pawnees we „'i ^i^:'; '^"'^/'-''' '' would properlv be S.oua„ stock would be Justified on other hnth::,"'- "'" "P^*^^''"" '^-'n occasioned their relegation to Caddoan s "k „ t'he"'""'"/"""'^^ "''^'^h ^ave "'^^Pt^d. stock m the scientific classification now The Kaninaviesch are called in t • - ^ accented Kan-e-nS -vish. and by the FrencTn' u""'"''''' '"'"^ Kanena.lsU, people. >. ... Bufl^alo Indians). He cr^d ts .r T ^^-^-Vnches (Cow- 1.500 people all told, and locates them f,.? ""'^ '=" '°^Ses, 400 warriors Platte and on the south fork o th cr^ '"'"' °' '"^ ^^'^^^ ^-^ of " e ably written Caninahoic, as by oW "' - ''' ""'' "'"""^ '' "'^^ P^^^" Arapaho tribe of the great ^CZ^:^:^ ^h" liSlt^:::^"^'-^ ^^^ '^ f ; n I, 111 58 STAITAN, WETAPAHATO, AND KIAWA INDIANS. These tribes, of which little more is known than the names and the population, are first, the Staitan" or Kite Indians, a small tribe of 100 men. They have acquired the name of Kites from their flying — that is, their being always on horseback, and the smallness of their nup^bers is to be attributed to their extreme ferocity ; they are the most warlike of all the western Indians ; they never yield in battle ; they never spare their enemies ; and the retaliation of this barbarity has almost extinguished the nation. Then come the Wetapahato'" and Kiawa" tribes, associated to- ' The Staitan or Kite Indians, Lewis names in his Statistical View Staetan, Sta -e-tan, with Kite as a nickname, lie assigns them 40 lodges, loo warriors, total population 400, and locates them "on the head of the Chyenne, and fie- quently with the Kanenavish." They are probably Crows (Siouan family). '•'The Statistical View of Lewis accents this name We-tepa-ha'-to. His census for 1S05 is 70 lodges, 200 warriors, and 700 total — this estimate includ- ing all the Kiowas. Habitat, Paduca (North) fork of the Platte. He says they maintain a defensive war with the Siou.\, but are at war with no other tribes to his knowledge. Of them and the Kiowas together he adds : "They are a wandering nation, inhabit an open country, and raise a great number of horses, which they barter to the Ricaras, Mandans, &c. for articles of European manufactory. They are a well disposed people, and might be readily induced to visit the tradl.ig establishments on the Missouri. From the animals their country produces, their trade would, no doubt, become valuable. These people again barter a considerable proportion of the articles they obtain from the Mene- tares, Ahwahhaways, Mandans, ami Ricaras, to the Uotames and Castapanas [w]." These Indians were allied with the Kiowas, and are now supposed to have formed a part of the Comanches. " Kiawa is a name variously spelled Kiaway, Kioway, Kyaway, etc., now pre- ferably Kiowa, plural Kiowas. Gatschet spells Kayowa (Am. Anti(}., Oct., 18S2, p. 280, where the phonetics are given). The name is from the Kiowa word, K(>i, plural K6-iqu, meaning K.iyowa man; and the Comanche word Kayowa means rat. The Kiowas represent a distinct linguistic stock now known as the Kiowan family. Kiaways are named by dallatin in Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes, III. 1853, p. 402, as residing on the upper waters of the Arkansas. The Kioway of Turner (Pac. R. R. Rep. III. pt. ill. 1856, pp. 55, 80) is based only on the Kiowa or Caigua tribe. The conjecture of Lewis and Clark that this tribe and some others they name are but remnants of the great Paduca nation is borne out by Latham (Elem. Comp. Philol., 1862, p 444), who uses the expression " more Paduca than aught else." Turner is said to have first formally separated the Kiowan f.-imily from .nil others. "Turner, upon the strength of a vocabulary furnished by Lieut. Whipple, dissents from the opinion expressed by Pike and others to the effect that the language Is of the same stock as the Comanche, and while admitting ' . «, CASTAHANA, CATAKA, AND DOTAMI INDIANS. 59 gether, and amounting to 200 men ; the Castahana,'" of 3CX3 men ; to which are to be added the Cataka," of 75 men, and the Dotami." These wandering tribes are conjectured to be that its relationship to Comanche is greater than to any other family, thinks that the likeness is merely the result of long intercommunication. His opinion that it is entirely distinct from any other language has been endorsed by liuschmann and other authorities '■ (Rep- U. S. Bureau of Ethnol. for 1885-86, pub. 1891, p. 84). Gallatin mentions the tribe with the remark that " both the Kiowasand Kaskaias languages were harsh, guttural, and extremely difficult." A difficulty of disengaging the Kiowas from their neighbors has been that close association with the Comanches (of a different stock, the Shoshonean) which has tended to obscure the actually existing distinctions. Sirr.ilarly, it is difficult to determine their original site. Lewis' Statistical \'iew (1806) locates the Kiowas on the Paduca fork of the Platte, and adds that they were frequently with the Wetepaliatoes, with whom, indeed, he enumerates them in his census, giving for both a total of 700, warriors 200, lodges 70. By the Medicine Creek treaty of 1S67. the Kiowas and Comanches relinquished .ill their rights to other territory when they were removed to their present location in Indian Territory. Powell adds : " The terms of the cession might be taken to indicate a joint- ownership of territoiy, but it is more likely that the Kiowan territory adjoined theComanc'.ie territory on the northwest. In fact, Pope (Pacific R. R. Rep. II. pt. iii. 1855, p. 16) definitely locates the Kiowa in the valley of the upper Arkansas and of its tributary, the Purgatory (Las Aminas) river. This is in substantial accord with the statements of other writers of about the same period. Schermerhorn (i3i2) places the Kiowa on the heads of the Ark.msas and Platte. Earlier still they appear on the headwaters of the Platte." This is the position assigned them on the map accompanying Powell's Report, 1891. Lewis states in his Statistical View of 1806 that neither the Kiowas, Wetepa- hatoes, nor Cheyennes " have any idea of exclusive right to the soil." According to the U. S. Census Report for 1890, there were 1,140 Kiowas on the Kiowa, Comanche, and Wichita Reservation in Indian Territory. '* The Castahana are enumerated in the .Statistical View, 1806, at 5,000 popu- lation, with 1,300 warriors, and 500 lodges ; they are located between the sources of the Paduca (North) fork of the Platte and the Yellowstone. Lewis states that what he says of the Dotami is equally applicable to the Castahana, " except that they trade principally with tlic Crow Indians, and that they would most probably prefer visiting an establishment on the Yellow Stone river, or at its mouth on the Missouri " (London ed. 1S07. p, 24). These are the Comanche Indians (of the Shoshonean or Snake family), and are otherwise called Alliatan, Aiatan, Ilietan, letan, Jetan, etc. '^ The Cataka, accented Cat -a-ka, are represented in the St.itistical View as of 25 lodges, 75 warriors, and total 300. They are located between the north and south forks of the Cheyenne. Lewis' general remarks are to the same effect as those he makes on the Kiowas. This tribe is probably that otherwise known as Kwada. a band of the Comanches. '* The Dotami, as here, or Dotame, m.irked Do-ta -me, in the Statistical View, iil .'ii 6o PADOUCA INDIANS. 'i ^1 lU the remnants of the great Padouca nation, who occupied the country between the upper parts of the Platte and tlie Kansas. They were visited by Bourgemont in 1724, and then lived on the Kansas river. The seats [sites] which he describes as their residence are now occupied by the Kan- sas nation ; and of the Padoucas there does not now exist even the name." /u/j> zjt/i. Having completed the object of our stay, we set sail [at noon], with a pleasant breeze from the N. VV, The two horses swam over to the southern shore, along which we went, passing by an island, at 3^4 miles, formed by a pond fed by springs. Three miles further is a large (/>. 75) sand-island, in the middle of the river; the land on the south being high, and covered with timber; that on are located on the heads of the Cheyenne river, with a total of only 120 persons, including 30 warriors and 10 lodges. Lewis here remarks : " The information I possess, with respect to this nation, is derived from Indian information : they are said to be a wandering nation, inhabiting an open country, and who raise a great nimber of horses and mules. They are a friendly, well disposed people, anil might, from the position of their country, be easily induced to visit an establishment on the Missouri, about the mouth of Chyenne river. They have not, as yet, visited the Missouri." They are supposed to be a band of the Comanche tribe, like all the other Indians here noted, excepting the Kiowas themselves, who are now regarded as forming a distinct linguistic stock or family. See note above. " Meaning, of course, that the Padoucas exist only in name. The name cer- tainly exists, for there it is on the page. It is now, also, the name of a town in Kentucky. The orthography varies as much as is usual with Indian names. In his Statistical View, Lewis spells it Padacus (in the plural) and gives Paddo .is a French form. "This once powerful nation has, apparently," he says, " en- lirely disappeared ; every inquiry I have m.ide after them has proved ineffectual. In the ye.ir 1724 they resided in sever-il villages on the heads of the Kansas river, and could, at that time, bring upwards of 2,000 men into the field (see Du Pratz, Hist. Louisiana, p. 71, and map). The inform.ition that I have re- ceived is, that being oppressed by the nations residing on the Missouri, they removed to the upper part of the river Platte, where they afterwards had but little intercourse with tlie whites. They seem to have given n.inie to the northern branch of that river, which is still called the Paducas fork. The most probable conjecture is, that being still further reduced, they have divided into small wandering bands, which assumed the names of the subdivisions of the Paduca nation, and are known to us at present under the appellation of Wete- pahatoes, Kiawas, Kanenavish, Katteka, Dotame, &c. who still inhabit the country to which the Pad'.icas are said to have removed. The majority of mv A OLD INDIAN SITES— INDIAN KNOI', CREEK. 6l cer- n in In o as en- tual. sas see re- they but the nost the north, a high prairie. At \o}i miles from our camp, we saw and examined a curious collection of graves or mounds, on the south side of the river. Not far from a low piece of land and a pond, is a tract of about 200 acres in circumference, which is covered with mounds of different heights, shapes, and sizes; some of sand, and some of both earth and sand ; the largest being nearest the river. These mounds indicate the position of the ancient village of the Ottoes, before they retired to the protection of the Paw- nees. After making 15 miles, we camped on the south," on the bank of a high handsome prairie, with lofty cotton- wood in groves near the river. ////)' 2S//1. At one mile this morning we reached a bluff " on the north, being the first highlands which approach the river on that side since we left the Nadawa [river]. Above this is an island, and a creek about 15 yards wide, which, as it lias no name, we called Indian Knob"" [Round Knob, Gass] creek, from a number of round knobs bare of timber, on the highlands to the north. A little below the bluff, on the north, is the spot where the Ayauway Indians formerly lived. They were a branch of the Ottoes, and emigrated from this place to the river Des Moines. At 10^ miles, we camped on the north [i. c, east], opposite an island in the middle of tiie river. The land generally, on the north, consists of high prairie and hills, with timber; on the south, it is low and covered with cottonwood. Our hunter information led me to believe that those people spoke different languages, but other and subsequent inform.ition has induced me to doubt the fact." (London ed. 1807, p. 3g.) For the case of the Kiowas see above note. '* See July 22d, note there. To-day's camp is on the west side of the river, in Douglas Co., Neb. ; and if 15 miles were made, as said, the Expedition is already past the present sites of Omaha, Neb., and Council Bluffs, la. — a point to be remembered in locating the " Council-blufI " of our text, " At or near which w-is later built a trading-post, called Fort Croghan — a name to be found on Nicollet's map. " .\ much-named stream ; Gopher creek of Nicollet's and of Owen's map ; liig Pigeon river of W.-irren's. and of the G. L. O. (1876) map ; later Indian creek ; arising in Shelby Co. , running through Harrison Co. into Pottawattamie Co., and emptying into the Missouri near Crescent City, la., a little above the fiSoth mile point. To-day's camp is but little above this stream, and on the lowan (east) side. ■v\ k 6i A MISSOURI INDIAN— BOYERS RIVER. t •, I 1. brought to us in the evening a Missouri Indian whom he had found, with two others, dressing an cTk ; they wore perfectly friendly, gave him some of the meat, and one of them agreed to accompany him to the boat. He is one of the few remaining Missouris, who live with the Ottoes ; he belongs to a small party, whose camp is four miles from the river ; and he says that the body of the nation is now hunt- ing buffalo in the plains. He appeared quite sprightly, and his language resembled that (^p- j6) of the Osages, particu- larly in his calling a chief "inca." We sent him back with one of our own party next morning, July 29///, with an invitation to the Indians to meet us above on the river, and then proceeded. We soon came to a northern bend in the river, which runs within 20 yards of Indian Knob creek, the water of which is five feet higher than that of the Missouri. In less than two miles, we passed Boyer's " [or Bowyer's] creek on the north, of 25 yards' width. We stopped to dine under a shade, near the high land on the south, and caught several large catfish, one of them nearly white and all very fat. Above this high land we observed the traces of a great hurricane, which passed the river obliquely from N.W. to S.E. and tore up large trees, some of which, perfectly sound and four feet in diameter, were snapped off near the ground. We made ten miles to a wood on the north, where we camped. The Missouri is much more crooked since we passed the " Present name ; so also Clark's MS., but Bowyer's on both Lewis' and Clark's maps; misprinted Bayer's and Kowyer's on some maps. It is the Riviere i Boyer of Perrin du Lac. It traverses several counties of western Iowa ; at its main forks is Cedar Rapids, Crawford Co., la. It was explored by Thomas Say, in 1820, during Major Long's Expedition. Three miles above its mouth, across the Missouri, in what is now Washington Co., Neb., Major Long established himself, Sept. 17th, 1819, and named the place Engineer Can. tonment, the latitude of which he determined to be 41" 25' 03.9". This spot was half a mile below a trading-post called Fort Lisa (which had been located by the noted Manuel Lisa of the Missouri Fur Company, with whom Clark was at one time in partnership), and five miles below the Council-blufl of Lewis and Clark. This is also the original locality of several of Mr. Say's new species of mamm.i1s and birds. When Brackenridge passed here. May 13th, 181 1, he saw the houses of the trader McClelland, who had wintered at this place. I I > I AWAITING THE INDIANS. 63 I'lattc, though generally speaking not so rapid ; there is more of prairie, with less timber, and cottonwood in the low grounds, with oak, black walnut, hickory, and elm. /ii// 30///. We went early in the morning 3)^ miles, and camped on the south," in order to wait for ti»c Ottoes. The land hero consists of a plain above the high-water level, the soil of which is fertile, and covered with a grass from five to eight feet high, interspersed with copses ot large plums, and a currant, like those of the United States. It also fuN nishes two species of honeysuckle ; one growing to a kind of shrub, common about Harrodsburgh (Kentucky), the other is not so high ; the flowers grow in clusters, are short, and of a light pink color; the leaves too, are distinct [not perfoliate], and do not surround the stalk, as do those of the common honeysuckle of the United States. Back of this plain is a woody ridge about 70 feet above it, at the end of which we formed our camp. This ridge separates the lower from a higher prairie, of a good quality, with grass of ten or twelve inches in height, and extending back about a mile, to another elevation of {/>. J/) 80 or 90 feet, beyond which is one continued plain. Near our camp, we enjoy from the bluffs a most beautiful view of the river and the adjoining country. At a distance, varying from four to ten miles, and of a height between 70 and 3(X) feet, two parallel ranges of high land afford a passage to the Missouri, which enriches the low grounds between them. In its winding course it nourishes the willow-islands, the scat- tered cottonwood, elm, sycamore, lynn [linden, Tilia pubcS' cens\y and ash ; and the groves are interspersed with hickory, walnut, coffee-nut {Gymnocladus canadensis], and oak. July l\st. The meridian altitude of this day made the latitude of our camp 41' 18' ijV- The hunters supplied us with deer, turkeys, geese, and beaver ; one of the last was caught alive, and in a very short time was perfectly '" That is, on the west (Nebraskan) side of the river, nearly or exactly at the 690th mile point of the present course of the Missouri. On this matter see further note of August 3d. ■1 I * It i ■ 64 ARRIVAL OF THE INDIANS. tamed. Catfisli arc very abundant in the river, and we have also seen a bufTalo-fish. One of our men brought in yesterday an animal called by the Pawnees chocartoosh, and by the French blaireau," or badger [Taxiiiia atucri- caua]. The evening is cool, yet the mosquitoes are still very troublesome." Aiij;ust 1st and 2d. We waited with much anxiety the re- turn of our messenger to the Ottoes. The men whom we dispatched to our last camp returned without having seen any appearance of its having been visited. Our horses too had strayed; but we were so fortunate as to recover them at the distance of twelve miles. Our apprehensions were at length relieved by the arrival of a party of about 14 Ottoe and Missouri Indians, who came at sunset, on the 2d of August, accompanied by a Frenchman " who resided among them and interpreted for us. Captains Lewis and Clark went out to meet them, and told them that we would hold a council in the morning. In the mean time we sent them some roasted meat, pork, flour, and meal ; in return for which they made us a present of watermelons. We learned that our man Liberie had set out from their camp a day before them. We were in hopes that he had fatigued his horse, or lost himself in the woods, and would soon return ; but we never saw him again. (/• J^) August id. This morning the Indians, with their six chiefs, were all assembled under an awning formed with '" This word happens to be here spelled correctly ; nearly always, in this work, it is corrupted to braro, or brairo, or brarow, once braroca, once praro, and in Gass prarow. These forms indicate the Caniidian voyageurs' pronuncia- tion, caught by ear by our travelers. Pike has brelau and brelaw. ■" " Tiifsdayiist. One of our men went to visit some traps he had set, and in one found a young beaver, but little hurt, and brought it in alive. In a short time he went out again and killed a large buck. Two other hunters came in about twelve, who had killed two deer ; but lost the horses. One of them with two other persons were sent to hunt, who returned at dark without finding them ; and supposed they had been stolen by the Indians," Gass, p. 2f). The lost horses were not recovered till Aug. 2d ; and a lost man (Liberte) was never found. Whether this was death or desertion, or both, was never known. " Named as " Mr. Fairfong " in Clark's .^IS. COUNCIL WITH THE INDIANS. 65 the mainsail, in presence of all our part)-, paraded for the occasion. A speech was then made announcing to them the change in the government, our promise of protection, and advice as to their future conduct. All the six chiefs replied to our speech, each in his turn, according to rank. They expressed their joy at the change in the government ; their hopes that we would recommend them to their Great Father (the President), that they might obtain trade and necessaries ; they wanted arms as well for hunting as for di-'fense, and asked our mediation between them and the Mahas, with whom tiiey are now at war. We promised to do so, and wished some of them to accompany us to that nation, which t^hey declined, for '"ir of being killed by them. We then proceeded to distribute our presents. The grand chief of the nation not being of the party, we sent him a flag, a medal, and some ornaments for clothing. To the six chiefs who were present, we gave a medal of the second grade to one Ottoe chief, and one Missouri chief ; a medal of the third grade to two inferior chiefs of each na- tion — the customary mode of recognizing a chief being to place a medal round his neck, which is considered among his tribe as a proof of his consideration abroad. Each of these medals was accompanied by a present of paint, gar- ters, and cloth ornaments of dress ; and to this we added a cannister of powder, a bottle of whisky, and a few presents to the whole, which appeared to make them perfectly satisfied. The air-gun too was fired, and astonished them greatly. The absent grand chief was an Ottoe named Weahrushhah, which in English degenerates into Little Thief. The two principal chieftains present were Shongotongo or Hig Horse ; and Wethea or Hospitality; also Shosguscan 01 White Horse, an Ottoe ; the first an Ottoe. the second a Missouri." The incident just related induced us to give to this place " In Clark's MS. these names stand as follows : Wearrugenor, Little Thief ; Shongotongo, Big Horse ; Wethea, Hospatality (j/c) ; Shonguscan, White Horse; with four others not in the text, Waupeuh, Ahhoningga, Uaz.icouja, and Ahhonega, all Ottoes. 66 THE COUNCIL-BLUFF. w I , ' the name of the Council-bluff;" the situation of it {J>.J9) is excecdintjiy favorable for a fort and trading-factory, as the soil is well calculated for bricks, there is an abundance of wood in the neighborhood, and the air is pure and healthy. It is also central to the chief resorts of the Indians ; one day's journey to the Ottoes ; i >^ to the great Pawnees ; two days' from the Mahas ; 2^4. from the Pawnees Loups village; convenient to the hunting-grounds of the Sioux ; and 25 days' journey to Santa Fee [Fe]. The ceremonies of the council being concluded, we set sail in the afternoon, and camped at the distance of five miles, on the south [Nebraskan] side, where we found the mosquitoes very troublesome. August \th. A violent wind, accompanied by rain, puri- fied and cooled the atmosphere last night. We proceeded " That is, Council niiiffs, the name of the now flourishing city in IV'-wat- tamie Co., la , opposite the still greater city o{ Omaha, Douglas Co., Neb. Here is the origin of the name, though the city is much below the exact spot where these historical incidents took place, and on the other side of the river. In the te.tt, as above, the name usually stands Council-blufT, in one hyphen- ated word. The spot is not marked on Lewis' map of 1806 ; on Clark's of 1814 the words "Council HlufI " are lettered, but on the lowan side of the river, with no mark on the Nebraskan side to indicate the exact spot. Hence some confusion arose, and another element of vagueness was introduced by the f.act that some maps extended the name " Council HlufTs" to the whole range of hills alon^ the river on either side. The spot is marked on Nicollet's map, as determined by him in l83(). It was Liter the site of Kort Calhoun, in the pres- ent \Vashin;;lon Co., Neb. We must also remember, in attempting to fix this spot, how much the Missouri has altered its course since 1804. This shiftiness of the Missouri is remarked upon by Nicollet (Report, 1843, p. 33), in leaving Council HlufTs : " Thus we C( uld not recognize many of the bends described by Lewis and Clark ; and, most probably, those determined by us in 1839, and laid down upon my map, will ere long have disappeareil ; such is the unsettled course of the river. .Mready have I been informed, in fact, that the great bend opposite Council Hluffs has disappeared since our visit ; ;ind that the Missouri, which then flowed at the foot of the bluff, is now further removed, by several miles, to the east of it. It is. in this respect, curious to compare our journal of travelling distances with that of Lewis and Clark. They are fmmd always to differ, and sometimes considerably. Yet, on arriving at any prominent station, as the confluence of a large river, the amount of the parti.")! distances computed agree as nearly as could be expected, from the methods employed to estimate them.'' >,..» TRAniNG-lIOUSE AND CREEKS PASSED. 67 early, and readied a very narrow part of the river, where the channel is confined u itliin a space of 200 yards by a sand-point on tiie north and a bend on the south ; the banks in the neigliboriiood are washing away, tlie trees falling in, and the ciianncl is filled with buried logs. Above th's is a trading-house on the soutli, where one of our party [Cru- zatte] passed two years, trading with the Mahas. At nearly four miles is a creek on the south, emptying opposite a large island of sand ; between this creek and our last night's camp the river has changed its bed and encroached on the southern shore. About two miles further is another creek on the south, wliicli. like the former, is the outlet of three ponds, communicating with each other and forming a small lake, which is feil by streams from the high lands." At 15 miles we camped on the south. The hills on both sides of the river are nearly 12 or 15 miles from each other; those of the north containing some timber, while the hills of the south are without any covering, e.vcept some scattering wood in the ravines and near where the creeks pass into the hills; rich ])l.iins and prairies occui)y the interme- diate space and are partially covered, ne.ir the water, cottoi w (A-/' a great deal of pumice-stone on the shore to-day August i)th. We set out early, and by means of our oars made 2oj4 miles, though the river bars. On both sides the prairies the banks being otwered with great quantities of grapes, of hich three different species arc now ripe, one larg? and was crowded with sand- extend along the river • ■ resembling the purple grape. We had some rain this morii- " Neither of the creeks mentioned is now idcntifialile with cert.iinty. To .inswer to one or the other we find .1 Iteaver crtek of N'icollct and of Owen ; a. No Ile.nrt creek of the ('.. I,. O. m.ip cf iSyO (emptying; on the boundary between Washington .ind Hurt Co., Neb), and a I'ish creek on the Mo K. Comm. m.ip To-day's camp is in Nebraska, near the 700th mile iioiiit of the ni.ip last named. " Gass notes under this date the desertion of one of the men (n.it the I'Vench- man I.ibertc). l)eyon(! mentioned under dale of Auj;. 7th. His name docs not appear in the text, but was M. H. Heed. ■ :> 'fc I rw^^i^y^ 68 SHIFTING OF THE MISSOURI— SOLDIER S RIVER. m I i\i\' iiig, attended by high wind ; but, generally speaking, have remarked that thunder-storms are less frequent than in the Atlantic States, at this season. Snakes too are less fre- quent, though we killed one to-day of the shape and size of the rattlesnake, but of a lighter color. We fixed our camp on the north side [Harrison Co., la.]. In the evening Captain Clark, in pursuing some game in an eastern direction, found himself at the distance of 370 yards from the camp, at a point of the river whence we had come twelve miles. When the water is high, this peninsula is overflowed ; and, judging from the customary and notorious changes in the river, a few years will be sufficient to force the main current of the river across and leave the great bend dry. The whole lowland between the parallel ranges of hills seems formed of mud or ooze of the river, at some former period mixed with sand and clay. The sand of the neighboring banks accumulates with the aid of that brought down the stream, and forms sand-bars projecting into the river ; these drive the channel to the opposite bank, the loose texture of which it undermines, and at length deserts its ancient bed for a new and shorter passage. It is thus that the banks of the Missouri are constantly falling, and the river is changing its bed. August 6f/i. In the morning, after a violent storm of wind and rain from the N.W., we passed a large island to the north. In the channel separating it from the shore, a creek called Soldier's^" river enters; the island kept it from our view, but one of our men who had seen it, represents it as about (/». ^i) 40 yards wide at its mouth. At five miles, we came to a bend of the river toward the north. A sand-bar, running in from the south, had turned its course so as to leave the old channel quite dry. We again saw the same appearance at our camp, 20^^ miles distant, on the north side. Here the channel of the river had encroached south, and the old bed was " Also variously Soldier, Soldiers, and Soldiers' ; R. des Soldats of Perrin du Lac ; ntnning in Ida, Crawford, Monona, and Harrison Cos., la. 4 DETACHMENT ISLANDS— A DESERTION. 69 without water, except a few ponds. The sand-bars are still very numerous. August jth. We had another storm from the N.W. in the course of the last evening. In the morning we pro- ceeded, having the wind from the north, and camped on the northern shore, having rowed 17 miles. The river is here encumbered with sand-bars, but there are no island^ except two small ones, called Detachment islands, formed Oil the south side by a small stream. We dispatched four men back to the Ottoe village in quest of our man Libert^, and to apprehend one of the soldiers, who left us on the 4th under pretense of recover- ing a knife which he had dropped a short distance behind, and who we fear has deserted." We also sent small pres- ents to the Ottoes and Missouris, and requested that they would join us at the Maha village, where a peace might be concluded between them. August SM. At two miles' distance, this morning, we came to a part of the river where there was concealed timber difficult to pass. The wind was from the N.W,, and we proceeded in safety. At six miles, a river empties on the north side, called by the Sioux Indians Eaneah- wadepon,'" or Stone river; and by the French, Petite " "Four of our people were dispatched to the Oto nation of Indians after the man [M. B. Reed] who had not returned on the 4th, with orders to take him dead or alive, if they could see him," Gass, p. 27. "At i o'clock dis- patched George Drewyer, R, Fields, \Vm. Bratton & \Vm. Labieche back after the Deserter reed, with order if he did not give up peaceably to put him to Death," Clark, MS. '" Dakotan Indian name, from inyan, "stone," and ira-tpa, "river," /. e.. Stone river, as in the text. This is the largest of zz.^xaX streams draining western parts of Iowa into the Missouri, arising near the sources of the Des Moines in S.W. Minnesota, in a system of prairie lakes, the largest of which, close by the Des Moines river, is about 7 miles long and bro.id, and commonly known as Spirit lake, from the Siou.x name Mini-wakon, " spirit " or " medicine " water. One of its largest tributaries had the Indian name Otdicyedan, derived from a hill where the Indians went to mourn their de.-»d relatives, the word meaning "crying-place." This is marked Ocheyedan hillock or .Mourning ground on Nicollet's map. Clark's map (1814) draws a straight line, in part along the Little Siou.x river, from the Missouri to the Des Moines, calling it the Wl i !hi 1. 1 i f if: ill iHi^ 70 EANEAHWADEPON OR LITTLE SIOUX RIVER. Rivifere des Sioux, or Little Sioux river. At its confluence it is 80 yards wide. Our interpreter, Mr. Durion, who has been to the sources of it and knows the adjoining country, says that it rises within about nine miles of the river Des Moines; that within 15 leagues of that river it passes through a large lake nearly 60 miles in circumference, divided into two parts by rocks which approach each other very {p. ^) closely ; its width is various; it contains many islands, and is known by the name of the Lac d'Esprit ; it is near the Dog plains [Prairie du Chien], and within four days' march of the Mahas. The country watered by it is open and undulating, and may be visited in boats up the river for some distance. The Des Moines, he adds, is about 80 yards wide where the Little Sioux river approaches it ; it is shoaly, and one of its principal branches is called Cat river. Two miles beyond this [Little Sioux] river is a long island which we called Pelican island," from the numbers of that bird which were feeding on it ; one of these being killed, we poured into his bag five gallons of water. An elk was shot, and we had again to remark that snakes are rare in this part of the Missouri. A meridian altitude near the Little Sioux river made the latitude 41° 42' 34". We camped on the north [in Monona Co., la.], having come 16 miles. August gth. A thick fog detained us until past seven o'clock, after which we proceeded with a gentle breeze Old Route ; and indicates two portages from as many lakes over to the Des Moines. 'The Little Sioux flows in a gener.il S.W. and S. course, and empties into the Missouri in Harrison Co., la. It is the Inyan Vankey of Nicollet's map. Clark's MS. has Eaneahwaudepon and Petite river de Cuoiiex, and again Little Cuouex. said to pass through a lake called Despree, i.e., d'Esprits. Clark never settled on any spelling of the word Sioux, and his MS. shows great origi- nality and fertility of resource in arranging the letters. I find, for instance, besides Cuouex, Scouex, Suouex, Souex, Souix, Soux, Soues, Sieouex, Sceouex, Sicouex, Seaux. Seauex. Sues, etc., with some remarkable endings for imaginary plurals in -xs and -xes. Some of these permutations persist in his MS. of later years. The uniformity of Sioux in the text is due to Biddle. "' Such an island appears on the Mo. R. Comm. map, its head at the 730th mile point COUPLE A JACQUES. ft from the southeast. After passing two sand-bars we reached, at 7^ miles, a point of high land on the left, near which the river has forced itself a channel across a penin- sula, leaving on the right a circuit of 12 or 18 miles, which is now recognized by the ponds and islands it contains. At 17}4 miles, we reached a point on the north, where we camped. The hills are at a great distance from the river for the last several days; the land on both sides is low, and covered with Cottonwood and abundance of grape-vines. An elk was seen to-day, a turkey was shot, and near our camp is a beaver-den ; the mosquitoes have been more troublesome than ever for the two last days. Au£-ust loth. At 21^ miles, we came to a place called Couple k Jacques, where the river has found a new bed and abridged a circuit of several miles; at 12^ miles, to a cliff of yellow stone on the left. This is the first high land near the river above the Council-bluff. After passing a number of sand-bars we reached a willow-island at the dis- tance of 22>^ miles, which we (/. ^j) were enabled to do with our oars and a wind from the S.VV., and camped on the north side." August nth. After a violent wind from the N.W. at- tended with rain, we sailed along the right of the island. At nearly five miles, we halted on the south side for the purpose of examining a spot where one of the great chiefs of the Mahas [Omalias], named Blackbird, who died about ■'" Neither the courses nor distances of Aug. 9th and loth can now be recog- nized with any certainty, as the bed of the river has changed greatlv, with cor- responding alteration of the boundary line between what are now Iowa and Nebraska. Several maps consulted show different courses, cut-offs, and lakes, variously named and hardly identifiable. How these may be formed is indi- cated in the following : " Passed /a coupe ,\ /.'Oisdle. This name originated in the circumstance of a trader having made a narrow escape, being in the river at the very moment that this cut-off was forming. It was a bend of fifteen miles round, and perhaps not more than a few hundred yards across, the neck, which was suddenly cut through by the river and became the main channel." Prack- enridge, Journal, 1814, p. 229. On the whole the river seems to have straight- ened, as the distances now computed are decidedly less than those estimated by Lewis and Clark. Camp of Aug. loth is in Monona Co., la. '*t 1 :\ ! ■pi I \) ^M ! ; I I'd'l: 7Z BLACKBIRD, AN OMAHA CHIEF, four [in 1800] years ago of the smallpox, was buried. A hill of yellow soft sandstone rises from the river in bluffs of various heights, till it ends in a knoll about 300 feet above the water ; on the top of this a mound, of twelve feet diameter at the base and six feet high, is raised over the body of the deceased king; a pole of about eight feet high is fixed in the center, on which we placed a white flag, bordered with red, blue, and white. Blackbird seems to have been a personage of great consideration ; for ever since his death he has been supplied with provisions, from time to time, by the superstitious regard of the Mahas." We descended to the river and passed a small creek on the south, called by the Mahas Waucandipeeche " (Great Spirit "The following notice of Blackbird, who seems to have been a pretty black sheep of the Omaha flock, is taken from Brackenridge's Journal (orig. ed., Pittsburgh, 1814), p. 229: " SatiirJay lilh. A fine breeze S.W. At seven arrived at the Black-bird hill. . . It takes its name from a celebrated chief of the Mahas, who caused him- self to be interred on the top ; a mound has been erected on the pinnacle, with a branch stuck in it ; a tlag was formerly attached to it. He was buried sitting erect on horseback ; the reason why he chose this spot was to enable him to see the traders as they ascended. This chief was as famous in his life- time amongst all the nations in this part of the world, as Tamerlane or Bajazet were in the plains of Asia ; a superstitious awe is still paid to his grave. Vet the secret of his greatness was nothing more than a quantity of arsenic which he procured from some trader. He denounced death against anyone who dis- pleased him or opposed his wishes ; it is, therefore, not surprising that he, who held at his disposal the lives of others, should possess unlimited power and excite universal terror. The proud savage, whenever this terrible being ap- peared, rendered the homage of a slave." This immense brute's Indian name was Wash-ing-guh-sah-ba ; he was a great scoundrel and a great soldier. His own ba:id was called Monekagoha, or the Earth-makers, from their habit of rub- bing the body with clay when mourning. During his youth the Omahas were above the mouth of Floyd's river. He sought to poison Little Bow, an inferior chief who opposed him ; but he failed, and Little Bow maintained a separate village on the Missouri till Blackbird's death. The successor of Blackbird was Mushinga or the Big Rabbit, who wa-i shortly succeeded by T.isone, the White Cow, and he by Ongpatonga, the Big Elk. (See Long's Exp. R. Mts. I.. Eng. ed., pp. 204-207). Tradition has magnified Blackbird's exploits, and the hill where he was buried still bears his name. His best biography is Irving's (Astoria, ed. l36l, pp. 161-166). " Elsewhere called " Warcarde or Bad Spirit" creek. Tho name is spelled -mrn^S'^ WAUCANDIPEECHE CREEK. T3 is bad). Near this creek and the adjoining hills the Mahas had a village, and lost 400 of their nation by the dreadful malady wiiich destroyed Blackbird. The meridian altitude made the latitude 42"" 1' 3^" north. We camped at 17 miles' distance, on the north side, in a bend of the river." During our day's course it has been crooked ; we observed a number of places in it where the old channel is filled up, or gradually becoming covered with willow and cotton, wood. Great numbers of herrons [herons, Herodias egr€tta\ are observed today, and mosquitoes annoy us very much. Atigiist \2tl1. A gentle breeze from the south carried us along about ten miles, when we stopped to take a meridian altitude, and sent a man across to our place of observation yesterday. He stepped 974 yards, and the distance we had come round was i8j^ miles. The river is wider and shal- lower than usual. Four miles beyond this bend a bluff begins, and (/>. ./^) continues several miles; on the south it rises from the water at different heights, from 20 to 150 feet, and higher as it recedes on the river ; it consists of yellow and brown clay, with soft sandstone imbedded in it, and is covered with timber, among which may be observed some red cedar ; the lands on the opposite side are low and subject to inundation, but contain willows, cottonwoods, and many grapes. A prairie-wolf \Canis latrans\ came near the bank and barked at us; we attempted unsuccessfully to take him. This part of the river abounds in beaver. We camped on a sand-island in a bend to the north," having made 20^ miles. August \7,t/i. Set out at daylight with a breeze from the W.-iwandysenche on Clark's map, 1S14. and Long's, 1823. The first element in this name is Wakon.Dakotan for " Spirit." " Medicine,"or something not under- stood. This stream is in Thurston Co.. Neb., where is now the Om.aha Indian Reservation. " Near the present Badger Lake, Monona Co., la. Of the " herrons " pres- ently noticed, Lewis' MS. of Aug. 2d gives a long and good description. •« Apparently just over the border of Woodbury Co., Li., .and near a lake marked on some maps Crooked lake. But there is now no such bend in the river as the text describes, and the point cannot be located exactly. It should be about the 775th mile point of present charts. i1 U ''1 % 1 1;.- w 74 FORT CHARLES— OMAHA VILLAGE. ■\> I I " I Hi southeast, and passed several sand-bars. Between lo and 1 1 miles, we came to a spot on the south where a Mr. Mackay" had a trading-establishment in the years 1795 and 1796, which he called Fort Charles. At 14 miles we reached a creek on the south, on which the Mahas" reside, and at 17 j4 ro'l^s, formed a camp on a sand-bar, to the south side of the river, opposite the lower point of a large island. From this place Sergeant Ordway and four men were detached to the Maha village with a flag and a pres- •' Lewis' map of 1806 traces " Mr. J. Mackay's Route " from this point along^ the Loup fork of the Platte, and back by way of the Niobrara to the Missouri. This detail is omitted on Clark's map of 1814, where the Maha village is marked very plainly on a forked creek. This creek had the same name, but its position with respect to the Missouri changed much in the course of years. This day's camp is made very nearly opposite the present site of Omadi, in Dakota Co., Neb., and not far from a creek of the same name. " These Indians are so called throughout, except once or twice when the name is printed Mahar. In the Statistical View Lewis gives Maha and O'ma-ha. The French nickname he prints " La Mar." The name was often written Omaw'haw (so Long, 1823, chaps, x. et seq., where Say gives their history). The proper phonetic rendering is U-man'-ha", with scarcely nasalized it's, and the accent on the second syllable — not on the first, as we now always place it in speaking the name of the great city opposite Council Bluffs. The locality is in Dakota Co., Neb., a little south of Dakota City, north of the present Omaha Indian Reservation. The Omahas are a tribe of the great Siouan family. They are now at the Omaha and Winnebago Agency in Nebraska, to the reported number of 1,158 ; to which are to be added 19 at school in Carlisle, Pa., 10 at the Hampton school in Virginia, and 10 at the Lawrence school in Kansas ; total 1,197. In 1805, when Lewis' Statistical View was prepared (pub. 1806 and again 1807), the census was 600, including 150 warriors and 60 lodges. The indication of their family affinities is given by Lewis, who says that they speak "Osage, with different accent ; some words peculiar to themselves." He adds: "About ten years since, they boasted 700 warriors. They have lived in a village on the west bank of the Missouri, 236 miles above the mouth of the river Platte, where they cultivated corn, beans, and melons; they were warlike, and the terror of their neighbours. In the summer and autumn of 1802, they were visited by the small- pox, which reduced their numbers to something less than 300 ; they burnt their village, and have become a wandering nation, deserted by the traders, and the consequent deficiency of arms and ammunition has invited frequent aggressions from their neigbours [sic], which have tended to reduce them still further. They rove principally on the waters of the river Quicurre [Qui court, the Niobrara], or Rapid River. . . The Tctons Bois brfile [sic] killed and took about 60 of them last summer [1S04]." (London ed. 1807, p. 16.) OMAHA INDIANS. n ent, in order to induce the Mahas to come and hold a council with us. They returned at twelve o'clock the next day, August 14//1. After crossing a prairie covered with high grass they reached the Maha creek, along which they proceeded to its three forks, which join near the village ; they crossed the north branch and went along the south ; the walk was very fatiguing, as they were forced to break their way through grass, sunflowers, and thistles, all above ten feet high and interspersed with wild pea. Five miles from our camp they reached the position of the ancient Maha village ; it had once consisted of 300 cabins, but was burnt about four years ago, soon after the smallpox had destroyed 400 men and a proportion of women and children. On a hill, in the rear of the village are the graves (p. ^5) of the nation, to the south of which runs the fork of the Maha creek; this they crossed where it was about ten yards wide, and lollowed its course to the Missouri, passing along a ridge of hill for i}4 miles, and a long pond between that and the Missouri ; they then recrossed the Maha creek, and arrived at the camp, having seen no tracks of Indians nor any sign of recent cultivation. August \t)th. In the morning some men were sent to examine the cause of a large smoke from the northeast, which seemed to indicate that some Indians were near; but they found that a small party, who had lately passed that way, had left some trees burning, and that the wind from that quarter blew the smoke directly toward us. Our camp lies about three miles northeast from the old Maha villase, and is in latitude 42° 13' 41". The accounts we have had of the effects of the smallpox on that nation are most dis- tressing; it is not known in what way it was first communi- cated to them, though probably by some war-party. They had been a military and powerful people; but when these warriors saw their strength wasting before a malady which they could not resist, their frenzy was extreme ; they burnt their village, and many of them put to death their wives and children, to save them from so cruel an n I !i n M r % I, lii r ! 76 AWAITING THE INDIANS. affliction, and that all might go together to some better country. August i6th. We still waited for the Indians. A party had gone out yesterday to the Maha creek, which was dammed " up by the beaver between the camp and the vil- lage. A second went to-day. They made a kind of drag with small willows and bark, and swept the creek. The first company brought 318 fish, the second upward of 800,'" consisting of pike, bass, fish resembling salmon-trout, red- horse, buffalo-fish, rock-fish, one flat-back, perch, catfish, a small species of perch called on the Ohio silver-fish, a shrimp" of the same size, shape, and flavor of those about New Orleans and the lower part of the Mississippi. We also found very fat mussels;*^ and in the river as well as (/. ^6) the creek, are different kinds of ducks and plovers. The wind, which in the morning had been from the north- west, shifted round in the evening to the southeast, and as usual we had a breeze which cooled the air and relieved us from the mosquitoes, which generally give us great trouble. August x'jth. The wind continued from the southeast, and the morning was fair. We observe about us a grass resembling wheat, e.xcept that the grain is like rye; also, some similar to both rye and barley, and a kind of timothy, the seed of which branches from the main stock, and is more like a flaxseed than a timothy. In the evening one ^' As to the operations of the bciver, Clark wrote that the crij'.k was darned by them, and the liiddle text makes it damned by them ; I alter as above. '" It appears by comparing (iass at Aug. 15th that the veracity of our authors almost extends to reporting (ish caught. We here have 318 -f- 800 =r l.iiS ; Gass says 387 + 709 = 1,096. Clark's MS. names the camp of Aug. I3th-I9th Fishing Camp. I desired to identify to-day's catch, as doubtless among these fishes v.-ere species which were then new to science. lUit after dragging the codices patiently I got only a water-haul, and any identifications I could make on the strength of the bare names would be e.\ post facto, so to speak, or merely based on our present knowledge of Missouri ichthyology. *' Not shrimp properly so-called, which are marine crustaceans, but a kind of crawfish common in the Missouri, of the genus Co.mbartis. ■" Some species of fresh-water bivalve mollusks of the family UfiioniJa. Clark wrote mustles ; liiddle printed muscles, and I alter as above. ^w DESERTLk AI'I'REHENDED— ARRIVAL OF INDIANS, yy of the party sent to tlie Ottoes returned with the informa- tion that the rest were coming on with the deserter; they had also caught Libert<:', but by a trick he had made his escape; they were bringing tluee of the chiefs in order to engage our assistance in making peace with the Mahas. Tliis nation having left their village, that desirable purpose cannot be effected; but in order to bring in any neigh- boring tribes, we set the surrounding prairies on fire. This is the customary signal made by traders to apprise the Indians of their arrival ; it is also used between different nations as an indication of any event which they have pre- viously agreed to announce in that way, and as soon as it is seen collects the neighboring tribes, unless they apprehend that it is made by their enemies. August i%th. In the afternoon the party arrived with the Indians, consisting of Little Thief and Big Horse, whom we had seen on the 3d, together with six other chiefs and a French interpreter.*' We met them under a shade, and after they had finished a repast with which we supplied them, we inquired into the origin of the war between them and the Mahas, which they related with great frankness. It seems that two of the Missouris went to the Mahas to steal horses, but were detected and killed; the Ottoes and Missouris thought themselves bound to avenge their com- panions, and the whole nations were at last obli- (/. ./7) gcd to share in the dispute. They are also in fear of a war from the Pawnees, whose village they entered this summer, while the inhabitants were hunting, and stole their corn. " Under this date Gass prints, p. 29 ; "The party who had been sent in pur- suit of the man who h.-id been absent since the 4lh, returned with him and eight Indi.ins and a Frenchman, but left our Frenchman fl.iberti) behind, who li.id Rone to iiunt the horses." Clark's journal of the aSth finishes the story of the deserter: " Proceeded to the trial of Reed, he confessed that he ' Deserted & Stold a public Ritle shot-pouch Powder & I?all ' and requested we wduld be as favourable with him as we could consistantly with our Oathes— which we were and only sentenced him to run the gantlet four times through the Party \: that each man with 9 switchies should punish hira and for him not to be considered in future as one of the Party — " i 11 ill ilN J r 79 COUNCIL WITH INDIANS. ''I !| ? I This ingenuous confession did not make us the less desirous of negotiating a peace for them; but no Indians liave as yet been attracted by our fire. The evening was closed by a dance ; and the next day, August igt/i, the chiefs and warriors being assembled at ten o'clock, we explained the speech we had already sent from the Cuuncil-blufTs, and renewed our advice. They all replied in turn, and the presents were then distributed ; we exchanged the small medal we had formerly given tu Hig Horse for one of the sanie size with that of Little Thief ; we also gave a small medal to a third chief, and a kind of certificate or letter of acknowledgment to five of the war- riors, expressive of our favor and their good intentions. One of them, dissatisfied, returned us the certificate; but the chief, fearful of our being offended, begged that it might be restored to him ; this we declined, and rebuked them severely for having in view mere traffic instead of peace with their neighbors. This displeased them at first ; but they at length all petitioned that it should be given to the warrior, who then came forward and made an apology to us; we then delivered it to the chief to be given to the most worthy, and he bestowed it on the same warrior, whose name was Great Blue Eyes. After a more substan- tial present of small articles and tobacco, the council was ended with a dram to the Indians. In the evening we exhibited different objects of curiosity, and particularly the air-gun, which gave them great surprise. These people are almost naked, having no covering except a sort of breech-cloth round the middle, with a loose blanket or buffalo robe painted, thrown over them. The names of these warriors, besides those already mentioned, were Karkapaha or Crow's Head, and Nenasawa or Black Cat, Missouris ; Sananona or Iron Eyes, Neswaunja or Big Ox, Stageaunja or Big Blue Eyes, and Wa- {/>. 4.S) sashaco or Brave Man, all Ottoes. These two tribes speak very nearly the same language ; they all begged us to give them whisky. SliUUEANT FLOYD'S DEATH— FLOYO's F i.ames pumiciform stone, as not being true pumice, but resembling it. '*.e found no hills smokinr when he ascended in 1 831), nor did Lewis and Clark ; but w.is credibly informe.l that such an occurrence had been witnessed in the interim. See his Report, p. 39 et seq. " The privet is European, nowhere native in North America. The plant meant is the buffalo-berry, or beefsuet-tree (F. graisse de boeuf), Shepherdia oTi^ientta, an elsagnaceous shrub abounding in and highly characteristic of the region the Expedition now enters. " This Indian name is Wassisha, Wassesha, Wassecha, etc., to be found on various old maps. The usual translation. While-earth, or White-stone, would be better Smoky-earth. The French name of Perrin du Lac is riviere A Loutre (Otter river). The river is laid down, but unlettered, on Lewis' map of 1806, where it may be identified by the mound inscribed Hill of Little Devils (see next chapter). It is lettered White Stone R. on Clark's map, 1814. This is now called Vermilion or Vermillion river. It reaches the Missouri through Clay Co., S. D., and the county town of Vermilion is at its mouth. It is a short river, some 60 miles long, issuing from some prairie lakes which used to be called by the French les lacs au Bois leger, or Lightwood lakes. The Buffalo prairie of Lewis and Clark ends at this river. CHAPTER III. THE „,SSOUK, FROM VEKMruON TO TETO. R.VER. Spirit mound, and ImHIt. . mmmmM creek-Ponc.1 nv<:r-P„„ca village-iVairie TJ m ^ "ver-Pa„nec island-Goat Cc ar i.,a„d-Retun, of ,;eor«e Shan, L H," t^r:"'''""'""" ''°""-«-' '^'-^1 ml rp""' '■■^•^"'-"^'Sg^'ge ^hif.eJ-Oak L 1 "" ''"""' °' ""J-'-"- White ma s P e,, ,,,„j^,,,,^. ,,^^^^ Sioux rivers K^l" -"-Antelope and other ani! H. t„.ee._Cood.h._di.a„d-Th:l^^-^--.-"« -- ^^'^^''^^^seJ^:::::,/::^^'^ -' ^'-^. W.H ten to the mouth of Whitestone rk^' k ^ '^''^PP*^'^ ^«^" -Here they left the boat " d TZ^r '' ""''' '''''' ascended a risine -ro„nH / . distance of 200 yards ^- as the eye"fo:rdt r I t'^' ^ t'" ^"^"^^^ ^ theycrossed the creek tre^iU-s ";'"•? '*^"'' '"''^«' an extensive valley THp I,. . "^ ^ '"'"^^ ^"^ ^^ters were obhged to send bid T 7^' '"^ ^PPressive that we ""able t,;bear the fat': e ^nd -f '° ''" "^^''' '^^ ^^ -- liours' march that we rl'lrh; , h u"""' "°' ''" after four ;vas a large mound •;:'';'.• ^^^^.f' f ^"^ ^"^'^- ^'"'^ W. from the mouth of WhT/ . P'""' "^°"* N. 20° "■•ne miles distant! The^ ^07^' '"'" ^^^"'^'^ '^ '^ P--a"elogram. the longest side b"' "'T"' '' ' ^^^"'''''■ ti.e shorter 60 or 70 • from thl , "^ '^""' 300 yards. «teep ascent from the no , ^ "^'•'' '"^' '' "''' ^'t'^ a o.- ;o feet, leaving '^ ^^'iTt T!' ? '" ^"'^^''^ ^^ ^^ breadth and 90 in leneth TI f P'"" °^ ^^ ^^^^ '" ties are conne^e H f " .^l"?'' '"^"^ ^""^'^ ^^tremi- ecter, .., two oval borders which serve as new i,!^ n 86 SPIRIT MOUND, AND INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS. ( bases, and divide the whole side into three steep but regular gradations from the plain. The only thing char- acteristic in this hill is its extreme symmetry, and this, together with its being totally detached from (/. jj) the other hills which are at the distance of eight or nine miles, would induce a belief that it was artificial ; but as the earth and the loose pebbles which compose it are arranged ex- actly like the steep grounds on the borders of the creek, we concluded from this similarity of texture that it might be natural. The Indians have made it a great article of their superstition ; it is called the mountain of Little People, or Little Spirits," and they believe that it is the abode of little devils in the human form, about l8 inches high and with remarkably large heads, armed with sharp arrows, with which they are very skillful, and always on the watch to kill those who should have the hardihood to approach their residence. The tradition is that many have suffered from these little evil spirits; among others, three Maha Indians fell a sacrifice to them a few years since. This has inspired all the neighboring nations, Sioux, Mahas, and Ottoes, with such terror that no consideration could tempt them to visit the hill. We saw none of these wicked little spirits ; nor any place for them, except some small holes scattered over the top; we were happy enough to escape their vengeance, though we remained some time on the ' Marked on Lewis' map of 1806 as the Hill of Little Devils ; on Clark's map of 1814 charted, but unnamed. The tradition has outlived the superstition to which it owes its origin, and survives in the name Spirit mound, still applied by settlers, and appearing on modern maps. This elevation is situated in Clay Co., S. D., in section 14, town 93, range 52 ; it extends nearly north and south, being about 1000 feet long, 350 feet wide at the base, and 95 to 115 feet high, though of anything but symmetrical figure. The highest point is marked by an iron tube, indicating a slat inn of the Missouri River Survey. The body of the hill is ch.ilkslone of the cretaceous group, to within 30 feet or less of the top, covered with yellow clay, and this with gravelly loam. A .'.nv miles to the N.W. is a bluff, some 30 to 50 feet higher than this hillock, prob- ably at one time continuous with the latter, the intervening space being due to erosion. (T. H. Lewis' paper on pseudo-antiquities of the Missouri, in the Amer. Antiq. and Orient. Journ., xiii. No. 5, Sept. 1891, p. 289.) ^mmsirm-. still ktcl jrth 115 oint vey. ■t or f.w rol)- e to the BUFFALOES, BIRDS, AND PLANTS. 8; mound to enjoy the delightful prospect of the plain, which spreads itself out till the eye rests upon the N.VV. hills at a great distance, and those of the N.E. still farther off, enlivened by large herds of buffalo feeding at a distance. The soil of these plains is exceedingly fine ; there is, however, no timber except on the Missouri, all the wood of the Whitestone river not being sufficient to cover thickly 100 acres. The plain country which surrounds this mound has contributed not a little to its bad repu- tation ; the wind driving from every direction over the level ground obliges the insects to seek shelter on its lee- ward side, or to be driven against us by the wind. The small birds, whose food they are, resort of course in great numbers in quest of subsistence ; and the Indians always seem to discover an unusual assemblage of birds as pro- duced by some supernatural (/. 5^) cause. Among them we observed the brown martin employed in looking for insects, and so gentle that they did not fly until we got within a few feet of them. We have also distinguished, among the numerous birds of the plain, the blackbird, the wren or prairie-bird, and a species of lark about the size of a partridge, with a short tail." The excessive heat and thirst forced us from the hill about one o'clock, to the nearest water, which we found in the creek at three miles' distance, and remained an hour and a half. We then went down the creek, through a lowland about one mile in width, and crossed it three times, to the spot where we first reached it in the morning. Here we gathered some delicious plums, grapes, and blue currants, and afterward arrived at the mouth of the river about sunset. To this place the course from the mound is S. 20 miles, E. 9 miles ; we there resumed our periogue, and on reaching our camp of last night set the prairies on fire, to warn the Sioux of our approach. In the mean time, the boat under Sergeant Pryor had proceeded in the afternoon ' None of these birds is certainly identifiable (though all are of course now well- known), except the lark, which is the Western field-lark, Stiiriieila tiegkcta. % i w 'I 88 PETIT ARC OR LITTLE BOW CREEK. 'I I li Mfi one mile, to a bluff of blue clay on the south, and after passing a sand-bar and two sand-islands [his menj fixed their camp at the distance of six miles on the south. In the evening some rain fell. We had killed a duck and sev- eral birds ; in the boat they had caught some large catfish.' August 26th. We rejoined the boat at nine o'clock before she set out ; and, then passing by an island and under a cliff on the south, nearly two miles in extent and composed of white and blue earth, camped at nine miles' distance, on a sand-bar toward the north. Opposite to this, on the south, is a small creek called Petit Arc* or Little Bow ; and a short distance above it, an old village of the same name. This vil- lage, of which nothing remains but the mound of earth about four feet high surrounding it, was built by a Maha chief named Little Bow, who being displeased with Blackbird, the late king, seceded with 200 followers and settled at this spot; it is now abandoned, as the two (/>. jj) villages have reunited since the death of Blackbird. We have great quan- tities of grapes, and plums of three kinds ; two of a yellow color, distinguished by one of the species being longer than ' Gass says " nine tliat would together weigh 300 pounds." The species is doubtless Amiurus pondcro$us. ■■Gass makes it Pettit Ark. It has also been known by its Indian name, Hopa-wazhupi. This is the present Bow creek, Cedar Co., Neb. See beyond, under date of Sept. 2d, what is said of some supposed fortifications or other artificial works, stated to have been seen on the upper side of Petit Arc creek, not far from its mouth. Mr. T. H. Lewis, in his paper on the pseudo-antiqui- ties of the Missouri already cited says (p. 290) of the Little Bow Enclosure, that there are " no traces of any village or artificial works of any description to be found in this neighborhood above the mouth of the Bow, the land being low and subject to overflow. There are, however, several natural ridges, similar to those on Bonhomme Point, which run parallel to the current, when the water is high and covers the bottom." In a note Mr. Lewis adds : " On adjacent hills and plateaus there are isolated ruins of old dirt lodges similar to those constructed by the Mandans. There is also an ancient fort on the East or lower side of Bow creek, about two miles from its mouth, and another still fur- ther south, near llartington, but these two forts were unknown to the Lewis and Clark expedition." liut it does not seem impossible that the explorers may have actually had these works in view, though by some slip they did not indi- cate the location correctly. 1 JACQUES, JAMES, OR YANKTON RIVER. 89 the other, and a third round and red ; all have an excellent flavor, particularly those of the yellow kind. August 27th. The morning star appeared much larger than usual. A gentle breeze from the southeast carried us by some large sand-bars, on both sides and in the middle of the river, to a bluff on the south side 7^ miles distant. This bluff is of white clay or chalk, under which is much stone, like lime, incrusted with a clear substance, supposed to be cobalt, and some dark ore. Above this bluff we set the prairie on fire to invite the Sioux, After 12^ miles we had passed several other sand-bars, and reached the mouth of a river called by the French Jacques (James;, or Yankton, from the tribe which inhabits its banks [and now also Dakota river]. It is about 90 yards wide at the confluence ; the country which it waters is rich prairie, with little timber; it becomes deeper and wider above its mouth, and may be navigated a great distance, as its sources rise near those of St. Peter's [the Minnesota, a branch] of the Mis- sissippi, and [those of] the Red river of lake Winnipeg." ' The arrangement of the watersheds in Minnesota and eastern North Dakota is peculiar. The Red river of the North separates these States, flowing due north ; while on either hand, at a little distance from this river, the water- shed is south — on the Minnesota side, the headwaters of the Mississippi; on the Dakota side, some tributaries of the Missouri, James river is the first of any size after the Big Sioux, It rises in a prairie just south of Devil's l.Tke, in Wells and Foster Cos., N. D. , and runs with a general south course into the Missouri, The lay of the land just south of Devil's lake is specially remarkable, since with the sources of James river are also the heads of the principal western tributary of the Red river. Some judicious remarks on the Coteau des Prairies (also called Coteau de Missouri) will be found in Long's Expedition to the St. Peter's, Keating's ed., London, 1825, I. pp. 376, 377, and p. 380, where the deflection of the Missouri from this ridge is noticed. The western headwaters of the Mississippi are so little separated by any watershed from those of the Red river of the North, that it has been found actually possi- ble to go in a boat from the lake .it the head of the St. Peter's or Minnesota to that at the head of the Red river ; but a prairie coteau distinctly separatts the sources of James river from any waters of the Red river, and a still stronger coteau separates the Missouri from any affluent of the Mouse river, a tributary of the Assiniboin. Says the work just cited (p. 380) : " It is within the recol- lection of some persons, now [1823] in the country, that a boat once floated from Lake Travers into the St. Peter, Thus, therefore, this spot offers us one ! *'l i| I Hj I ui 90 YANKTON INDIANS— CALUMET BLUFF. f ! As we came to the mouth of the river, an Indian swam to the boat ; on our landing we were met by two others, who informed us that a large body of Sioux [Yanktonsj were camped near us. They accompanied three of our men, with an invitation to meet us at a spot above the river. The third Indian remained with us ; he is a Maha boy, and says that his nation have gone to the Pawnees to make peace with them. At 14 miles we camped on a sand-bar to the north [near Yankton, S. D.]. The air was cool, the evening pleasant, the wind from the southeast and light. The river has fallen gradually and is now low. August 28///. We passed, with a stiff breeze from the south, several sand-bars. On the south is a prairie which rises gradually from the water to the height of a bluff, which is at four miles' distance, of a whitish color, and (/. ^6) about 70 or 80 feet high. Further on is another bluff, of a brownish color, on the north side; and at the distance of 8>2 miles is the beginning of Calumet bluff on the south, under which we formed our camp' in a beautiful plain, to await the arrival of the Sioux. At the first bluff the young Indian left us and joined their camp. Before reaching Calumet bluff one of the periogues ran upon a log in the river and was rendered unfit for service, so that all our loading was put into the second periogue. On both sides of the river are fine prairies, with cottonwood; near the bluff there is more timber in the points and valleys than we have been accustomed to see. of those interesting phenomena, which we have already alluded to, but which are nowhere perhaps so apparent as they are in this place. Here we behold the waters of two mighty streams, one of which empties itself into Hudson's Bay at the 57th parallel of north latitude, and the other into the Gulf of Mexico in latitude 29", rising in the same valley within three miles of each other, and even ia some cases affording a direct natural navigation from one into the other." * In Knox Co. , Neb. , about the 900th river-mile point, and opposite the lower one of two islands to be found on later maps by the name of Buffalo. By the bluff on the south, first above named, flows Beaver creek, not noted in the text. The Calumet bluff of the text begins at a point where a range of hills approaches the river closely ; but various authors extend the name to this range for several miles up river. WORD FROM THE YANKTON SIOUX. 91 August 29///. We had a violent storm of wind and rain last evening, and were engaged during the day in repairing the periogue and other necessary occupations. At four o'clocix in the afternoon Sergeant Pryor and his party arrived on the opposite side, attended by five chiefs and about 70 men and boys. We sent a boat for them and they joined us, as did also Mr. [Pierre] Durion, son of our interpreter, who happened to be trading with the Sioux at this time. He returned with Sergeant Pryor to the Indians, with a present of tobacco, corn, and a few kettles ; and told them that we would speak to their chiefs in the morning. Sergeant Pryor reported that on reaching their village, which is twelve miles distant from our camp, he was met by a party with a buffalo-robe, on which they desired to carry their visitors — an honor which they declined, informing the Indians that they were not the commanders of the boats. As a great mark of respect, they were then presented with a fat dog, already cooked, of which they partook heartily and found it well flavored. The camps [lodges] of the Sioux are of a conical form, covered with buffalo-robes painted with various figures and colors, with an aperture in the top for the smoke to pass through. The lodges con- tain from 10 to 15 persons; the interior arrangement is compact and handsome, each lodge having a place for cooking detached from it.' (/. 57) August loth. The fog was so thick that we could not see the Indian camp on the opposite side, but it cleared off about eight o'clock. We prepared a speech and some presents, and then sent for the chiefs and warriors, whom we received, at twelve o'clock, under a large oak tree, near which the flag of the United States was flying. Cap- ^ These tents or lodges are more frequently called by their Indian name, tepee. " The sergeant who had gone to their camp informed me that their lodges, forty in number, are about nine miles from the Missouri, on the Sacque [Jacques] river. They are made of dressed buffalo and elk skins painted red and white, and are very handsome. He said the women are homely and mostly old, but the young men likely and active. They killed a dog as a token of friendship," Gass, p. 32. ^i ,1. V'. Hi i 92 COUNCIL HEl.lt WITH THE YANKTONS. ' '.' tain Lewis delivered a speech, with the usual advice and counsel for their future condi VVc acknowledged their chiefs, by giving to the granu .1 a flag, a medal, a ccr- tificatc. and a string of wampum ; to which we added a chief's coat — that is, a richly laced uniform of the United States artillery corps, with a cocked hat and red feather. One second chief and three inferior ones were made or recognized by medals, a suitable present of tobacco, and articles of clothing. We smoked the pipe of peace, and the chiefs retired to a bower formed of bushes by their young men, where they divided among one another the presents, smoked, cat, and held a council on the answer which they were to make us to-morrow. The young people exercised their bows and arrows in shooting at marks for beads, which we distributed to the best marksmen. In the evening the .vhole party dance until a late hour, and in the course of their amusemen '^hrew among them some knives, tobacco, bells, tape, a. nding, with which they were much pleased. Their musical instruments were the drum, and a sort of little bag made of buffalo-hide dressed white, with small shot or pebbles in it and a bunch of hair tied to it. This produces a sort of rattling music, with which the party was annoyed by four musicians during the council this morning. August i\st. In the morning, after breakfast, the chiefs met and sat down in a row, with pipes of peace highly orna- mented ; all pointed toward the seats intended for Captains Lewis and Clark. When they arrived and were seated, the grand chief, whose Indian name Weucha is in English Shake Hand, and in French is called Le Li-(/. ji*) bera- teur(the Deliverer), rose and spoke at some length, approv- ing what wc had said, and promising to follow our advice. "I see before me," said he, "my Great Father's two sons. You see me and the rest of our chiefs and warriors. We are very poor ; we have neither powder, nor ball, nor knives ; and our women and children at the village have no clothes. I wish that as my brothers have given me a flag YANKTON ELOCUTION. 93 and a medal, they would give something to those poor people, or let them stop and trade with the first boat which comes up the river. I will bring chiefs of the Pawnees and Mahas together, and make peace between them ; but it is better that I should do it than my Great Father's sons, for they will listen to me more readily. I will also take some chiefs to your country in the spring ; but before that time I cannot leave home. I went formerly to the English, and they gave me a medal and some clothes ; when I went to the Spanish they gave me a medal, but nothing to keep it from my skin ; but now you give me a medal and clothes. But still we are poor ; and I wish, brothers, you would give us something for our squaws." When he sat down, Mahtoree or White Crane arose. " I have listened," said he, " to what our father's words were yesterday ; and I am to-day glad to see how you have dressed our old chief. I am a young man, and do not wish to take much; my fathers have made me a chief; I had much sense before, but now I think I have more than ever. What the old chief has declared I will confirm, and do whatever he and you please ; but I wish you would take pity on us, for we are very poor." Another chief, called Pawnawneahpahbe, then said : " I am a young man, and know but little ; I cannot speak well ; but I have listened to what you have told the old chief, and will do whatever you agree." The same sentiments were repeated by Aweawechache. We were surprised at finding that the first of these titles means " Struck by the Pawnee," and was occasioned by some {p. jp) blow which the chief had received in battle from one of the Pawnee tribe. The second is in English Half Man, which seemed a singular name for a warrior, till it was explained to have its origin, probably, in the mod- esty of the chief ; who, on being told of his exploits, would say, " I am no warrior ; I am only half a man." The other chiefs spoke very little ; but after they had finished, one of the warriors delivered a speech in which he 'VI .1' Mi ,.t t ,1 ■« ir r-» . . I ill i i !■' 94 THE COUNCIL CONCLUDED. declared he would support them. They promised to make peace with the Ottoes and Missouris, the only nations with whom they were at war. All these harangues concluded by describing the distress of the nation ; they begged us to have pity on them ; to send them traders ; they wanted powder and ball, and seemed anxious that we should sup- ply them with some of their Great Father's milk, the name by which they distinguish ardent spirits. We gave some tobacco to each of the chiefs, and a certificate to two of the warriors who attended the chief. We prevailed on Mr. Durion to remain here, and accompany as many of the Sioux chiefs as he could collect, down to the seat of govern- ment. We also gave his son a flag, some clothes and pro- visions, with directions to bring about a peace between the surrounding tribes, and to convey some of their chiefs to see the President. In the evening they left us and camped on the opposite bank, accompanied by the two Durions. During the evening and night we had much rain, and observed that the river rises a little. The Indians who have just left us are the Yanktons, a tribe of the great nation of Sioux." These Yanktons are " For the position of the Yanktons and Yanktonnais as members of the great Siouan linguistic stock, and as tribes of the Sioux proper or Dakota Indians, see the classification on p. loo, and note there. I. These Yanktons, with whom the travelers are holding a council, are enumerated on p. 97 as the First tribe. In Lewis' Statistical View they are those there called Yank'-ton-ah-nah' ; they are credited with 80 lodges, 200 warriors, and 700 total population, and located on the Jacques or James river, the Big and Little Sioux rivers, Floyd's river, and the Des Moines. " These," says Lewis, " are the best disposed Sioux who rove on the banks of the Missouri, and these even will not suffer any trader to ascend the river, if they can possibly avoid it ; they have heretofore, invariably, arrested the progress of all those thev have met with, and generally compelled them to trade at the prices, nearly, which they themselves think proper to fix on their merchandise. They seldom commit any further acts of violence on the whites. They sometimes visit the river Demoin [Des Moines], where a partial trade has been carried on with them, for a few years past, by a Mr. Crawford. Their trade, if well regulated, might be rendered e»lremely valuable. Their country is a very fertile one ; it consists of a mixture of woodlands and prairies. The land bordering on the Missouri is principally plains with but little timber." (London ed., 1807, p. 18.) 4 MANNERS AND DRESS OF THE YANKTONS. 95 about 200 men in number, and inhabit the Jacques, Des Moines, and Sioux rivers. In person they are stout, well- proportioned, and have a certain air of dignity and bold- ness. In their dress they differ nothing from the other bands of the nation whom we saw and will describe after- ward ; they are fond of decorations, and use paint, porcu- pine quills, and feathers. Some of them wore a kind of necklace of white bear's claws three inches long, closely strung (/. <5o) together round their necks. They have only a few fowling-pieces, being generally armed with bows and arrows, in [using] which, however, they do not appear as expert as the more northern Indians. What struck us most was an institution peculiar to them, and to the Kite "Yankton " is a word which settled in this orthography, though it formerly fluctuated to the usual extent. The full phonetic rendering is I-hank'-to"-wa". These Indians now number nearly 3,000, of which the majority (1,725) are or were recently on the Yankton Reservation, S. D., and 1,121 at the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana ; a few (123) at Devil's Lake Agency, N. D., and a very few more on the Crow Creek and Lower IJrule Reservations, S. D. 2. The Yanktonnais or Yanktoannans (I-hank'-to''-wa"-na) were and still remain more numerous than the Yanktons proper. Lewis called them in his Statistical View the Yanktons of the North or Plains, crediting them with 1,600 popula- tio.n, 500 warriors, and 200 lodges, and locating them from the St. Peter's and Red rivers to the Great Bend of the Missouri. " This band," he says, "although they purchase a much smaller quantity of merchandise than the Sissatones, still appropriate a considerable proportion of what they do obtain in a similar manner with tliat mentioned of the Sissatones. This trade, as small as it may appear, has been sufficient to render the Tetons independent of the trade of the Missouri, in a great measure, and has furnished them with the means not only of distressing and plundering the traders of the Missouri, but also of plundering and rnassacreing [sh] the defenceless savages of the Missouri, from the mouth of the river Platte to the Minetares, and west to ihe Rocky mountains. The country these people inhabit is almost one entire ])lain, uncovered with timber ; it is extremely level ; the soil fertile, and generally well watered." The Yanktonnais are now classified and divided as follows : (i() Upper Yanktonnais, of whom most are on Standing Rock Reservation, N. D, , though a few (of the Cuthead band or Pabaksa subtribe) are on Devil's Lake Reservation. (/') Lower Yanktonn.iis, most of whom are on Crow Creek Reservation, S. D., others at Standing Rock, and others at Fort Peck, Mont. Latest re'urns give Upper Yanktonnais on Standing Rock Reservation, 1,786; Lower Y.-ynktonnais, Crow Creek Reservation, 1,058; at Standing Rock Agency, 1,739 • 'o''>' °^ both, 4,583. ^T" ^ n 96 THE "NANPASHENE SOCIETY. [Staitan : see p. 58] Indians further to the westward, from whom it is said to have been copied. It is an association of the most active and brave young men, who are bound to each other by attachment, secured by a vow, never to re- treat before any danger, or give way to their enemies. In war they go forward without sheltering themselves behind trees, or aiding their natural valor by any artifice. Their punctilious determination not to be turned from their course, became heroic, or ridiculous, a short time since, when the Yanktons were crossing the Missouri on the ice. A hole lay immediately in their course, which might easily have been avoided by going around. This the foremost of the band disdained to do, but went straight forward and was lost. The others would have followed his example, but were forcibly prevented by the rest of the tribe. These young men sit, camp, and dance together, distinct from the rest of the nation ; they are generally about 30 or 35 years old, and such is the deference paid to courage that their seats in council are superior to those of the chiefs and their persons more respected. But, as may be supposed, such indiscreet bravery will soon diminish the numbers of those who practice it ; so that the band is now re- duced to four warriors, who w.re among our visitors. These were the remains of 22 who composed the society not long ago ; but, in a battle with the Kite [Crow] Indians of the Black Mountains, 18 of them were killed, and these four were dragged from the field by their com- panions. [Cf. Long's Exp. St. Peter's, I. 1825, pp. 436-439.] Whilst these Indians remained with us we made very minute inquiries relative to their situation, numbers, trade, and manners. This we did very satisfactorily, by means of two different interpreters ; and from their accounts, joined to our interviews with other bands of the same nation, and much intelligence acquired since, we were enabled to under- stand with some accuracy the condition of the Sioux, liitherto so little known. The Sioux or Dacorta [Dakota] Indians, originally TRIBES OF THE SIOUX. 97 settled on the Mississippi, and called by Carver Madowe- sians, are now subdivided into tribes, as follows:" First, Yanktons. This tribe inhabits the Sioux, Des Moines, and Jacques rivers, and numbers about 200 warriors. >d I * I will give a general account of this great family of Indians, who are among the most important, both ethnically and politically, of any with whom the United States has had to reckon. Perhaps we are not quite yet done with them. My remarks on this difiicult subject are mainly a summary of Major Powell's, in his article on Indian linguistic families, pp. 111-118 of the Report of the U. S. Bureau of Ethnology for 1885-86, pub. 1891. The name Sioux is not proper to these Indians. It is a corruption of the Algonkin word NaJowC'Ssi-zuag, meaning the snake-like ones, hence the enemies, being thus a term of reproach (so Trumbull). But it has been adopted for the Siouan family, after Gallatin (Trans, and Coil. Amer. Antiq. Soc, II. 1835, pp. 121, 306), back of whom Powell does not go for names of any of his 53 main linguistic stocks or families. Gallatin is followed by Pritchard (Phys. Hist. Mankind, V. 1S47, p. 408), and retains the sense he originally attached to the name in later works (Trans. Amer. Ethn. Soc, 1848, and Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes, III. 1853, p. 402). Sioux is in form a French plural, but serves in English both as singular and plural ; for the singular, it is pronounced " Soo" ; for the plural, " Sooz"; for the latter, " Siouxs" or " Siouxes " is sometimes very badly written. The singular is occasionally written "Sue" or '' Soo," with a plural " Sues" or " Soos." Clark's MS. alone furnishes more than a dozen different spellings, for examples of which see note '", p. 70. The adjective is now regularly Siouan. Gallatin divides his Sioux into four principal groups. I. Winnebegoes. 2. Sioux proper and Assiniboins. 3. The Minnetare group. 4. The Osages and kindred southern tribes. He improperly included his Shyennes among ihe Siou.\. " Owing to the fact that ' Sioux ' is a word of reproach and means ' snake ' or ' enemy ' the term has been discarded by many later writers as a family designation, and ' Dakota," which signifies ' friend 'or 'ally,' has been employed in its stead. The two words are, however, by no means properly synonymous. The term ' Sioux ' was used by Gallatin in a comprehensive or family sense, and was applied to all the tribes collectively known to him to speak kindred dialects of a widespread language. It is in this sense only, as applied to the linguistic family, that the term is here employed. The term ' Dahcota ' was correctly applied by Gallatin to the Dakota tribes proper as distinguished from the other members of the linguistic family who are not Dakotas in a tribal sense. The use of the term with this signification should be perpetuated." (Powell, /. c.) We should observe that Lewis and Clark's use of the term " Sioux " is in its strict tribal sense, not in the above broad linguistic sense. All the tribes they call Sioux are Sioux proper or Dakotas, of which they proceed to distinguish ten tribes. They spell Dakota variously in different places, as " Darcota," m ! '■ tir ' 98 TRIBES OF THE SIOUX. Second, Tetons of the Burnt Woods [Bois Bruits]. This tribe numbers about 300 men, who rove on both sides of the Missouri, White, and Teton rivers. " Darcotar," " Dacorta," " Dacotah," etc., which forms I leave as I find them. Observe th..: the name " Madowesian," misprinted from Carver in the text, is the Algonkin Nadowessi wag, above explained. Carver (ed. 1796 consulted) prints N.iudowessies, pi.; other forms are Naudouessies, Nadowasis, etc., earlier in Hennepin (1683) Nadiousioux (whence Carver's corruption), the ending of which form is exactly our Sioux, and first Naduesiu, from Nicolet, 1634-35. The pristine territory of the Sioux, in the broad linguistic sense of the name, was mainly in one body, the only exceptions being the isolated habitats of the fiiloxi, Tutelo, Catawba, and Woccon. The general trend of Siouan migration has been westward. Probably most Siouans were east of the Mississippi in comparatively late prehistoric times. The main Siouan territory extended from about 53" N., in the Hudson's Bay Company's country 'o about 33° N., including a considerable part of the Missouri watershed and that of the upper Mississippi. It was bounded on the N.W., N., N.E., and some distance E., by Algon- quian territory. South of 45' N. the line ran eastward to Lake Michigan. It extended westward from Lake Michigan through Illinois, crossing the Missis- sippi at Prairie du Chien, where began Algonquian country. The Siouan tribes claimed all the present States of Iowa and Missouri, excepting parts occu- pied by Algonkins. The Mississippi divided these two families for a short distance below St. Louis. The line then ran west of Dunklin, New Madrid, and Pemiscot counties. Mo., and Mississippi Co., and those parts of Craig- head and Poinsett Cos., Ark., which lie east of the St. Francis river. Once more the Mississippi became the eastern boundary, but in this case separating the Siouan from the Muskhogean family. The Quapaw or Akansa were the most southerly tribe in the main Siouan territory. Southwest of the Siouan family was the Southern Caddoan group, the boundary extending from the west side of the Mississippi tiver in Louisiana, nearly opposite Vicksburg, and running northwestwardly to the bend of the Red river between Arkansas and Louisiana ; thence northwest along the divide between the Arkansas and Red rivers. In the northwest corner of Indian Territory the Osages (Siouan) came in contact with the Comanche (Shoshonean family), and near the western boundary of Kansas the Kiowa, Cheyenne, and .\rapaho barred the westward march of the K.insa or Kaw (Siouan). The Pawnees (Caddoan stock) in western Nebraska and northwestern Kansas separated the Ponka and Dakota on the north from the Kansa on the south, and the Omaha and other Siouan tribes on the east from the Kiowa and other tribes on the west. The Omaha and cognate peoples occupied in Nebr.iska the lower part of the Platte river, most of the Elk-horn valley, and the Ponka claimed the region watered by the Niobrara in northern Nebrask.i. There seems reason for assigning to the Crows the N.W. corner of Nebraska and the S.W. part of S. Dakota, as well as the northern p.irt of Wyoming and the southern part of Montana. The above is the solid body of Siouan territory. The outlying habitats J / TRIBES OF THE SIOUX. 99 Third, Tetons Okandandas [Ogallalas], a tribe consisting of about 150 men, vvlio inhabit both sides of the Missouri below the Cheyenne river. were in Mississippi, for the Biloxi ; in Virginia and subsequently in Pennsyl- vania, for the Tutelo ; South Carolina, for the Catawba ; North Carolina, for the Woccon. The whole Siouan stock is divided into i8 principal branches, i. Dakota or Sioux proper (see above). 2. Assinaboin. 3. Omaha. 4. Ponca. 5. Kaw or Kansa. 6. Osages. 7. Quapaw. 8. Iowa. 9. Oto. 10. Missouri, 11. Winnebago. 12. Mandan. 13. Gros Ventre or Minnetaree or Hidatsa. 14. Crow. 15. Tutelo. 16. Biloxi. 17. Catawba. 18. Woccon. The census of the whole is now about 43. 000, of whom only 2,000 are in British America, as against 41,000 in the United States. We turn now to the first of these 18 branches, the Sioux proper or Dakotas, of whom Lewis and Clark give 10 tribes in the above text, which may be com- pared with the following tribes and subtribes in Powell's classification : DAKOTA or SIOUX PROPER. A. Santee. These include the Eighth " Mindawarcarton" (Mde'wa-kan- too-wa"), and the Ninth " Wahpatoota" (VVa-qpe'-ku te) tribes of Lewis and Clark. According to U. S. Commissioner's Report for 1889, and the U. S. Census Bulletin for 1890, there were 869 of them together on the Santee Reservation in Nebraska ; 292 at Flandreau, Dakota, and 54 at Devil's Lake Agency. Lewis' Statistical View gave for the Eighth of these 120 lodges, 300 warriors, and 1,200 total population ; for the Ninth, 60 lodges, 150 warriors, 400 in all. Of the Eighth the View remarks: " 'Tis the only band of Sioux that cultivates corn, beans, &c., and even these cannot properly be termed a stationary people. They live ii tents of dressed leather, which they transport by means of horses and dogs, and ramble from place to place during the greater part of the year. They are friendly to their own traders ; but the inveterate enemies of such as supply their enemies, the Cheppeways, with merchandise. They also claim the country in which they hunt, commencing at the entrance of the river St. Peters, and extending upwards, on both sides of the Mississippi, to the mouth of the Crow-wing r'vcr." Of the Ninth tribe the View remarks: "They rove in the country south and west of the river St. Peters, from a place called Uie Hardwood to the mouth of the Yellow Medicine river ; never stationary but when their traders aie with them, and that does not happen at any regular or fixed point. At present they treat their traders tolerably well. Their trade cannot be expected to increase much. A great proportion of their country is open plains, lies level, and is tolerably fertile. They maintain a partial traffic with the Yanktons and Tetons to the west of them ; to these they barter the articles which they obtain from the traders on the river -St. Peters, and receive in return horses, some robes and leather lodges." B. SissETON. These are the Tenth tribe of Lewis and Clark's enumeration above, there misprinted " Sistasoone," elsewhere variously spelled " Sissa- .1' I . J PP^*^. I^^tm It r lOO TRIBES OF THE SIOUX. Fourth, Tetons Minnakenozzo [Minneconjou], a nation inhabiting both sides of the Missouri above the Ciieyenne river, and containing about 250 men. ton," "Sisaton," "Sisiton," " Sisitoan," "Cissiton," etc.; in the Statistical View, " Sissatone." The full phonetic form of the word is Si-si -to"-wan. What is left of them now is divided between the Sisseton Reservation in S. Dakota, where with the Wahpeton they number together 1,522, and Devil's Lake Reservation in N. Dakota, where the Sissetons, V/ahpetons, and Yank- tonnais together number 857. The Statistical View of 1806 says : " They claim the country in which they rove, embracing the upper portion of the Red river, of Lake Winnipie, and St. Peters ; it is a level country, inter- sected with many small lakes ; the land is fertile and free of stone ; the majority of it open plains. This country abounds more in the valuable fur animals, the beaver, otter and martin, than any portion of Louisiana yet known. This circumstance furnishes the Sissatones with the means of purchasing more merchandise, in proportion to their number, than any nation in this quarter. A great proportion of this merchandise is reserved by them for their trade with the Tetons, whom they annually meet at some point previously agreed on, upon the waters of the James river, in the month of May. This Indian fair is frequently attended by the Yank- tons of the North, and Ahnahs." The View gives the Sissetons 80 lodges, 200 warriors, and 800 total population. (London ed. 1807, p. 17.) C. Wahpeton. These are Lewis and Clark's Seventh tribe, above spelled '■ Wahpatone." The full phonetic rendering is Wa-qpe'-to"-wa" or W'a- hpe-ton-wah. They are now with the Sissetons at the two Agencies above noted. In 1806 Lewis gives them 80 lodges, 200 warriors, and total 700 population. The Statistical View says of them: "Claim the country in which they rove on the N.W. side of the river St. Peters, from their village to the mouth of the Chippeway river, and thence northeastwardly towards the head of the Mississippi, including the Crow-wing river. Their lands are fertile, and generally well timbered. They are only stationary while the traders are with them, which is from the beginning of October to the last of March. Their trade is supposed to be [now. 1805] at its greatest extent. They treat their traders with respect and seldom attempt to rob them. This, as well as the other Sioux bands, act, in all respects, as independently of each other as if they were a distinct nation." D. Y'.\NKroN. These, the First of Lewis and Clark's ten tribes, have been noticed in full in the note on p. 94. E. Yanktonnai. These, the Sixth of Lewis and Clark's ten tribes, are noticed with the Yanktons, p. 95, note. F. Teto.n. These include the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth of Lewis and Clark's ten tribes ; but there are also others which our authors do not discriminate. The accepted classification of Tetons at present is ; (a) Bruli/s : Lewis and Clark's Second tribe, (b) Sans Arcs: Lewis and i 'iii TRIBES OF THE SIOUX, lOI Fifth, Tetons Saone.'" These inhabit both sides of the Missouri below the Warreconne river, and consist of about 300 men. Sixth, Yanktons of the [North or] Plains, or Big Devils, who rove on the heads of the Sioux, Jacques, and Red Clark's Fifth tribe (?) (c) Blackfetl. (d) Minntconjous : Lewis and Clark's Fourth tribe, (e) Two Kettles, (f) Ogallalas, with several subdivisions. (g) Uncpnpas. These will be more fully treated beyond, where the Tetons come up for special mention by the authors. 10 1'l^g .' Tetons Saone," or Lewis and Clark's Fifth tribe, have given rise to much conjecture and discussion. From information privately furnished from the U. S. Bureau of Ethnology, based on J. Owen Dorsey, I note the following : A. L. Riggs says " Sanoni wicasa is applied by other Dakota tribes as a . del, or the part most strongly fortified, on Bon Homme island, is a small work in a circular form, wit! a wall sur- rounding 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 [that] the Missouri indemnifies itself by washing away the base of the fortification. The (/. 6s) citadel contains about 20 acres, but the parts between the long walls must embrace nearly 500 acres. These are the first remains of the kind which we have had an opportunity of examining ; but our French interpre- ters " assure us that there are great numbers of them on the Platte, the Kansas, the Jacques, etc.; some of our party say that they observed two of those fortresses on the upper side of Petit Arc creek, not far from its mouth, and that the wall was about six feet high and the sides of the angles 100 yards in length. September ^d. The morning was cold, and the wind from the northwest. We passed at sunrise three large sand-bars, and at the distance of ten miles reached a small creek about twelve yards wide, coming in from the north, above a '' See note*, Aug. 26th. Old Durion and his hopeful Pierre were not the best ethnological experts in the world, but perhaps the highest authorities that the Expedition had on hand. I suspect much of the French nomenclature was simply Durion's ; some of it certainly was. Clark's Codex B 69 (I have now arranged all the MSS. in codices, and pntrinated '' ni for reference) has these words: " Two of our party saw tv ■.. Arc Creek on the upper ^ nc yards and about S f' " There are no traces >iii.i,. ificia found in this neighboi above 1 1- luth (, and subject to overflow. I here an' ,iowever, several natural ridges, similar to those on IJonhomme Point. On ;. lacent hills and plateaus there are isolated ruins of old dirt lodges similar to t se constructed by the Mandans. There is also an ancient fort on the east or lower side of Bow Creek '>out two miles from its mouth, and another still further south, near Hartingt but these two forts were unknown to the Lewis and Clark ^.xpedition," ■ it fortresses on the Pettiet 1 angle of which were lOO paper already cited says ; rks of any description to be the Bow, the land being low ii THE NIOIIKAKA RIVER. 107 white bluff. This creek has obtained the name of Plum" creek, from the number of that fruit which are in the neighborhood and of a delightful quality. Five miles further we camped on the south near the edge of a plain. The river is wide and covered with sand-bars to-day; the banks are high and of a whitish color ; the timber is scarce, but there is an abundance of grapes. Beaver-houses have been observed in great numbers on the river, but none of the animals themselves. September ^tli. We set out early, with a very cold wind from the S.S.E., and at i^ miles reached a small creek, called White-lime creek, on the south side. Just above this is a cliff covered with cedar trees, and at three miles" a creek called White-paint creek, about 30 yards wide ; on the same side, and at 4«4 miles' distance from White- paint creek, is the [Niobrara, or] Rapid river, or, as it is called by the French, la Rivere qui Court.'" This river empties into the Missouri in a course S.W. by W. and is 152 yards wide and four feet deep at the confluence. It rises in the Black mountains " and passes through a hilly '^In Bon Homme Co., S. D.; Wananri river of Nicollet's and Warren's maps ; Emanuel creek of G. L. O. map, 1879. It empties at the 030th mile point. Clark's B 70 has Plumb creek . . . "abounds with blumbs of a Delicious flavour." The fruit is that of Pruttus umericana. "Text is ambiguous here. For " three miles " read " three miles /ww rrtw/." Clark's B 72 has : "A small creek in a bend to the L. S. [larboard side] called White lime, at xYt miles higher up passed a large Creek on the L. S. called White paint." His exact courses and distances are : " S. 5° W. i>^ mis. to the mo: of a creek on the L. S. below a Ceeder Clift. S. 35" W. i>4 mis. to the mo: of White I'aint River on the L. S." Here i^ -(- '^ =3 'niles from camp. It is not easy to turn tabular data like these into reading-matter without risk of error or ambiguity. Both creeks named are in Knox Co. , Neb. White-paint is I'Eau qui Monte of P. du Lac ; Wasiska of Nicollet ; now called by a name variously spelled Bazille, Bazile, Bozzie, etc. '" Sic — read la Riviere qui Court, or better L'Eau qui Court, as P. du Lac, usually contracted and corrupted into Quicourre, Quicurre, Quicure, Quecure, sometimes " Quicum" by misprint. The L. and C. codices have many forms ; Clark once Ka-cure. The river has also been called Spreading-water and Run- ning-water. " Il.trdly as far as the Black hills. The Niobrara is almost entirely a if jl; t w I *! I08 PAWNEE ISLAND— GOAT CREEK — PONCA RIVER. country, with a poor soil. Captain Clark ascended three miles to a beautiful plain on the upper side, where the Pawnees once (j>. 66) had a village ; he found the river widened above its mouth and much divided by sands and islands, which, joined to great rapidity of the current, makes navigation very difificult, even for small boats. Like the Platte its waters are of a light color ; like that river too it throws out into the Missouri great quantities of sand, coarser even than that of the Platte, which forms sand-bars and shoals near its mouth. We camped just above it, on the south,'" having made only eight miles, as tlie 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 [/««?- perns 7'irg-tiiiaitus], honey-locust, oak, arrow-wood, elm, and coffee-nut [Gj'mfioc/adns ca)iadcnsis']. September t^th. 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 '" [/. e., Antelope] creek, at 8'-^ miles. Near the mouth of this creek tlic beaver had made a dam across ?o as to form a large pond, in which they built their houses. Above this island the Poncara"" river falls into the Missouri from the prairie river, rising wirh heads of White river between the South Fork of the Cheyenne and tiie North Platte, in Laramie Co., Wyo. The I!lacl< hills proper are further north, in Crr ,k Co., and all the heads of the South Fork of the Cheyenne intervene. '" In South Dakot.r , a Reservation*; for at the mouth of the Niobrara the Missouri ceases to separate Nebraska from South Dakota, and lies entirely within the latter. The boundary is thence alonj; the Niobrara as far as the mouth of the Keya-paha river, the first large branch of the Niobrara from the north, and thence along that branch to the parallel of 43° N. ''■ Now Choteau or Chouteau creek, bounding Bon Homme Co., S. D., Cii the west, and emptying about the 950th mile point. The Nawizi river of Nicollet's map. '"'Elsewhere Poncar, Poncha, Ponca or Ponk.i, Punka. Puncah, Puncaw, etc.; Ij PONCA INDIANS. 109 south, and is 30 yards wide at the entrance. Two men whom we dispatched 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 sc completely deserted that they had killed a buffalo in the village itself. This tribe of Poncaras [Poncas], who are said to have once numbered 400 men, are now reduced to about 50, and have associated for mutual protection with the Mahas, wlio are about 200 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, Sioux and smallpox, drove them from tlieir (/>. dy) towns, which they visit only occasionally for the purposes of trade ; and they now wander over the plains on 'he sources of the Wolf and Quicurre [.wj rivers. Between Pawnee island and Goat creek on the north is a cliff of blue earth, under which are several mineral springs, im- pregnated with salts; near this we observed a number of goats,"' from which the creek derives its name. At y/z ,|' Ponca is the usual spelling. It is a prairie stream of no great size, north of and parallel with the Niobrara. The word as the name of the Indian tribe about to be mentioned is of equally fluctuating or'hography . Lewis' Statistical View gives a French nickname 'Les Pongs." They are there credited with 20 lodges, 50 warriors, and a total of 2co population, residing with the Omah.-is. "The remnant of a nation once respectable in point of numbers. They formerly [before 1805] resided on a branch of the Red River of Lake Winnipie ; being oppressed hy the Siou.\, they removed to the west side of the Missouri, on Poncar river, where they built and fortified a village and remained some years. Put being pursued by their ancient enemies the Sioux, and reduced by continual wars, they have joined and now reside with the Mahas, whose lan- guage they speak" (English ed. 1807, p. 17). The Poncas are a tribe of the great .Siouan family, but not of the Sioux proper or Dakotas. According to latest returns they now number 847, of whom 605 are in Indian Territory under the Ponca Agent, 217 are in \ebra<;ka under the Santee Agent, 24 are at school in Lawrence, Kas., and one is at the Carlisle school in Pennsylvania. "These " goats " were of course antelopes (.■liili!oni/2 miles, and camped on the north, after passing high cliffs [Ponca bluffs] of soft blue and red colored stone on the southern shore. We saw some goats and great numbers of buffalo, in addition to which the hunters furnished us with elk, deer, turkeys, geese, and one beaver; a large catfish was caught in the evening. The ground near the camp was a low prairie without timber, though just below is a grove of cottonwood. September ytk. The morning was very cold and the wind southeast. At 5>i miles we reached and camped at the foot of a round mountain on the south, having passed two small islands. This mountain," which is about 300 feet at the base, forms a cone at the top, resembling a dome at a distance, and 70 feet or more above the surrounding highlands. As we descended from this dome we arrived at a spot, on the gradual descent of tl;e hill, nearly four acres in extent and covered with small holes. These are the residence of " Riddle misses a name liere. Clark B 77 says ; " We came too [read came- to. ». t'., stopped the boats] on the upper point of a larjje Island (which I call 1^0 Preserves Island). " The cliffs above said are now called Choteau or Cliou- teau bluffs. Some cliffs opposite, on the south, are the Beauchamp bluffs. '^"Resembling a cupola," Clark 15 79. and elsewhere called the Dome; a conspicuous landmark, the Paha Owassoke of Nicollet, also of C.itlin, now known as the Tower, near the q70th mile point. As to the islands passed, late maps show a large one, perhaps the J. des Basques of P. du Lac, who marks on the north hank " Second Poste de la Compagnie." ! PRAIRIE-DOGS. Ill le : a I now late harks a little animal, called by the (/. 68) French petit chien (little dog), which 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 dis- lodged 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 halfway 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 wit- nessed the fact, that a sort of lizard and a snake live habit- ually with these animals. The petits chiens 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 is like that of the ground-squirrel ; the toe-nails are long, the fur is fine, and the long hair is gray." '* This is an early description of the prairie-dog, Cynoniys luJovicianus , then unknown to science, and not technically named till 1815, when it was called Arctomys iudoviciana by George Ord, in Guthrie's Geogr., 2d Am. ed., vol. II., pp. 292 and 302. Lewis and Clark's description of 1804 is unmistak- able, and it would have prevented some fables which later arose, if their state- ment of finding a young prairie-dog in the stomach of a rattlesnake they killed had not been overlooked. The snake was probably Crotalus conflttentus. a species common in Dakota. Our authors do not appear to have observed the burrowing-owl at this stage of their journey. The prairie-dog is called "barking-squirrel" a few paragraphs further on. At this date Gass says "prairie-dog," and gives the same story of trying to drown them out; his published d.ite being 1S07. The earliest notice I have seen of the prairie-dog occurs in a letter from Captain Clark to Governor Harrison, dated Fort Mandan, .\pril 2d, 1S05, and, I think, published in 1806 — if so, before the appearance of Lieut. Z. M. Pike's Travels, 1810. Clark mentions several animals, among them " the ground prairie dog (who burrows in the ground)." Pike is usually cited in this connection before Lewis and Clark ; but he must yield to Clark and to Gass in priority. His notice appears at p. 156, at date of Aug. 24th, 1806 (of his MSS.). It begins : " The Wishtonwish of the Indians, prairie-dogs of some travelers, or squirrels as I should be inclined to denominate them," etc. Here is the original application to these rodents of the Indian name which J. Fenimore Cooper applies to the whip-poor-will in his novels. Pike's passage (a footnote lit :il Wfmm^-- f'l '^ ■iti I I. i» PAWNEE HOUSE — BOAT ISLAND. September %th. The wind still continued from the south- east, 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 years 1796-97 ; behind this, hills much larger than usual appear on 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;" after leaving it, we reached another island at the end of 17 miles, on which we camped, and called it Boat island." We here saw herds of buffalo, and some elk, deer, turkeys, beaver, a squirreP" 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. (/. 6g) September gth. We coasted along the island on which we had camped, and then passed three sand- and willo'.v-islands and a number of smaller sand-bars. The river is shallow, joined by two small creeks from the north and one '" from the south. In the plains to the south are nearly a page long) is the fountain-head of the standard fables regarding con- sociation of prairie-dogs, owls, and snakes ; but that is not his fault, for all that he actually says is true enough. " " The house of Mr. Troodo," Clark B 82. "' The Three Sister islands of Nicollet. Warren, etc. But now there is one large island a little above Fort Randall, at the gSoth mile point. '■■ The present site of Fort Randall, where I wintered in 1872-73. On the north side, in Mix Co. ,is the Yankton Reservation ; but the military reservation includes a section on both sides of the river. Across the river from Fort Randall is a ]ilace called Swan, consisting in those years chiefly of a stage station. A creek or coulee leads thence to a lake at a little distance, in Mix Co., which I find named Lake Andes on some maps. It is a sort of a slough, and used to be our resort for duck-shooting. About 1859 Fort Randall was the extreme point on the Missouri where troops were permanently established. '" Now called Chi:ot island ; perhaps the J. de Cedre of Perrin du Lac. '" The western fox-squirrel, Sciurtis ludoviciauus, common at Fort Randall. ■"' Wicha-paha creek of Nicollet ; now Scalp creek, with a large islf»nd at its mouth, about the 990th mile point. ■t m^ CEDAR AND MUD ISLANDS. 113 great numbers of buffalo, in herds of nearly 500; all the copses of timber appear to contain elk or deer. We camped on a sand-bar on the southern shore, at the distance of 14^ miles. Septeviber loth. This day we made 20 miles. The morn- ing was cloudy and dark, but a light breeze from the south- east carried us past two small islands on the south and one on the north; till, at the distance of ioj4 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" 45 feet long, taper- ing toward 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-colored bluffs. About \]/2 miles from the island, on the southern shore, the party on that side discovered a large and very strongly impregnated spring of water; and another, not so strongly impregnated, half a mile up the hill. Three miles beyond Cedar island are a large island to the north and a number of sand-bars. 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 camped. These two islands are called Mud 1 V W Its " Refore this island was reached, the Expedition missed a creek on the south, Miyokendi, or Whet Stone river, of Nicollet, now Whetstone creek. At its mouth is an island, the J. 4 Pierre (or Rock island) of P. du Lac, and here is the 1,000th mile point of the Missouri. " Cedar " is the name which has been applied by various authors to several different islands, many miles apart, in this portion of the river. That of the text seems to be Rantesha-wita of Nicollet, First Cedar island of Warren, now Little Cedar island ; on the north comes in here Cedar, or Bad creek, in Charles Cci. Next, on the north, in the same county, is Fish creek, of Nicollet's or of Warren's map, and one of these two is marked on some maps as Platte creek. One of L. and C.'s two Mud islands is now called Snag island. What with the shiftiness of the islands, and the insignificance of the creeks, e.\act identifications are difficult between Fort Ran- dall and White river. To-day's camp is nearly up to the l,o2oth mile point, and about on the boundary between Gregory and Todd Cos. (on the south side). ^' Certainly no " fish," but one of the huge reptiles of the cretaceous period. tr i I. 114 RECOVERY OF GEORGE SHANNON. islands. The river is shallow during this day's course, and is falling a little. The elk and buffalo are in great abund- ance, but the deer have become scarce. September nth. At 6% 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 {p. 70) large village of the barking-squirrel." It was situated on a gentle de- clivity, and covered a space of 970 yards long, and 800 yards wide ; we killed four of them. We resumed our course, during 5>^ miles passed two islands on the north, and then camped ^' at the distance of 16 miles on the south side of the river, just above a small run. The morning had been clouded, 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 level plains, without any timber. The river itself is wide, and crowded with sand-bars. Elk, deer, squirrels, a pelican, and a very large porcupine, were our game this day ; some foxes were seen, but not caught." In the morning we observed a man riding on horseback down toward 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 28th 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 16 days following the bank of the river above us. During the first four days he exhausted his bullets, and was then "The prairie-dog, Cynomys ludovkianus. See note '■". p. iii. "In Gregory Co., just above the 1,030th mile point. ''This porcupine is the yellow-haired species, Ercthizon epixanihus. The " foxes " were probably coyotes. DIFFICULT NAVIGATION. "5 k id St ur or len rhe nearly starved, being obliged to subsist for twelve days on a ''ew 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 fortu- nate as to join us. (/>. 7/) September \2th. 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 cov- ered with timber, a rare object now. We with great diffi- culty were enabled to struggle through the sand-bars, the water being very rapid and shallow, so that we were several hours in making a mile. Several times the boat wheeled on a bar, when the men were obliged to jump out and pre- vent 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. \Vc advanced only four miles in the whole day and camped on the south." Along both sides of the river are high grounds ; on the southern side par- ticularly 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. Siptcinber \ith. We made twelve miles to-day through a number of sand-bars, which make it difficult to find the proper channel. The hills ^'' on each side are high and sepa- '' The difficulty of navigating is perh-ips the reason why the explorers do not name a creek from the south to-day. It is enough of a stream to be laid down on Clark's map of 18 14, where it is lettered Shannon's Cr., though I cannot fmd this name in Clark B. It is also Shannon or Dry R. ot Maximilian, 1833. This looks as if it were named for C.eorge Shannon (see Sept. nth) ; and per- haps it was. by an after-thought of Clark's. But another name of this creek is Washinanpi (so Warren), and the two words are suspiciously similar. Here is now a pl.ice called Rosebud Landing, in Gregory Co. •" The sharp-tailed grouse, Pedinrttes phasiniiellus columbiantis. •" The most conspicuous of these, on the north, in lirulc Co., are called Bijou or Bijou's hills, after a trader of that name who had a post here, and was killed .i ti; ! 1)1 II , 'I I -l! :|1^ y ! Ml ii6 NO VOLCANOES TO BE FOUND. ?f ' .'i ' HI i: rated 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 alum and cop- peras, the southern side being more strongly impregnated with minerals than the northern. Last night four beavers were caught in the traps ; a porcupine was shot as it was upon a Cottonwood, feeding on its leaves and branches. We camped on the north side, opposite a small willow- island. At night the mosquitoes were very troublesome, though the weather was cold and rainy, and the wind from the northwest. September \/^th. At two miles we reached a round island ''* on the northern side ; at about five, a run on the south ; 2^ miles further, a small creek ;'" and at nine miles camped near the n outh of a creek on the same {p. 72) side. The sand-bars are very numerous, and render the river wide and shallow ; this 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 vol- cano which we heard at St. Charles was somewhere in this neighborhood ; but we could not discern the slightest appearance of anything 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. by the Sioux. So Citlin, 1832, and others. The hills are marked on most large maps, as Nicollet's, Warren's, etc. " Sailor island of Nicollet and of Warren. ■"' Ball Cr. of some maps, Water-hole Cr.of others, in Lyman Co., a little above the present site of Brule City, which is on the north, in county of same name. ■" There is no trace of anything volcanic in the course of the Missouri till past Milk river, where, in the country on the north, between Maria's and Milk rivers, the evidence of volcanic action first appears. *' That is, a male antelope, Antilocapra amcricana. The hare is the northern jackass-rabbit, Lepiis campestris, of which Clark 15 98 gives a good description ; and Lewis Q 37-40 gives over three pages of another account. I WHITli RIVER. 117 but iver. most above ime. uri till Milk jrthern ption ; We had occasion here to observe the rapid undermining of these hills by the Missouri. The first attaclHS aricmisia]. At the end of this island, which is small, a narrow channel separates it from a large sand-island, which we passed, and camped, eight miles on the north, under a high point of land opposite a large creek to the south," on which we observed an unusual quan- tity of timber. The wind was from the northwest this afternoon, and high; the weather was cold, and its dreari- ness increased by the howlings of a number of wolves*' around us. Septcviber \tth. Early this morning, having reached a convenient spot on the south side at i^ miles' distance, we camped just above a small creek, which we called Corvus, having killed an animal [a magpie*'] of that genus near it. Finding that we could not proceed over the sand-bars as fast as we desired, while the boat was so heavily loaded, we concluded not to send back, as we originally intended, *• Brule City is .i little lower down and across the Missouri. ■" This blind sentence me.ins. as I learn from Clark B lOO, that having made eight miles in all to-d.-»y, they camped on the right hand side (going up river), opposite a creek which fell in on the other side. This stream is about to be named Corvus creek, which the G. L. O. map (1879) charts on the wrong side, in Brule Co., and by name of American creek. *'' The common gray wolf of the West, Canis lupus occidentalis, which always hung about the herds of buffalo. This is quite different from the small barking- wolf or coyote, C. latrans. •" " Killed a bird of the Con to 200 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 20 miles distant runs nearly north and south, but not to any great ex-(/. 75) tent, as their rise and termination is embraced by one view, and they seemed covered with a verdure similar to that of 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 antel jpe and buffalo ; the last of which were in such multitudes that we cannot exaggerate in saying that at a single glance we saw 3,000 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 tiieir sight distinguishes the most distant danger, the deli- cate sensibility of their smell defeats the precautions of concealment, and when alarmed their rapid career seems more like the flight of birds than the movement 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 toward which *' ' ' Polecat " is here meant for skunk, Mephitis mtphitica. ^ss^ AN ANTELOPE HUNT. 121 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, which 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 200 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 wlictl'.rr it could be the same band, but their number and the extreme rapidity with which they continued their couise convinced him that they must have gone with a speed equal to that of the most distinguished race-horse." Among our acquisitions to-day were a mule-deer,''' a magpie, the common deer [Cariacus virginiamis macrunis], and buffalo. Captain Lewis also saw a hare, and killed a rattlesnake near the burrows of the barking-squirrels. (/. 76) September iSt/i. Having everything in readiness we proceeded with the boat much lightened, but the wind being from the N.VV. we made but little way. At one mile we reached an island in the middle of the river, nearly a mile in length and covered with red cedar ; at its extremity a small creek comes in from the north." We then met '" This nccount of the .intelope, much abbrevi.nted by Biddle, forms most of Lewis Ba, Sept. it 7th, 1804 — the same fragmentary codex including also Sept. i6th. It is an excellent sketch, which should have been printed in full, as at that time the animal was unknown to science. Class also does his share of natural history to-day : "Captain Lewis and some men went out to hunt, and killed thirteen common and two black-tailed deer, three buffalo and a goat. The wild goat in this country differ from the common tame goat, and is supposed to be the real antelope. The black- tailed, or mul,' deer have much larger ears than the common deer and tails almost without hair, e.xcept at the end, where there is a bunch of black hair [Cari'ictis i)iacrolis\. There is another species of deer in this country, with smal' horns and long fails. The tail of one which wc killed was eighteen mches '.ng [Cariacus viri;iniatius niacruriis]. One of our men caught a beaver, and 'ii:, Litrans. " Present, "r a recent name ; also called Laurel island, from the French Isle des Lauriers. A little below, on the west bank, about the 1, 080th mile point, was built Fort Lookout. THE GREAT BEND OF THE MISSOURI. 123 cross the Missouri at this place, it is called the Sioux Pass of the Three Rivers."' These streams have the same right of asylum as the Pipestone creek already mentioned, though in a less degree. (/• n) Two miles from the island we pass a creek 15 yards wide ; eight miles further, another 20 yards wide ; three miles beyond which is a third, of 18 yards' width ; all on the south side. The second, which passes through a high plain, we called Elm creek; to the third we gave the name of Night creek, having reached it late at night." About a mile beyond this is a small island on the north side of the river, called Lower island, as it is situated at the commencement of what is known by the name of Grand Detour,"' or Great Bend, of the Missouri. Opposite is a crook on the south about ten yards wide, which waters a plain where there are great numbers of the prickly pear," '"' Making; into the Missouri from the east, in Buffalo Co., north of Brule Co.; opposite is J.yman Co., .icross the river, extending into the bight of the Big Bend of the Missouri. \'arious maps consulted chart from two to five rivers, whose nomenclature is much mixed. It may be well to cite Clark Bin, here: " N. 50° W. 3 miles [from last camp] to a pt. of wood on the S. S. [starboard side] opposit is a bluff on L. S. [larboard side]. North 4 miles to the Lower pt. of Prospect Island opsd. [opposite] the 3 rivers on the S. S. N. 30'" W. 2'/2 miles to the upper pt. of the Island psd. [passed] the 3 rivers," So the three rivers emptied within the length of Prospect island. I am informed by Mr. Henry Gannett, of the U. S. Geological Survey, that present namea are, in ascending order : I, Crow creek; 2. Wolf creek ; 3. Campbell creek. Nicollet's map charts live rivers ; i, 2, 3, nameless ; 4. Pokende ; 5. Chanpepenan. War- ren's has three ; I. Crow ; 2. Shompapi ; 3. Campbell's. Most maps chart sev- eral rivers, but name only the first and largest, as Crow creek — to be carefully distingui'^hed from Corvus or Crow creek, lower down and on the other side of Uie rivei. The present Crow creek gives name to the Indian Agency here, nhere is also the site of Fort Thompson. •"''' Of these three creeks I tiiid the first on some maps by the name of Laurel creek; the second. Elm, 1 am informed is now called Came! creek (Campbell? Perhaps some confusion here : see last not^) ; the third, Night, is now a certain Fish creek. \\a-ren'smap names 'lie l.rgest branch of Crow creek. Elm creek. '* Sic — better Detour. Clark II 115 has " Grand de Tortii," interlined Detour This remarkable loop of the river takes various Enq;lish adjectives, as Grand, Long, (ireat. Big, etc. An Indian epithet is Karmichigah. " The common species of Opuntia, of the Missouri region. ■'I t I ■ I \ u» r ) > 124 THE CIRCUIT OF THE GREAT BEND. which name we gave to the creek.'" We camped on the south, opposite the upper extremity of the island, having made an excellent day's sail of 26}( miles. Our game this day consisted chiefly of deer, of which four were black-tails, one a buck with two main prongs of the horns on each side and forked equally. Large herds of buffalo, elk, and goats were also seen. September zotli. Finding we had reached the Big Bend, we di.^patched two men with our only horse across the neck, to hunt there and await our arrival at the first creek beyond it. We then set out with fair weather and the wind from the S.E., to make the circuit of the bend. Near the lower island the sand-bars are numerous, and the river is shallow. At 19)^ miles is a sand-island, on the southern side. About ten miles beyond it is a small island on the south, opposite a small creek [Wassag] on the north. This island, wliich is near the N.W. cxtrei.iity of the bend, is called Solitary [now Cul-de-sac] island. At about 11 miles further, we camped on a sand-bar, having made 27^2 miles. Captain Clark, who early this morning had crossed the neck of the bend, joined us in the evening. At the narrowest part the gorge is composed of high and irregular hills of about 180 or (/>. jS') 190 feet in elevation ; from this descends an un- broken plain over the whole of the bend, and the country is separated from it by this ridge. Great numbers of buffalo, elk, and goats are wandering over these plains, accompanied by [sharp-tailed] grouse and larks. Captain Clark saw a hare [Lepus eaiiipestris'] also, on the Great Bend. Of the goats killed to-day, one is a female differing from the male in being smaller in size; its horns too arc smaller and straightcr, having one sharp prong, and there is no black about the neck. None of these goats have any beard, but are delicately formed and very beautiful. September 2\sf. Between one and two o'clock the sergeant on guard alarmed us. by crying that the sand-bar on whicli '"(iass (Ides not notice this, .ind gives a creek wliicli nur authors do not name, between Elm .iiid Nijjht creeKs. He calls it Wash creek. / ri i J A NIGHT ALARM— TYLER'S RIVER. 125 we lay was sinking. \Vc jumped up, and found that both above and below our camp the sand was undermined and falling in very fast. We had scarcely got into the boats and pushed off, when the bank under which they had been lying fell in, and would certainly have sunk the two peri- ogues if they had remained there. By the time we reached the opposite shore the ground of our camp sunk also. We formed a second camp for the rest of the night, and at day- light proceeded on to the gorge or throat of the Great Bend, where we breakfasted. A man, whom we had dis- patched to step oi? the distance across the bend, made it 2000 yards; the ciixuit is30miles. During the whole course the land of the bend is low, with occasional bluffs: that on the opposite side, high prairie ground and long ridges of dark bluffs. After breakfast, we passed through a high prairie on the north side, and a rich cedar lowland and cedar bluff on the south, till we reached a willow-island below the mouth of a small creek. This creek, called Tyler's [or Tylor's"] river, is about 35 yards wide, comes in on the south, and is at the distance of six miles from the neck of the Great Bend. Here we found a deer and the skin of a white [gray] wolf, left us by our hunters ahead. Large quantities of different kinds of plover pna brant are in this, neighbor- hood, collecting and moving toward (/. /p) the south. The catfish are small, and not in such plenty as we had found them below this place. We passed several sand-bars, which make the river very shallow and about a mile in width, and camped on the south, at the distance of 1 1 '-^ miles. On each side the shore is lined with hard, rough gully-stones, rolkd from the hills and small brooks. The most common timber is cedar, though, on the prairies, there are great quantities of prickly pear. From this place we passed several sand- " Running chiefly in Presho Co., but emptying about the boundary between that and Lyman Co. Now Medicine, or Medicine Hill river, Indian I'ahah- vvakan, from a hillock which forms a conspicuous landmark near the river, at some little distance from the Missouri. 1 m M hi w 120 THK THREE SISTERS— LOISEl/s PORT. bars, whicli make the river shallow and about a mile in width. At the distance of 11^ miles, we camped on the north at the lower point of an ancient island, which has since been connected with the mainland by the filling up of the northern channel, and is now covered with cotton- wood. We here saw some tracks of Indians, but they appeared three or four weeks old. This day was warm. September 22d. A thick fog detained us until seven o'clock; our course was through inclined prairies on each side of the river, crowded with buffalo. We halted at a point on the north side, near a high bluff on the south, and took a meridian altitude, which gave us the latitude of 44° 11' 33t%' . On renewing our course, we reached first a small island on the south, at the distance of 4}3 miles, immediately above which is another island, opposite a creek 15 yards wide."' This creek, and the two islands, one of which is half a mile long and the second three miles, are called the Three Sisters •. a beautiful plain extends on both sides of the river. This is followed by an island on the north, called Cedar island, about i^^ miles in length and the same distance in breadth, deriving its name from the quality of the timber. On the south side of this island is a fort and large trad- ing-house, built by a Mr. Loisel '" who wintered here during the last year in order to trade with the Sioux, the remains of *" Sentence equivocal, as to which side the creeli comes in on. Claris li 125 I'as : ' Passed a small island on the L. S. imediately above passed a Island situated nearest the L. S. abt. [about] 3 miles long, behind this Isd. on the L. S. a Creek Comes in about 15 yards wide, this Creek and Islands are ('ailed the 3 sisters." So the creek is on the larboard side or left hand going up river, in Presho Co. It is much named : Three Sisters creek, as \str te.\t ; Third Cedar Island river, Nicollet, 1843; Cedar creek, Reynolds, 1867; Cedar creek, G. L. O. map, 1879 ; now Reynolds' creirk, after Capt. W. V. Reynolds, U. S. T. E. '■■' Name correct. A codex h.is first a blind word of which Diddle once made Duquett. Next he wrote to Clark (July 7th, 1810, letterbefore me): " What is the name of the trader who built a factory on Cedar island, a Mr. Lucette we have him now?" Clark B 126 has Louiselle, very plainly ; Code.K P 133 is clearly Louascll. Elsewhere we find I.oiseli and Loisellc. ( Jass prints Lucelle ; i ELK ISLAND— SMOKE AND REUHEN'S CREEKS. 127 f i whose camps are in great numbers about this place. The establishment is 60 or 70 feet square, built with red cedar and pic- {p. i'o) keted in with the same materials. The hunters who had been sent ahead joined us here. They mention that the hills are washed in gullies, in passing over wluch some mineral substances iiad rotted and destroyed their moccasins ; they had killed two deer and a beaver. At 16 miles' distance we came-to on the north side, at the mouth of a small creek."' The large stones which we saw yester- day on the shores are now some distance in the river, and render navigation dangerous. The mosquitoes are still numerous in the low grounds. Septanber z^d. We passed, with a light breeze from the southeast, a small island on the north called Goat island ; above which is a small creek called by the party Smoke" creek, as we observed a great smoke to the southwest on approaching it. At ten miles we came to the lower point of a large island, having passed two small willow-islands with sand-bars projecting from them. This island, which •ve called Elk island, is about 2)^ miles long, and three- quarters of a mile wide, situated near the south, and covered with Cottonwood, red cui - ..., and grapes. The river is here almost straight for a considerable distance, wide and shallow, with many sand-bars. A small creek on the north, about 16 yards wide, we called Reuben's °" creek, <.j lieuben Fields, one of our men, was the first of the party who reached it. Brackenridge, L'Oiselle (see note '•', p. 71). One Registre Loisel, b. Lower Canada, came to St. Louis in 1793, and married May 7th, 1800. (liillon's Annals St. L., 1886, p. 465,) Gass describes llie post more particularly : " The pl.'ice picketed in is about 65 or 70 feet square, with centry-boxes in two of the angles. The pickets are 13^ feet above ground. In this square he built a house 45 % by 32 '/2 feet, and divided it into four equal parts, on-' for goods, one to trade in, one to be usetl .as a common hall, and the other for a family house." ** A creek marked liaie de Naples on Nicollet's map answers exactly to this. *' Owawichah creek of Nicollet's map; ruid the island here called Goat is there shown. Neither this nor the Last creek is charted on ordinary maps. " Wiyo-pahawakau river of Nicollet, Warren, and Reynolds, translated East Medicine Knoll river, and charted under this name on ordinary maps, in Hughes Co. Across the Missouri here, in I'resho Co., was the site of old I'ort George. ( ■ il' i\ '1 I nil 1: 128 TETON SIOUX. At a short distance above this we camped for the night, having made 20 miles. Tiie country generally consists of low, rich, timbered ground on the north, and higli barren lands on tlie south ; on bcth sides great numbers of bufTalo are feeding. In the evening three boys of the Sioux" nation swam " These were Tetons : " The Band of Seauex called the Tetongues," Clark 1? 130, where 13iddle respells. Kcferring to pp. 99-101 and notes there for an outline of the Tetons, the picture of these famous miscreants may be here tilled in. I first give the sub- stance of what is in Lewis' Statistical View of 1806, and then add the modern statistics. Lewis makes four tribes or bands of Tetons. whom he calls (I) Tetons I)Ois Brule ; (2) Tetons Okandandas; (3) Tetons Minnakineazzo ; (4) Tetons .Sahone. (l) 120 lodges, 30f warriors, oot total population ; east side of the .Missouri, from mouth ol the White to the Teton river. (2) 50 lodges, 120 warriors. 360 total ; each side of the .Missouri from Teton to Cheyenne river. (31 too lodges, 250 warriors, total 750 , both sides of the Missouri from the Cheyenne river up to the Kicaras. (4) 120 lodges, 300 warriors, total 900, on each side ot the Missouri from the Kicaras to Warreconne river. Then in his Remarks (item "S" of his schedule) he lumps the four, and proceeds to characterize them thus (p. 18 of the London ed.) : " These are the vilest miscreants of the savage race, and must ever remain the pirates of the Missouri, until such measures .ire pursued by our government, as will make them feel a dependence on its will for their supply of merchandise. Unless these people are reduced to order, by coercive measures, I am ready to pronounce that the citizens of the United States can never^ enjoy but partially the advantages which the .Missoi. . presents. Relying on a regular supply of merchandise through the channel of the river St. Peters, they view with con- tempt the merchants of the Missouri, whom they never fail to plunder, when in their power. Persuasion, or advice, with them, is viewed as supplication, and only tends to inspire them with contempt for those who offer either. The tameness with which the merchants of the .Missouri have hitherto submitted to their rap.icity, has tended not a little to inspire them with contempt for the white persons who visit them, through that channel. A prevalent idea among them, and one that they make the rule of their conduct, is, that the more illy they treat the traders the greater quantity of merchandise they will bring them, and that they will thus obtain the articles they wish on bettor terms ; they have endeavored to inspire the Ricaras with similar sentiments, hut happily without any considerable effect. The country in which these four bands rove is one continued plain, with scarcely a tree to be seen except on the w.-i^cr courses, or the stt-ep declivities of hills, which last are but rare ; the land is fprtile, and lies extremely well for cultivation ; many parts of it are but badly watered. It is from this country that the Missouri derives most of its colouring matter; the ifj The vhite I TETON SIOUX. 139 It IS the across the river and informed us that two parties of Sioux were camped on the next river, one consisting of 80 and the second of 60 lodges, at some distance above. After treating 'lem kindly we sent them back with a present of two carrots of tobacco to their chiefs, whom we invited to a conference in the morning. {/>. Si) September 2\th. The wind was from the east, and the day fair. We soon passed a handsome prairie on the north side, covered with ripe plums, and the mouth of earth is strongly impregnated with glauber salts, alum, copperas, and sulphur, and when saturated with water, immense bodies of the hills precipitate them- selves into the Missouri, and mingle with its waters. I'he waters of this river have a purgative effect on those unaccustomed to use it. I doubt whether these people can ever be induced to become stationary ; their trade might be made valuable if they were reduced to order. They claim jointly with the other bands of the Sioux, all the country lying within the following limits, viz. beginning at the conlluence of the river Demoin [Des Moines] and Mississippi, thence up the west side of the Mississippi to the mouth of the St. Peters river, thence on both sides ot the Mississippi to the mouth of Crow-wing river, and upwards with that stream, including the waters of the upper part of the same ; thence to include the waters of the upper portion of Red river, of Lake VVinnipie [Winnipeg — Red River of the North], and down the same nearly to Pembenar [Pembina] river, thence in a southerly ourse to intersect the Missouri at or near the Mandans, and with that stream [the Missouri] downwards to the entrance of the Warrecunne creek, thence passing [beyond] the Missouri it [the boundary] goes to include the lower portion of the river Chyenne [Cheyenne], all the waters of White river and river Teton, includes the lower portion of the river Quicurre |(^»ui court — Niobrara] and returns to the Missouri, and with that •tream (goes) downwanis to the mouth of Waddipon river and thence east- wardly to intersect the Mi:,sissippi at the beginning [of the boundary thus traced]." This picture was not overdrawn, if we may judge from the trouble we have always had with these ^khi.x. But " point of view" must be regarded in judg- ing Siou.x and other things. The late General G. K. Warren, who as Lieutenant Warren knew Sioux thoroughly well, has recorded a decision which deserves t J be worked in ^, ild thread on the colors of Custer's regiment : " I have always found the Ilakotasexceedingly reasonable beings, with a very proper appreciation of their own riglits. What they yield to the whites they expect to be p.iid for, and I have never heard a prominent man of their nation express an opinion in regard to what was due them in which I do not concur. Many of them view the extinction of their race as the inevitable result of the operation of present [1S55] causes, and do so with all the feelings of despair with which we should contemplate the extinction of our nationality." { the river. I 1 ill 1 I < IffT —■ wm ■A i: CHAPTER IV. THE MISSOURI FROM TETON KIVER TO THE MAXDANS. Cotincil willi the 'V -ns — Trouble with tlicse Indians — BiiiUhurnorcii isl.irul — The Council renewed— Cliaracteristics of the Indi.mi — Smoking, feasting, ;ind d.incinij — Indian pris- oners— Appearaticc and dre.^-» of the Indian men and women— Their lodges— Their police system — Their attempt to detain the party— No-timher creek— Followed hy tfie Tetons — The Cheyenne river— Sentinel and Lookout creek-. — Mr. Valle — Lookout Lend— Caution islanii — Many Indians about — Good Hope island— Old Kicara village— \\*hite Br.int creek — Other Kicara villages — " Cork " (Owl) river— (Irouse island— Wetarhoo river — Mr. Grave- lines— Visit of the Kicaras— Councils with these Indian-. —Their three vill.iges— Their char.iiteristics — Civility of their women— Ricara lodges, agriculture, and trade— Stone-idol creek — Ricara legend — Hay creek— Sentence of court martial— More Kicara lodges— Cheyenne creek — Hunting antelope— Cannon-ball river — Fi-.h river— Old Mandan vil- lages — Indian superstition — Teton war-party — Many old Indi.m villages — Pacific meeting of Nfandan and Kicara chiefsr-.More Mandan and Kicara villages — The Expedition has reached and will winter with the Mandans, ^KEPTEMBER 25th. The morning was fine, and the '^ wind continued from the southeast. We raised a flag- staff and an awning, under which \vc assembled at twelve o'clock-, with all the party parading under arms. The chiefs and warriors from the camp two miles up the river met us, about 50 or 60 in number, and after smoking we delivered them a speech ; but as our Sioux interpreter, Mr. Durion, had been left with the Yanktons, we were obliged to make use of a I'renchman who could not speak fluently, and therefore we curtailed our harangue. After this we went through the ceremony of acknowledging the chiefs, by giving to the grand chief a medal, a flag of the United States, a laced uniform coat, a cocked hat and feather ; to the other two chiefs, a medal and some small presents ; and to two warriors of consideration, certificates. The name of the great chief is Untongasabaw or Black Buffalo; the second Tortohonga or the Partisan ; the third Tartongawaka or Buffalo Medicine ; the name of one of the warriors was Wawzinggo ; that of the second Matoco- quepa or Second Bear. 13J it THK FATli <)!• TUi: KXPEIJITION 133 > We invited the chiefs on board and showed them the boat, the air-gun, and such curiosities as \vc thought might amuse them. In this we succeeded too well; for after giving tliem a quarter of a glass of whisky, which they seemed to like very much, and sucked the bottle, it was with much difficulty that we could get rid of them. They at last accompanied Captain Clark on shore in a periogue with five men ; but it seems they had formed a design (/. Sj) to stop us ; for no sooner had the party landed than three of the Indians seized the cable of ihe periogue, and one of the soldiers of the chief put his arms round the mast. The second chief, who affected intoxication, then said that we should not go on, that they had not received presents enough from us. Captain Clark told them that we would not be prevented from going on ; that we were not squaws, but warriors ; that we were sent by our great father, who could in a moment exterminate them. The chief replied that he too had warriors, and was proceeding to offer per- sonal violence to Captain Clark, who immediately drew his sword, and made a signal to the boat to prepare for action. Tiie Indians who surrounded him drew their arrows from their quivers and were bending their bows, wlien the swivel in the boat was instantly pointed toward them, and twelve of our most determined men jumped into the periogue to join Captain Clark. This movement made an impression on them, for the grand chief ordered the young men away from the periogue ; they withdrew and held a short council with the warriors. Being unwilling to irritate them, Cap- tain Clark went forward and offered his hand to the first and second chiefs, who refused to take it. He turned from them and got into the periogue, but had not gone more than ten paces when both the chiefs and two of the war- riors waded in after him, and he brought them on board. We then proceeded for a mile and anchored off a willow- island, which from the circumstances which had just occurred we called Bad-humored island. ' ' Gass relates tlie incident thus ; " Five of them came on board and remained ■1. in )1 ■ I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. #/% <'"tP. k /. V ^ y. 1.0 I.I '• ilM ^' m 2.5 iililM liS lllllio 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ' -*- 6" ► 72 VI > ^ ^. "># ^:> />^ <% /A :m V Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 873-4503 ^ M iV % "^ v \ ^ .# :\ \ <*»> r^^ «^ o^ '^^ A. ! lit :|5- 134 HANGS IN A TREMBLING BALANCE. September 26th. Our conduct yesterday seemed to have inspired the Indians with fear of us, and as we were desirous of cultivating tlieir acquaintance, we complied with their wish that we should give them an opportunity of treating us well, and also suffer their squaws and children to see us and our boat, which would be perfectly new to them. Accord- about three hours. Captain Clark and some of our men in a periogue went ashore with them ; but the Indians did not seem disposed to permit their return. They said they were poor and wished to keep the periogue with them. Captain Clark insisted on coming to the boat ; but they refused to let ^lim, and said they had soldiers as well as he had. He told them his soldiers were good, and that he had more medicine aboard his boat than would kill twenty such nations in one day. After this they did not threaten any more, and said they only wanted us to stop at their lodge, that the women and children might see the boat. Four of them came aboard, when we proceeded on a mile, and cast anchor at the point of an island in the middle of the river The Indians remained with us all night " (p. 44). The situation was critical indeed — much more so than one unfamiliar with Sioux might gather from either of the printed texts. Sioux string bows as cowboys draw their six-shooters — that is, for instant use. Lewis was mettlesome ; Clark had red hair, and had been insulted ; both officers were dauntless, and their men were well disciplined. Several lives, possibly the further progress of the Expedition, hung as it were upon the first twang of a bowstring. Clark B 137-139 is therefore worth publishing: " Envited the Chiefs on hoard to show them our boat and such curiossities as was strange to to them, we gave them V *■ glass of whiskey which they appeared to be verry ioiid of, sucked the bottle after it was out & soon began to be troublesom, one the 2d chief assumeing Drunkness, as a Cloaki for his rascally intentions. I went with those chiefs (which left the boat with great reluctiance) to shore with a view of reconseleing those men to us. as soon as I landed the Perogue three of their young men seas(d the cable of the Perogue, the chiefs soldr. Huged [chief's soldier hugged] tne mast, and the 3d chief was verry insolent both in words & justures declareing I should not go on, stateing he had not received presents sufficient from us, his justures were of such a personal nature I felt myself Compeled to Draw my sword, at this motion Capt. Lewis ordered all under arms in the boat, those with me also showed a disposition to Defend themselves and me, the grand chief then took hold of the roap & ordered the young warrers away, I felt myself warn [warm] & spoke in very positive terms. We proceeded about I mile iV anchored out off a willow Island placed a guard on shore to protect the Cooks & a guard in the boat, fastened the Tcrogues to the Boat, I call this I>i?and Bad humered Island as we were in a bad humer." Then in a foot-note : " Most of the warrers appeared to have their Bows strung and took out their arrows from the quiver, as I was not permited to reti'rn, I sent all the men except 2 Inft. to the boat, the perogue soon returned with about 12 of our determined men, ready for any event." V ■■ i \\ i RECONCILIATION OF THE OKANDANDAS. '35 ingly, after passing at lyi miles a small willow-island and several sand-bars, (^. S4) we came-to on the south side, where a crowd of men, women, and children were waiting to receive us. Captain Lewis went on shore and remained several hours; and observing that their disposition was friendly, we resolved to remain during the night for a dance which they were preparing for us. Captains Lewis and Clark, who went on shore one after the other, were met on landing by ten well-dressed young men, who took them up in a robe highly decorated and carried them to a large council-house, where they were placed on a dressed buffalo-skin by the side of the grand chief. The hall or council-room was in the shape of three- quarters of a circle, covered at the top and sides with skins v/ell dressed and sewed together. Under this shelter sat about 70 men, forming a circle round the chief, before whom were placed a Spanish flag and the one we had given them yesterday. This left a vacant circle of about six feet diam .ei, h* '.vh:r*i the pipe of peace was raised on two forked si! '- about six or eight inches from the ground, and under it the down of the swan was scattered. A large fire, in which they wt re cooking provisions, stood near, and in the center about 400 pounds of buffalo meat as a present for us. As soon as we were seated, an old man got up, and after approving what we had done, begged us take pity on their unfortunate situation. To this we replied with assur- ances of protection. After he had ceased, the great chief rose and delivered a harangue to the same effect ; then with great solemnity he took some of the most delicate parts of the dog which was cooked for the festival, and held it to the flag by way of sacrifice ; this done, he held up the pipe of peace, and first pointed it toward the heavens, then to the four quarters of the globe, then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted the pipe, and presented it to us. We smoked, and he again harangued his people, after which the repast was served up to us. It consisted of the dog which the/ had just been cooking, this being a great dish among the li II f ^ti \ \ 136 FEASTING, SMOKING, AND DANCING. (/. Sj) Sioux, used on all festivals; to which were added pemitigon [sic — read pemtnican], a dish made of buffalo- meat, dried or jerked and then pounded and mixed raw with grease ; and a kind of ground potato, dressed like the prep- aration of Indian corn called hominy, to which it is little in- ferior. Of all these luxuries, which were placed before us in platters, with horn spoons, we took the pemitigon and the potato, which we found good, but we could as yet par- take but sparingly of the dog. We eat and smoked for an hour, when it became dark. Everything was then cleared away for the dance, a large fire being made in the center of the house, giving at once light and warmth to the ballroom. The orchestra was composed of about ten men, who played on a sort of tambourine formed of skin stretched across a hoop, and made a jingling noise with a long stick to which the hoofs of deer and goats were hung ; the third instrument was a small skin bag with pebbles in it. These, with five or six young men for the vocal part, made up the band. The women then came forward highly decorated ; some with poles in their hands, on which were hung the scalps of their enemies ; others with guns, spears, or different trophies, taken in war by their husbands, brothers, or con- nections. Having arranged themselves in two columns, one on each side of the fire, as soon as the music began they danced toward each other till they met in the center, when the rattles were shaken and they all shouted and returned back to their places. They have no step, but shuffle along the ground ; nor does the music appear to be anything more than a confusion of noises, distinguished only by hard or gentle blows upon the buffalo-skin ; the song is perfectly extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance, any man of the company comes forward and recites, in a sort of a low guttural tone, some little story or incident, which is either martial or ludicrous ; or, as was the case this evening, voluptuous and indecent ; this is taken up by the orchestra and the dancers, who repeat it in a higher strain and dance to it. (/>. 86) Sometimes they alternate ; the orchestra .'1 INHARMONIOUS MUSICIANS— OMAHA PRISONERS. I37 first performing, and when it ceases, the women raising their voices and maira, whose crumbled leaves are used. a. The silky cornel or dogwood, or so-called red-willow, Conius sericea, and related species of Ccrnus, as C. stolonifera, or red-osier dogwood, of which the scraped inner bark is used. 3. The bear-berrj, Arctostciphylos uva-ursi, a trailing ericaccous shrub, herein- after called sacacommis ; the scraped bark used. 4. Species of arrow-wood or Viburnum. The various ingredients, properly taken from the respective plants and dried, are nibbed up in the hands as we would treat natural leaf tobacco, and then put in the pipw. The Omaha name of the mixture is ninnegabe, sometimes found as an English word. 1 m 1^1 140 OKANDANDA LODGES, ETC. reach beyond the knee, where they are met by a long loose shift of skin which reaches nearly to the ankles ; this is fastened over the shoulders by a string and has no sleeves, but a few pieces of the skin hang a short distance down the arms. Sometimes a girdle fastens this skin around the waist, and over all is thrown a robe like that worn by the men. They seem fond of dress. Thsir lodges are very neatly constructed, in the same form as those of the Yankcons; they consist of about 100 cabins, made of white buffalo-hide dressed, with a larger one in the center for holding councils and dances. They are built round, with poles about 15 or 20 feet high, covered with white skins. These lodges may be taken to pieces, packed up, and carried with the nation wherever they go, by dogs, which bear great burdens.* The women are chiefly employed in dressing buffalo-skins; they seem perfectly well disposed, but are addicted to stealing any- thing which they can take without being observed. This nation, although it makes so many ravages among its neiph- bors, is badly supplied with guns. The water which they carry with them is contained chiefly in the paunches of deer and other animals, and they make use of wooden bowls. Some had their heads shaved, which we found was a species of mourning for relations. Another usage, on these occasions, is to run arrows through the flesh both above and below the elbow. While on shore to-day we witnessed a quarrel between two squaws, which appeared to be growing every moment more boisterous, when a man came forward, at whose approach everyone seemed terrified and ran. He took the squaws and without any ceremony whipped them severely. On inquiring into the nature of such summary justice, we * Gass adds, under date of Sept. 28th : " While I was.it the Indian camp yes- terday they yoked a dog to a kind of car, which they have to haul their bagjj.njje from one camp to another ; the nation having no settled place or village, but .ire always moving about. The dogs are not large, much resemble a wolf, and will haul about 70 pounds each." i OKANDANDA POLICE SYSTEM. 141 )ng loose I ; this is 3 sleeves, ice down n around liat worn the same of about I, with a id dances, feet high, ; taken to wherever he women they seem aling any- red. This ; its neiph • hich they unches of )f wooden found was usage, on esh both between •y moment at whose took the severely. lustice, we Han camp yes- their bagR-nse ilLiRC, but .ire wolf, and will learned that this man was an officer well known to this and many other tribes. His duty is to keep the peace, and the whole interior police of the village is confided to two or three of these officers, who are named by the chief and remain in power some days, at least till the chief appoints a successor. They seem to be a sort of constable or senti- nel, since they are always on the watch to keep tranquillity during the day and guard the camp in the night. The short duration of the office is compensated by its authority. His power is supreme, and in the suppression of any riot or disturbance no resistance to him is suffered ; his person is sacred, and if in the execution of his duty he strikes even a chief of the second class, he cannot be punished for this salutary insolence. In general he accompanies the person of the chief, and when ordered to any duty, however dan- gerous, it is a point of honor rather to die than to refuse obedience. Thus, when they attempted to stop us yes- terday, the chief ordered one of these men to take pos- session of the boat ; he immediately put his arms around the (a P^) "last, and, as we understood, no force except the command of the chief would have induced him to release his hold. Like the other men his body is blackened, but his distinguishing mark is a collection of two or three raven- skins fixed to the girdle behind the back in such a way that the tails stick out horizontally from the body. On his head too is a raven-skin split into two parts, and tied so as to let the beak project from the forehead. September ijth. We rose early, and the two chiefs took off, as a matter of course and according to their custom, the blanket on which they had slept. To this we added a peck of corn as a present to each. Captain Lewis and the chiefs went on shore to see a part of the nation that was expected, but did not come. He returned at two o'clock, with four of the chiefs, and a warrior of distinction called Wadrapa, or On His Guard; they examined the boat and admired whatever was strange, during half an hour, when they left it with great reluctance. Captain Clark accompanied them H2 ANOTHER COLLISION THREATENED. to the lodge of the grand chief, who invited them to a dance, where, being joined by Captain Lewis, they remained till u late hour. The dance was very similar to that of yesterday. About twelve we left them, taking the second chief and one principal warrior on board. As we came near the boat the man who steered the periogue, by mistake, brought her broadside against the boat's cable and broke it. We called up all hands to their oars; our noise alarmed the two Indians ; they called out to their companions, and imme- diately the whole camp crowded to the shore ; but after half an hour they returned, leaving about sixty men near us. The alarm given by the chiefs was said to be that the Mahas had attacked us, and that they were desirous of assisting us to repel the assault ; but we suspected that they were afraid we meant to set sail and intended to prevent us from doing so ; for in the night the Maha prisoners had told one of our men, who understood their language, that we were to be stopped. We therefore, (/. p/) without giving any indications of our suspicion, prepared everything for an attack, as the loss of our anchor obliged us to come-to near a falling bank, very unfavorable for defense. We were not mistaken in these opinions; for when in the morning, Friday, September 28///, after dragging unsuccessfully for the anchor, we wished to set sail, it was with great difficulty that we could make the chiefs leave the boat. At length we got rid of all except the great chief ; when, just as we were setting out, several of the chief's soldiers sat on the rope which held the boat to the shore. Irritated at this, we got everything ready to fire on them if they persisted ; but the great chief said that these were his soldiers and only wanted some tobacco. We had already refused a flag and some tobacco to the second chief, who had demanded them with great importunity ; but, willing to leave them without going to extremities, we threw him a carrot of tobacco, saying to him, "You told us that you are a great man and have influence ; now show your influence, by taking the rope from those men, and we will then go without any further trou- k io AN ULTIMATUM— NO-TIMBER CRKEK. •43 ble." This .ippcal to his pride had the desired effect ; he went out of the boat, gave his soldiers the tobacco, and pulling the rope out of their hands delivered it on board. We then set sail under a breeze from the S.E. After sail- ing about two miles wu observed the third chief beckoning to us; we took him on board, and he informed us tliat the rope had been held by the order of the second chief, who was a double-faced man. A little further on we were joined by the son of this chief, who came on board to sec his father. On his return we sent a speech to the nation, explaining what we had done and advising them to peace ; but [assuring them thatj if they persisted in their attempts to stop us, we were willing and able to defend ourselves. After making six miles, during which we passed a willow- island on the south and one sand-bar, we camped on another in the mid- {p. p3) die of the river. The country on the south side was a low prairie, that on the north, high land. September igth. We set out early, but were again im- peded by sand-bars, which made the river shallow ; the weather was, however, fair; the land on the north side, low, and covered with timber, contrasted with the bluffs to the south. At nine o'clock we saw the second chief and two women and three men on siiore, who wished us to take the two women offered by the second chief to make friends, which was refused. He then requested us to take them to the other band of their nation, who were on the river not far from us; this we declined, but in spite of our wishes they followed us along the shore. The chief asked us to give them some tobacco ; this we did, and gave more as a present for that part of the nation which we did not see. At 7^ miles we came to a small creek on the southern side, where we saw great numbers of elk, and which we called No-timber creek [in Stanley Co.] from its bare appearance. Above the mouth of this stream, a Ricara' band of Pawnees i n ' " .\ricaris, commonly called Kickarees, Rickrees, or Rees,"Gass, p. 48 ; the codices variant, as usual. The accepted spelling is now Arikara. " No timber" is now Chankie or Chanker creek ; this name clipped from Sioux Tschehkana- f^ li! 'II i 144 ARIKARA INDIANS. had a village five years ago ; but there arr no remains of it except the mound which encircled the town. Here the second chief went on shore. We then proceeded, and at the distance of 1 1 miles camped on the lower part of a willow-island [Okobojou], in the middle of the river, being obliged to substitute large stones in the place of the anchor which we lost. September loth. The wind was this morning very high from the southeast, so that we were obliged to proceed under a double-reefed mainsail, through the rain. The country presented a large low prairie covered with timber on the north side; on the south, we first had high barren kaiahtapah (so Maximilian), meaninff breech-clout. The Arikarat are now con- fined to a small village on the Fort Uerthold Keiervation, N. I)., which they share with the Mandans and Hidatsans. They are the remnarti of ten different tribes of Pawnees (of the Northern group of Caddoan stock), driven by the Sioux from their country lower down the Missouri, near the habitat of the I'onras, in what is now northern Nebraska. They numbered 448 in 1889. Lewis' Statistical View of 1806 makes the name Kicir&o, giving Stir-rlh-he as a primitive form, and La Kee (Lea Ree<>) as the French nickname. He sayi they speak I'ania (Pawnee) with a different accent, and have words peculiar to themselves. They had in 1804 three villages, wiih 500 warriors and c total population of 2, 600, on the S.W. bank of the Missouri. 1,440 miles by his estimate from its mouth. Lewis remarks (item "S" of his tabic-) that ihey " are the remains of ten large tribes of Panias who have been reduced, by the small|x>x and the Sioux, to their present number. They live in fortified vil- lages, and hunt immediately in their neighbourhood. . . . The remains of the villages of these people are to be seen on many parts of the Missouri from the mouth of the Tetone river to the Mandans. They claim no land except that on which their villages stand, and the fields which they cultivate. Though they are the oldest inhabitants, they may properly be considered the farmers or tenants at will of that lawless, savage and rapacious race the Sioux Teton, who rob them of their horses, plunder their gardens and fields and some- times murder them, without opposition. If these people were freed from the oppression of the Tetons, their trade would increase rapidly, and might be extended to a considers '^!e amount. They maintain a partial trade with their oppressors the Tetons, to whom they barter horses, mules, corn, beans and a species of tobacco which they cultivate ; and receive in return guns, am- munition, kettles, axes, and other articles which the Tetons obtain from the Yanktons of the N. and Sissatones, who trade with Mr. Cammeron, on the river St Peters. These horses and mules the Ricaras obtain from their Western neighbours, who visit them frequently for the purpose of trafficking." APOLOGETIC ANO TERKIFIEU TETONS. US hills, but tftcr some miles it [the country] became of the same character as that of the opposite side. We had not gone far when an Indian ran after us and begged to be car- ried on board as far as the Ricaras, which we refused ; soon after, we discovered on the hills at a distance a great number of Indians, who came toward the river and camped ahead of us. We stopped (/. pj) at a sand-bar, at about 1 1 miles, and after breakfasting proceeded on a short distance to their camp, which consisted of about 4(X> souls. We anchored lOO yards from the shore ; and discovering that they were Tetons belonging t. tiie band which we had just left, we told them that we took them by the hand, and would make each chief a present of tobacco ; that wc had been badly treated by some of their band, and that having waited for two days below we could not stop here, but referred them to Mr. Durion for our talk and an expla- nation of our views. They then apologized for what had passed, and assured us that they were friendly and very desirous that we should land and eat with them. This we refused, but sent the periogue on shore with the tobacco, which was delivered to one of the soldiers of the chief whom we had on board. Several of them now ran along the shore after us, but the chief threw them a twist of tobacco, and told them to go back and open their ears to our coun- sels; on which they immediately returned to their lodges. We then proceeded past a continuation of the low prairie on the north, where we had large quantities of grapes, and on the south [read north] saw a small creek and an island. Six miles above this, two Indians came to the bank, looked at us about a half an hour, and then went, without speciking, over the hills to the southwest. After some time, the wind rose still higher, and the boat struck a log, turned, and was very near taking in water. The chief became ^o much terrified at the danger that he hid himself in the boat, and as soon as we landed got his gun and told ns that he wanted to return ; that we would now see no more Tetons, and that we might proceed unmolested. We i M Ji 4 . 146 lAMA OR CHEYENNE ISLAND— CHEYENNE KIVER. repeated tlie advice we had alieady given, presented him uitii a blanket, a knife, and some tobacco, and after smok- ing with us he set out. We then continued to a sand-bar on tlie nortli side, where we camped, having come 20j^ miles." In the course of tlie day we saw a number of sand- (/. 94) bars which impeded navigation. The only animal we observed was the white gull, then in great abundance. Moitddv, October \st, 1804. The weather was very cold and the wind high from the southeast during the night, continuing so this morning. At three miles' distance we liad passed a large island ' in the middle of the river, oppo- site the lower end of which the Ricaras once had a village on the south side of tlie river ; there are, however, no rem- nants of it now except a circular wall, three or four feet in height, which encompassed the town. Two miles beyond this island is a river coming in from the southwest, about 400 yards wide ; the current is gentle, discharging not much welter and very little sand. It takes its rise in the second range of the Cote [Cote] Noire or Black mountains, and its t^eneral course is nearly east. This river has beer, occa- sionally called Dog river, under a mistaken opinion that i's •,\nd havinjj passed, first. Cow creek (Spring creek of Heap's map), small, in Sully Co.. its mouth at point of Hughes Co. ; next, Okobojou creek, large, on which is Clifton, rounty town of Sully ; thirdly, the "small creek and an island. " This creek, on the >i:^hl, in Sully Co., is the site of the important post Fort Sully, in the Military Reservation — to be distinguished from old Fort Sully, below the Teton river. The island is that now called Stanley island. Clark V> 165-170, Sejit. 30th, has no mention of any creek in connection with this island. There are in f.ict several creeks from tlie " south " (west), but these are in Stanley Co., above Stanley island and Fort Sully, and below the Cheyenne. The largest of these is mai.sjd on the (I. I.. O. map Dry creek, with the Cheyenne Agency at its mouth. To-day's camp is in Lookout Rend. ' Clark I! 165, last course and dist.ince of Sept. 30th : " N. 50" W. 2% mis. to the Lower pt. of Pania Island situated in themidl. of the river ;" and 171, first course an47 French name was Chien ; but its true appellation is Chay. eniie,' and it derives this title from tlie Chayenne Indians. Tlieir history is the short and melancholy relation of the calamities of almost all the Indians. They were a numer- ous people and lived on the Chayenne, a branch of the Red river of Lake Winnipeg. The invasion of the Sioux drove them westward ; in their progress they halted on the southern side of the Missouri below the Warreconne, where their ancient fortifications still exist ; but the same impulse again drove them to the heads of the Chayenne, where they now rove and occasionally visit the Ricaras. They are now reduced, but still number 300 men.' sni.ill, larfjc, and an t post Fort sland. with \). but o\v the creek, Ik-nd. yi mis. I. first l.irfje akes it where i " So Biddle text tbrouj;hout ; in Gass, De Chien ; in Brackenridge. Chienne. Clark B 172 has "the Kiver >'!'hien (or Dog River)." but the codices yield various forms of the word ; Schain is one old form; Chaguyenne and Chaguiene are others. Cheyenne is now the accepted spelling. The Dakotan Indian name means Good river, by antithesis with the Bad (Teton) river, already tre,ited in this work. Lewis' map. 1806. k'lters Sharha or Chyenne ; Clark's. 1814, gives Chayenne ; on neither of these is the course well charted. The upper reaches are far out of the way on the earlier of these maps, where they were laid down, of course, from hearsay, and the main course is south instead of north of east. Nicollet has Shnyen. Wastegor Good river; Warren and Reynolds both h.ive Big Shyenne, Wakpa Washte or liood river (where the antithesis of I'.ig is the Little Cheyenne, for which see beyond). This is a great river, whose two main and about equal forks, the North and the South, embrace the Black hills proper, and drain these outliers of the Rockies by unnumbered tributaries. The united waters flow about E.N.K. to join those of the Missouri in Stanley Co., where there is the notable tlcxure of the latter river, known as the Little (or Lookout) Bend, whose bight faces in the opposite direction from that of the Great Bend. 'The Cheyennes are Indians of a different linguistic stock from any we have thus far met in this work, excepting only the Arapahoes. These two, Cheyennes and .\rapahoes. are of the Algonquian stock. They became sep- anted from their kindred by forcing their way through hostile tribes, and formed outliers of the Algonquian faniilv across the Missouri into what is now the Black Hills country of South Dakota, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado, thus interpolating themselves between Siouan tribes behind them and Shoshonean tribes in front, and having on the one hand the Kiowan tribes, and on the other the Middle Caddo..ns (I'awnees). In this place may be offered some gcner.il remarks, b.ised on Powell s monograjih, concerning the Algonquian family. The name is contracted from Algonequin, an .\lgoiikin wop^, meaning those across the river — that is, tl e St. Lawrence. The prcs?nt total 01 a.l the Algonquian tribes is about 95,600, of ( 1^' 'i . 14S CHEYENNE RIVER AND INDIANS. Although the river does not seem to throw out much sand, yet near and above its mouth we find a great many sand-bars difficult to pass. On both sides of the Missouri, near the Chayenne, are rich, thinly-timbered lowlands, behind which are bare hills. As we proceeded, we found that the sand-bars made the river so shallow, and the wind was so high, that we could scarcely find the channel ; at one place were forced to drag the boat over a (/. pj) sand-bar, the Missouri being very wide and falling a little. At 7^ miles we came-to at a point and remained three hours, dur- ing which time the wind abated ; we then passed within whom 60,000 are in Canada and the rest in the United States. The tribes and subtribes are extremely numerous. The principal of these are, in alpha- betical order: Abnaki, Algonkin proper, Arapahc, Cheyenne, Conoy, Cree, Delaware, Fox, Illinois, Kickapoo, Mahican, Massachuset, Menominee, Miami, Micmac, Mohegan, Montignais, Montauk, Munsee, Nantikoke, Narra- ganset, Nauset, Nipmuc, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Pamlico, Pennacook, Pequot, Piankishaw, Fottawottomi, Powhatan, Sac, Shawnee, Siksika, Wampanoag, Wappinger. Among these names are some of our most familiar Indian words, and many place-names not less familiar are derived from the same linguistic stock. The area occupied by the Algonquian family was more extensive than that of any other linguistic stock in North America, extending from Labrador to the Rocky mountains, and from Churchill river of Hudson's bay to North Carolina. In the eastern part of this vast area was a region occupied by Iroquoian tribes, almost surrounded by their Algonquian neighbors. On the south the Algonquians were bounded by tribes of Iroquoian stock, and one of Siouan stock (Catawba) ; on the southwest and west by Muskhogean and Siouan tribes ; northwest by the Kitunahan and great Athapascan families ; elsewhere they came in contact with the Eskimo. In Newfoundland the Algonquian stock met the single tribe of Beothukan stock. A portion of the Shawnees had early separated from the main body in central Tennessee, :;nd pushed on down the Savannah river in South Carolina, where they became known as Savannahs, and warred with surrounding tribes till about 1700, when they were driven off and joined the Delaware Indians. The rest of the Shawnee tribe was expelled by the Cherokee and Chickasaw soon afterward. Turning now to Lewis' Statistical View, we find he gives Chyennes, with a form Shar'-ha as primitive, and the French nickname "la chien " (/. f., le chien. fern, la chienne, pi. les chiensor les chiennes, dogs, bitches). He notes their language by an asterisk, signifying "primitive" in his schedule. He enumerates no lodges, 300 warriors, total 1,200, and locates the tribe about the sources of the Cheyenne, now in the Black hills. He puts them at peace with all their neighbors except the Sioux, with whom they were waging defensive warfare, and adds : " They are the remnant of a nation once respect- u SENTINEL AND LOOK< 'T CREEKS. 149 four miles two creeks on the south, one of which we called Centinel '° creek, and the other Lookout " creek. This part of the river has brt little timber ; the hills are not so high as we have hitherto seen, and the num- ber of sand-bars extends the riv.ir to more than a mile in breadth. We continued about 4}^ miles further, to a sand-bar in the middle of the river, where we spent the night, our progress being 16 miles. On the opposite shore we saw a house among the willows, and a boy whom we called and brought on board. He proved to be a young Frenchman in the employ of a Mr. Valle," a trader who is now here pursuing his commerce with the Sioux. V able in point of number : formerly resided on a branch of the Red River of Lake Winnipie, which still bears their name. Being oppressed by the Sioux, they removed to the west side of the Missouri, about 15 miles below the mouth of Warricunne creek, where they built and fortified a village, but being pursued by their ancient enemies the Sioux, they fied to the Black hills about the head of the Chyenne river, where they wander in quest of the buffalo, having no fixed residence. They do not cultivate. They are well disposed towards the whites, and might easily be induced to settle on the Missouri, if they could be assured of being protected from the Sioux. Their number annually diminishes." (London ed. 1807, p. 20.) .Vccording to the latest returns the Cheyennes now number 3,626. Of Northern Cheyennes there are 517 at Pine Ridge Agency, S. D., and 865 at Tongue River Agency, Mont. There are 2,091 Cheyennes at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency in Ind. Terr., and 153 are at school at Lawrence, Kas., and Carlisle, Pa. '" " Passed a Creek on the L. S. which we Call the Sentinal," Clark B 173; so also Lewis' map, 1806; as per text on Clark's, 1814; charted but unnamed by Warren and by Reynolds ; no trace on G. L. O. map, 1879 I Pascal creek 5I At 2^ miles \vc had passed a willow-island on the south ; on the nortl; side of the river were dark bluffs, and on the south low rich prairies. We took a meridian altitude on our arrival at the upper end of the isthmus of the bend, which wc called the Lookout Bend, and found the latitude to be 44" 19' 36"." This bend is nearly 20 miles around, and not more than two miles across. In the afternoon we heard a shot fired, and not long after observed some Indians on a hill. One of them came to the shore and wished us to land, as there were 20 lodges of Yanktons or Boisbrule [sic] there." We declined doing so, telling him that we had already seen his chiefs, and that they might learn from Mr. Durion the nature of the talk we had delivered to them. At nine miles we came to the lower point of a long island on the north, the banks of the south side of the river being high, those of the north forming a low rich prairie. We coasted along this island, which we called Cautiop" island, and after passing a small creek on the south" camped on a sand-bar in the middle of the river, hav- ing made twelve miles. The wind changed to the northwest and became very high and cold. The current of the river is less rapid, and the water, though of the same color, con- tains less sediment than below the Chayenne, but its width continues the same. We were not able to hunt to-day, for is the sage-grouse, Centrocercus tirflphasianus, .ind the basis of a certain mythical " white booted turkey." Clark B 177 and Lewis Q 44, stated by Mr. Valle to be found in the black hills. '* So Clark H 178, but too far south ; 44' 49' would be nearer the true lati- tude of this point on Lookout l?end, which is that already noted, p. 147, as the Little Bend. At the upper end of the hend is Devil's island. "Class has " the Jonkta or Babarole band," p. 49. '*This is Plum island of Warren's and present maps ; ch.irted, nameless, fin Reynolds' ; not shown on Lewis' or on Clark's ; wrongly named Pascal's island by Stevens. " Observe great caution this day, expecting the Seaiix intentions somewhat hostile," Clark C 2, overlapping Codex B in date. " Not identified. If we could here read tiorth for " south," we might sup- pose this to be the creek marked Inyan Tonka on Heap's map, next above Plum island, on the east or riglif-hand side going up. But Clark B l8u has plainly " L. S.," larboard or left-hand side, with which the text agrees. ! m A.: ■ ir i 152 THE MAIN CHANNEL HARD TO FIND. theri^ were so many Indians in the neighborhood we were in constant expectation of being attacked, and were there- fore forced to keep the party together and be on our guard. October 3^." The wind continued so high from the nort' west that we could not set out till after seven. We then proceeded till twelve o'clock, and landed on (/, ^f) a bar toward the south, where we examined the periogues and the forecastle of the boat, and found that the mice had cut several bags of corn and spoiled some of our clothes. About one o'clock an Indian came running to the shore with a turkey on his back ; several others soon joined him, but we had no intercourse with them. We then went on for three miles, but the ascent soon became so obstructed by sand-bars and shoal water that, after attempting in vain several channels, we determined to rest for the night under some high bluffs on the south [now Artichoke butte], and send out to examine the best channel. We had made eight miles along high bluffs on each side." The birds we saw were white gulls and brant {Berniclu brenta], which were flying to the southward in large flocks. October ^th. On examination we found that there was no outlet practicable for us in this channel, and that we must retrace our steps. We therefore returned three miles and attempted another channel, in which we were more fortunate. The Indians were in small numbers on the shore, and seemed willing, had they been more numerous, to molest us. They called to desire that we would land, '" Clark B ends with this date ; it begins Aug. 15th, to which date Clark A extends. Up to this point in the History of the Expedition, the Biddle narrative is b.nsed almost solely on these two codices — the chief exceptions I have noticed being the account of the antelope, Sept. I7fh, which is from the fragmentary Lewis Ba, and of the supposed ancient fortification, the sketch and main descrip- tion of which are in Clark N 81-85. Biddle now passes to Codex C, which is mainly a Clark, but with some entries in Lewis' hand. This we may call " the Mandan Codex," as it extends to April 7th, 1805, and is chiefly the Lewis and Clark journal of their wintering at Fort Mandan, though it includes a good deal of other and miscellaneous matter. In this re.spect, as in style of binding and some other particulars, it stands quite alone in the series of codices. '" And had overlooked Inyan Tonka of Warren, on the right, now Artichoke creek. ISA GOOD HOPE ISLAND— LAHOOCAT VILLAGE. »53 le IS, id, crip- is the and deal and loke and one of them gave three yells and fired a ball ahead of the boat ; we, however, took no notice of it, but landed on the south to breakfast. One of these Indians swam across and begged for some powder ; we gave him a piece of to- bacco only. At 8^2 miles we had passed an island in the middle of the river, which we called Goodhope" island. At lyi miles we reached a creek on the south side about twelve yards wide, to which we gave the name of Teal creek. A little above this is an island on the north side of the current [i.e., channel], about i}4 miles in length and three-quarters of a mile in breadth. In the center of this island is an old village of the Ricaras, called Lahoocat ; it was surrounded by a circular wall, containing 17 lodges. The Ricaras are known to have lived there in 1797, and the village seems to have been deserted about five years since ; it does not contain much timber. We camped on a sand- (/. pS) bar making out from the upper end of this island, our journey to-day being twelve miles. October 5th. The weather was very cold ; yesterday evening and this morning there was a white frost. We sailed along the highlands on the north side, passing a small creek on the south, between three and four miles. At seven o'clock we heard some yells and saw three Indians of the Teton band, who asked us to come on shore and begged for some tobacco; to all which we gave the same '■"' Pascal's island of Warren's but not of ordinary maps, which locate Pascal's island on the parallel of 45° N. This fixed point is fortunate, for the text of Oct. 4th and 5th is peculiarly difficult to follow. Clark C 5 has : " Passed a Island in the middle of the river about 3 miles in length, we call Good-hope Island, (2) at 4 miles [further] passed a creek [Teat] on the L. S. about 12 yards wide . . . crossed over to an (3) Island [Lahoocat] situated on the S. S.'' Thus at the %]/i miles of the text Good Hope (Pascal's of Warren) had been left four miles below Teal creek, instead of only ij-^ miles, as the text reads, and Teal creek is close to the island of Lahoocat. This fetches out exactly for identification of Lahoocat with the island Warren and Heap both called Bull- berry, at 45", between Potter and Dewey Cos., with Teal creek running in the latter county. The name " Teal " creek is not to be found in the Clark codex ; but it is " Teel " in Gass, p. jo.Jwhence I imagine Biddle took it : he also had the Gass manuscript in his hands at one time, besides Gass' printed volume- \% r / 1 i^ 't? 154 LITTLE CHEYENNE RIVER— WHITE BRANT CREEK. answer as hitherto. At eight miles we n.'ached a small" creek on the north. At 14 we passed an island on the south, covered with wild rye ; at the head of it a large creek comes in from the south, which we named Whitebrant creek, from seeing several white brants among flocks of dark-colored ones." At the distance of 20 miles we came- to on a sand-bar toward the north side of the river, with a willow-island opposite ; the hills, or bluffs, come to the banks of the river on both sides, but are not so high as they are below ; the river itself, however, continues of the same width, and the sand-bars are quite as numerous. The soil of the banks is dark-colored, and many of the blufTs have the appearance of being on fire. Our game this day was a deer, a prairie-wolf, and some goats [antelope] out of a flock that was swimming across the river. October 6th. The morning was still cold, the wind being from the north. At eight miles we came to a willow-island on the north, opposite a point of timber, where there are many large stones near the middle of the river, which seem " The word " small " does not occur here in Clark C 6-8, Oct. Sth, and the distance from the island of Lahoocat makes this creek, nameless both in the text and in the codex, no other than the Little Cheyenne river, a considerable stream from the " north," «'. e., east, in Potter (formerly Ashmore) Co. This is Cut Head R. of Heap, and Hidden creek of Gass, p. 50, who says; "We passed a creek on the north side, called Hidden creek, and high black bluffs on the south side." The Little Cheyenne is well "hidden" in the text. But it is conspicuously traced in Clark's map, 1814, unlettertd : see there the stream on the right, next above the parallel of 45", and next below Otter creek on the same side. There is now a place called Medicine Rock at its mouth. White Brant creek, from the " south," i. e., west, is called White Goat creek in Gass, p. 50, by a slip for White Goose. It is one of two or more streams in Dewey Co. , south of Moreau or Owl river, and just below Patched Skin buttes. For future identi- fications it may be well to give Clark's courses and distances for the 5th, avoiding the peculiarities of his phraseology : N. 63° E. lyi ms. under high land S. S. E. 3 ms. passing a creek L. S. N. So'E. i>^ ms. in a bend S. S. N. 30° W. 2 ms. to a point of high land L. Si., passitig a creek, S. S. (Biddle's "small creek on the north "). N. 50" W. 3 ms. to a point S. S. N. 17° W. 3 ms. to a tree on the S. S., passing a small island, " covered with wild rye," above which a creek (White Brant) comes in L. S. N. 16" E. 6 ms., etc. ; total, 20 miles. " The white brant, here first mentioned, is the snow-goos-, C/ifii hyperbo- reus. The dark-colored brant is the ordinary species, Benikla brenta. •1 OLD AKIKAKA VILLAGE— OTTER CREEK. •55 to have been washed from tiic hills and high plains on both sides, or driven from a distance down the stream. At twelve miles we halted for dinner at a village which we suppose to have belonged to the Ricaras. It is situated in a low plain on the river, and consists of about 80 lodges of an octagon form, neatly covered with earth, placed as close to each other as possible, and picketed around. The skin canoes, mats, buckets, and articles of furniture found in the (/. 9^) lodges, induce us to suppose that it had been left in the spring. We found three different sorts of squashes growing in the village ; we also killed an elk near it, and saw two wolves. On leaving the village the river became shallow, and after searching a long time for the main chan- nel, which was concealed among sand-bars, we at last dragged the boat over one of them, rather than go back three miles for the deepest channel. At 14^ miles we stopped for the night on a sand-bar, opposite a creek on the north [in Walworth Co.], called Otter" creek, 22 yards in width, and containing more water than is common for creeks of that size. The sides of the river during the day were variegated with high blufTs and low timbered grounds on the banks ; the river is very much obstructed by sand- bars. We saw geese, swan," brant, and ducks of different kinds on the sand-bars, and on the shore numbers of the prairie-hen ; the magpie, too, is very common, but the gulls and plover, which we saw in such numbers below, are how quite rare. October "jth. There was frost again last evening, and " " Beaver or Otter creek," Clark C 10, where Biddle selects the latter name ; Swamp creek of Stevens ; Swan Lake creek of Heap ; now Swan creek, in Wal- worth Co. , emptying a little below the mouth of Owl or Moreau river. It is plainly charted and lettered both on Lewis' and on Clark's m.ips, but there is no sign of any such river on either Warren's or Reynolds'; it is charted, but unnamed, on the G. L. O. map of 1879, and on the latest contour-map of the Geological Survey. Gass misses it, unless his " small creek on the south" is meant for it. " Probably the common whistling .swan, Cygnus columbiantis ; but the trump- eter, C. buccinator, is also found in the Missouri region. The prairie-hen is the sharp-tailed grouse, PcJitrcetcs phasiantllus columbiauus. H mi ! 1 ■^1 ? I IS6 MOREAU OR OWL RIVER— GROUSE ISLAND. this morning was cloudy and attended with rain. At two miles we came to the mouth of a river, called by the Ricaras Sawawkawna," or Pork [sic] river ; the party who examined it for about three miles up, say that its current is gentle, and that it does not seem to throw out much sand. Its sources are in the first range of the Black mountains: though it has now only water of 20 yards' width, yet when full it occupies 90. Just below the mouth is another village or wintering-camp of the Ricaras, composed of about 60 lodges, built in the same form as those passed yesterday, with willow and straw mats, baskets, and buffalo-skin canoes remaining entire in the camp. We proceeded under a gentle breeze from the southwest. At ten o'clock we saw two Indians on the north side, who told us they were a part of the lodge of Tartongawaka, or Buffalo Medicine, the Teton chief whom we had seen on [September] the 25th ; that they were on the way to the Ricaras, and begged us for some- (/>. 100) thing to eat, which of course we gave them. At 71^ miles is a willow-island on the north, and another on the same side five miles beyond it, in the middle of the river between highlands on both sides. At i8j^ miles is an island called Grouse island," on which are the walls of an " Elsewhere Sarwarkarna and Sarwarcarna ; in Gass Cer-wer-cer-na; in Brack- enridge, 1814, Ser-war-cerna, p. 244 and p. 367; on Lewis' map Sar-war-car-na-ho; " the Ricares call this river Sur-war-kar-na, or Park," Clark C 11. which accounts for the " Pork " in the text, salted since 1814. The codices yield some other forms, which need not be transcribed. Warren and Reynolds both inscribe on their maps Ilecha or Heecha VVakpa, besides Moreau. The name on most maps is Owl river ; on the G. L. O. map, 1879. and U. S. Geol. Surv. contour-map, Moreau or Owl river. This comes from the 3,000 103,500 foot elevation in Harding and Butte counties, courses east parallel with the Cheyenne below and the Grand above, through Choteau, Rinehart, Schnasse, and Dewey counties, falling into the Missouri in the latter opposite Walworth Co. It drains from outlying spurs or buttes of the Black hills, and through some Bad Lands. It was named for one Moreau, stabbed by a Cheyenne squaw. '•" Shaved island," Clark C 12, 13, twice, erased and Grous or Grouse sub- stituted. This island is described as " nearly 1% ms. squar," and on it was killed a " shee Brarow," being the female blaireau of the text. Late maps show two large islands in this day's voyage, but both apparently short of Grouse island, and seeming to correspond to the other two jlands, unnamed in the text. i A \ \ WETARHOO OR GRAND RIVER. 157 old village. The island has no timber, but is covered with fjiass and wild rye, and owes its name to the number of [sharp-tailed] grouse that frequent it. We then went on till our journey for the day was 22 miles. The country presentetl the same appearance as usual. In the low timbered ground near the mouth of the Sawawkawna we saw the tracks of large white [grizzly] bear, and on Grouse island killed a female blaireau [badger], and a deer of the black-tailed species, the largest [doe] we have ever seen. October St/i. Wc proceeded early with a cool northwest wind, and at 2>^ miles above Grouse island reached the mouth of a creek on the south ; then a small willow-island which divides the current equally; and at 4^-^ miles came to a river on the southern side, where we halted. This river, which our meridian altitude fixes at 45° 39' 5" north latitude, is called by the RicarasWetawhoo" [or Wetarhoo] ; it rises in the Black mountains, and its bed, which flows at the mouth over a low soft slate-stone, is 120 yards wide; but the water is now confined within 20 yards and is not very rapid, discharging mud with a small proportion of sand. Here, as in every bend of the river, we again ob- serve the red berries'" resembling currants, which we men- On Warren's map these islands are marked Fox (lower) and Blue Blanket (upper). Hills all along the west bank of the Missouri are there inscribed Hawthorne's bluffs. Present Bois Cache creek comes in at Fox island (Walworth Co.). " So first, Clark C 14 ; also Weterhoo and other forms in the codices ; Water- ehoo, Brackenridge, p. 267 ; We-ter-hoo, on Lewis' map ; Wetar-hoo, on Clark's; not noted in Gass, p. 51, who instead gives the creek from the south of above text as Slate run, and then proceeds to the Maropa river. The Wetarhoo is the Palanata Wakpa or Ree river of Warren and Reynolds ; it is now designated Grand river, duplicating the name of another river so called early in this work (note ", p. 24). The Grand h.is its headwaters in Bowman, Ewing, and Harding counties, about the 3,000 to 4,000 feet elevation contours, nc.ir the sources of the Little Missouri, which drains north, while the Grand watershed is east. The waters run parallel with those of the Owl below and Cannon-ball above, through Martin, Wagner, Schnasse, and Boreman counties, falling into the Missouri in the latter county on the edge of Dewey ; across the Missouri is the line between Campbell and W.-xlworth counties ; at the mouth of the Grand is the Indian Agency of the same name. " Shefiherdia argentea : see note ", p. 84. " The mandans call a red berry 4 I t f *; \l: tft MAROl'A RIVKR, OR RAMPART CKIiEK. tiuncd before. Two miles above the Wctawhou, and on the same side, is a small river called Maropa" [or Murapa or MaripaJ by tlie Indians ; it is 20 yards in width, but so dammed up by mud that the stream creeps through a channel of not more than an inch in diameter and dis- ciiarges no sand. One mile further we reached an island close to the southern shore, from which it is separated by a deep channel of 60 yards. About halfway a number of Ricara Indians came out to see us. We stopped and took a Frenchman on board (/. 10/), who accompanied us past the island to our camp on the north side of the river, which is at the distance of twelve miles from that of yesterday. Captain Lewis then returned with four of the party to see the village ; it is situated in the center of the island, near the southern shore, under the foot of some high, bald, uneven hills, and contains about 60 lodges. The island itself is three miles long, and covered with fields in which the Indians raise corn, beans, and potatoes. Several Frenchmen living among these Indians as interpreters or traders came back with Captain Lewis, particularly a Mr. Gravelines, a man who has acquired the language. On setting out we had a low prairie covered with timber on the north, and on the south highlands ; but at the mouth of the Wetawhoo the southern country changes, and a low timbered plain extends along the south, while the north has a ridge of barren hills during the rest of the day's course. October gth. The wind was so cold and high last night and during all the day that we could not assemble the common to the upper part of the Missouri Hst-dy. The engages call the same berry Grease de Buff [graisse de boeuf]," Clark C I. " The red berry is called by the Uees Nar-nis," Clark C, inside front cover of the book. •' F'irst, Clark C 14, Rearpar or Beaver Dam R., erased and Maropa inter- lined ; so Lewis' map ; Maripa, Clark's map ; Marapa in Gass, p. 5 1 ; now Rampart creek, as Warren and others. This stream is perfectly well known, but will not be found on ordinary maps ; there is no trace of it even on the G. L. O. map of 1879. It is also called Oak creek. ia VISIT OK ARIKARA CHIEFS. 159 Indians in council ; but some of the party went to the village. We received the visits of the three principal chiefs with many others, to whom we gave some tobacco, and told them that we would speak to them to-morrow. The names '" of these chiefs were : first, Kakawissassa or Lighting Crow ; second chief, Pocasse or Hay ; third chief I'iaheto or Eagle's Feather. Notwithstanding the high waves, two or three squaws rowed to us in little canoes made of a single buffalo-skin, stretched over a frame of boughs interwoven like u basket, and with the most perfect composure. The object which appeared to astonish the Indians most was Captain Clark's servant York, a remark- ably stout, strong negro. They had never seen a being of that color, and therefore flocked round him to examine tlie extraordinary monster. By way of amusement he told them that he had once been a wild animal, and caught and tamed by his master ; and to convince them showed them feats of strength {p. 102) which, added to his looks, made him more terrible than we wished him to be." Opposite •" All these are as Clark C 18. The Mr. Gravelines is Gravellin and Gravolin, Clark C 17, 18 ; Greaveline, Clark C 39, etc. The Mr. Tabeau below n.imed is here Mr. Tabo, elsewhere Taboe, Tabat, Tebaux, etc. See note •', p. a8. " York wai evidently a wag. When he had returned to St. Louis, and been ireed, lie used to get drunk and tell funny stories, quite in keeping with the above, which revived and rehabilitated the famous old hoax of a nation of bearded, blue-eyed, and red-haired Indians on the Upper Missouri. Accounts of such " White " or " Welsh " Indians, as they were called, are traceable back at least to 1764, when a French trader prepared a list of aborigines in which figure certain " Blancs Darbus.or White Indians with Heard," said to muster 1,500 war- riors. Whatever the origin of this relation, it took a new lease of life from the residence of Lewis and Clark's party at the Mandans, in 1804-5, lost nothing at York's glib tongue afterward, and was seriously discussed as an ethnological fact by various eminent authors. Mr. A. J. Hill of St. Taul, my valued corre- spondent in Lewis and Clark matters, calls niy attention to an article in the New York Medical Repository, III. p. 113, 1806, entitled " Hearded and fair People inhabiting the Country high up the Missouri," as an example of the rumors then rife. York's stories grew up with every glass thiit went down, till Mr. Biddle might have wondered what his History of the Expedition h.-»d to do with th.it multitudinous host who conquered the land, under the leadership of a black drum-major about ten feet tall. \ i ■ ll"l 1 ■ : ( , I ::!■■■ i6o ARIKARA PROHIBITION PARTY. our camp is a small creek on the south, which we distin- guished by the name of the chief Kakavvissassa. October lof/i." The weather was this day fine, and as we were desirous of assembling the whole nation at once, we dispatched Mr. Gravelines — who, with Mr. Tabeau, another French trader, had breakfasted with us — to invite the cliiefs of the two upper villages to a conference. They all assembled at one o'clock, and after the usual ceremo- nies we addressed them in the same way in which we had already spoken to the Ottoes and Sioux. We then made or acknowledged three chiefs, one for each of the three villages ; giving to each a flag, a medal, a red coat, a cocked hat and feather, also some goods, paint and tobacco, which they divided among themselves. After this the air-gun was exhibited, very much to their astonishment, nor were they less surprised at the color and manner of York. On our side we were equally gratified at discovering that these Ricaras made use of no spirituous liquors of any kind, the example of the traders who bring it to them, so far from tempting, having in fact disgusted them. Supposing that it was as agreeable to them as to the other Indians, we had at first offered tiiem whisky ; but they refused it with this sensible remark, that they were surprised that their father should present to them a liquor which would make them fools. On another occasion they observed to Mr. Tabeau that no man could be their friend who tried to lead them into such follies. The council being over they retired to consult on their answer, and the next morning, October I it/i. at eleven o'clock, we again met in council at our camp. The grand chief made a short speech of thanks for the advice we had given, and promised to follow it; add- ing that the door was now open and no one dare shut it, and that we migh' depart whenever we pleased — alluding to the treatment we had received from the Sioux. They " Gass '-nys he went this day to the lodges, about sixty in number, which he thus describes, p. 52 : " It a circle of a size suited to the dimensions of the intended lodge, they set ] 1 1 ii; ARIKARA VILLAGES VISITED. l6l also (/. loj) brought us some corn, beans, and dried squashes, and in return we gave them a steel mill, rth which they were much pleased. At one o'clock we leti our camp with the grand chief and his nephew on board, and at about two miles anchored below a creek on the south, separating the second and third village of the Ricaras, which are about half a mile distant from each other. We visited both the villages, and sat conversing with the chiefs for some time during which they presented us with a bread made of corn and beans, also corn and beans boiled, and a large rich bean which they take from the mice of the prairie, which discover and collect it. These two villages are placed near each other in a high, smooth prairie— a fine situation, except that hav- ing no wood the inhabitants are obliged to go for it across the river to a timbered lowland opposite them. We told them that we would speak to them in the morning at their villages separately. Oaodcr 12///. Accordingly, after breakfast, we [Lewis, Clark, and Gass] went on shore to the house of the chief of the second village, named Lassel, where we found his chiefs and warriors. They made us a present of about seven bushels of corn, a pair of leggings, a twist of their tobacco, and seeds of two different species of tobacco The chief then delivered a speech expressive of his grati- tude for the presents and good counsels which we had given him ; his intention of visiting his great father, but up i6 forked posts five or six feet high, and lay poles from one fork to another Against these poles they lean other poles, slanting from the ground, and extendi ing about 4 inches above the cross poles ; these are to receive the ends of the upper poles, that support the roof. They next set up 4 large forks 15 feet htgh, and about 10 feet apart, in the middle of the area ; and poles or beams between these. The roof poles are then laid on extending from the lower poles across the beams which rest on the middle forks, of such a length as to leave a hole at the top for a chimney. The whole is then covered with willow branches, except the chimney and a hole below to pass through On the w.liow-branches they lay grass and lastly clay. At the hole below they build a pen about 4 feet wide and projecting 10 feet from the hut, and hang a buffaloe skin at the entrance of the hut for a door. This hbor like every other kmd IS chiefly performed by the squaws." i i| ,1; n I ■ i l62 ARIKARA HISTORY. for fear of the Sioux ; and requested us to take one of the Ricara chiefs up to the Mandans and negotiate a peace between the two nations. To this we replied in a suitable way, and then repaired to the third village. Here we were addressed by the chief in nearly the same terms as before, and entertained with a present of ten bushels of corn, some beans, dried pumpkins, and squashes. After we had answered and explained the magnitude and power of the United States, the three chiefs came with us to the boat. We gave them some sugar, a little salt, and a sun-glass. Two of them then left us, and the chief of the third [vil- age], by name (/. lo^) Ahketahnasha or Chief of the Town, accompanied us to the Mandans. At two o'clock we left the Indians, who crowded to the shore to take leave of us, and after making 7J4 miles landed on the north side, and had a clear, cool, pleasant evening."* The three villages which we have just left are the resi- dence of a nation called the Ricaras [see note ', p. 143]. They were originally colonies of Pawnees, who estab- lished themselves on the Missouri below the Chayenne, where the traders still remember that twenty years ago they occupied a number of villages. From that situation a part of the Ricaras emigrated to the neighborhood of the Mandans, with whom they were then in alliance. The rest of the nation continued near the Chayenne till the year 1797, in the course of which, distressed by their wars with the Sioux, they joined their countrymen near the Mandans. Soon after, a new war arose between the Ricaras and the Mandans, in consequence of which the former came down the river to their present position. In this migration, those who had first gone to the Mandans ""A curious curstom with the Souex as well as the Reckeres is to give handsom squars to those whome they wish to show some acknowledgements to — The Seauex we got clear of without taking their squars, they followed us with squars two days — The Reckores we put off dureing the time we were at the Towns but 2 handsom young squars were sent by a man to follow us, they came up this evening and pursecuted in their civilities," Clark C 27. ^.'i .^ ARIKARA DRESS, MANNERS, AND MORALS. 163 kept together, and now live in the two lower villages ; they may hence be considered as the Ricaras proper. The third village was composed of such remnants of the villages as had survived the wars; and as these were nine in number, a difference of pronunciation and some difference of language may be observed between them and the Ricaras proper, who do not understand all the words of these wanderers. The villages are wjthin the distance of four miles of each other, the two lower ones consisting of between 150 and 200 men each, the third of 300. The Ricaras are tall and well proportioned, the women handsome and lively, and as among other savages to them falls all the drudgery of the field and the labors of procur- ing subsistence, except that of hunting. Both sexes are poor, but kind and generous, and although they receive with thankfulness what is given to them, do not beg as the Sioux did ; though this praise should be qualified (/. lo^) by mentioning that an ax was stolen last night from our cooks. The dress of the men is a simple pair of moccasins, leggings, and a cloth round the middle, over which a buf- falo-robe is occasionally thrown ; their hair, arms, and ears are decorated with different ornaments. The women wear moccasins, leggings, and a long shirt made of goat's skins, generally white and fringed, which is tied round the waist ; to these they add, like the men, a buffalo-robe without the hair, in summer. These women are handsomer than the Sioux ; both of them are, however, disposed to be amorous, and our men found no diflficulty in procuring companions for the night by means of the interpreters. These interviews were chiefly clandestine, and were of course to be kept a secret from the husband or relations. The point of honor indeed is completely reversed among the Ricaras ; that the wife oi the sister should submit to a stranger's embraces without the consent of her husband or brother is a cause of great disgrace and offense, especially as for many purposes of civility or gratitude the husband and brother will thcm- I wn I A i ! W^ .* 164 ARIKARA ETIQUETTE, LODGES, AND PRODUCE. selves present to a stranger these females, and be gratified by attentions to them. The Sioux had offered us squaws, but we having declined while we remained there, they followed us with offers of females for two days. The Ricaras had been equally accommodating ; we had equally withstood their temptation ; but such was their desire to oblige us that two very handsome young squaws were sent on board this evening, and persecuted us with civilities. The black man York participated largely in these favors ; for, instead of inspiring any prejudice, his color seemed to procure him additional advantages from the Indians, who desired to preserve among them some memorial of this wonderful stranger. Among other instances of attention, a Ricara invited him into his house and, presenting his wife to him, retired to the outside of the door; while there one of York's comrades who was looking for him came to the door, but the gallant hus- (/>. 106) band would permit no interruption until a reasonable time had elapsed. The Ricara lodges are in a circular or octagonal form, and generally about 30 or 40 feet in diameter. They are made by placing forked posts about six feet high round the circumference of the circle ; these are joined by poles from one fork to another, which are supported also by other forked poles slanting from the ground ; in the center of the lodge are placed four higher forks, about 15 feet in length, connected together by beams ; from these to the lower poles the rafters of the roof are extended so as to leave a vacancy in the middle for the smoke ; the frame of the buildinij is then covered with willow branches, with which is interwoven grass, and over this [is placed] mud or clay; the aperture for the door is about four feet wide, and before it is a sort of entry about ten feet from the lodge, Tiiey are very warm and compact. They cultivate maize or Indian corn, beans, pumpkins, watermelons, squashes, and a species of tobacco peculiar to themselves. Their commerce is chiefly with the traders, who supply them with goods in return for peltries, which u ARIKAKA TRADE AND WAR— STONE IDOL CREEK. 165 they procure not only by their own hunting, but in ex- change for corn from their less civilized neighbors. The object chiefly in demand seemed to be red paint, but they would give anything they had to spare for the most trifling article. One of the men to-day gave an Indian a hook made out of a pin, and received in return a pair of moccasins. They express a disposition to keep at peace with all nations ; but they are well armed with fusils, and being much under the influence of the Sioux, who exchange the goods which they get from the British for Ricara corn, their minds are sometimes poisoned and they cannot be always depended on. At the present moment they are at war with the Mandans. We are informed by Mr. Gravelines, who had passed through that country, that the Yankton or Jacques (/. /07) river rises about 40 miles to the east or northeast of this place, the Chayenne branch of the Red river about 20 miles further, passing the Sioux and the St. Peter's about 80. October i^t/i. In the morning our visitors left us, except the brother of the chief who accompanied us, and one of the squaws. We passed at an early hour a camp of Sioux on the north bank, who merely looked at us without saying a word, and from the character of the tribe we did not so- licit a conversation. At io>^ miles we reached the mouth of a creek on the north, which takes its rise from some ponds a short distance to the northeast. To this stream we gave the name of Stoneidol creek ;" for, after passing a willow, and sand-island just above its mouth, we discovered that a few miles back from the Missouri there are two stones resembling human figures, and a third like a dog, all which are objects of great veneration among the Ricaras. '■• Better Stone Idol Creek, as Clark C 29. where it is said to be 13 yards wide : see his map ; it is Stone creek of Lewis' map. Gass. p. 54, calls it Pond river. 50 yards wide. It is called Bourbeuse river on Warren's map ; Bordache creek, of Heap ; now Spring river, in Campbell Co. ( l66 ARIKARA TRADliION— HAV CREEK. i.i! i. If!^ i i' Their history would adorn the Metamorphoses of Ovid. A young man was deeply enamored with a girl whose parents refused their consent to the marriage. Tiie youth went out into the fields to mourn his misfortunes ; a sym- pathy of feeling led the lady to the same spot, and the faithful dog would not cease to follow his master. After wandering together and having nothing but grapes to sub- sist on, they were at last converted into stone, which, begin- ning at the feet, gradually invaded the nobler parts, leaving nothing unchanged but a bunch of grapes which the female holds in her hand to this day. Whenever the Ricaras pass these sacred stones, they stop to make some offering of dress to propitiate these deities. Such is the account given by the Ricara chief, which we had no mode of exam- ining, except that we found one part of the story very agreeably confirmed ; for on the river near where the event is said to have occurred we found a greater abundance of fine grapes than we had yet seen. Above this is a small creek, 4}^ miles from Stoneidol creek, which is 15 yards wide, comes in from the south, and (/. loS) received from us the name of Pocasse or Hay [now Hunkpapa] creek, in honor of the chief of the second village. Above the Ricara island the Missouri becomes narrow and deeper, the sand-bars being generally confined to the points; the current, too, is much more gentle; the timber on the low lands is also in much greater quantities, though the high grounds are still naked. We proceeded on under a fine breeze from the southeast, and after making 18 miles camped " on the north near a timbered low plain, after which we had some rain, and the evening was cold. The hunters killed one deer only. October i^th. We set out in the rain, which continued during the day. At five miles we came to a creek on the south, about 15 yards wide, and named by us Piaheto or Eagle's Feather, in honor of the third chief of the Ricaras. " Last camp in South Dakota. To-morrow, before crossing the parallel" of 46° N. lat,, the Expedition will have passed from South into North Dakota. 1>\ THE CASE OF JOHN NEWMAN. i6y After dinner we stopped on a sand-bar, and executed the sentence of a court martial, which inflicted corporeal punish- ment on one of the soldiers." This operation affected the Indian chief very sensibly, for he cried aloud during the punishment. We explained the offense and the reasons of •• Private John Newman, U. S. Infantry. Newman was a good man, and his case a hard one. Clark C 28-31, Oct. 13th, 14th, has ; "One man J. New- mon confined for mutinous expressions. . . We Tried the Prisoner Newmon last night by 9 of his Peers they did 'centence him 75 Lashes & [be] Disbanded the party.' . . halted on a Sand bar & after Dinner executed the Sentence of the Court Martial so far a [as] giving the Corporal punishment, and proceeded on a few miles." Lewis' autograph muster-roll, now in the War Department archives, is accompanied by a letter in his hand, making certain commentaries on the roll (on which, of course, Newman's name does not appear, as he had been dis- banded from the party); and I find the following magnanimous statement : "John Newman was a private in the Infantry of the U' States army who joined me as a volunteer and entered into an inlistment in common with others by which he was held and Mustered as one of the permanent party, in the course of the expedition, or shortly before we arrived at the Mandan Villages he committed himself by using certain mutinous expressions which caused me to arrest him and to have him tryed by a Court Martial formed of his peers ; they finding him guilty sentenced him to receive seventy five lashes and to be discharged from the permanent party, this sentence was enforced by me, and the punishment took place, the conduct of this man previous to this period had been generally correct, and the zeal he afterwards displayed for the benefit of the service was highly meritorious, in the course of the winter while at Fort Mandan, from an ardent wish to attone for the crime which he had committed at an unguarded moment, he exerted himself on every occasion to become usefull. This disposi- tion induced him to expose himself too much to the intense cold of that clim.ite, and on a hunting excurtion he had his hands and feet severely frozen with which he suffered extreme pain for some weeks — having recovered from this accident by the ist. of April 1805. he asked forgivness for what had passed, and beged that I would permit him to continue with me through the voyage, but deeming it impolitic to relax from the sentence, altho' he stood acquitted in my mind, T determined to send him back, which was accordingly done, since my return I have been informed that he was extremely serviceable as a hunter on the voyage to St. Louis and that the boat on several occasions owed her safety in a great measure to his personal exertions, being a man of uncom- mon activity and bodily strength, if under these circumstances it should be thought proper to give Newman the remaining third which will be deducted from the gratuity awarded Paptiest [sic] La Page who occupyed his station in the after part of the voyage I should feel myself much gratifyed." This letter is dated City of Washington, January 15th, 1807, and addressed to General Henry Dearborn, Secretary at War. !68 ARIKARA CAMPS— OLD CHEYENNE VILLAGE. H / !■ 1 I !.: it. He acknowledged that examples were necessary, and that he himself had given them by punishing with death ; but his nation never whipped even children from their birth. After this we continued with the wind from the northeast, and at the distance of twelve miles we camped " in a cove of the southern bank. Immediately opposite our camp, on the north side, are the ruins of an ancient fortification, the greater part of which is washed into the river ; nor could we distinguish more than that the walls were eight or ten feet high. The evening is wet and disagreeable, and the river, which is somewhat wider than yesterday, continues to have an unusual quantity of timber. The country was level on both sides in the morning, but afterward we passed some black bluffs on the south. October lifth. We stopped at three miles on the north ; a little above a camp of Ricaras who are hunting, where {p. log) we were visited by about 30 Indians. They came over in their skin canoes, bringing us meat, for which we returned them beads and fishhooks. About a mile higher we found another camp of Ricaras on the south, consisting of eight lodges ; here we again ate and exchanged a few presents. As we went we discerned numbers of other Indians on both .sides of the river. At about nine miles we came to a creek on the south, where we saw many high hills resembling a house with a slanting roof; and a little below the creek, an old village of the Sharha or Chayenne Indians. The morning had been cloudy, but the evening became pleasant, the wind from the northeast. At sunset we halted, after coming ten miles over several sand-bars and points, above a camp of ten Ricara lodges, on the north side. We visited their camp, and smoked and ate with several of them ; they all appeared kind and pleased with our attentions, and the fair sex received our men with more than hospitality. York was here again an object of ^ North Dakota, close to 46', at a creek now called Thunder-hawk. Piaheto (now Ulackfoot) creek meanders the boundary of South Dakota, but empties in North Dakota. .^y\ CHEYENNE, SOHAWCH, AND CHAPAWT CREEKS. 169 astonishment; the children would follow him constantly, and if he chanced to turn toward them, run with great ter- ror. The country of to-day is generally low and covered with timber on both sides, though in the morning we passed some barren hills on the south. October \6th:' At this camp the squaw who accompanied the chief left us ; two others were very anxious to go on with us. Just above our camp we passed a circular work or fort where the Sharha or Chayennes formerly lived ; and a short distance beyond, a creek " which we called Chay- enne creek. At two miles is a willow-island with a large sand-bar on both sides above it, and a creek, both on the south, which we called Sohawch, the Ricara name for girl ; and two miles above is a second creek, to which we gave the name of Chapawt, which means woman in the same language. Three miles further is an island situated in a bend to the north, about i]4 miles long, and covered with Cottonwood. At the lower end of this island {p. no) comes in a small creek from the north, called Keetoosh- ^ The Indian names in this paragraph are nearly all at variance with Clark C 36, 37, this date. The name of the chief who was aboard the boat is here given as Arketarnashar. The use of " Sharha c Chayennes." one singular and the other plural, is from the expression " Sliarh i or Chien or Dog Indians " of the codex. The first creek is " Chien," interlined Chayenne or Sharha. The second creek is "Soharch." The third is "Charpart." The fourth is " Keetooch S.irkarn.ir. " The fifth is as printed. The island is said to be named Carp " by Ivens," elsewhere called " Evins," and discredited. "9 Dissociate this in mind from any other stream called Cheyenne. Chayenne, or Chyenne. It is one of the very few located for right or left hand neither in the codex nor in the printed text. Lewis' map shows three unlettered traces, from the west. Clark's has nothing whatever on this side, from his Maripa (Rampart) to the Cannon-ball. Warren names two creeks on the left, the lower Kichisapi W[akpa]. or Battle creek, the upper Pointer creek. The facts are. with modern names: Oct. JSlh, Expedition passed, i, Thunder-hawk creek' 2, Battle creek ; 3, Fort Yates ; 4. Standing Rock Agency— all these left ; 5.' Cat-tail creek (Sar'jaone of Stevens), right ; 6, Porcupine or Pointer creek (Kichisapi or Battle creek of Warren); and camped by an old Cheyenne fort, on the right hand. Now, Oct. i6th, come i, Cheyenne creek, right? 2, .Sohawch, left ; 3, Chapawt, left— one of these being Pointer of Warren, but not other' wise identified. For the rest of Oct. i6th, see next two notes. ) \ n (1 t ^f IV •H.l 1? 170 KEETOOSHSAHAWNA AND WARRECONNE CREEKS. sahawiia " or Place of Beaver. At the upper extremity of the island a river empties from the north ; it is called Warreconne," or Elk Shed their Horns, and is about 35 yards wide. The island itself was named Carp island by Evans, a former traveler. As we proceeded there were great numbers of goats [antelopes] on the banks of the river, and we soon after saw large flocks of them in the water. They had been gradually driven into the river by the Indians, who now lined the shore so as to prevent their escape, and were firing on them, while sometimes boys went into the river and killed them with sticks ; they seemed to be very successful, for we counted 58 which they had killed. We ourselves killed some, and then passing the lodges to which these Indians belonged, camped at the distance of half a mile on the south, having made 14^ miles. We were soon visited by numbers of these Ricaras, who crossed the river hallooing and singing. Two of them then returned for some goat's flesh and bufTalo meat, dried and fresh, with which they m.ide a feast that lasted till late at night, and caused much music and merriment. October \jt/i. The weather was pleasant. We passed a low ground covered with small timber on the south, and barren hills on the north which came close to the river; the wind from the northwest then became so strong that we could not move after ten o'clock until late in the afternoon, when we were forced to use the towline ; we therefore made *" Sar-har-nar, Lewis' map ; Sar-har-ne, Clark's, on the right hand, next below the Warreconne ; not to be discovered on ordinary maps; Little Beaver creek of some. The word is Dakotan, and here Lewis and Clark locate their questiona- ble " Teton Saone" Indians, of " 300 men" and" i,5oosouls"(seenote"', p. loi). *' So Clark C 37, and map, plainly ; Warreconhe of Lewis' map ; elsewhere Warrecunne and Warrecanne ; in Le Raye. Warriuna ; in Maximilian, Waran- nano ; in Brackenridge, Warecore, p. 268. This is the Beaver river of Warren's map, and Beaver creek of Reynolds' and the G. L. O. map ; now Big Beaver or Sand creek. It is the largest stream in Emmons Co. It rises by two main afHuents in Logan and Mcintosh counties respectively, heading in some little lakes, and traverses Emmons Co. westerly to its confluence with the Missouri. The town of Emmonsburg is at its mouth. CANNON-HALL klVER. 171 only six miles. We all went out hunting and examining the country. The goats, of which we see large flocks com- ing to the north bank of the river, spend the summer, says Mr. Gravelines, in the plains east of the Missouri, and at the present season are returning to the Black mountains, where they subsist on leaves and shrubbery during the winter, and resume their migrations in the spring." We also saw buffalo, elk, and deer, and a number of snakes ; a beaver- house too was seen, and we caught a whippoorwill of a small and uncommon (/. ///) kind." The leaves are fast falling; the river is wider than usual and full of sand-bars ; on the sides of the hills are large stones, and some rock of a brown- ish color is in the southern bend below us. Our latitude by observation is 46° 23' 57". October \Zth, After three miles we reached the mouth of Le Boulet or Cannonball river. This stream rises in the Black mountains" and falls into the Missouri on the south [from the west] ; its channel is about 140 yards wide, though the water is now confined within 40; its name is derived from the numbers of perfectly round large stones on the shore and in the bluffs just above. We here met " " This chief," who was aboard, "tells me of a number of their tredetions about Turtles, Snakes, &c., and the power of a perticuler rock or cove on the next river which informs of everything none of those I think worth while men- tioning," Clark C 40. The hunting party to-day killed six deer, which were " scaffeled up," /. e., scaffolded, out of reach of the wolves. *» This is the bird long afterward first described and named by Audubon (Orn. Diog., V, 1839, p. 335) as Caprimulgiis nuttalli or Nuttall's whippoorwill, now known to science as Phatitnoptilus nuttalli. ^ Our authors use the term " Black mountains " in a looser sense than we now say " Black hills," for any of the elevated country to the west of the Missouri in Northern Nebraska and both Dakotas. The codices commonly name them as the Cout or Court noi or nue or nou, i. e.. Cote Noir. The Cannon-ball rises by two main branches, north and south, and many tributary streams, somewhat north of the Black hills proper, and east of the Little Missouri river ; flows in a general east course, traversing Hettinger and Morton counties, and falls into the Missouri in Morton Co., on the boundary of lioreman, and opposite Emmons, eight miles below the site of Fort Rice. Its Dakotan name was Inyan Wakarap (so Warren) or Wakahap (so Reynolds). It is also called simply Ball river. I 11 S MNKrO tiiL- 1 '¥ 1 h I, 1 1 #! ■I .^ \ v- I > - 172 CHEWAH OR FISH RIVER. with two Frenchmen in the employ of Mr. Gravclines, who hud been robbed by the Mandans of their traps, furs, and otlier articles, and were descending the river in a pcriogue ; but they turned back with us in expectation of obtaining redress through our means. At eight miles is a creek on the north [in Emmons Co.], about 28 yards wide, rising in the northeast, and called Chewah" or Fish river; one mile above this is another creek on the south [near Fort Rice ], We camped on a sand-bar to the south, at the distance of 13 miles, all of which we have made with oars and poles. Great numbers of goats are crossing the river and directing their course to the westward ; wc also saw a herd of buffalo and of elk ; a pelican too was killed, and six fallow-deer, we having found, as the Ricaras informed us, that there are none of the black-tailed species as high up as this place.** The country is in general level and fine, with broken short high grounds, low timbered mounds on the river, and a rugged range of hills at a distance. October igf/i. We set sail with a fine morning and a southeast wind, and at 2^ miles passed a creek on the north side; at ll^ miles we came to a lake or large pond on the same side, in which were some swans. On both banks of the Missouri are low grounds which have much more timber than lower down the river. The hills are at one or two miles' distance from the banks, the streams which rise in them are brackish, and the mineral salts appear on (/. T12) the sides of the hills and edges of the runs. In walking along the shore we counted 52 herds of buffalo, and three of elk, at a single view. Besides these, we also *' So Clark C 43 ; " She-wish or Fish Cr.," Clark C 250 ; Shewash of Maxi- milian ; Fish creek on both Lewis' and Clark's maps ; Apple creek of Stevens ; Long Lake creek of later and of present maps, emptying from the east five miles below Fort Rice. A little north of the Chewah was an old trading-house, on the east bank of the Missouri. *• The fallow-deer (Damn plufyceros) is a European species, not found in North America, the animal meant being the Western variety of the Virginia deer. The black-tailed deer has no such restricted range as the paragraph implies, but very likely had been killed off in this particular locality. OI,n MANPAN VII.IAGE— VARIOUS CREEKS. '73 observed elk, deer, pelicans, and wolves. After lyyi miles wc camped on the north, opposite the uppermost of a number of round hills, forming a cone at the top, one Li'lng about 90, another 60 feet in height, and some of less elevation. Our chief tells us that the calumet-bird" lives in the holes formed by the filtration of the water from the top of these hills through the sides. Near one of these moles, on a point of a hill 90 feet above the plain, are the remains of an old village which is high, strong, and has been fortified ; this our chief tells us is the remains of one of the Mandan villages, and these are the first ruins which we have seen of that nation in ascending the Missouri, Opposite our camp is a deep bend to the south, at the extremity of which is a pond. [Camp is in Bismarck Co.] October 20th. VVc [)roceeded early with a southeast wind which continued high all day, and came to a creek*" on the north [in Bismarck Co.] at two miles' distance, 20 yards wide. At eight miles we reached the lower point of an island*" in the middle of the river, though there is no current on the south. This island is covered with willows and extends about two miles, a small creek'" coming in from the south at its lower extremity. After making twelve miles we camped on the south, at the upper part of ablufi containing stone- ■" The crev.isses and ledges of w.iter-worn or weather-beaten bhiffsare f.ivorite nesting-pl.ices for e.igles and other large birds of prey in the upper Missouri country. I h.-»ve there examined some nests of enormous size, resorted to year .ifter year, probably by the same pairs of birds. They are often inaccessible, or only to be reached by means of a rope, with much difficulty and danger ; li\;t sometimes they are built simply on the edge of a bluff, to which one may walk on smooth gioun.l. The " callemet bird," Clark C 45, has already been men- tioned as the golden eagle, AqtiHa chrysaetos. ■"• Nameless in the codices, and so in the text, but plainly " Shepherds Cr. " of Lewis' map, and " Shepherd U." of Clark's, with the first (old) Mandan villaj,'e marked at its mouth. Apple creek or Burleigh creek of various late mnps, from the east, in Bismarck Co. ■" Nameless in the codices, and shown on neither map ; Burnt BoJit island of Warren's ; Sibley's island of the G. L. O. map, 1879 i very large, in the river between Bismarck and Morton Cos. " Nameless, and uncharted. Little Heart or Sturgis river of various maps, in Morton Co. Little Heart and Sugar-loaf buttes just south of it. i^i 'f •!i ' v 1 1 ?' ! H.l» '74 OLD MANDAN VILLAGE — HKAUT RIVER. coal of an interior quality ; immediately below this bluff and on the declivity of a hill are the remains of a village cov- ering six or eight acres, formerly occupied by the Mandans, who, says our Ricara chief, once lived in a number of villages on each side of the river, till the Sioux forced them 40 miles higher ; whence, after a few years' residence, they moved to their present position. The country through which we passed has wider bottoms and more timber than those we have been accustomed to sec, the hills rising at a distance and by gradual ascents. We have seen great numbers of elk, deer (/. iij), goats, and buffalo, and the usual attendants of these last, the wolves, which follow their movements and feed upon those which die by accident or which are too poor to keep pace with the herd. We also wounded a white bear, and saw some fresh tracks of those animals, which are twice as large as the track of a man. October 21st. Last night the weather was cold, the wind high from the northeast, and the rain which fell froze on the ground. At daylight it began to snow and continued till the afternoon, when it remained cloudy and the ground was covered with snow. However, we set out early, and just above our camp came to a creek on the south, called Chisshetaw," about 30 yards wide and with a considerable quantity of water. Our Ricara chief tells us that at some distance up this river is situated a large rock, which is held in great vciiCra- ^' Elsewhere printed Chesshetah .ind Chesschetar ; in Gass Cliisclieet ; in Le R.-iye Chuss-chu ; in tlie codices variant ; " Clies-che-tar or Heart R." of botli maps ; Ta Clianta Wakpa of Warren's and of Reynolds' ; Kig Heart river of maps which call Sturgis river Little Heart (see note ^", above). Lewis and Clark's name is uneasy, and lapsed ; but it might have survived in the English form of "Chester." This is Heart river, heading mainly in .Stark Co., and coursing with a considerable southward loop through Morton Co., to fall into the Missouri opposite liismarck, now the capital of North Dakot.i At this date the Expedition comes past the point where the N'orthern Pacific R.R. crosses the Missouri, with Bismarck on the left bank (right as you ascend) and F"ort Abr.aham Lincoln on the right. Here began the series of Mandan villages which extendeil many miles up river, and here is the pres'.-nt Mandan, county town of Morton, on Ikart river, ne.ir il^ inoutli. I 4 .f. ^ i MLaiiMMiili I; HOLY ROCKS AND TREES— MANDAN VILLAGES. 1 75 tion, and visited by parties who go to consult it as to their own or their nation's destinies, all of which they discern in some sort of figures or paintings with which it is cov- ered. About two miles off from the mouth of the river the party on shore saw another of the objects of Ricara superstition ; it is a large oak tree, standing alone in the open prairie, and as it alone has withstood the fire which has consumed everything around, the Indians naturally ascribe to it extraordinary powers. One of their cere- monies is to make a hole in the skin of their necks, through which a string is passed and the other end tied to the body of the tree ; after remaining in this way for some time they think they become braver. At two miles from our camp we came to the ruins of a second Mandan village, which was in existence at the same time with that just mentioned. It is situated on the north at the foot of a hill in a beautiful and extensive plain' which IS now covered with herds of buffalo ; nearly oppo- site are remains of a third village, on the south of the Missouri ; and there is another also about two miles further on the north, a little off the river. At the distance of ven miles we camped on the south," and spent (/. //^) a cjld night. We procured to-day a buffalo and an otter ILutra canc^dt•nsis^, only. The river is wide, the sand-bars are numerous, and a low island is near our camp. October 22d. In the morning we passed an old Mandan village on the south, near our camp ; at four miles another on the same side. About seven o'clock we came-to at a camp of II h.oux of the Teton tribe, w'.o are almost perfectly naked, having only a piece of skin or cloth round the middle, though we are suffering from the cold. From their appearance, which is warlike, and from their giving two different accounts of themselves, wc believe that they are either going to or returning from the Mandans. to which nation the Sioux frequently make excursions to steal "That is, on the west bank of the Missouri, still in Morton Co., but approach- ing Oliver C,.., having passed Burnt Boat or Burnt creek, in Bismarck Co. i fij i 176 MANDAN AND AHNAHAWAY VILLAGES. I 1 km horses. As their conduct displeased us, we gave them nothing. At six o'clock we reached an island about one mile in length, at the head of which is a Mandan village on the north in ruins ; and two miles beyond is a bad sand- bar. At eight miles are remains of another Mandan village on the south ; at twelve miles we camped on the south." The hunters brought in a buffalo bull, and mentioned that of about 300 which they had seen there was not a single female. The beaver is here in plenty, and the two Frenchmen who are returning with us catch several every night. These villages, which are nine in number, are scattered along each side of the river within a space of 20 miles ; almost all that remains of them is the wall which sur- rounded them, the fallen heaps of earth which covered the houses, and occasionally human skulls and the teeth and bones of men and different animals, which are scat- tered on the surface of the ground. October 23^. The weather was cloudy and we had some snow. We soon arrived at the five lodges where the two Frenchmen had been robbed, but the Indians had left them lately, as we found the fires still burning. The country consists as usual of timbered low grounds, with grapes, rushes, and great quantities of a small red acid fruit \Slicpherdia argcntea\ known among the {p. 11^) Indians by a name signifying rabbit-berries, and called by the French graisse de buffle or buffalo-fat. The river is obstructed by many sand-bars. At twelve miles we passed an old village on the north, which was the former residence of the Ahwahaways" who now live between the Mandans and the Minnetarees. After making 13 miles [without noticing various creeks] we camped on the south." '' In Oliver Co. Square Butte creek passed early this morning. " Sic — and in the Statistical View spelled Ahwahhaway. Clark C 54 has Ahnahaw.is, otherwise called there Maharha Indians, as a band of Minnetarrees. See note beyond. " Vicinity of Sanger, Oliver Co., a little south of Deer creek. MANDAN AND ARIKARA VILLAGES. 177 October 2\th. The day was again dark, and it snowed a little in the morning. At three miles we came to a point on the south where the river, by forcing a channel across a former bend, has formed a large island " on the north. On this island we found one of the grand chiefs of the Man- dans, who, with five lodges, was on a hunting excursion. He met his enemy the Ricara chief with great ceremony and apparent cordiality, and smoked with him. After visiting his lodges, the grand chief and his brother came on board our boat for a short time. We then proceeded and camped on the north, at seven miles from our last night's station, and below the old village of the Mandans and Ricaras. Here four Mandans came down from a camp above, and our Ricara chief returned with them to their camp, from which we augur favorably of their pacific views toward each other. The land is low and beautiful, and covered with oak and Cottonwood, but has been too recently hunted to afford much game. October 2^th. The morning was cold, and the wind gentle from the southeast. At three miles we passed a handsome high prairie on the south ; and on an eminence, about 40 feet above the water and extending back for several miles in a beautiful plain, was situated an old village of the Mandan nation, which has been deserted for many years. A short distance above it, on the continuation of the same rising ground, are two old villages of Ricaras, one on the top of the hill, the other in the level plain, which were deserted only five years ago. Above these villages is an extensive low ground for several miles, in which are situated, at three or four miles from the Ricara villages, three old vil- {p. 116) lages of Mr.ndans near together. Here the Mandans lived when the Ricaras came to them for protection, and from " Very plain on Clark's map, 1814, immediately underneath the word " and " of the sentence there inscribed. There is now nothing of the sort ; instead of which is a considerable lake, indicating the change in the course of the Missouri. This is in McLean Co., above Sanger (Oliver Co.), and below Washburn (McLean Co.), in the vicinity of which latter town to-day's camp is pitched, after passing Deer creek, left, and Painted Wood and Turtle creeks, right. ( Pt'^ ' ■ II' 1 f ! I ^., I'l ;'i i;8 VISITS EXCHANGED WITH MANDANS. this they moved to their present situation above. In the low ground the squaws raised their corn, and the timber, of which there was little near the villages, was supplied from the opposite side of the river, where it was and still is abundant. As we proceeded several parties of Mandans, both on foot and horseback, came along the river to view us, and were very desirous that we should land and talk to them. This we could not do on account of the sand-breaks on the shore, but we sent our Ricara .'lei to them in a periogue. The wind having shifted to the southwest and being very high, it required all our precautions on board, for the river was full of sand-bars, which made it very difficult to find the channel. We got aground several times, and passed a very bad point of rocks, after which we camped on a sand- point to the north," above a handsome plain covered with timber, opposite a high hill on the south side, at the distance of ii miles. Here we were joined by our Ricara chief, who brought an Indian to the camp, where he remained all night." October 26th. We set out early with a southwest wind, and after putting the Ricara chief on shore to join the Mandans, who were in great numbers along it, we proceeded to the camp of the grand chiefs, four miles distant.. Here we met a Mr. M'Cracken, one of the Northwest or Hud- son's Bay Company, who arrived with another person about nine days ago to trade for horses and buffalo-robes. Two of the chiefs came on board with some of their house- hold furniture, such as earthen pots, and a little corn, and went on with us, the rest of the Indians following on shore. At one mile beyond the camp we passed a small creek, and "In McLean Co.; approaching Stanton (on the other side of the river, in Mercer Co.). " Clark C 59, this date, has a relation not in the text. " We are told that the Seaux has latterly fallen in with & stole the horses of the Big bellies [Gros- ventres], on their way home they fell in with the Ossiniboine who killed them and took their horses — a french man has latterly been killed by the Indians oa the Track to the tradeing establishment on the Ossinebine R." V 7 : m^ Ill ARRIVAL AT WINTER QUARTERS. m at three" more a bluff of coal of an inferior quality, on the south. After making ii miles we reached an old field where the Mandans had cultivated grain last summer, and camped for the night on the {p. nj) south side, about half a mile below the first village of the Mandans." In the morning we had a low willow ground on the south and high land on the north, which occasionally varied in the course of the day. There is but little wood on this part of the river, which is here subdivided into many channels and obstructed by sand-bars. As soon as we arrived a crowd of men, women, and chil- dren came down to see us. Captain Lewis returned with the principal chiefs to the village, while the others remained with us during the evening. The object which seemed to surprise them most was a corn-mill fixed to the boat, which we had occasion to use, and delighted them by the ease with which it reduced the grain to powder. Among others who visited us was the son of the grand chief of the Man- dans, who had his two little fingers cut off at the second joints. On inquiring into this accident, we found that it was customary to express grief for the death of relations by some corporeal suffering, and that the usual mode was to lose two joints of the little fingers, or sometimes of the other fingers. The wind blew very cold in the even- ing from the southwest. Two of the party are affected with rheumatic complaints. ■•'At this, the eighth mile made to-day, Clarlt C 63 inserts: "Fort Man- dan stard.'Mn a bold hand, over an erasure made for this later entry—/, t., noting the exact spot where the Fort was presently built, just above the bluff of coal. "' The party are to winter in this vicinity, with the Mandans, at a point on the north bank of the river, three miles below here, and seven or eight below the mouth of Knife river. They will call their winter quarters Fort Mandan. The locality became better known as Fort Clark, from a trading-post after- ward established on the south bank, and therefore in what is now Mercer Co. The spot is marked on some maps of lo day by this name. The Missouri along here separates McLean from Mercer Co. Fort Mandan, being on the north bank, was in what is now McLean Co. The latitude, by observation probably not exact, was 47° 21' 47" ; estimated distance up the Missouri, 1,600 miles. CHAPTER V. WINTERING WITH THE MANDANS. Meeting with Minnetarees and Ahnahaways— M. Jesseaume — Search fof a site — Council with the Indians— Treaty between Mandans and Kicaras— Chiefs o( the five villages — Prairie lire, and a narrow escape— Renewed search for a site— Invitation from the grand chief of the Mandans — Diplomatic Correspondence — Building of Fort Mandan begun — Engage- ment of Lepage, a Canadian Frenchman — Hunting party sent out —Indian method of catch- ing antelopes — Northern Lights — Floating ice — Assiniboins and Knisteneaux with the Mandans— Very cold weather— Black Cat's visit— Result of Indian deliberations— Occupa- tion of Fort Mandan — Five villages of Indian nations in the vicinity — History of these Indians — Intended atrocity prevented — Visits of Mlnnetaree and Ahnahaway chiefs — Horned Weasel declines overtures— Snow— Injunction of Mr. Laroche, a British trader- Collision of Mandans and Sioux— Intervention of Captain Clark— Indian gratitude— Mr. Henderson, a trader — Peace to be kept between the Indians — The Mandan religion — Tradition of their origin— Indian buffalo-hunt — Thermometer below zero— Frost-bites — Arrival of Mr. Haney — International courtesies— Indian game — Rocky Mountain sheep- Christmas festivities — Particular account of the Sioux, etc. SATURDAY, October 27th, 1804. At an early hour we proce.'tjed and anchored off the village. Captain Clark went on shore, and after smoking a pipe with the chiefs, was desired to remain and eat with them. He declined on ac- count of being unwell ; but his refusal gave great offense to the Indians, who considered it disrespectful not to eat when invited, till the cause was explained to their satisfac- tion. We sent them some tobacco, and then proceeded to the second village on the north, passing by a bank contain- ing coal, and the second village,' and camped at four miles on the north, opposite a village of Ahnahaways. We here met with a Frenchman named Jesseaume, who lives among the Indians with his wife and children, and whom we take as an interpreter. The Indians had flocked to the bank to see us as we passed, and they visited in great numbers the camp, where some of them remained all night. We sent in the evening three young Indians with a present of tobacco ' " Passed the 2d Village and camped opsd. the Village of the Wetersoon or Ahwahharways," Clark C 65. The Frenchman's name is variable in the codices. Here it is spelled Jessamme or Jessomme. His Christian name was Rene. 180 . '. -« pn or pices. K 3 PRELIMINARY AMENITIES. I8l for the chiefs of the three upper villages, inviting them to come down in the morning to a council with us. Accord- ingly the next day, Sunday, October 2StA, we were joined by many of the Minnetarees and Ahnahaways from above ; but the wind was so violent from the southwest that the chiefs of the lower {p. up) villages could not come up, and the council was deferred till to-morrow. Meanwhile, we entertained our visitors by showing them what was new to them in the boat ; all which, as well as our black servant, they called "great medicine," the meaning of which we afterward learned. We also consulted the grand chief of the Man- dans, Black Cat, and Mr. Jesseaume, as to the names, characters, etc., of the chiefs with whom we are to hold the council. In the course of the day we received several presents from the women, consisting of corn, boiled hominy, and garden stuffs ; in our turn we gratified the wife of the great chief with a gift of a glazed earthen jar.' Our hunter [Drewyer] brought us two beaver. In the afternoon we sent the Minnetaree chiefs to smoke for us with the great chief of the Mandans, and told them we would speak in the morning. Finding that we shall be obliged to pass the winter at this place, we went up the river about i}4 miles to-day, with the view of finding a convenient spot for a fort ; but the timber was too scarce and small for our purposes. October 2gt/i. The morning was fine, and we prepared our presents and speech for the council. After breakfast we were visited by an old chief of the Ahnahaways, who, finding himself growing old and weak, had transferred his power to his son,' who is now at war against the Shosho- nees. At ten o'clock the chiefs were all assembled under ' " I present a jah to the chiefs wife who vewed it with much pleasure," Clark C 63, with " earthern jar glazed " interlined in red inlv. ' "After Brackfust we were visited by the old Cheaf of the Big btllies . . . this man was old and had transRred his power to his Sun," Clark C 69 — which is the most credible solar myth ever penned by mortal hand. iS 182 OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF CHIEFS. ■: ' V: h 1 ! i an awning of our sails, stretched so as to exclude the wind, which had become high. That the impression might be the more forcible, the men were all paraded, and the council was opened by a discharge from the swivel of the boat. We then delivered a speech which, like those we had already made, intermingled advice with assurances of friendship and trade. While we were speaking the old Ahnahaway chief grew very restless, and observed that he could not wait long, as his camp was exposed to the hostil- ities of the Shoshonees. He was instantly rebuked with great dignity by one of the chiefs for this violation of deco- rum at such a moment, and remain- (/. 120) ed quiet during the rest of the council. Toward the end of our speech we introduced the subject of our Ricara chief, with whom we recommended a firm peace. To this they seemed well dis- posed, and all smoked with him very amicably. We all mentioned the goods which had been taken from the Frenchmen, and expressed a wish that they should be re- stored. This being over, we proceeded to distribute the presents with great ceremony. One chief of each town was acknowledged by a gift of a flag, a medal with the likeness of the President of the United States, a uniform coat, hat and feather. To the second chiefs we gave a medal repre- senting some domestic animals and a loom for weaving ; to the third chiefs, medals with, the impressions of a farmer sowing grain. A variety of other presents were distrib- uted, but none seemed to give them more satisfaction than an iron corn-mill which we gave to the Mandans. The chiefs who were made to-day are : Shahaka * or Big White, a first chief ; and Kagohami or Little Raven, a sec- ond chief, of the lower village of the Mandans called Ma- tootonha.' The other chiefs, of an inferior quality, who were recommended were : i. Ohheenaw or Big Man, a Chayenne taken prisoner by the Mandans, who adopted him ; he now *"She-he-ke is a fat man, not much distinguished as a warrior, and extremely talkative," Brackenridge's Journal, 1814, p. 261. • Ma-too-ton'-ka in the Statistical View, 1807. ROSTER OF CHIEFS RECOGNIZED. 183 enjoys great consideration among the tribe. 2. Shotahavv- rora or Coal, of the second Mandan village, which is called Rooptahee." We made Poscopsahe or Black Cat, the first chief of the village and the grand chief of the whole Man- dan nation. His second chief is Kagonomokshe or Raven- Man Chief ; inferior chiefs of this village are Tawnuheo and Bellahsara, of which names we did not learn the trans- lation. In the third village, which is called Mahawha [or Ma- haha or Maharhar], and where the Arwacahwas ' reside, we made one first chief, Tetuckopinreha or White Buffalo- Pobe Unfolded, and recognized two of an inferior order : Minnissurraree or Neighing Horse, and Locongotiha or Old Woman at a Distance. {p. 121) Of the fourth village, where the Minnetarees' • Roop-tar'-har in the Statistical View, 1807. ' Sic — misprint for Ahnahaways or Ahwahhaways, as before. These are the Indians known to the French as Gens des Souliers ; they are of Siouan stock, closely related to the Hidatsas, Minnetarees or Grosventres, and are offshoots of the Crows. The Statistical View gives them a population of 200, with so warriors, and notes their defensive warfare with the Sioux and offensive wars with the Snakes and the Flatheads. " They differ but very little, in any particular, from the Mandans, their neighbours, except in the unjust war which they, as well as the Minetares, prosecute against the defenceless Snake [Shoshonean] Indians, from which, I believe, it will be difficult to induce them to desist. They claim to have once been a part of the Crow Indians, whom they still acknowl- edge as relations. They have resided on the Missouri as long as their traditions will enable them to inform." (London ed. Statistical View, 1807, p. 20.) They kept up a separate tribal organization for about thirty years after Lewis and Clark found them, and then merged into the Hidatsas. Their proper name is Amahami. " The name fluctuates in spelling, much as usual, with one n or two, and variable vowels. The above is good form, and is current : compare Minne- haha, Minne-apolis, etc. It is the Mandan name of these Indians, not their own, and means to cross water. The best form is Minilari, or Midi-tadi (water to cross ; consonants d, it, I, r interchangeable). Other forms are Minatari, Manitari, Minetare, etc. There is less trouble with the word than with the applications of the name in a narrower or broader sense. It is co-extensive with F. Grosventres, itself equally misleading. The proper name of the Minnetarees or Grosventres here in mention by Lewis and Clark, is Hidatsa, given as E-hat'-sar by Lewis in the Statistical View, 1807. The village. ti..m « > , i u wwi w 184 ROSTER OF THE CHIEFS: CONTINUED. 11: ^^ : ;lil ' ! i U live, and which is called Metaharta, we made a first chief, Oinpsehara or Black Moccasin ; a second chief, Ohhaw or Little Fox. Other distinguished chiefs of this village were Mahnotah or Big Thief, a man whom we did not see, as he was out fighting and was killed soon after; and Mahserassa or Tail of the Calumet-Bird. In the fifth vil- lage we made a first chief, Eapanopa or Red Shield ; a second chief, Wankerassa or Two-Tailed Calumet-Bird — both young chiefs. Other persons of distinction are : Shahakohopinnee or Little Wolf's Medicine; Ahrattana- mockshe or Wolf Man Chief, who is now at war, and is the son of the old chief we have mentioned, whose name is Caltahcota or Cherry on a Bush. The presents intended for the grand chief of the Minne- tarees, who was not at the council, were sent to him by the Metaharta is there rendered Me-te-har-tar. Those who wish to learn Hidatsan should consult the valuable vocabulary of Dr. Washington Matthews, U. S. A. I had the manuscript of my esteemed friend officially in hand for some time before I could bring it out, as the Government Printing Office had no sorts for the many orthoepic marks which the ingenious author used. I caused a special font of type to be cast, and undertook to read the proofs. I have understood that the result was satisfactory. Besides being a dictionary and grammar, this book is replete with ethnographic matter of entire reliability, which furnishes the key to all that Lewis and Clark tell us of the tribes so long and so singu- larly consociated in these villages. (U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Surv., Misc. Pub. No. 7, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1877. 8vo, pp. vi, 239.) The census in the View is 2,500, with 600 warriors. " They claim no particu- lar country, nor do they assign themselves any limits: their tradition relates that they have always resided at their present villages. In their customs, manners, and dispositions, they are similar to the Mandans and Ahwahhaways. The scarcity of fuel induces them to reside, during the cold season, in large bands, in camps, on different parts of the Missouri, as high up that river as the mouth of the river Yellow Stone, and west of their villages, about the Turtle mountain. . . These people have also suffered considerably by the small- pox ; but have successfully resisted the attacks of the Sioux. The N.W. company intend to form an establishment in the course of next sumn;er. and autumn, on the Missouri, near these people, which, if effected, will most prob- ably prevent their removal to any point which our government may hereafter wish them to reside at." (London ed. 1807, p. 21.) According to latest returns, there are 522 Hidatsa Indians on the Fort Berthold Reservation, N. D., where Dr. Matthews studied them in 1S71-72, and I visited them in 1874. The Mandans number only 251, > \ ! '.I \ Mi 186 DISCOUUSE OF THE MANDAN CHIEF. place ; he returned after going seven miles to the lower point of an island on the north side, about one mile in length ; he found the banks on the north side- high, with coal occasionally, and the country fine on all sides- Hut the want of wood and the scarcity of game up the rivi jced us to decide on fixing ourselves lower down di .ig the winter. In the evening our men danced among them- selves, to the great amusement of the Indians. October list. A second chief arrived this morning with an invitation from the grand chief of the Mandans to come to his village, where he wished to present some corn to us and to speak with us. Captain Clark walked down to his village ; he was first seated with great ceremony on a robe by the side of the other chief, who then threw over his shoulders another robe handsomely ornamented. The pipe was then smoked with several of the old men who were seated around the chief. After some time he began his discourse by observing that he Relieved what we had told him, and that they should soon enjoy peace, wh' would gratify him as well as his people, because they then hunt without fear of being attacked, the womc. might work in the fields without looking every moment for the enemy, and at night put ofT their moccasins — a phrase by which is conveyed the idea of security, when the women could undress at night without fear of attack. As to the Ricaias (he continued), in order to show you that we wish peace with all men, that chief (pointing to his second chief) will go with some warriors back to the Ricaras with their chief now here, and smoke with that {p. I2j{) nation. When we heard of your coming, all nations around returned from their hunting to see you, in hopes of receiving large pres- ents ; all are disappointed and some discontented; for his part he was not much so, though his village was. He added that he would go and see his great father the Presi- dent. Two of the steel traps stolen from the Frenchmen were then laid before Captain Clark, and the women brought about twelve bushels of corn. After the chief DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 187 had finished, Captain Clark made an answer to the speech, and then returned to the boat, where lie found the chief of the third village and Kagohami (Little Raven), who smoked and talked about an hour. After they left the boat, the grand chief of the Mandans came, dressed in the clothes we had given him, with his two children, and begged to see the men dance, in which they willingly gratified him. Thursday, November \st. Mr. [Hugh] M'Cracken, the trader whom we found here, set out to-day on his return to the British fort and factory on the Assiniboin river, about 150 Hiiles from this place. He took a letter" from " Here is this letter, which I happened to find in searching old magazines and newspaper iiles for the purpose. The original passed into tiie possession of Roderic McKenzie of Assiniboin, who furnished a copy to Jason Chamberlain, of the University of Vermont, Burlington, who wrote, Feb. ijth, 1813, a letter to the editor of the " Portfolio," a magazine published in Philadelphia in those years, inclosing it for publication. It is printed on pp. 448, 449 of Vol. VII., No, 5, of this periodical, May, 1813 — certainly not in the exact words of the original, but no doubt with substantial accuracy. It is very interesting, as being signed by both the great captains, and as a specimen of what iliey could do as diplomats : Upper Mandane Village, Oct. 31, 1804. To Charles Chabi. i.er, Esq. o the N. W. Co. Siu, On our arrival at this Mandane Village, the 36th instant, we met with Mr. Hugh M'Crachen, who informed us that he was in some measure employed by you in behalf of the North West Company, to traffic with the natives of this quarter ; the return of the man to your paits affords us the means of making, thus early, the present communication ; the contents of which we would thank you to make known, as early as possible, to those engaged, and traders imme- diately under your direction, as also, if convenient, to the principal representa- tives of any other company of his Britannic Majesty's subjects, who may reside or trade in this quarter. We have been commissioned and sent by the government of the United States for the purpose of exploring the river Missouri, and the western parts of the continent of North America, with .1 view to the promotion of general science. Your government have been advised of the voyage and its objects, as the enclosed copy of a passport, granted by Mr. Edward Thornton, his Britannic Majesty's charge d'affaires to the United States, will evidence. The cold season having now nearly arrived, we have determined to fortify ourselves, and remain the ensuing winter, in the neighbourhood of this place. During our residence here, or future progress on our voyage, we calculate that i ■' (( 'if III i88 PROSPECT OF PEACE WITH THE ARIKARAS. Captain[s] Lewis [and Clark] to [Charles Chaboillez of] the Northwest Company, inclosing a copy of the passport granted by [Edward Thornton] the British minister in the United States. At ten o'clock the chiefs of the lower village arrived ; they requested that we would call at their village for some corn ; [they said] that they were willing to make peace with the Picaras; that they had never provoked the war between them, but as the Ricaras had killed some of their chiefs they had retaliated on them ; that they had killed them I'ke birds, till they were tired of killing them ; so that they would send a chief and some warriors to smoke with them. In the evening we dropped down to the lower village, where Captain Lewis went on shore, and Captain Clark proceeded to a point of wood on the north side. Noveuibcr 2d. He [Captain Lewis with Sergeant Gass and some of the men] therefore went up to the village, where 1 1 bushels of corn were presented to him. In the the injunctions contained in the p.-tssport before mentioned will, with respect to ourselves, govern the conduct of such of his Brit.innic M.ijesty's subjects .is iiiay be within communicative reach of us. As individuals, we feel every disposition to cultivate the friendship of all well disposed persons ; and all that we have at this moment to ask of them, is a mutual exchange of good offices. We shall, at all times, extend our protection as well to Hritish subjects as American citizens, who may visit the Indians of our neighbourhood, provided they are well-dis- posed ; this we are disposed to do, as well from the pleasure we feel in becom- ing serviceable to good men, .is from a conviction that it is consonant with the liberal policy of our government, not only lo admit within her territory the free egress and regress of all citizens and subjects of foreign powers with which she is in amity, but also to extend to them her protection, while within the limits of her jirisdiction. If, sir, in the course of the winter, you have it in your power to furnish us with any hints in rel.-jtion to the geography of the country, its productions, cither mineral, animal, or vegetable, or any other information which you might conceive of utility to mankind, or which might be serviceable to us in the pros- ecution of our voy.age, we should feel ourselves extremely obliged by your fur- nishing us with it. We are, with much respect. Your ob't. scrv'ts. Mi-.KlWKTiiER I.F.wis, Capt. 1st U. S. K[egt.]. Inf. Wii.i.iAM Clark, Capt. \ii\. It. U. S. Artillerists.] [Signed] i i .^;^ ■>» HH» '*- n RUII.DINC. OF FORT MANDAN nEOUN. 189 meantime Captain Clark went down with the boats three miles, and having found a good position where there (j>. 12^) was plenty of timber, camped and began to fell trees to build our huts. Our Ricara chief set out with one Mandan chief and several Minnetaree and Mandan war- riors. The wind was from the southeast, and the weather being fine a crowd of Indians came down to visit us, November id. We now began the building of our cabins," and the Frenchmen who are to return to St. Louis are building a periogue for the purpose. We sent six men in a periogue to hunt [30 or 40 miles] down the river. We were also fortunate enough to engage in our service a Cana- dian Frenchman [Lepage], who had been with the Chayenne Indians on the Black mountains, and last summer descended thence by the Little Missouri. Mr. Jessaumc, our inter- preter, also came down with his squaw and children to live at our camp. In the evening we received a visit from Kagohami or Little Raven, whose wife accompanied him, bringing about 60 [pounds'] weight of dried meat, a robe, and a pot of meal. We gave him in return a piece of tobacco, to his wife an ax and a few small articles, and both of them spent the night at our camp. Two beavers were caught in traps this morning. November ^th." Wc continued our labors. The timber li I ' ''One of Gass' comical pictures shows this, .ind he describes the structure as follows : " The huts were in two rows, containing four rooms each, and joined atone end forming an angle. When raised about 7 feet high a floor of puncheons or split plank were [sic] laid, and covered with gr.-iss and clay ; which made a warm loft. The upper part projected a foot over and the roofs were made shcd-f.ishion, rising from the inner side, and making the outer wall about l8 feet high. The part not enclosed by the huts we intend to picket. In the angle formed by the two rows of huts we built two rooms, for holding our pro- visions and stores." (Carey's Phila. ed. 1811, p. 6i>— there are no illustrations in the orig. cd. I'ittsburg, 1807.) '■' Clark C 86, this date, has the first mention I have found of the individual who will figure to the end of the narrative as Chaboneau. " A Mr. Chaubonic, interpreter for the dross Ventre," interlined "Chaboneau " in red ink. In the codices he has .is many .-ilLises as perhaps any other person, place, or tribe in the whole history. He is usually Cliabono or Shabono. Lewis' autograph muster- i / il (r Ji 190 ANTELOPE HUNT — AURORA BOREALIS. which we employ is large and heavy, and chiefly consists of Cottonwood and elm, with some ash of an inferior size. Great numbers of the Indians passed our camp on their hunting excursions. The day was clear and pleasant, but last night was very cold, and there was a white frost. November ^th. The Indians are all out on their hunting parties. A camp of Mandans caught within two days 100 goats a short distance below us. Their mode of hunting them is to form a large strong pen or fold, from which a fence made of bushes gradually widens on each side. The animals are surrounded by the hunters and gently driven toward this pen, in which they imperceptibly find them- selves inclosed, and are then at the mercy of the hunters. The weather is cloudy and the wind moderate from the northwest. Late at night we were awaked by the sergeant on {p. I2j) guard to see the beautiful phenomenon called the Northern Light. Along the northern sky was a large space occupied by a light of a pale but brilliant white color which, rising from the horizon, extended itself to nearly 20° above it. After glittering for some time its colors would be overcast and almost obscured, but roll, Washington, Jan. 15th, 1807, returns him officially as Touisant [Toussaint] Charbono, with the remark : "A man of no peculiar merit, was usefull as an interpreter only, in which capacity he discharged his duties with good faith from the moment of our departure from the mandans on the 7th < ' April 1805 until cur return to that place in August last and received as a compensation 25 dollars pr. month while in service." He seems to have been good-natured, and meant well, no doubt ; but in the light of the narrative he appears to have been a poor specimen, consisting, chiefly, of a tongue to wag in a mouth to (ill ; and had he possessed the comprehensive saintliness of his baptismal name, he would have been a minus function still in cornparison witli his wife Sacajawea, the wonderful " Llird-woman," who contributed a full man's share to the success of the Expedition, besides taking care of her baby. " We had on board [1811] a Frenchman named Charbonet, with his wife, an Indian woman of the Snake nation, both of whom had accompanied Lewis and Clark to the Pacific, and were of great service. The woman, a good creature, of a mild and gentle disposition, greatly attached to the whites, whose manners and dress she tries to imitate ; but she had become sickly, and longed to revisit her native country ; her husband also, who had spent many years amongst the Indians, was become weary of a civilized life." Brackenridge's Journal, 1814, p. 202. i;'\ m MR. GRAVELINES— DAKOTAN ERMINE. 191 I I again it would burst out with renewed beauty ; the uni- form color was pale light, but its shapes were various and fantastic. At times the sky was lined with light-colored streaks rising perpendicularly from the horizon and gradu- ally expanding; into a body of light in which we could trace the floating columns sometimes advancing, sometimes retreating, and shaping into infinite forms the space in which they moved. It all faded away before the morning. At daylight, November 6th, the clouds to the north were darkening ; the wind rose high from the northwest at eight o'clock, and continued cold during the day. Mr. [Joseph] Grave- lines, and four others [Paul Prcmor? one Laguness? and two French youths] who came with us, returned to the Ricaras in a small periogue. We gave him directions to accompany some of the Ricara chiefs to the seat of gov- ernment in the spring. November "jth. The day was temperate, but cloudy and foggy, and we were enabled to go on with our work with much expedition. November ^th. The morning again cloudy. Our huts advance very well, and we are visited by numbers of Indians who come to let their horses graze near us. In the day the horses are let loose in quest of grass ; in the night they are collected and receive an armful of small boughs of the Cottonwood, which, being very juicy, soft, and brittle, form nutritious and agreeable food. The frost this morning was very severe, the weather during the day cloudy, and the wind from the northwest. We procured from an Indian a weasel,'* perfectly white except tlie extremity of the tail, which was black. Great numbers of wild geese '* This is the Putorius longicauda, a species of stoat or ermine, common in the Missouri region, in winter of the color said, in summer brown and yellow- ish. I have seen specimens taken near this very locality, and have collected others in North Dakota and Montana. It was new to science in 1804. and probably not noticed again till 1820, as by Sir John Richardson, whose remark in Fn. B.-Am., I. p. 47, caused Prince C. L. Bonaparte to name a Mustela longicauda. The late Prof. S. F. Baird was the first to certainly recognize the 192 BIG WHITE, AND BLACK CAT. i I y- [Ber»tc/a canadensis] are passing to the south, but their flight is too high for us to procure any of them." (/. 126) November lot/i. We had again a raw day with a northwest wind, but rose early in hopes of finishing our works before the extreme cold begins. A chief who is a half Pawnee came to us and brought a present of half a buffalo, in return for which we gave him some small presents and a few articles for his wife and son. He then crossed the river in a buffalo-skin canoe ; his wife took the boat on her back and carried it to the village, three miles off. Large flocks of geese and brant, and also a few ducks, are passing toward the south. November wth. The weather is cold. We received the visit of two squaws [Sacajawea and another], prisoners from the Rock [Rocky] mountains, purchased by Chaboneau. The Mandans at this time are out hunting the buffalo. November 12th. The last night has been cold, and this morning we had a very hard frost ; the wind is changeable during the day, and some ice appears on the edges of the rivers ; swans are passing to the south. Big White came down to us, having packed on the back of his squaw about 100 pounds of very fine meat, for which we gave him as well as the squaw some presents, particularly an ax to the woman, with which she was very much pleased. November i^t/i. We this morning unloaded the boat, and stowed away the contents in a storehouse which we have built. At half past ten ice began to float down the river for the first time. In the course of the morning we were visited by Black Cat, Poscapsahe, who brought an Assiniboin chief and seven warriors to see us. This man, whose name is Chechawk," is a chief of one of three bands species. See his Mamm. N. A., 1857, p. 169, and my Fur-Bearing Animals, 1877, pp. 137-142. " Clark C 90 is a page for Nov. 9th — needless to cite, however, as Biddle has worked the substance of it into his text of other dates. '•"Che Chank," plainly, Clark C 95, with Lagree(Legree) noted as a French name of him. He 'urns up later as Shishankor Shishonk. Clark tagged him neatly by givinj; him " a gold cord, with a view to know him again," ifiiJ. I ASSINIBOINS AND KNISTENEAUX. 193 of Assiniboins who wander over the plains between the Missouri and Assiniboin [river] during the summer, in the winter carry the spoils of their hunting to the traders on the Assiniboin river, and occasionally come to this place. The whole three bands consist of about 800 men. We gave him a twist of tobacco to smoke with his people, and a gold cord for himself. The Sioux also asked for whisky, which we refused to give them. It snowed all day and the air was very cold. (A I2y) November i^th. The river rose last night half an inch, and is now filled with floating ice. This morning was cloudy with some snow. About 70 lodges of Assini- boins " and some Knistenaux [orCrees] are at the Mandan village; and this being the day of adoption, and exchange of property between them all, it is accompanied by a dance, which prevents our seeing more than two Indians to-day' These Knistenaux -are a band of Chippeways, whose lan- " The Assiniboins are a number of tribes of Indians of Siouan stock, to be care uliy distinguished from the Crees or other members of the Aigonquian family with which they were associated. They have sometimes been called btone Sioux, as a translation of the Chippeway name Assinniboan. The Dakotan name is Hohe. The band spoken of in the text were probably of the tribe on the Mouse or Souris river, the main southern branch of the Assiniboin since they came with the Knisteneaux. The three bands or tribes of Assini- boins mentioned in the preceding paragraph are noted by Lewis in the Statistical View as : i. Ma-ne-to'-pa, or Gens de Canoe, with 100 lodge 200 warriors, and lotal of 750 people, living on the Mouse river. (These give name to the province of Manitoba.) 2. O-see'-gah or Gens de Tee (mis- print for Feuilles. See text, p. 217, near end of this chapter), 100 lodges 250 warriors, 850 total, from about the mouth of the Little Missouri over to the Assiniboin. 3. Mah-to,.pa.nd.to or Gens du Grand Diable, 200 lodges 450 warriors, 1,600 total, on the Missouri about White-earth river and over to the Assiniboin. Nacota is given .s an alternative name with Assiniboin • the three bands are said to speak the Sioux language, with some few peculiar words, and to act entirely independently of one another, though they recognize their national affinity and never war with one another. The greater number of Assiniboins are now in British America. Those officially rated as such in the United States are. accordincj to the latest returns Q52at Port Belknap Reservation, Mont., 719 at Fort Peck Reservation, Mont ' and 2 at Devil's Lake Agency, N, D. '" Few names of Indians have been used with more latitude or lack of precision •13 f 1 i 1 1 il'' 'h\ , I ' [. i:l ■i ,i I I ^ 194 WINTER AT HAND— THE MEN HOUSED. guage they speak ; they live on the Assiniboin and Sas- kashawan '" rivers, and are about 240 men. We sent a man [Drewyer] down on horseback to see what had become of our hunters, and as we apprehend a failure of provisions wo have recourse to our pork this evening. Two French- men who had been below returned with 20 beaver which they had caught in traps. November i^th. The morning again cloudy, and the ice running thicker than yesterday; the wind variable. The man came back with the information that our hunters wens about 30 miles below, and we immediately sent an order to them to make their way through the floating ice; to assist them in which we sent some tin for the bow of the peri- ogue, and a tow-rope. The ceremony of yesterday seemed to continue still, for we were not visited by a single Indian. The swan are still passing to the south. November i6tk. We had a very hard white frost this morning; the trees are all covered with ice; the weather is cloudy. The men this day moved into the huts, although they are not finished. In the evening some horses were sent down to the woods near us, in order to prevent their being stolen by the Assiniboins, with whom some diffi- culty is now apprehended. An Indian came down with four buffalo-robes and some corn, which he offered for a pistol, but was refused. than Knisteneaux or "Cree," and " Chippeway." The laUer is the same word as Ojibwa, and is spelled in many other ways. The Crees proper are British American Indians, supposed to now number about 17,000. It is impossible to say exactly what band of Indians is mentioned in the text, further than that they were "Crees." But they were probably not the " Chippeways " or " Ojibaw.iys" of Lewis' Statistical View, London ed. 1807, p. 28, nor yet the Algonquins ("Chippeways "), ibid. p. 31 ; but the Indians there given, p. 33, as " Chrislenoes or Knistenaus," with " Crees," as the French nickname. These are said there to speak the language of the " Chippeways, with a different accent, and many words peculiar to themselves." They are described as a wandering nation, though locited on the Assiniboin and thence toward the Saskashawan, which agrees with the text above. They are credited with 150 lodges, 300 warriors, and a total population of 1,000. " Twenty or more spellings of this could easily be adduced. Clark C 97 has Assaskasshawan. One of our commonest renderings is Saskatchewan. ii^ Im m-i j« INTERTRIBAL RELATIONS. »95 November \jth. Last night was very cold, and the ice in the river to-day is thicker than hitherto. We are totally occupied with our huts, but received visits from several Indians. (J>. 128) November 18///. To-day we had a cold, windy morning. Black Cat came to see us, and occupied us for a long time with questions on the usages of our country. He mentioned that a council had been held yesterday to deliberate on the state of their affairs. It seems that not long ago a party of Sioux fell in with some horses belong- ing to the Minnetarees, and carried them off ; but in their flight they were met by some Assiniboins, who killed the Sioux and kept the horses. A Frenchman too, who had lived many years among the Mandans, was lately killed on his route to the British factory on the Assiniboin. Some smaller dififerences also existed between the two nations ; all of which being discussed, the council decided that they would not resent the recent insults from the Assiniboins and Knistenaux, until they had seen whether we had de- ceived them or not in our promises of furnishing them with arms and ammunition. They had been disappointed in their hopes of receiving them from Mr. Evans, and were afraid that we too, like him, might tell them what was not true. We advised them to continue at peace ; that supplies of every kind would no doubt arrive for them, but that time was necessary to organize the trade. The fact is that the Assiniboins treat the Mandans as the Sioux do the Ricaras ; by their vicinity to the British they get all the supplies, which they withhold or give at pleasure to the remoter Indians. The consequence is that, however badly treated, the Mandans ar.d Ricaras are very slow to retaliate, lest they should lose their trade altogether. November \gth. The ice continues to float in the river, the wind is high from the northwest, and the weather cold! Our hunters arrived from their excursion below, bringing a very fine supply of 32 deer, 11 elk, and 5 bufTalo," all" of which was hung in a smokehouse. '" Mistake : " 32 Deer, 12 Elk & a liuffalow," Clark C 100. t 1 ^ 1 I if l: f ( 196 FORT MANDAN COMPLETED. November 20th. We this day moved into our huts, which are now completed. This place, which we call Fort Mandan, is situated in a point of low ground, on the north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cotton- wood. The (/. I2g) works consist of two rows of huts or sheds, forming an angle where they join each other ; each row containing four rooms, of 14 feet square and 7 feet high, with plank ceiling, and the roof slanting so as to form a loft above the rooms, the highest part of which is 18 feet from the ground ; the backs of the huts form a wall of that height, and opposite the angle the place of the wall is supplied by picketing ; in the area are two rooms for stores and provisions. The latitude by observation is 47" 21' 47", and the computed distance from the mouth of the Missouri is 1,600 miles. In the course of the day several Indians came down to partake of our fresh meat ; among the rest, three chiefs of the second Mandan village. They inform us that the Sioux on the Missouri above the Chayenne river threaten to attack them this winter ; that these Sioux are much irritated at the Ricaras for having made peace through our means with the Mandans, and have lately ill-treated three Ricaras who carried the pipe of peace to them, by beating them and taking away their horses. We gave them assur- ances that we would protect them from all their enemies. November 21st. The weather was this day fine, the river clear of ice and rising a little. We are now settled in our new winter habitation, and shall wait with much anxiety the first return of spring, to continue our journey. The villages near which we are established are five in number, and are the residence of three distinct nations: the Mandans, the Ahnahaways [see note, p. 183], and the Minnetarees [see note, p. 183]. The history of the Man- dans, as we received it from our interpreters and from the chiefs themselves, and as it is attested by existing monu- ments, illustrates more than that of any other nation the unsteady movements and the tottering fortunes of the 41 n «t« ii»i 1' HISTORY OF THE MA'MDANS. 197 American Indians. Within the recollection of living wit- nesses, the Mandans were settled 40 years ago in nine vil- lages, the ruins of which we passed about 80 miles (/>. /jo) below, seven on the west and two on the east side of the Missouri, These two, finding themselves wasting away before the smallpox and the Sioux, united into one village, and moved up the river opposite the Ricaras. The same causes reduced the remaining seven to five villages, till at length they emigrated in a body to the Ricara nation, where they formed themselves into two villages, and joined those of their countrymen who had gone before them. In their new residence they were still insecure, and at length the three villages ascended the Missouri to their present posi- tion. The two who had emigrated together settled in the two villages on the northwest side of the Missouri, while the single village took a position on the southeast side. In this situation they were found by those who visited them in 1796 [r^a^ David Thompson, Dec. 29th, 1797-Jan. loth, 1798] ; since which the two villages have united into one. They are now two villages, one on the southeast of the Missouri, the other on the opposite side, at the distance of three miles across. The first, in an open plain, contains about 40 or 50 lodges, built in the same way as tho^;- of the Ricaras ; the second, the same number ; and both may raise [/. e., can muster] about 350 men. On the same side of the river, and at a distance of four miles from the lower Mandan village, is another called Ma- haha [see note on p. 183]. It is situated on a high plain at the mouth of Knife river, and is the residence of the Ahnahaways. This nation, whose name indicates that they were " people whose village is on a hill," formerly resided on the Missouri, about 30 miles below where they now live. The Assiniboins and Sioux forced them to a spot five miles higher, where the greatest part of them were put to death, and the rest emigrated to their present situation, in order to obtain an asylum near the Minne- tarees. They are called by the French Soulier Noir or ii '5 P' ' 1 1, i 1, . 1 1 ; i;;. 198 MINNETAREE AND CROW INDIANS. [Black] Shoe Indians;" by the Mandans, Wattasoons ;" and their whole force is about 50 men. (/. iji) On the south side of the same Knife river, half a mile above the Mahaha [village] and in the same open plain with it, is a village of Minnetarees surnamed Metaharta, who are about 150 men in number. On the opposite side of Knife river, and one and a half miles above this village, is a second of Minnetarees, who may be considered as the proper Minnetaree nation. It is situated in a beautiful low plain, and contains 450 warriors. The accounts which we received of the Minnetarees were contradictory. The Mandans say that this people came out of the water to the east and settled near them in their former establishment in nine villages; that they were very numerous, and fixed themselves in one village on the southern side of the Missouri. A quarrel about a buffalo divided the nation, of which two bands went into the plains and were known by the name of Crow" and " The French name is given as " Gensde Soulier" in the Statistical View. See note ', p. 183. ""In the Arickaree language, the Hidatsa are called Witctsaan," Mat- thews, p. 36. In the Clark Codex this word wavers in spelling, as usual. Its translation is disputed. The Crow name of the Hidatsa is Amasi, which means the dirt lodges in which they lived. The Sioux name for them is Ilewaktokto, of questionable meaning. "'The Crows are one of the principal tribes of the Siouan family, related nearest to the Minnetarees or Hidatsans (Grosventres). Their English name is rendered from the French Gens des Corbeaux. According to the latest returns there were 2,287 of them on the Crow Reservation in Northern Montana. In his Statistical View Lewis calls the Crows Kee'-kat-sa. Their primitive name is now variously rendered Absaroke, Aubsaroke, Absaruque, etc. Lewis made their total 3,500, with qoo warriors and 350 lodges, and located them on the Yellowstone, about the mouth of the Bighorn. He makes their language Minnetaree. " These people," he continues, " are divided into four bands, called by themselves Ahah ar-ro'-pir-no-pah, Noo -ta-, Pa-rees-car, and E-hart'-sar. They .innually visit the Mandans, Minnetarees, and Ahwahhaways, to whom they barter horses, mules, leather lodges, and many articles of Indian apparel, for which they receive in return g^ns, ammunition, axes, kettles, awls, and other European manufactures. When they return to their country they are in turn visited by the Paunch and Snake Indi.ms, to whom they barter most of the articles they have obtained from the nations on the Missouri, for horses j;v MINNETAREE AND FALL INDIANS. 199 Paunch" Indians, and the rest moved to their present establishment. The Minnetarees proper assert, on the con- trary, that they grew where they now live and will never emigrate from the spot, the Great Spirit having declared that if they moved they would all die. They also say that the Minnetarees Mctaharta — that is, Minnetarees of the Willows, whose language with very little variation is their own, came many years ago from the plains and settled near them. Perhaps the two traditions may be reconciled by the natural presumption that these Minnetarees were the tribes known to the Mandans below, and that they ascended the river for the purpose of rejoining the Minne- tarees proper. These Minnetarees are part of the great nation called Fall" Indians, who occupy the intermediate and mules, of which those nations [t. e., Paunch and Snake] h.ive a greater abundance than themselves. They also obtain of the Snake Indians, bridle- bits and blankets, and some other articles which those Indians purchase from the Spaniards. The bridle-bits and blankets I have seen in the possession of the Mandans and Minnetarees." (London ed. 1807, p. 25.) "Lewis in his Statistical View treats these "Paunch" Indians entirely apart from the Grosventres. He gives their native name as Al-la-k.i'-we-ah, with French nickname "Gens de Panse," and locates them along the Yellow- stone on both sides, near the Rocky mountains and heads of the Bighorn river, with a population of 2,300, including 800 warriors and 300 lodges. He s-iys they act on the defensive against the Sioux and Ricaras, and have the same alliances as the Wetepahatoes, excepting their wars with the Ricara:. " They are said to be a peaceable, well disposed nation. Their country is a variegated one, consisting of mountains, valleys, plains, and wood-lands, irregularly interspersed. They might be induced to visit the Missouri, at the mouth of the Yellow Stone river ; and from the gr.at abundance of valuable furred animals which their country, as well as that of the Crow Indians produces, their trade must become extremely valuable. They are a roving people, and have no idea of exclusive right to the soil." (London ed. 1807, p. :5.) " This is a vague term, due or at least traceable to the trader Edward Umfre- ville, who was on the Saskatchewan in 1784- 87, and who mentions these Indians as living about the falls of the south branch of that river. He says (p. 197) that the French " call them Grosventres or Hig-Bellies ; and without any reason, as they are as comely and as well made as any tribe whatever, and are very far from being remarkable for their corpulency." On which Matthews, from whom I borrow this quote, remarks (p. 33): " The tribe to which he refers is doubtless that which is now known as the Atsinas or Grosventres of the Prairie. The similarity of the Canadian misnomers led Captain Lewis in I . i i I P 1 1' 1 1 ;i II m y i '. ^ jf i:f 200 MINNETAREKS, AUNAHAWAYS, AND MANDANS. country between the Missouri and tlie Saskaskawan, and who are known by the name of Minnetarccs of the Mis- souri, and Minnctarees of Fort de Prairie — that is, residing near or rather frequenting the establishment in tiic prairie on tile Saskaskawan [Saskatchewan]. These Minnetarees indeed told us that they had relations on the Saskaskawan, whom they liad never known till they met them in war, (/>. ijj) and having engaged in the night were astonished at discovering that they were fighting with men who spoke their own language. The French name of Grosventres, or Bigbellies, is given to these Minnetarees, as welt as to all the Fall Indians. The inhabitants of these five villages, all of which arc within the distance of six miles, live in harmony with one another. The Ahnahaways understand in part the lan- guage of the Minnetarees. The dialect of the Mandans dif- fers widely from both ; but their long residence together has insensibly blended their manners, and occasioned some approximation in language, particularly as to objects of daily occurrence and obvious to the senses. November 22d, The morning was fine, and the day warm. We purchased from the Mandans" a quantity of 1804, to speak of the Minnet.irees on the Missouri ' as part of the great nation called Fall Indians.' Comparing our Hidatsa words with their synonymes in Umfreville's Fall Vocabulary, or Dr. Maydcn's later Atsin.i Vocabulary, we can discover no affinity between the Fall and Hidatsa tongues." It is necessary for the reader to bear always in mind, that when L and C. speak of Minnetarees " of the Prairie" and "of the Missouri," they actually designate two entirely different tribes of Indians, the former being Atsinas or the "Fall" Indians, and the latter being the Ilidatsas, with whom they are now wintering. Their loose use of " (jros ventres " is exactly parallel. For e^ "■ ' ' ' nd, Jan. 1st, 1805, and note there. These "Fall" Indians are separately treated l>v View. He adopts this name there, and ^ .le A synonymous. He estimates their total nun. -.S'lo, 60 w 260 lodges, and locates them " on the head o \sic\ river, and some streams supposed to be bi . of Milk river : see what is said of the Minnet.irees, note p 183). "' " Dispatched a perogue and 5 men under the Deretlion of Sergeant Pryor istkal >ar as •r^ and south fo- .1 the Sa^kshawan UK hes of * ,■ .Missouri " (perhaps 'I \ \ \v' A DOMKSriC DIIKICULTV. 301 corn of a mixed color, which they dug up in ears from holes made near the front of their lodges, in which it is buried during the winter. This morning the sentinel informed us that an Indian was about to kill his wife near the fort. VVc went down to the house of our interpreter, where we found the parties, and after forbidding any violence, inquired into the cause of his intending to commit such an atrocity. It appeared that some days ago a quarrel had taken place between him and his wife, in consequence of which she had taken refuge in the house where the two squaws of our interpreter lived. Hy running away she forfeited her life, which might have been lawfully taken by the husband. About two days ago she had returned to the village, but the same evening came back to the fort much beaten, and stabbed in three places, and the husband now came for the purpose of completing his revenge." He observed that he had lent her to one of our sergeants for a night, and that if he wanted her he would give her to him altogether. We gave him a few presents and tried to persuade him to take his wife home; the grand chief too happened to arrive at the same moment, and reproached him with his violence ; till at length they went off together, but by no means in a state of much apparent love. (A UJ) Novanber z^d. Again we had a fair and warm day, with the wind from the southeast. The river is now at a stand, having risen four inches in the whole. November 24///. The wind continued from the same to the 2cl Village for 100 bushels of Corn in ears which Mr. Jessomme let us have — did not get more than go busliels," Clark C loa. " On his wife, not on Sergeant Ordway. " We derected that no man of this party have any intercourse with this woman under the penelty of punishment — he the Husband observed that one of our Serjeants slept with his wife I'v: if he wanted her he would give her to him, I derected the Sergeant Odway to give the man some articles, at which time I told the Indian I believed not one man of the party had touched his wife except the one he had given the use of her for a nite, in his own bed, * * ♦ at this time the grand chief of the nation arrived & lecturd him and they both went off dis[satisfied]," Clark C 103. " »^ V 202 VISITS EXCHANGED— INCIVILITY OF HORNED WEASEL. ill ' C 4 ill, t quarter, and the weather was warm. We were occupied in finishing our huts and making a large rope of elk-skin to draw our boat on the bank. Sunday, November zt^th. The weather is still fine, warm, and pleasant, and the river falls one inch and a half. Cap- tain Lewis went on an excursion to the village, accom- panied by eight men. A Minnetaree chief, the first who has visited us, came down to the fort. His name was VVaukerassa, but as both the interpreters had gone with Captain Lewis we were obliged to confine our civilities to some presents, with which he was much pleased. We now completed our huts, and fortunately too ; for the next day, November 26th, before daylight the wind shifted to the northwest and blew very hard, with cloudy weather and a keen, cold air, which confined us much and prevented us from working. The night continued very cold. November 27///. The weather Wis cloudy, the wind con- tinued from the northwest, and the river was crowded with floating ice. Captain Lewis returned with two chiefs : Mahnotah, an Ahnahaway, and Minnessurraree, a Minne- taree ; and a third warrior. They explained to us that the reason of their not having come to see us was that the Mandans had told them that we meant to combine with the Sioux and cut them off in the course of the winter — a suspicion increased by the strength of the fort and the cir- cumstance of our interpreters having both removed there with their families. These reports we did not fail to dis- prove to their entire satisfaction, and we amused them by every attention, particularly by the dancing of the men, which diverted them highly. All the Indians whom Cap- tain Lewis had visited were very well disposed and received him with great kindness, except a r/incipal chief of one of the upper villages, named Maiiuuupaparapa=satoo or {p.ij^) Horned Weasel, who"' made use of the civilized indecorum of refusing to be seen, as when Captain Lewis called he was " ' ' Who did not chuse to be seen by the Capt. and left word that he was not at home «S:c." Clark C 107. ' wr' A WARNING AND AN INJUNCTION. 203 told the chief was no^ at home. In the course of the day seven of the Northwest Company's traders arrived from the Assiniboin river; and one of their interpreters having undertaken to circulate among the Indians unfavorable reports, it became necessary to warn them of the conse- quences if they did not desist from such proceedings." The river fell two inches to-day, and the weather became very cold. November 28///. About eight o'clock last evening it began to snow and continued till daybreak, after which it ceased till seven o'clock, but then resumed and continued during the day, the weather being cold and the river full of floating ice. About eight o'clock Poscopsahe'" came down to visit us, with some warriors ; we gave them presents and entertained them with all that might amuse their curiosity, and at parting we told them that we had heard of the Brit- ish trader, Mr. Laroche, having attempted to distribute medals and flags among them ; but that those emblems could not be received from any other than the American nation without incurring the displeasure of their great father, the President. Tliey left us much pleased with their treatment. The river fell one inch to-day. November 2gth. The wind is again from the northwest, the weather cold, and the snow which fell yesterday and last night is 13 inches in depth. The river closed during the night at the village above, and fell two feet ; but this afternoon it began to rise a little. Mr. Laroche, the prin cipal of the seven traders, came with one of his men to see us ; we told him that we should not permit him to give medals and flags to the Indians ; he declared that he had no such intention, and we then suffered him to make use of one of our interpreters, on his stipulating not to touch upon '■"Clark C 108 names this interpreter Lafrance ; and " the principal Mr. Le Rock, & Mr. Mc.Kinsey [Laroche and M'Kenzie of the following text] was informed of the Conduct of their interpeter and the Consiquincies if they did not put a Stop to unf.ivourable and ill founded assursions." ^ Variant in text and codices. Clark C 109 has Poss-cop-so-he, as the name of the Mandan Black Cat. : y 1 !^i^! II 204 STIRRING NEWS— A COUNCIL OF WAR. '' any subject but that of his traffic witli them. An unfortu- nate accident occurred to Sergeant Pryor, who in taking down the boat's (/. /j^) mast dislocated his shoulder, nor was it till after four trials that we replaced it. November loth. About eight o'clock an Indian came to the opposite bank of the river, calling out that he had something important to communicate. On sending for him, he told us that five Mandans had been met about eight leagues to the southwest by a party of Sioux, who had killed one of them, wounded two, and taken nine horses ; that four of the Wattasoons ^' were missing, and that the Mandans expected an attack. We thought this an excellent opportunity to discountenance the injurious reports against us, and to fix the wavering confidence of the nation." Captain Clark therefore instantly crossed the river with 23 men strongly armed, and circling the town approached it from behind. His unexpected appearance surprised and alarmed the chiefs, who came out to meet him and con- ducted him to the village. He then told them that having heard of the outrage just committed, he had come to assist his dutiful children ; that if they would assemble <-heir warriors and those of the nation, he would lead them against the Sioux and avenge the blood of their countrymen. After some minutes' conversation, Oheenaw the Chayenne arose: "We now see," said he, "that what you have told us is true, since as soon as our enemies threaten to attack us you come to protect us and are ready to chastise those who have spilt our blood. We did indeed listen to your good talk, for when you told us that the other nations were inclined to peace with us, we went out carelessly in small " "4 of the Wetersoon nation was missing," etc., Clark C iii. " "We thought it well to shew a a Desposition to ade and assist them against their enimies, perticul.irly those who came in oppersition to our Councils ; and I deturmined to go to the town with Some men, and if the Suoux were comeing to attack the nation to collect the worriers from each village and meet them, those Ide.is were also those of Capt. Lewis," Clark C 112. And those war- riors would have been " worriers," with a William Clark to lead them. •1>; n u OHEENAW'S VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 205 parties, and some have been killed by the Sioux and Ricaras. But I knew that the Ricaras were liars, and I told the chief who accompanied you that his whole nation were liars and bad men ; that we had several times made a peace with them which they were the first to break ; that whenever we pleased we might shoot them like buffalo, but that we had no wish to kill them ; that we would not suffer them to kill us, nor steal our horses ; and that although we agreed to make peace with them, because our two fathers [Lewis and Clark] (/. ij6) desired it, yet we did not be- lieve that they would be faithful long. Such, father, was my language to them in your presence, and \-ou see that instead of listening to your good counsels they have spilt our blood. A few days ago two Ricaras came here and told us that two of their villages were making moccasins, that the Sioux were stirring them up against us, and that we ought to take care of our horses; yet these very Ricaras we sent home as soon as the news reached us to-day, lest our people should kill them in the first moment of grief for their murdered relatives. Four of the Wattasoons whom we expected back in 16 days have been absent 24, and we fear have fallen. But, father, the snow is now deep, the weather cold, and our horses cannot travel through the plains; the murderers have gone off. If you will conduct us in the spring, when the snow has disappeared, we will assemble all the surrounding warriors and follow you." Captain Clark replied that we were always willing and able to defend them ; that he was sorry that the snow pre- vented their marching to meet the Sioux, since he wished to show them that the warriors of their great father would chastise the enemies of his obedient children who opened their ears to his advice; that if some Ricaras had joined the Sioux, they should remember that there were bad men in every nation, and that they should not be offended at the Ricaras till they saw whether these ill-disposed men were countenanced by the whole tribe; that the Sioux possessed great influence over the Ricaras, whom they sup- i \. INTENSELY COLD WEATHER— FROST-BITES. 211 Clark's party, and they returned in the evening, several of them frost-bitten. The wiiul was from the north and the thermometer at sunrise stood at 21° below zero, the ice in the atmosphere being so thick as to render the weather hazy and give the appearance of two suns reflecting each other. The river continues at a stand. Pocapsahe [sic] made us a visit to-day. (/>. 142) December 12///." The wind is still from the north, the thermometer being at sunrise 38° below zero. One of the Ahnahaways brought us down the half of an antelope killed near the fort. We had been informed that all these animals return to the Black mountains, but there are great numbers of them about us at this season which we might easily kill, were we not unwilling to venture out before our constitutions are hardened gradually to the climate. We measured the river on the ice, and find it 500 yards wide immediately opposite the fort. December iith. Last night was clear, and a very heavy frost covered the old snow; the thermometer at sunrise being 20*' below zero, and followed by a fine day. The river falls. December 14///. The morning was fine, and the weather having moderated so far that the mercury stood at zero, Captain Lewis went down with a party to hunt. They proceeded about 18 miles; but the buffalo having left the banks of the river they saw only two, which were so poor as not to be worth killing, and shot two deer. Not- withstanding the snow, we were visited by a large number of Mandans. December 15///. Captain Lewis finding no game returned to the fort, hunting on both sides of the river, but with '* " I line my Gloves and have a Cap made of the Skin of the Louservia (Lynx) (or Wild Cat of the North) the fur near 3 inches long," Clark C 129. An interesting passage, one of the earliest in which loup-cervier was ever written in such a form, and also showing that Clark knew the Canada lynx. Lynx (anadeti. sis, generically and specifically. The Statistical View, 1807, once prints " lynx or louverin." The entry for this date also calls the antelope Cabra or Koka, and names as Mocassin Indians those heretofore called Maharhas or Shoes. / i ^^ > , 1:1 ^ i 1^ 2i: INTERNATIONAL COURTESIES. no success. The wind was from the north, the mercury at sunrise 8° degrees below zero, and the snow of last night an inch and a half in depth. The Indian chiefs continue to visit us to-day with presents of meat. DiCimbcr \6th. The morning is clear and cold, the mer- cury at sunrise 22" below zero. A Mr. Haney,"' with two other persons from the British establishment on the Assin- iboin, arrived in six days with a letter from Mr. Charles Chabouilles, one of the Company, who with much polite- ness offered to render us any service in his power." December yjth. The weather to-day was colder than any we had yet experienced, the thermometer at sunrise being 45* below zero, and about eight o'clock it fell to 74° below ''' Name in question. It is certainly not Haney in Clark C 133, where it is twice written Henny or Henry. The other gentleman named in the above para- graph is on the same page Chaboillez, in a very hrm, heavy hand, which Clark often used when he wished to emphasise a name. The letter referred to was no doubt in answer to the one already quoted, p. 187 ; but I have never seen it. ■" " The object of the visits we received from the N.W. Company was to ascer- tain our motives for visiting that country, and to gain information with respect to the change of Government [cession of Louisiana to the United States by the French]," is the shrewd rera-irk of Gass, p. 65, this date. The Hudson's Day Company was originally chartered by Charles II. in 1670. In the winter of 1783-84, merchants of Montreal entered in partnership, and amalgamated a rival company in 1787. This was the birth of the famous Ndrth- west Company, consisting of over 20 shareholders and employing 2,000 persons, controlling the fur trade from Montreal through all the regions of the Great Lakes, and thence to Athapasca and Great Slave, and avcn to the Pacific in British America. The great annual rendezvous of this system was at Fort William, near the Grand Portage of Lake Superior, where the commercial potentates of civiliza- tion met their factors, and where swarmed the mongrel legion of their dependants and retainers. Another British association was formed soon after, the Mackinaw, to work the country further south, on the headwaters of the Mississippi. To counteract this, the U. S. government, as early as 1796, sent rival Indian traders; who, however, were no match for their competitors. About 1794, treaty with Great Britain had opened direct commerce between Canada and the United States. In 1807 Mr. John Jacob Astor embarked in the fur trade on his own account. But the Michilimackinac or Mackinaw corporation was too strong for him. The American Fur Company was incorporated by the State of New Vork in 1808 or 1809 — this concern being practically Mr. Astor himse'f, who furnisheda million of capital. In 1811, an arrangement was made by which Mr. Astor and certain parties of the Northwest Company bought out the Mackinaw, N AN INDIAN GAME. !I3 (A ^4j) t'^c freezing-point. From Mr. Haney, who is a very sensible, intelligent man, we obtained much geographical information with regard to the country between the Mis- souri and Mississippi, and the various tribes of Sioux who inhabit it. December iSt/i. The thermometer at sunrise was 32*^ below zero. The Indians had invited us yesterday to join their chase to-day, but the seven men whom we sent returned in consequence of the cold, which was so severe last night that we were obliged to have the sentinel relieved every half hour. The Northwest traders,'" however, left us on their return home. December igi/t. The weather moderated and the river rose a little, so that we were enabled to continue the picketing of the fort. Notwithstanding the extreme cold, we observed the Indians at the village engaged in the open air at a game which resembled billiards more than any- thing we had seen, and which we inclined to suspect may have been acquired by ancient intercourse with the French of Canada. From the first to the second chief's lodge, a distance of about fifty yards, was covered with timber smoothed and joined so as to be as level as the floor of one of our houses, with a battery at the end to stop the rings. These rings were of clay-stone and flat like the checkers for draughts, and the sticks were about four feet long, with two short pieces at one end in the form of a mace, so fixed that the whole will slide along the board. Two men fix themselves at one end, each provided with a stick, and one 4: and merged that and the American into one called the Southwest Company ; by which means Mr. Aster acquired one-half of the property and interests which the Mackinaw held in the Indian country of the United States. The status quo was suspended by the war of 1812, and after the war the association was dissolved. (Irving's AsXorxdi, passim.) '8 ' 'Messrs. Haney and La Roche," Clark C 1 33, which continues at this date : " Sent Jessomme to the Main Chief of the Mandans to know the cause of his detaining or takeing a horse of Chabonoe our big belly interpeter, which we found was thro' the rascality of one Lafrance a trader trom the N. W. company who told this Chief that Chabonat owd. him a horse." I ' I I 214 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHIiEP. of them with a ring; they then run along the board, and about halfway slide the sticks after the ring. December 20th. The wind was from the N.W., the weather moderate, the thermometer 24** above zero at sun- rise. We availed ourselves of this change to picket the fort near the river. December 2\st. The day was ':ne and warm, the wind N.W. by W. The Indian who had been prevented a few days ago from killing his wife came with both his wives to the fort, and was very desirous of reconciling our interpreter, a jeal- (/. /^y) ousy against whom, on account of his wife's taking refuge in his house, had been the cause of his ani- mosity. A woman brought her child with an abscess in the lower part of the back, and offered as much corn as she could carry for some medicine; we administered it of course very cheerfully. December 22d. A number of squaws and men dressed like squaws brought corn to trade for small articles with the men. Among other things we procured two horns of the animal called by the French [b^lier des Montagnes Rocheuses, or] the Rock [y] mountain sheep [Ovis montaita], and known to the Mandans by the name of ahsahta." The animal itself is about the size of a small elk or large deer; the horns winding like those of a ram, which they resemble also in texture, though larger and thicker. December 2}(/. The weather was fine and warm like that of yesterday. We were again visited by crowds of Indians of all descriptions, who came either to trade or from mere curiosity. Among the rest Kagohami or Little Raven, brought his wife and son loaded with corn, and she then entertained us with a favorite Mandan dish, a mixture of pumpkins,'" beans, corn, and choke-cherries with the stones. " " Ar-sar-ta," Clark C 135 ; elsewhere as in the text. See note ", p. 150. *"" A kittle of boiled Simnins, beens,"etc., Clark C 136, using the name common in the Southern States for summer squashes, and so working a Cin with the 5 that it is impossible to say which initial letter was meant to stand. This is a word the proper spelling of which lexicographers dispute almost as i^ -™, ll CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES. 215 all boiled together in a kettle, and forming a composition by no means unpalatable. December 24///. The day continued warm and pleasant, and the number of visitors became troublesome. As a present to three of the chiefs, we divided a fillet of sheep- skin, which we brought for sponging, into three pieces, each of two inches in width ; they were delighted at the gift, which they deemed of equal value with a fine horse. We this day completed our fort, and the next morning being Christmas, Tuesday, December zt^th, we were awaked before day by a discharge of three platoons from the party. We had told the Indians not to visit us, as it was one of our great medicine days ; so that the men remained at home and amused themselves in various ways, particularly with danc- ing, in which they take great pleasure. The American flag was hoisted (/. 14.5) for the first time in the fort ; the best provisions we had were brought out, and this, with a little brandy, enabled them to pass the day in great festivity." December 26th. The weather is again temperate, but no Indians have come to see us. One of the Northwest traders, who came down to request the aid of our Minne- taree interpreters, informed us that a party of Minnetarees who had gone in pursuit of the Assiniboins who lately stole their horses had just returned. As is their custom, they came back in small detachments, the last of which brought home eight horses which they had captured or stolen from an Assiniboin camp on Mouse river. December 2'jth. A little fine snow fell this morning, and the air was colder than yesterday, with a high northwest much as they ilo simitar. Clark's genius led him to choose a form quite near simnel, which is probably the best, and certainly better than the usual dialectic variants, cymlin and cymhlin. *' " I give them all a little Taffia," Clark C 137, meaning a ration of rum. It is interesting to find written in 1804, on the Upper Missouri, a Malay word which we get from the French by way of the West Indies, We call this liquor Jamaica. Taffia or tafia, spirit distilled from sugar or molasses, seems to be the origin of the familiar name for molasses candy, tnffy. Compare ratofia. 8 ! I w [^ 2l6 THE SIOUX TRIBES KDVJEWED. ¥ It wind. We were fortunate enough to have among our men a good blacksmith, whom we set to work to make a variety of articles. His operations seemed to surprise the Indians who came to see us, but nothing could equal their astonish- ment at the bellows, which they considered as very great medicine. Having heretofore promised a more particular account of the Sioux, the following " may serve as a general outline of their history : Almost the whole of that vast tract of country comprised between the Mississippi, the Red river of Lake Winiiepcg, the Saskaskawan, and the Missouri, is loosely occupied by a great nation, whose primitive name is Darcota, but who are called Sioux by the French. Sues by the E. ^lish. Their original seats were on the Mississippi, but they have gradually spread themselves abroad and become subdivided into numerous tribes. Of these, what may be considered as the Darcotas are the Mindawarcarton or Minowakanton, known to the P'rench by the name of the Gens du Lac, or People of the Lake. Their residence is on both sides of the Mississippi near the falls of St. Anthony, ?nd the probable number of their warriors about 300. Above them, on the S^. Peter's river, (/>. 146) is the Wahpatone, a smaller band of nearly 200 men ; and still further up the same river, below Yellow-wood river, are the Wuhpatootas or Gens de Feuilles, an inferior band of not more than 100 men ; while the sources of the St. Peter's arc occupied by the Sisatoones, a band consisting of about 200 warriors These bands rarely, If ever, approach the Missouri, which is occupied by their kinsmen, the Yanktons and the Tetons. *' What follows is but a slight sketch, which maybe passed without comment, and might have been omitted without loss, ai it adds scarcely anything to what has been already said : 3ce p. qg sf(/., p. 123 sfi/., and .iotes there. The frag- ment indicates, perhaps, a more extended notice which the explorers had intended to give, before they discovereu that they had already exhausted their information, liut we have a few additional words concerning the Assiniboins. «*^*W»3JV.. /^y) Assiniboins are recognized, by a similarity of language and by tradition, as descendants or seceders from the Sioux ; though often at war they are still acknowl- edged as relations. The Sioux themselves, though scat- tered, meet annually on the Jacques those of the Missouri trading with those of the Mississippi. I :| ^ H 1 k >■> ^,1 V m h CHAPTER VI. WITH THE MANDANS: CONTINUED. Intense cold — New Year's Day celebrated— Abduction and recovery o( an Indian girl— Indian BufTalo-dance — Itslcwd features described in Latin— Indian medicine dance — Mercury 40^ below zero — Indian endurance of cold— Hunting parties out — Return of Chaboneau frost- bitten — Unfriendly attitude t-f Hudson's Bay Company's ai;i;nt — Visits of Minnetaree and Mandan chiefs— Advised to keep tlie peace— Visit of Laroche and McKcnzie— Weather records and various occupations— The Mandans short of provisions— Curious obstetrics — Return of horses loaded with meat — lu'.'ian treatmentofhorso.^— Account of Captain Clark's ht.nting-trip — Hostile treatment of a hunting-party by supposed Sioux— Captain Lewis sets out to punish them— Death of an aged Mandan — Consultation of the famous Medicine-stone — Return uf Captain Lewis unsuccessful from pursuit r.i the Indians— Getting the boats out of the ice — New boats to be built— Root for cure of bites of mad dogs and rattlesnakes — Arrival of Mr. Gravelines and others with letters, and various information about the Indians—Prairies burned by Minnetarees, a:. J why — Visit of Le Rorgne, grand chief of the Minnetarees — Summary Indian j -.stice^Caprice of Indians in murdering or sparing unfaithful wives— Secret process oL manu..:cturing Mandan beads— Chaboneau's case — Completion of the boats. T^ECEMBER 28th. The wind continued high last night, ^^ the frost severe, and the snow drifting in great quan- tities through the plains. December 2gth. There was 3 frost last night nearly one- quarter of an inch in depth, which continued to fall till the sun had gained some height; the mercury at sunrise stood at 9° below zero ; there were a number of Indians at the fort in the course of the day. December loth. The we.ither was cold, and the ther- mometer 20° below zero. We killed one deer, and yesterday one of the men shot a wolf. The Indians brought corn, beans, and squashes, which they readily gave for getting their axes and kettles mended. In their general conduct during these visits they are honest, but will occasionally pilfer some small article. December ^ist. During the night there was a high wind which covered the ice witii hillocks of mixed sand and snow. The day was however fine, and the Indians came in 3l3 NEW YEARS DAY CELEBRATED. 2(9 great numbers for the purpose of having their utensils repaired. Tuesday, January \st, 1805. The new year was welcomed by two shots from the swivel a, id a round of small-arms. The weather was cloudy but moderate ; the mercury, which at sunrise was at 18*, in the course of the day rose to 34° above zero ; toward evening it began to rain, and at night we (/. i^g) had snow, the temperature for which is about zero. In the morning we permitted 16 men with their music to go up to the first village, where they delighted the whole tribe with tiieir dances, particularly with the movements of one of the Frenchmen, who danced on his head.' In return they presented the dancers with several buffalo-robes and quan- ties of corn. We were desirous of showing this attention to the village, because they had received an impression that we had been wanting in regard for them, and because they had in consequence circulated inviduous comparisons between us and the northern traders. All these, however, they declared to Captain Clark, who visited them in tlie course of the morning, were made in jest. As Captain Clark was about leaving the village, two of their chiefs returned from a mission to the Grosveiitrcs or wandering' ' This statement startled Mr. Biddle, who catechized Captain Claric about it. He was doubtless so much relieved to find that the Frenchr ■ i -lanced on his hands, head downward, that he let it go into type. ' A distinction is here drawn between these " wandering " Minnetarees and those whom L. and C. for some reason regarded as Minnetarees proper. Clark C 142 has : " .\ large parly of Gross Vintm who were on their way down from their camps 10 miles above to revenge on the Shoe tribe an injury," etc. Here it is also well to remark that we must always bear in mind the very broad line to be drawn between any of the "Minnetarees" or " Urosventres " who were sedentary on the Missouri, and those entirely different Indians whom L. and C. will later repeatedly term " Minnetarees of fort de prairie," or call by some equivalent expression. The case will come up ag.ain for treatment ; but here I may cite Matthews, p. 33 ; ' ' The name [Grosvcntres] was also applied to a tribe, totally distimt from these [Ilidatsans] in laneuage and origin, which lives some hundreds of miles west of Fort Herthold ; and the two nations are now distinguished from one ano'her as (jrosventres of the Missouri and Grosventres of the Prairie, names which would lead strangers to suppose that they were merely separate divisions of one tribe." 1 1 ^1 ! h I 220 ABDUCTION AND RECOVERY OF A GIRL. li I. \ Minnetarees. These people were camped about ten miles above, and while there one of the Ahnahaways had stolen a Miiinetaree girl. The whole nation immediately espoused the quarrel, and 150 of their warriors were marching down to revenge the insult on the Ahnahaways. The chief of that nation took the girl from the ravisher, and giving her to the Mandans requested their intercession. The messengers went out to meet the warriors, delivered the young damsel into the hands of her countrymen, smoked the pipe of pence with them, and were fortunate enough to avert their indignation and induce them to return. In the evening some of the men came to the fort and the rest slept in the village. Pocapsahe also visited us and brought some meat on his wife's back. January 2d. It snowed last night. During this day the same scene of gayety was renewed at the second village, and all the men returned in the evening.' January id. Last night it becanie very cold, and this morning we had some snow. Our hunters vvere sent out for buffalo, but the game had been frightened from the river by the Indians, so that they obtained only one. They how- ever {p. i£o) killed a hare and a wolf. Among the Indians who visited us was a Minnetaree who came to seek his wife. She had been much abused and came here for protection, but returned with him, as we had no authority to separate those whom even the Mandan rites had united. January ^th. The morning was cloudy and warm, the mercury being 23° above zero ; but toward evening the wind changed to northwest, and the weather became cold. VVc sent some hunters down the river, but they killed only one buffalo and a wolf. We received the visit of Kago- hami, who is very friendly, and to whom we gave a handker- chief and two files. ' " This day I discovered how the Indians keep their horses during the winter. In the day time they are permitted to run out and gather what they can ; and .it niglit are brought into the lodges, with the natives themselves, and fed on tot- ton wood branches : and in this way are kept in tolerable case," Gass, p. 68. i ,1'^ I HMtliMOiicja'^ SATURNALIA RISONTINA. 221 January ^th* We had high and boisterous winds last night and this morning. The Indians continue to purchase repairs with grain of different kinds. In the first village there ha^ been a buffalo-dance for the last three nights, which has put them all into commotion, and the description Wi.icli we received from those of the party who visited the village, 3!.J from other sources, is not a little ludicrous. The buffalo-dance is an institution originally intended for the benefit of the old men, and practiced at their suggestion. When buffalo become sca»"ce they send a man to harangue the village, declaring that the game is far off and that a :east is necessary to bring it back; if the village be disposed a day and place is named for the celebration. At the appointed hour the old men arri'-e and seat themselves cross-legged on skins, round a fire in the middle of the lodge, with a sort of doll or small image, dressed like a female, placed betore them. The young men bring with them a platter of provisions, a pipe of tobacco, and their wives, whose dress on this occasion is only a robe or mantle loosely thrown round the body. On their arrival each youth selects the old man whom he means to distinguish by his favor, and spreads before him the provisions, after which he presents the pipe and smokes wi.^'i Mox senex vir simi'lacrum parvae puellae ostensit. Tunc egrediens coetu, jecit {p. /ji) effigium solo et superincum- bens, senili ardore veneris complexit. Hoc est signum. Denique uxor e turba recessit, et jactu corporis, fovet am- plexus viri solo recubante. Maritus appropinquans senex ■* " I employ myself Drawing a Connection of the Contrey from what infor- mation I have received, " /. e., making a map on which should be represented, from Indian and other information, parts not charted from his own observations, in ascending the Missouri thus far. This is the very map which was sent to the President, Apr. 7th, 1805, was transmitted by Jefferson to Congress in his message of Feb. 19th, iSofi, and was preserved in the archives of the War Depart- ment, but never published till Nov. 4th, 1887, when a much reduced copy appeared in Sdence. As draughted by Nicho'as King, 1806, this is the map which is re peatedly cited in the present edition as Lewis' mapof 1806, it being so legended, as will be seen from tht full-sized photographic facsimile, now first published. i! i i? 322 MANDAN MEDICINE-DANCE. vir dejecto vultu, et honorem et dignitatem ejus conservare amplexu uxoris ilium oravit. Forsitan imprimis ille refellit ; dehinc, maritus multis precibus, multis lacrymis, et multis donis vehementer intercessit. Tunc senex amator perculsus misericordia, tot precibus, tot lacrymis, et tot donis, conju- gali amplexu submisit. MuUum ille jactatus est, sed debilis et effoetus senectute, frustra jactatus est. Maritus interdum, stans juxta, gaudet multum honore, et ejus dignitate sic conservata. Unus nostrum sodalium, multum al.icrior et potentior juventute, hac nocte honorem quatuor maritoruna custodivit. [Anglicfe, Clericus C 144, 145.] January 6th. A clear, cold morning with high wind. We caught in a trap a large gray wolf, and last night obtained in the same way a fox which had for s^me time infested the neighborhood of the fort. Only a few Indians visited us to-day. January ytk. The weather was again clear and cold, with a high northwest wind, and the thermometer at sunrise 22° below zero ; the river fell an inch. Shahaka, the Big White chief, dined with us, and gave a connected sketch of the country as far as the mountains.' January S(/i. The wind was still from the northwest, the day cold, and we received few Indians at the fort. Besides the buffalo-dance we have just described there is another called the medicine-dance, an entertain: .^nt given by any person desirous of doing honor to his medicine or genius. He announces that on such a day he will sacrifice his horses or other property, and invites the young females of the village to assist in rendering homage to his medicine ; all the inhabitants may join in the solemnity, which is per- formed in the open plain and by daylight, but the dance is reserved for the virgins, or at least the unmarried females, who disdain the incumbrance or the ornament of dress. ° " As far as the high [Rocky] mountains on the south side of the River Rejone [Roche-jaune, Yellowstone] ... I continue to Draw a connected plott from the information of Traders, Indians & my own observations and ideas," Clark C 146. : -f'-*CiBfc-»^ ^ INDIAN ENDURANCE OF COLD. 223 The feast (/>. 132) is opened by devoting the goods of the master of the feast to his medicine, which is represented by a head of the animal itself, or by a medicine-bag if the deity be an invisible being. The young women then begin the dance, in the intervals of which each will prostrate her- self before the assembly o challenge or reward the boldness of the youth, who are often tempted by feeling, or the hope of distinction, to achieve the adventure. January gth. The weather is cold, the thermometer at suniise 21 below zero. Kagohami breakfasted with us, and Captain Clark with three or four men accompanied him and a part) of Indians to hunt, in which they were so for- tanate as to kill a number of buffalo. But they were incom- maxled by snow, by high and squally winds, and by extreme cold. Several of the Indians came to the fort nearly frozen ; others are missing, and we are uneasy for one of our men, who was separated from the rest during the chase, and has not returned. January loth. This morning, however, he came back, just as we were sending out five men in search of him. The night had been excessively cold ; this morning at sunrise the mercury stood at 40^ below zero, or 72° below the freezing- point. He had, however, made a fire and kept himself tolerably warm. A young Indian, about 13 years of age, also came in soon after. His father, who came last night to inquire after him very anxiously, had sent him in the afternoon to the fort ; he was overtaken by the night, and was obliged to sleep on the snow with no covering except a pair of antelope-skin moccasins and leggings, and a bufYalo- robe. His feet being frozen, we put them into cold water, and gave him every attention in our power. About the same time an Indian who had also been missing returned to the fort. Although his dress was very thin, and he had slept on the snow without a tire, he had not suffered the slightest inconvenience. We have indeed observed that tliese Indians support the rigors of the season in a way which we had hitherto thought (/>. /jj) impossible. A more pleasing I ' 224 MANDAN HUNTING CUSTOMS. , t reflection occurred at seeing the warm interest which the situation of tliese two persons had excited in the village. The boy had been a prisoner and adopted from charity, yet the distress of the father proved that he felt for him the tcnderest affection. The man was a person of no distinc- tion, yet the whole village was full of anxiety for his safety, and when they came to us, borrowed a sleigh to bring them home with ease, if they survived, or to carry their bodies, if they had perished. January wth. We dispatched three hunters to join the same number whom we had sent below about seven miles to hunt elk. Like that of yesterday, the weather to-day was cold and clear, the thermometer standing at 38" below zero. Poscopsahe and Shotahawrora visited us, and passed the night at the fort. January \2th. The weather continues very cold, the mercury at sunrise being 20° below zero. Three of the hunters returned, having killed three elk. January xyh. We have a continuation of clear weather and the cold has increased, the mercury having sunk to 34° below zero. Nearly one-half of the Mandan nation passed down the river to hunt for several days. In these excursions, men, women, and children, with their dogs, all leave the village together, and after discovering a spot convenient for the game, fi.x their tents ; all the family bear their part in the labor, and the game is equally divided among the families of the tribe. When a single hunter returns from the chase with more than is necessary for his own immediate consumption, the neighbors are entitled by custom to a share of it ; the y do not, however, ask for it, but send a squaw, who, without ~y. ing anything, sits down by the door of the lodge till the master understands the hint and gives her gratuitously a part for her family. Chaboneau, who with one man had gone to some lodges of IVIinnetarces near Turtle mountain [on the Little Mo. R.], returned with their faces much frost-bitten. They had (/>. 15^) been about 90 miles distant, and procured from the inhabitants some meat and grease, with which they loaded 4j. i 1 i UNFRIENDLY REPORTS, AND THEIR REFUTATION. 225 the horses. He informs us that the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company at that place had been endeavoring to make unfavorable impressions witli regard to us on the mind of the great chief, and that the Northwest Company intended building a fort there. The great chief had in consequence spoken slightingly of the Americans, but said that if we would give him our great flag he would come and see us. January \^th. The Mandans continued to pass down the river on their hunting-party, and were joined by six of our men [Sergeant Pryor and five privates]. One of those sent on Thursday returned with information that one of his companions [VVhitehouse] had his feet so badly frost-bitten that he could not walk home. In their excursion they had killed a buffalo, a wolf, two porcupines, and a white hare." The \veather was more moderate to-day, the mercury being at 16° below zero, and the wind from the S.E. We had, however, some snow, after which it remained cloudy. January i^th. The morning is much warmer than ycstcr- day, and the snow oegins to melt, though the wind, after bemg for some time from the S.E., suddenly shifted to the N.W. Between 12 and 3 o'clock a. m. there was a total eclipse of the moon, from which we obtained a part of the observation ' necessary for ascertaining the longitude. We were visited by four of the most distinguished men of the Minnetarees, to whom we showed marked attentions as we knew that they had been taught to entertain strong preju- dices against us ; these we succedeed so well in removing, that when in the morning, January i6t/i, about 30 Mandans, among whom six were chiefs, came to see us. the Minnetarees reproached them with their falsehoods, declaring that they were bad men and ought to hide themselves. They had told the Minnetarees that we would kill them if they came to the fort ; yet on 'Lepuscampeslris. which in this latitude turns white in winter, like Z am.ri- canns, the American varying hare. 1^ M6 A GENEROUS AND SENSIULE YOUNG CHIEF. the contrary they had spent a ni{jht there and been (/. 755) treated with kindness by the whites, who had smoked with them and danced for their amusement. Kagohami vis- ited us and brouglit us a httle corn, and soon afterward one of the first war-chiefs of the Minnctarees came, accom- panied by liis squaw, a handsome woman, whom he was desirous we should use during the night. He favored us with a more acceptable present, a draft of the Missouri in his manner, and informed us of his intention to go to war in the spring against the Snake Indians. We advised him to reflect seriously before he committed ..le peace of his nation to the hazard of war ; to look back on the numerous nations whom war had destroyed ; that if he wished his nation to be happy, he should cultivate peace and intercourse with all his neighbors, by which means they would procure more horses and increase in numbers ; and that if he went to war he would displease his great father, the President, and forfeit his protection. We added that we had spoken thus to all the tribes whom we had met ; that they had all opened their ears, and that the President would compel those who did not voluntarily listen to his advice. Although a young man of only 26 years of age, this discourse seemed to strike him. He observed that if it would be displeasing to us he would not go to war, since he had horses enough, and that he would advise all the nation to remain at home until we had seen the Snake Indians, and discovered whether their intentions were pacific. The party who went down with the horse for the man who was frost-bitten returned, and we are glad to find his complaint not so serious. January ip/i. The day was very windy from the north ; the morning clear and cold, the thermometer at sunrise being at zero. Wc had several Indians with us. January \^tJi. The weather is fine and moderate. Messrs. Laroche and M'Kenzie, two of the Northwest Company's traders, visited us with some of the Minnctarees. In the afternoon two of our hunters returned, having killed four [deer, four] wolves and a blaireau [badger]. l-^ MONOTONY AT MANDAN. 227 (/. I j^ January \c)th. Another cloudy day. The two trailers set out r)ii their return, and we sent two men with tlic horses 30 miles below to the hunting-camp. January 20th. The day fair and cold. A number of Indians visit us with corn to exchange for articles and to jiay for repairs to their household utensils.' January 21 s(. The weather was fine and moderate. The hunters all returned, having killed during their absence three elk, four deer, two porcupines, a fox, and a hare. January 22(1. The cold having moderated and the day being pleasant, we attempted to cut the boats out of the ice; but at the distance of eight inches came to water, under which the ice became three feet thick, so that we were obliged to desist. January 23^/. The cold weather returned, the mercury having sunk 2° below zero, and the snow fell four inches deep. January 24///. The day was colder than any we have had lately, the thermometer being at 12° below zero. The hunters whom we sent out returned unsuccessful, and the rest were occupied in cutting wood to make charcoal. January 25/'//. The thermometer was at 25° below zero, the wind from the N.W. and the day fair, so that the men were employed in preparing coal and cutting the boats out of the ice. A band of Assiniboins headed by their chief, called by the French [" Fils de Petit Veau," Clark C 156, or] Son of the Little Calf, have arrived at the villages. January 26th. A fine warm day. A number of Indians Tt ti« " " I went up with one of the men to the villages. They tre.ited us friendly and gave us victuals. After we were done eating they presented a bowlful to a buffaloe head, saying 'eat th.at.' Their superstitious credulity is so great that they believe by using the head well the living buffaloe will come and that they will get a supply of meat," Gass, p. 70. There was trouble in the little garrison to-day. On the 19th "Jussome's squar " left him, and on the 20th Clark C 155 explains : " A misunderstanding took place between the two inturpeters on account of their squars, one of the squars of .Shabowner being sick, I ordered my servent to give her some froot stewed and tee at dift. times which was the cause of the misundrst'd." ■s>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) d^. V ^ii. 1.0 I.I us %i 25 ""IS 2.0 1.25 U 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 87a-4S03 J i/. 228 ATTEMPTS TO FREE THE BOATS FROM THE ICE. ^',1 dine with us, and one of our men is attacked with a violent pleurisy. January 27th. Another warm and pleasant day. We again attempted to get the boat out of the ice. The man who has the pleurisy was blooded and sweated, and we were forced to take off the toes of the young Indian who was frost-bitten some time since. Our interpreter [" Shabonoe " | returned from the villages, bringing with him three of Mr. Larochc's horses, which he had sent in order to keep them out of the way of the Assiniboins, who are very much dis- posed to steal, and who have just returned to their camp. (a 157) January 2%th. The weather to-day is clear .ind cold. We were obliged to abandon the plan of cutting the boat through the ice, and therefore made another attempt the next day, January igth, by heating a quantity of stones so as to warm the water in the boat and thaw the surrounding ice. But in this too we were disappointed, as all the stones, on being put into the fire, cracked into pieces. The weather is warm and pleasant ; the man with the pleurisy is recov- ering. January yith. The morning was fair, but afterward became cloudy. Mr. Laroche, the trader from the North- west Company, paid us a visit, in hopes of being able to accompany us on our journey westward ; but this proposal we thought it best to decline. January list. It snowed last night and the morning is cold and disagreeable, with a high wind from the north- west. We sent five hunters dow 1 the river. Another man [Drewyer] is taken with the pleurisy. Friday, February ist. A cold, windy day. Our hunters returned, having killed only one deer. One of the Min- netaree war-chiefs, a young man named Maubuksheaho- keah or Seeing Snake, came to see us and procure a war- hatchct. He also requested that we would suffer him to go to war against the Sioux and Ricaras, who had killed a Mandan some time ago; this we refused, for reasons which CAPTAIN CLARK GOES ON A HUNT. 229 we explained to him. He acknowledged that we were I'ight, and promised to open his ears to our counsels. February 2d. The day is fine. Another deer was killed. Mr. Laroche, who has been very anxious to go with us, left the fort to-day, and one of the squaws of the Minne- taree interpreter is taken ill. February ^d* The weather is again pleasant. Disap- pointed in all our efforts to get the boats free, we occupied ourselves in making iron spikes so as to prize them up by means of long poles. February 4///. The morning fair and cold, the mercury at sunrise being 18° below zero, and the wind from the north- west, {p. ij8) The stock of meat which we Iiad procured in November and December being now nearly exhausted, it became necessary to renew our supply. Captain Clark therefore took 18 men,'" and with two sleighs and three horses descended the river for the purpose of hunting, as the buffalo have disappeared from our neighborhood, and the Indians themselves are suffering for want of meat. Two dec vere killed [by Shields] to-day, but they were very lean. February t^th. A p. .. :nt, 5'air morning, with the wind from northwest. A number of the Indians come with corn for the blacksmith, who being noiv provided with coal has ' At this date in the Mandan Codex the hand chan);es. Captain Clark is going away to hunt, and Captain Lewis writes the journal to Feb. 1 3th inclu- sive. Feb. 3d has a long account of the attempts to get the boats out of the ice. '"Sixteen of the soldiers, and two Frenchmen, Lewis C i6a. Gass was on this trip, which he thus summarizes, p. 71 : " 4th. A tine day. Captain Clark and 18 men went down the river to hunt. We proceeded on 20 miles and could see no game. Jth. We proceeded on to some Indian camps and there we killed three deer. The next day we went on to more Indian camps and killed some deer. On the 7th. we camped in a bottom on the south side of the Missouri and next day turned out tohunt. We killed 10 elk and 18 deer and remained there all night. On the gth. we built a p>en to secure our game from the wolves, which are very numerous here , and in the evening went further down and encamped. The next morning we set out on our return towards the fort ; and killed some elk and deer on our way. On the 12th. we arrived at the fort ; and found that one of our interpreter's wives [Sacajawea] had in our absence made an addition to our number." T^^^ff ™-iv^i^flff^Wfl((H^^ ^ ' 230 PECULIAR MANDAN BATTLE-AXES. H;if ..;i [1:1: become one of our greatest resources for procuring grain. They seem particularly attached to a battle-ax, of a very inconvenient figure. It is made wholly of iron, the blade extremely thin and from seven to nine inches long ; it is sharp at tlie point and five or six inches on each side, whence the edges converge toward the eye, which is circular and about an inch in diameter, the blade itself being not more than an inch wide ; the handle is straight, and 12 or 15 inches long; the whole weighs about a pound. By way of ornament, the blade is perforated with several circular holes. The length of the blade, compared with the shortness of the handle, renders it a weapon of very little strength, particularly as it is always used on horseback. There is still, however, another form which is even worse, tht same sort of handle being fixed to a blade resembling an espontoon." February 6th. The morning was fair and pleasant, the wind N.W. A number of Indian chiefs visited us, but withdrew after we had smoked with them, contrary to their custom ; for, after being once introduced into our apart- ment, they are fond of lounging about during the remainder of the day. One of the men killed three antelopes. Our blacksmith has his time completely occupied, so great is the demand for utensils of different kinds. The Indians are particularly fond of sheet-iron, out of which they form points for arrows and instruments for scraping hides ; and when (/. /5p) the blacksmith cut up an old cambouse " of " EspoHtooH or espoHton is a rare and practically obsolete form of sponloon, a word itself now little used. The implement meant is the half-pike, a sort of halberd formerly used by certain officers of the Pritish army. Lewis C 165 gives a neat figure of the Mandan implement, which is fortunate, as the text is not clear. The blade is I3 or IJ inches long, set at right angles in a handle of the same length ; the shape of the blade, viewed flat, is a narrow lozenge (like the diamond at cards), sharp at the point, the other end eyed to receive the handle ; it is pierced with four holes set in the same diamond figure, and the slant of the two sides of the diamond next to the eyed end results in part from nicking off from each edge a strip of the metal and curlincr this strip backward. '• " Sheet iron callaboos," interlined " camboosc, s:ove," Lewis C i66. Cam- boost and cambouse are rare forms of caboose, and {his from the Dutch name of ' m^J' THE BLACK CAT'S GOOD CHARACTER. 231 metal, we obtained, for every piece of four inches square, seven or eight gallons of corn from the Indians, who were delighted at the exchange. February jth. The morning was fair and much warmer than for some days, the thermometer being at 18" above zero, and the wind from the S.E. A number of Indians continue to visit us; but learning that the interpreter's squaws had been accustomed to unbar the gate during the night, we ordered a lock put on it, and that no Indian should remain in the fort all night, nor any persor V- admitted during the hours when the gate is closed — \.i\dX is, from sunset to sunrise. ^ February St/i. A fair, pleasant morning, with S.E. winds. Pocopsahe came down to the fort with a bow, and apolo- gized for not having finished a shield which he had promised Captain Lewis, and which the weather had prevented him from completing." This chief possesses more firmness, intel- ligence, and integrity than any Indian of this country, and he might be rendered highly serviceable in our attempts to civilize the nation. He mentioned that the Mandans are very much in want of meat, and that he himself had not tasted any for several days. To this distress they are often reduced by their own improvidence, or by their unhappy situation. Their principal article of food is bufTalo-meat, their corn, beans, and other grain being reserved for summer, or as a last resource against what they constantly dread, an attack from the Sioux, who drive off the game and confine them to their villages. The same fear also prevents their going out to hunt in small parties to relieve their occasional wants, so that the buffalo is generally obtained in large quan- tises and wasted by carelessness. a ship's galley, or cook's room aboard a vessel ; but it is not related to ea/a- boose, which latter word is supposed to be of Arabic derivation, and means a slave-pen. The article which proved so valuable a resource was simply an old sheet iron cooking-stove, which had been burnt out in ascending the Missouri. » " I gave him som small shot 6 fishing-hooks and 2 yards of ribbon his squaw also presented me with 3 pair of mockersons for which in return I gave a small lookingglass and a couple of nedles," Lewis C 167. r r.i! 332 BIRTH OF SACAJAWEA'S INFANT. I '\: February <)th.^* The morning was fair and pleasant, the wind from the S.E. Mr. M'Kenzie, from the Northwest Company's establishment, visited us. Sunday, February lot/t. A slight snow fell in the course of the night, the morning was cloudy, and the northwest wind blew so {/>. 160) high that although the thermometer was 18" above zero, the day was cooler than yesterday, when it was only 10* above the same point. Mr. M'Kenzie left us, and Chaboneau returned with the information that our horses loaded with meat were below, but could not cross the ice, not being shod. February wth. We sent down a party with sleds, to relieve the horses from their loads ; the weather fair and cold, with a N.W. wind. About five o'clock one of the wives of Chaboneau was delivered of a boy ; '* this being her first child slie was suffering considerably, when Mr. Jessaume told Captain Lewis that he had frequently administered to persons in her situation a small dose of the rattle of the rattlesnake, which had never failed to hasten the delivery. Having some of the rattle, Captain Lewis gave it to Mr. Jessaume, who crumbled two of the rings of it between his fingers, and mix- ing it with a small quantity of water gave it to her. What effect it may really have had it might be difficult to deter- mine, but Captain Lewis was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before the delivery took place. February \2th. The morning is fair though cold, the mercury being 14* below zero, the wind from the S.E. About four o'clock the horses were brought in much fatigued ; on giving them meal bran moistened with water they would '■• "This evening a man by the name of [Thomas P. ] Howard whom I had given permission to go [to] the Mandane village returned after the gate was shut and reather than call to the guard to h.ive it opened scaled the works . . . Howard I had comitted to the care of the guard with a determineation to have him tryed by a Courtmartial for this offence. This man is an old soldier which still hightens this offince," Lewis C 168. " " A fine boy," Lewis C 170 says of Sacajawea's baby. This little volunteer recruit joined the Expedition, and was brought back safe from the Pacific coast by one of the best of mothers. > 11 MANDAN PONIES— THE HUNTERS RETURN. 233 not eat it, but preferred the bark of the Cottonwood, which, as already observed, forms their principal food during the winter. The horses of the Mandans are so often stolen by the Sioux, Ricaras, and Assiniboins, that the invariable rule now is to put the horses every night in the same lodge with the family. In the summer they ramble on the plains in the vicinity of the camp and feed on the grass, but during cold weather the squaws cut down the Cottonwood trees as they are wanted, and the horses feed on the boughs and bark of the tender branches, which are also brought into the lodges at night and placed near ther.i. These animals are very severely treated ; for whole days they are pursuing the buffalo, or burdened with the fruits of the chase, during which (/. 161) they scarcely ever taste food, and at night return to a scanty allowance of wood ; yet the spirit of this valuable animal sustains him through all these diffi- culties, and he is rarely deficient either in flesh or vigor. February l^tA.'* The morning was cloudy, the thermom- eter at 2° below zero, the wind from the southeast. Cap- tain Clark returned last evening with all his hunting party. During their excursion they had killed 40 deer, 3 buffalo, and 16 elk ; but most of the game was too lean for use, and the wolves, who regard whatever lies out at night as their own, had appropriated a large part of it. When he left the fort on the 4/// instant, he descended on the ice 22 miles to New Mandan island, near some of the old villages, and camped, having killed nothing, and being therefore without food for the night. Early on the 5///, the hunters went out and killed two buffalo and a deer, but the last only could be used, the others being too lean. After breakfast they proceeded down to an Indian lodge, and hunted during the day. The next morning, the 6///, they camped 44 miles from the fort on a sand-point near the mouth of a creek on the south- " Beginning in Lewis' hand, C 173, but continued by Clark, who enters at this date the following account of his hunting-trip, C 174-77, greatly abridged in the text, and then resumes the regular order of the codex. 234 DIARY OF THE HUNT— ATTACKED BY SIOUX. west side, which they call Hunting creek, and during this and the following day hunted through all the adjoining plains with much success, having killed a number of deer and e'.k. On the %th, the best of the meat was sent by the horses to the fort ; such parts of the remainder as were fit for use were brouglit to a point of the river three miles below, and after the bones were taken out, were secured in pen? built of logs, so as to keep off the wolves, ravens, and magpies, which are very numerous, and constantly disap* point the hunter of his prey; they then went to the low grounds near the Chisshetaw [Heart] river, where they camped, but saw nothing except some wolves on the hills, and a number of buffalo too poor to be worth hunting. The next morning, the 9///, as there was no game and it would have been inconvenient to send back 60 miles to the fort, they returned up the river ; (/. 162) for three days they hunted along the banks and plains, and reached the fort in the evening of the 12///, much fatigued, having walked 30 miles that day on the ice, and through the snow in many places knee-deep, their moccasins too being nearly worn out. The only game which they saw, besides what is mentioned, was some grouse on the sand-bars in the river. February 14///. Last night the snow fell three inches deep; the day was, however, fine, rour men were dispatched with sleds and three horses to bring up the meat which had been collected by the hunters. They returned, however, with the intelligence that about 21 miles below the fort a party of upward of 100 men, whom they supposed to be Sioux, ruslied on them, cut the traces of the sleds, and carried off two of the horses, the third being given up by intercession of an Indian " who seemed to possess some authority over them ; they also took away two of the men's m it li " " Probably more thro' fear of himself or some of the Indians being killed by our men who were not disposed to he Robed of all they had tamely," Clark C 178. This party was led by George Drewyer, the best hunter and shot of all the men. But four men had no show whatever against " 105 " Indians, and were lucky to get off alive. > ! CAl'TAIN LEWIS GOES IN PURSUIT OF THE SIOUX. 235 knives and a tomahawk, which last, however, they returned. We sent up to the Mandans to inform them of it, and to know wliether any of them would join a party which intended to pursue the robbers in the morning. About twelve o'clock two of their chiefs came down and said that all the young men were out hunting, and that there were few guns in the village. Several Indians, however, armed, some with bows and arrows, some with spears and battle- axes, and two with fusils," accompanied Captain Lewis, who set out, February \%th, at sunrise, with 24 men. The morning was fine and cool, the thermometer being at 16° below zero. In the course of the day one of the M*andan chiefs returned from Captain Lewis' party, his eyesight having become so bad that he could not proceed. At this season of the year the reflection from the ice and snow is so intense as to occasion almost total blindness. This complaint is very common ; the general ren:edy is to sweat the part affected by holding the face over a hot stone, and receiving the fumes from snow thrown on it. A large red fox [Vulpcs tnacrurus] was killed to-day. {p. i6j) February 16//1. The morning was warm, the mer- cury at ^2" above zero, the weather cloudy. Several of the Indians who went with Captain Lewis returned, as did also one of our men [Howard], whose feet had been frost-bitten. February 17///. The weather continued as yesterday, though in the afternoon it became fair. Shotawhorora and his son came to see us, with about 30 pounds of dried buffalo meat and some tallow. February iSt/i. The morning was cloudy with some snow, but in the latter part of the day it cleared up. Mr. M'Ken- zie, who had spent yesterday at the fort, now left us Our stock of meat is exhausted, so that we must confine ourselves to vegetable diet, at least till the return of the party. For this, however, we are at no loss, since both on this and the following day, '"" Fuzees," Clark C 179 ; old-fashioned flint-lock muskets. 1 mitting the outrage went to the Ricara village, where they said that they had hesitated about killing our men who were with the horses, but that in future they would put to death any of us they could, as we were "bad medicines" and deserved to be killed. The Ricaras were displeased at their conduct, and (/. 16^) refused to give them any- thing to eat, which is deemed the greatest act of hostility, short of actual violence. Friday, March ist, 1805. The day is fine and the whole party is engaged, some in making ropes and periogues, others in burning coal and making battle-axes to sell for corn." March 2d. Mr. Laroche," one of the Northwest Com- pany's traders, has just arrived with merchandise from the British establishments on the Assiniboin. The day is fine, and the river begins to break up in some places, the mercury being between 28° and 36° above zero, and the vind from the N.E. We were visited by several Indians. March id. The weather pleasant, the wind from the E., with clouds ; in the afternoon the clouds disappeared and the wind came from the N.W. The men are all employed in preparing the boats ; we are visited by Poscapsahe and ** The main occupation of the month of March seems to have been making canoes to resume the voyage. Gass says, p. 73, thpt the party of 16 who went on Feb. 23th, about six miles up the river, camped out there till six canoes were made. " On the 20th. and 21st. we carried them to the river about a mile a'.id a half distant : There I remained with two men to finish them, and to tak'<; care of them, until the 26th, when some men came up from the fort, and \ve put the canoes into the water. As the river had risen there was some water betv/een the ice and the shore. We got three of them safe to the fort ; but the ice breaking before the other three got down, so filled the channel, that we were obliged to carry them the rest of the way by land. On the 27th we put one of the canoes into the water to ascertain what weight they would carry. We found they would not carry as much as was expected, and Captain Lewis agreed to take a lar^e periogue along. The remainder of the month we were employed in preparing our craft for a renewal of our voyage." " " Mr. La Rocque, a Clerk of the NW Company," Clark C 189, who informed them that the Northwest and " X. Y." companies had lately joined, and that Mr. M'Tavish, of Montreal, the head of the former company, was dead. "X Y." was the cipher name of a cert \ administered. There were also other Indians who brought corn and dried buffalo meat, in exchange for blacksmith's work. March 9ith, The day cold and fair, with a high easterly wind. We were visited by two Indians who gave us an account of the country and people near the Rocky moun- tains"" where they had been. March ()th. The morning cloudy and cool, the wind fron';' the north. The grand chief of the Minnetarees, who is called by the French Le Borgne," from his having but we h.ive " a par of overalls," and the sense of "pair" does not suit in the cases of the other articles. It was probably a trade-word, of whose meaning, however, I am ignorant. " Here first so called— before " Rock mountain." "Visited by the Greesey- head and a Ricara today, those men gave some account of the Indians near the rockey mountains," Clark C 191. " Bracktnridge's Journal is cited for this portrait of Le Borgne; "On the fourth of July we had something like a celebration of this glorious anniversary. The two principal chiefs happened to be with us : the One-ey'd and the Blackshoe. The former is a giant in stature, and if his one eye had been placed in the middle of his forehead, he might have passed for a Cyclops. His huge limbs and gigantic frame, his bushy hair shading his coarse visage and savage features, with his one eye flashing fire, constituted him a fearful demon. He sways, with unlimited control, all these villages, and is feared by all the neighbouring nations. I remarked that on one or two occasions he treated She-he-ke [Big White] with great contempt. Lisa having referred to something said by that chief, ' What,' said the monster, ' what ! Does that bag of lies pretend to have any authority here ? ' He is sometimes a cruel and abominable tyrant. A story was related to me of his cruelty, which has in it something of a more refined tragic nature than we usually meet with amongst these people. Having fallen in love (for even Polyphemus felt the influence of the god who spares neither giants nor common men) with the wife of a young warrior, he went to his lodge during his absence, and carried her off by force. The warrior on his return repaired to the One-ey'd demon and demanded his wife : but instead of receiving redress, was put '.o death, while the wretched object of the dispute was retained in the embraces of her ravisher. The mothi^r of the young warrior, whose only child he was, became frantic, lost her senses from excess of grief, and now does nothing but go about reviling him [Le Borgne], and loading him with her curses ; yet such is the superstitious veneration (by the by it deserves a better name on this occasion) for unhappy objects of this kind [insane persons] that this chief, great as he is, dare not lay his hand on her, even should she haunt him like one of the Eumenides." That sounds like Brackenridge. I took it long ago from the Analectic Magazine, :\ ^t^mmm, RECEPTION OF THE PURBLIND POTENTATE. 243 one eye, came down for the first time to the fort. He was received with much attention, two guns being fired in honor of his arrival ; the curiosities were exhibited to him, and as he said that he had not received the j -sents which we had sent to him on his arrival, we again gave him a flag, a medal, shirt, arm-braces, and the presents usual on such occasions, with all which he was much pleased. In the course of the conversation, the chief observed that some foolish young men of his nation had told him there was a person among us who was quite black, and he wished to know if it could be true. We assured him that it was true, and sent for York. Le Borgne was very much surprised at his appearance, examined him closely, and spit on his finger and rubbed the skin in order to wash ofT the paint ; nor was it until the negro uncovered his head and showed his short hair, that Le Borgne could be persuaded that he was not a painted white man. March \oth. A cold, windy day. Tetuckopinreha, chief of the Ahnahaways, and the Minnetaree chief Ompschara passed the day with us, the former remaining during the night. We had occasion to see an instance of the summary (A i6g) justice of the Indians. A young Minnetaree had carried off the daughter of Cogonomokshe or Raven Man second chief of the upper village of the Mandans ; the father went to the village and found his daughter, whom he brought home, and took with him a horse belonging to the offender. This reprisal satisfied the vengeance of the father and of the nation, as the young man would not dare to reclaim his horse, which from that time became the property of the injured party. The stealing of young women is one of the most com- mon offenses against the police of the village, and the VII., Feb., 1816, p. 145. On turning to Brackenridge, 18x4, I find on p 261 somethinfr like it. But unless the Analectic's reviewer embellished the pass- .ige, which he places in quotation marks, he took it from p. 185 of some other edition or work of Brackenridge's, which I have not seen. However, the pass- age is too good to cut, and I leave it with this explanation. ^ .u\ I 344 FREAKS OF THIS ABOMINABLE CYCLOPS. punishment of it is always measured by the power or the passions of the kindred of the female. A voluntary elope- ment is of course more rigorously chastised. One of the wives of Le Borgne deserted him in favor of a man who had been her lover before the marriage and who after some time left her, and she was obliged to return to her father's house. As soon as he heard it Le Borgne walked there and found her sitting near the fire. Without noticing his wife, he began to smoke with the father ; when they were joined by the old men of the village, who, knowing his temper, had followed in hopes of appeasing him. He continued to smoke quietly with them till, rising to return, he took his wife by the hair, led her as far as the door, and with a single stroke of his tomahawk put her to death before her father's eyes. Then turning fiercely upon the spectators, he said that if any of her relations wished to avenge her, they could always find him at his lodge ; but the fate of the woman had not sufficient interest to e.\cite the vengeance of the family. The caprice or the generosity of the same chief gave a very different result to a similar incident which occurred some time afterward. Another of his wives eloped with a young man, who not being able to support her as she wished, they both returned to the village, and she presented herself before the husband, supplicating his pardon for her conduct. Le Borgne sent for the lover. At the mom int when the youth expected that he would be put to death, the chief {p. :y6) mildly asked them if they still preserved their affection for each other ; and on their declaring that want, and not a change of affection, had induced them to return, he gave up his wife to her lover, with the liberal present of three horses, and restored them both to his favor. March wtli. The weather was cloudy in the morning, and a little snow fell ; the wind then shifted from southeast to northwest, and the day became fair. It snowed again in the evening, but the next day, March 12///," was fair, with the wind from the northwest. '"Clark C 194, this date, has: " Shabonat deturmins on not procee^Mng I > !l,i MODE OF MAKING MANDAN BEADS. 245 ?t March 13/A. We had a fine day and a southwest wind. Mr. M'Kenzie came to see us, as did also many Indians, who are so anxious for battle-axes that our smiths have not a moment's leisu»-e, and procure us an abundance of corn. The river rose a !.ttle to-day, and so continued. March 14///. The wind being from the west and the day fine, the whole party were employed in building boats and in shelling corn. March i $th. The day is clear, pleasant, and warm. We take advantage of the fine weather to hang all our Indian presents and other articles out to dry before our departure. March i6th. The weather is cloudy, the wind from the southeast. A Mr. Garrow ," a Frenchman who has resided a long time among the Ricaras and Mandans, explained to us the mode in which they make their large beads, an art which they are said to have derived from some prisoners of the Snake Indian nation, and the knowledge of which is a secret even now confined to a few among the Mandans and Ricaras. The process is as follows ; " glass of different colors is first pounded fine and washed, till each kind, which is kept separate, ceases to stain the water thrown over it. Some well-seasoned clay, mixed with a sufficient quantity of sand to prevent its becoming very hard when exposed to heat, and reduced by water to the consistency of dough, is then rolled on the palm of the hand, till it becomes of the thick- ness wanted for the hole in the bead. These sticks of (/>. 171) clay are placed upright, each on a little pedestal or with us as an interpeter under the terms mentioned yesterday he will not agree to worlv let our situation be what it may nnr stand a guard, and if miffed with any man he wishes to return when lie pleases, also have the disposeal of as much provisions as he chuses." Chaboneau was cooler than the weather at Fort Mandan, and it is a wonder he was not frozen out of the garrison. " I suppose this to be one Pierre Gareau or Garreau, a noted interpreter whose name appears in various books. His Hidatsan name was Mish, or Meesh (also Ueesh), from their word for rock, translating Pierre, and making a pun — like the translators of Matt. xvi. i3, to whom the K. C. church should be much obliged. "" This description is in Clark C 199-202, but in Lewis' hand, of this date, inter- polated between March 21st and 22d. iHMii ' 246 A DISAFFECTED INTERPRETER. (■ 'i; '1 ball of the same material, about an ounce in weight, and distributed over a small earthen platter, which is laid on the fire for a few minutes, when they are taken off to cool. With a little paddle or shovel, three or four inches long and sharpened at the end of the handle, the wet pounded glass is placed in the palm of the hand. The beads are made of an oblong form, wrapped in a cylindrical form around the stick of clay, which is laid crosswise over it and gently rolled backward and forward till it becomes perfectly smooth. If it be desired to introduce any other color, the surface of the bead is perforated with the pointed end of the paddle, and the cavity filled with pounded glass of that color. The sticks with the strings of beads are then replaced on their pedestals, and the platter deposited on burning coals or hot embers. Over the platter an earthen pot containing about three gallons, with a mouth large enough to cover the platter, is reversed, being completely closed except a small aperture at the top, through which are watched the beads A quan- tity of old dried wood, formed into a sort of dough or paste, is placed round the pot so as to almost cover it, and after- ward set on fire. The manufacturer then looks through the small hole in the pot, till he sees the beads assume a deep red color, to which succeeds a paler or whitish red, or they become pointed at the upper extremity ; on which the fire is removed •And the pot suffered to cool gradually. At length it is removed, the beads are taken out, the clay in the hollow of them is picked out with an awl or needle, and they are then fit for use. The beads thus formed are in great demand among the Indians, being used as pendants to their ears and hair, and sometimes worn round the neck. March ijth. A windy but clear and pleasant day, the river rising a little and open in several places. Our Minne- taree interpreter Chaboneau, whom we intended taking with us to the Pacific, had some days ago been worked (/. IJ2) upon by the British traders, and appeared unwilling to accom- pany us, except on certain terms — such as his not being subject to our orders, and his doing duty or returning when- (l|- 11 CHAUONEAU DISCII'LINEIJ— CANOES COMPI.ETEI). 247 ever he chose. As we saw clearly the source of his hesitation, and knew that it was intended as an obstacle to our views we told him that the terms were inadmissible, and that we could dispense with his services. He had accordingly left lis with some displeasure. Since then he had made an ailvance toward joining us, which w s, ,wed no anxiety to meet ; but this morning he sent an P,>otorm — Baggage packed and specimens of natural history to be sent to the President- Indian art— Arrival uf a party of Kicaras desir- ing to visit the President— Departure of the Expedition from Fort Mandan, Apiil 7th, 1805— Koster of the party at this date— Sacajawea and infant— A Mandan goes too— Embarkation in six small and two large boats — The barge sent down river with presents and dispatches — Knife river passed— Miry creek— Minnetaiee camps — Bluffs- Pocket-gophers and their food— French trappers overtaken— Little Basin bend of the river — Alkali— The i^ittle Mis- souri—Description of this river— Onions and dwarf cedar — Onion creek — (loose creek— Old camps of supposed Assiniboins — Indian liquor-trade— Chaboneau's creek— Scarcity of game — (irouse— Goat-pen creek— Minerals and petrifactions — Game— Traces of Assiniboins— Plants and animals— Indian mode of disposing of the dead— The Whiteearth river— Cut bluff— Inconvenience 01 the sand— Detention by the wind — Approaching the Yellowstone —Captain Lewis goes ahead— The Expedition reaches the Yellowstone, April 16th— Captain Lewis returns and reports — Description of the Vellowstone, so named from the French Kochejaune— Eligible site for a fort. ^nVARCH 22d. This was a clear, pleasant day, with the <1 nJ wind from the S.S.W. We were visited by the sec- ond chief of the Minnetarees, to whom we gave a medal and some presents, accompanied by a speech. Mr. M'Ken- zie and Mr. Laroche also came to see us. They all took their leave next day. March Z'^d. Soon after their departure, a brother of Le Borgne, with other Indians, came to the fort. The weather was fine, but in the evening we had the first rain that has fallen during the winter. March 24///. The morning cloudy, but the afternoon fair, the wind from the N.E. We are employed in preparing for our journey. This evening swans and wild geese flew toward the N.E. March 2^th. A fine day, the wind S.W. The river rose nine inches, and the ice began breaking away in several places, so as to endanger our canoes, which we are hauling down to the fort. M > 'I -?««.r?WW" _r HUNTING BUFFALO ON THE ICE. 249 MnrcA 26M The river rose only half an inch, and being choked up with ,ce near the fort, did not begin to run tiU toward evening. This day is clear and pleasant March 27th, The wind is still high from the S.VV. The ice, which ,s occasionally stopped for a few hours, is then w '{-^V IT" ""^^ '''^"°'' sand-bars when the river runs We had a our canoes brought down, and were obliged to cauk [calk •] and pitch very attentively the cracks so common in Cottonwood. March 2m The day is fair. Some obstacle above has prevented the .ce from running. Our canoes are now neariy ready, and we expect to set out as soon as the river is suffi- ciently clear to permit us to pass N W^'t^^'^K '^^". ^'''^'' '^''' '-^"^ *he wind from the N.VV. The obstructions above gave way this morning, and he ,ce came down m great quantities, the river having fallen . inches m the course of the last 24 hours. We hL had few Indians at the fort for the last three or four days, as they are now busy in catching the floating buffalo. Every spring fire aVZ ' K ff f '"^ "P' '''^ -funding plains are s'et o^n firt and the buffalo are tempted to cross the river in search of the fresh grass which immediately succeeds the burning On their way they are often insulated on a large cake or mass of ice. which floats down the river. The Indians now select the most favorable point for attack, and. as the buffalo approaches, dart with astonishing agility across the trembling •ce sometimes pressing lightly a cake of not more than two teet square. The animal is of course unsteady, and his fool- steps are insecure on this new element, so that he can make but little resistance ; and the hunter, who has given him his death-wound. paddles his icy boat to the shore and secures nis prey. J^rch^Oth. The day was clear and pleasant, the wind IN . W.. and the ice running in great quantities. All our Indian S "'.Ju'V''*' '''r.°*' """'^^^ P''"'"''' * '""^'^ f"""*''] i" ""d °" the cracks and wrndshakes wh.ch is universially in the cotton wood." Clark C 204 Cracked eggshells, for a voyage of more than a thousand miles ! 250 Sl'RINCi OPENING— THK VOYAGE TO BE RESUMED. f^ ! presents were a^ain exposed to the air, and the barge made ready to descend the Missouri. March ^is/. Early this morning it rained, and the weather continued cloudy during the day ; the river rose nine inches; the ice is not running so much as yesterday. Several flocks of geese and ducks fly up the river. Monday, April isf, 1805. This morning there was a thun- der-storm, accompanied by large hail, to which succeeded (/. ij'6) rain for about half an hour. We availed ourselves of this interval to get all the boats into the water. At 4 p. m. it began to rain a second time, and continued till midnight. With the exception of a few drops at two or three different times, this is the first rain we have had since the 15th of October last. April 2d. The wind was high last night and this morning from the N.W.; the weather continued cloudy. The Man- dans killed yesterday 21 elk, about 15 miles below, but they were so poor as to be scarcely fit for use.' April id. The weather is pleasant, though there was a white frost and some ice on the edge of the water. We were all engaged in packing up our baggage and merchandise. April 4///. The day is clear and pleasant, though the wind is high from the N.W. We now packed up in different boxes a variety of articles for the President, which we shall send in the barge.' They consisted of a stuffed male and female antelope with their skeletons, a weasel, three squirrels from the Rocky mountains, the skeleton of the prairie-wolf, those of the white and gray hare, a male and female blaireau or burrowing-dog of the prairie [ Taxidca amcricana\, with a skeleton of the female, two burrowing-squirrels, a white weasel, the skin of the louservia {sic\, the horns of the - " The 2d. Chief of the 2d. Mandan village took a miff at our not attending to him perticularly after being here about ten days and moved back to his village," Clark C 206 — but no word of speeding the parting guest ! 'Clarke 208-211 has the whole invoice, listed by boxes and parcels. The articles reached Mr. Jefferson, and some of them were long on view at Monti- cello. Others passed to Peale's museum in Philadelphia. I have reason to believe that some of the specimens of natural history arc still extant. r a tl h; ri\ > 1 II \m h^ H\ .niwlMHi|i.|iii!llii|W' ■ ORIGIN OF THE ART OF PAINTING. 25 1 mountain ram or bighorn, a pair of largo elk horns, the horns and tail of the black-tailed deer, and a variety of skins, such as those of the red fox, white hare, marten [ Mustcla ameri- cana\, and a yellow bear obtained from the Sioux ; also, a number of articles of Indian dress, among which was a buffalo- robe, representing a battle fought about eight years since between the Sioux and Ricaras against the Mandans and Minnetarees, in which the combatants are represented on horseback. It has of late years excited much discussion to ascertain the period when the art of painting was first discovered. How hopeless all researches of this kind are is evident from the foregoing fact. It is (/). ijj) indebted for its origin to one of the strongest passions of the human heart — a wish to preserve the features of a departed friend, or the memory of some glorious exploit. This inhabits equally the bosoms of all men, either civilized or savage. Such sketches, rude and imperfect as they are, delineate the predominant character of the savage nations. If they are peaceable and inoffensive, the drawings usually consist of local scenery and their favor- ite diversions. If the band are rude and ferocious, we observe tomahawks, scalping-knives, bows, arrows, and all the engines of destruction. [Among the articles sent were also] a Mandan bow and quiver of arrows ; also, some Ricara tobacco-seed and an ear of Mandan corn ; to which were added a box of plants, another of insects, and three cases containing a burrowing- squirrel, a prairie-hen, and four magpies, all alive. April t)th. Fair and pleasant, but the wind is high from the northwest. We were visited by a number of Mandans, and are occupied in loading our boats, in order to proceed on our journey.* * At this date, p. 74, Gassdoes a remarkable thing for him — he indulges certain reflections : " If this brief Journal," he says. " should happen to be preserved, and be ever thought worthy of appearing in print ; some readers will expect that, .ifter ou long friendly intercourse with these Indians, among whom we have spent the winter ; our acquaintance with those nations lower down the river ; and the information we received relative to several other nations : we 352 AKIKARA CHIEFS TO VISIT WASHINGTON. April 6th. Another fine day, with a gentle breeze from the south. The Mandans continued to come to the fort, and in the course of the day informed us of the arrival of a party of Ricaras on the other side of the river. We sent our interpreter to inquire into their reason for coming ; and in the morning, Sunday, April "jth, he returned, with a Ricara chief and three of his nation. This chief, whose name ' is Kagohweto or Brave Raven, brought a letter from Mr. Tabeau, men- tioning the wish of the grand chiefs of the Ricaras to visit the President, and requesting permission for himself and four men to join our boat when it descends ; to which we con- sented, as it will then be manned with 1 5 hands, and be able to defend itself against the Sioux. After presenting the letter, he told us that he was sent, with ten warriors, by his nation, to arrange their settling near the Mandans and Min- netarees, whom they wished to join ; that he considered all the neighboring nations friendly except the Sioux (/». 178), whose persecution they would no longer withstand, and whom they hoped to repel by uniting with the tribes in this quarter. He added that the Ricaras intended to follow our ' I. ought to be prepared now, when we are about to renew our voyage, to give some account of the fair sex of the Missouri, and entertain them with narratives of feats of love as well as of arms. Though we could furnish a sufficient number of entertaining stories and pleasant anecdotes, we dn not think it prudent to swell our Journal with them ; as our views are directed to more useful informa- tion. Besides, as we are yet ignorant of the dangers which may await us, and the difficulty of escape, should certain probable incidents occur, it may not be inconsistent with good policy to keep the Journal of as small and portable a size as circumstances will make practicable. It may be observed generally that chastity is not very highly esteemed by these people, and that the severe and loathsome effects of certain French principles are not uncommon among them. The fac» is, that the women are generally considered an article of traffic and indul- gences are sold at a very moderate price. As a proof of this I will just mention that for an old tobacco-box, one of our men was granted the honor of passing a night with the daughter of the head chief of the Mandan nation. An old bawd with her punks may also be found in some of the villages on the Missouri, as well as in the large cities of polished nations." ' " The name of this Chief of War is Kah-kah, We-to— Raven brave," Clark C 213. ■ ut^ ism^ FORT MANDAN EVACUATED. 253 advice and live in peace with all nations, and requested that we would speak in their favor to the Assiniboin Indians. This we willingly promised to do, and assured them that their great father would protect them and no longer suffer the Sioux to have good guns, or to injure his dutiful chil- dren. We then gave him a small medal, a certificate of his good conduct, a carrot of tobacco, and some wampum, with which he departed for the Mandan village, well satisfied with his reception.* Having made all our arrangements, we left the fort about five o'clock in the afternoon.' The party now consisted of 32 persons.' Besides ourselves were Sergeants John Ordway, Nathaniel Pryor, and Patrick Gass. The privates were William Dratton, John Colter, John ' The Mandan Codex ends here, at p. 314, in the midst of the Diddle text uf April 7th, so far as Clark's journal is concerned. The rest of the codex, pp. 315-274, is a meteorological register, and an elaborate invoice of the stores and presents mentioned in the beginning of Biddle's History, p. 3 of this edition. ' The compositioi; of the party at this moment of its division into two — one to go on, the other to go back — is precisely ascertained. Refer now to note ', p. 3., where it is seen that 45 persons left St. Louis, all told — 39 of the permanent l)arty, 16 of the party to return from Mandan. (Several persons, engaged after .May t4th, 1804, and discharged before April 7th, 1805, do not affect the present count.) Of the original 29, Floyd was dead, and Libert^ lost, leaving 37. To these 27 were added 3 — Lepage (vice Newman disbanded), Chaboneau, and Sacajawea, making 30 (without affecting the 16 of the return party). New- man and Reed were transferred to the return party, making the latter 18. Two soldiers of the return party were transferred to the permanent party (vice Reed disbanded, and Libertd lost), leaving the return party 16 — strength the same as at the start, but composition different — and making the permanent party 32 in number, all present and accounted for in the text by name. Thus it is seen that of the aggregate of the two parties, 45, 2 had been lost, leaving 43, and 3 had been gained, making 46 to be accounted for. Of these 46, 32 go up river to-day, and 14 are left. For these 14, see note '. ' It is deemed desirable, for historical purposes, to give here a more formal roster of the personnel of this party of 32, with such biographical data as I have been able to discover. Excepting Lewis, Clark, Gass, and Shannon, we know next to nothing more than the names of the men and woman who accomplished an immortal purpose. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (2). I. Meriwether Lewis, Captain ist. Regt. U. S. Infantry, Com'd'g. (See Memoirs, antfci.) 1 1 ' i f |'',r ii r': 254 ROSTER OF THE PERMANENT PARTY. Collins, Peter Cruzatte, Reuben Fields, Joseph Fields, Rob- ert FrazifT, George Gibson, Silas Goodrich, Hugh Hall, Thomas P. Howard, Francis Labiche, Baptiste Lapage, Hugh 2. William Clark, Second Lieutenant U. S. Artillerists. (Late Captain Clarksville Militia. See Memoir, antei.) SERGEANTS C4). 3. John Ordway, Odway. No more known of him. 4. Nathamkl Pryor, Pryer, Prior. Afterward Ensign, U. S. A. ? 5. fCiiARLKS Floyd, "deceased the 20th. of August 1804 — a young man of much merit — his father, who now resides in Kentucky, is a man much rispected, tho' possessed of but moderate wealth, as the son lost his life while in this service I considered his father entitled to some gra- tuity in consideration of his loss, and also, that the deceased being noticed in this way will be a tribute but justly due his merit," Lewis' Roll, Jan. 15th, 1S07. (See p. 79, and note there.) 6. Patrick CIass. " Promoted to Sergeant 20th of August 1804, in the place of Charles Floyd, decea^d, in which capacity he continued until dis- charged at St. Louis Novr. loth, 1806," Lewis' Roll. (See Memoir, anlei.) PRIVATES (23). 7. William Bratton, Bratten, Brattin. No more known of him. 8. John Collins, Collin, Colins. No more known of him. g. John Colter, Coulter. Discharged at his own request, at the Mandans, Aug. 14th, 1806, and returned to the life of a trapper. See " Colter's Route in 1807," as traced on Clark's mapof 1814. This is the man who had the horrible experience with the Indians on Missouri waters, when his comrade Potts was killed. The story has been repeatedly told : see for example Bradbury's Travels, p. 17, and Irving's Astoria, p. 146 of the i86l edition. It may have been embellished ; but Colter's sufferings would be hard to exaggerate. Colter was found near La Charrette, on the Lower Missouri, by the overland Astorian party under Hunt, Jan. l8th, iSii ; there he had come from the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone country in a canoe, and brought accounts of the hatred and fury excited among the Indians by Captain Lewis' unfortunate affair on Maria's river, July 27th, 1806, when Lewis killed one Indian, and R. Fields another. Colter would have joined the Astorians, in spite of his dreadful adven- ture ; but the charms of a new young wife prevented. No more known of this discoverer of sources of the Yellowstone. lO. Peter Cruzatte of Biddle ; Pier Cruzatte of Lewis' Roll ; Crugatte of print, once ; Cruzat, Crouzat, Crusatte, Crusatt, Crusat, Crousatte, Cru- zate, etc., of the codices ; real name probably Pierre Croisette or Croix- ette ; Canadian French ; one of the " two French watermen " of p. 2 ; chief waterman of the Expeditii •' ; accidentally shot Captain Lewis, Aug, nth, 180O. No more known of him. NCKboi ROSTER OF THE PERMANENT PARTY. 255 13 U- 15. 16. 17. 18. 20. 21. 22. M'Neal, John Potts, John Shields, George Shannon, John B. Thompson, William Werner, Joseph Whitehouse, Alex- ander VViUard, Richard Windsor, Peter Wiser ; and Captain 11. Joseph Fields, and 12. Reubkn Fields. Brothers; two of the "nine young men 1 a Ken- tucky." " Two of the most active and enterprising young men who accompanied us, it was their peculiar fate to have been engaged in all the most dangerous and difficult scenes of the voyage in which they uni- formly acquited themselves with much honor," Lewis' Roll, where the names stand Field, and one of them Reubin Field. Robert Frazier, Fraizer, Frazer, Frasier, Fraser, Frasure. No more known of him. George Gibson. From Mercer Co., Pa.; remained in St. Louis ; married, and died there 1809 ; his industrious widow became Mrs. Cartmill, Mrs. Dunleavy, and Mrs. Hayden, successively, and died afterward. Silas Goodrich, often in the codices Guthrich. No more known of him . Hugh Hall. No more known of him. , TH0.MAS P. Howard. No more known of him. Francis Labiche. Labishe, Lebiche, Ladishe, on Lewis' Roll Labuiche, in the codices usually Labieshe, which latter is also the common corrup- tion of the name of Lake Labiche (" Elk " Lake, about the sources of the Mississippi) ; real name Fran9ois Labiche or La Biche ; one of the " two French watermen " of p. 2. '• he has received the pay only of a private, tho' besides the duties performed as such, he has rendere.i me very essential services as a French and English interpreter, and sometimes also as an Indian interpreter ; therefore I should think it only just that some small addition to his pay as a private should be added, tho' no such addition has at any time been promised by me," Lewis' Roll. Baptiste Lepage, or Le Page ; in Diddle and the codices usually Lapage or La Page ; on the Roll John Bapteist La Page. " entitled to no pecu- liar merit, was inlisted at Fort Mandan on the 2nd of November [In Biddle Nov. 3d, p. 189] 1S04. in order to supply the deficiency in my per- manent party occasioned by the discharge of John Newman, he per- formed this tour to the Pacific Ocean, and returned to .St. Louis, where he was discharged in common with others on the loth of November last, as he did not perform the labours incident to the summer of 1804, it would be proper to give him the grade only of two-thirds as much as' i. given to others of his rank," Lewis' Roll. Hugh McNeal, .M'Neal. No more known of him. John Potts. One Potts was killed when Colter was captured by the Indians ; supposably this man ; no further evidence. George Shannon. Born Pennsylvania 1787, and so a mere lad in his teens when he joined the Expedition. It is said in Billon's Annals of St. Louis, 1888, p. 271, that Mr. Shannon " received a wound in the leg from the Indians, and on his return had his leg amputated at St. Chanel's, and 19. p 15 356 ROSTER OF THE PERMANENT PARTY. 'I Clark's black servant York. The two interpreters were George Drewyer and Toussaint Chaboneau. The wife [Sacajawea] of Chaboneau also accompanied us with her young child, and we hope may be useful as an interpreter among the Snake Indians. She was herself one of that a wooden one substituted, from which he was ever afterward called ' Peg-leg Shannon.' " But there is no allusion in the Biddle History to any such wound or operation. No man was ever wounded by an Indian on the Expedition. Mr. Shannon suffered the loss of a limb, but under circumstances unknown to me. He was sent by General Clark to Phila- delphia (letter before me) to assist Mr. Biddle in preparing the History, and rendered the author important service. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Lexington, Ky. He was a Circuit Judge for some years ; in 1828 he located at Hannibal, Mo., and after- ward at St. Charles. He was for a short time State Senator, and United States Attorney for Missouri. He died suddenly, in court, at Palmyra, in 1836, at the age of 49 years. He was a relative of Governor Shannon of Kentucky, and perhaps the one man on the Expedition whom either of the captains would have been most likely to meet at home on terms of social equality. 23. John Shields. " he has received the pay only of a private, nothing was more peculiarly useful to us in various situations than the skill and inge- nuity of this man as an artist in repairing our guns and accoutrements, &c. and should it be thought proper to allow him something of an addition to his pay he has deser\'ed it," Lewis' Roll. I think this was the handy and industrious Tubal Cain at Fort Mandan, who earned so much corn and meat from the Indians for the use of the party ; and I fully expected to find him named as this blacksmith in the codices ; but if " Shields " be anywhere there, in this connection, it has escaped careful search for it. A Clatsop codex praises him highly, by name. 24. John B. Thompson, Thomson, Tompson, Tomson. 25. William Werner, Warner, Wirner, Wernor. 26. Joseph Whiteiiouse, once White House. 27. Alexander Willard, Wilard, Willerd. 28. Richard Windsor, Windser, Winsor, Winser. 29. Peter Wiser, Wisor, Wisert, Wiset. No more known of these six, INTERPRETERS (2). 30. Georoe Drewyer of Biddle and the codices, rarely in the latter Drewer ; Drulyard of Lewis' Roll ; proper name believed to be Drouillard, as appears from an item in the Missouri Gazette of St. Louis, early in 1807 : " In the Spring Manuel Lisa, a trader, and George Drouillard, who had crossed the Rocky mountains to the Pacific with Lewis and Clark, embarked in the Upper Missouri fur trade with the Indians with an out- ROSTER OF THE PERMANENT PARTY. 257 tribe, but having been taken in war by the Minnetarees, she was sold as a slave to Chaboneau, who brought her up and afterward married her. One of the Mandans likewise embarked with us, in order to go to the Snake Indians, and obtain a peace with them for his countrymen. All this party fit of $16,000." (See Billon's Annals, i838, p. 82.) Drewyer was a half- breed ; the Indian side of him made him the best hunter and woodsman of the party ; he was a crack shot, and simply invaluable. Drewyer and the brothers Fields seem to have been on the whole the most serviceable of the party, exclusive of the sergeants. Lewis' Roll praises Drewyer highly : " A man of much merit ; he has been peculiarly useful from his knowledge of the common language of gesticulation, and his uncommon skill as a hunter and woodsman : those several duties he perfonned in good faith and with an ardor which deserves the highest commendation, it was his fortune to have encountered on various occasions with either Capt. Clark or myself all the most dangerous and trying scenes of the voyage in which he uniformily acquitted himself with honor, he has served the complete term of the whole tour and received only 25. Dollars pr. month and one ration pr. day, while I am informed that it is not unusual for individuals in similar employment to receive 30 dollars pr. Month. — " Drewyer alone is the " interpreter and hunter" of p. 2. 31. ToussAiNT Chauoneau of the text, Touisant Charbono of Lewis' Roll, with twelve or more names in the codices. For this individual, greater in names than in any fact, see note ", p. 189. WOMAN (i). 32. S.\CAJAWEA, otherwise Bird-woman, with her infant, bom Feb. nth, 1805. See note ", p. 1S9. SERVANT (I). 33. York, a negro slave, belonging to Captain Clark. See note ", p. 159. Deducting from this list of 33 persons one. Sergeant Floyd, who was of the permanent party at the date of his decease, and was returned by Lewis on his Roll, we have accurately the 32 persons (adults) who proceeded from Fort Mandan, and were accompanied for a short distance by an uncounted Mandan Indian, not belonging to the party. The Muster-roll in the archives of the War Department, above quoted, has no remarks against any of the names, except those which I have transcribed in full. It is entitled : "A Roll of the men who accompanied Captains Lewis & Clark on their late tour to the Pacific Ocean through the interior of the Con- tinent of North America, showing their rank with some remarks on their respective merits and services. — " It is one large double sheet, formed of two sheets of foolscap pasted top to bottom, formally ruled off for the numbered list ■ 1 M m'^v ; i 1 1 , i 258 STRENGTH AND COMPOSITION OF RETURN PARTY. with the baggage was stowed in six small canoes and two large periogues. We left the fort with fair, pleasant weather, though the northwest wind was high, and after making about four miles camped on the north side of the Missouri, nearly (/. 779) opposite the first Mandan village. At the same time that we took our departure, our barge,* of names, rank, remarks, etc. It is in gocxl preservation and perfectly legible, excei)iing a few words along the crease of the pasted place. It ends as follows : " General Kemarks. " With rispect to all those persons whose names are entered on this roll, I feel a peculiar pleasure in declaring, that the ample support which they gave us under every difficulty, the manly firmness which they evinced on every necessary occasion, and the patience and fortitude, with which they submitted to and bore the fatigues and painful sufferings incident to my late tour to the Pacific Ocean entitles them to my warmest approbation and thanks, nor will I suppress the expression of a hope that the recollection of services thus faithfully performed will meet a just reward in an ample remuneration on the part of our government. — [Signed] " Meriwether Lewis Capt. " City of Washington " ist. U'S. Regt. Infty. "January 15th, 1807." • The strength and for the most part the composition of this return party are certain. The text here indicates ten persons. The text above (p. 252) indicates that there might be 15 persons (including Mr. Tabeau and his four men). (lass s.iys, p. 76, this date : " Thirty-one men tind a woman went up river iind thirteen returned down it in the boat." Lewis D 3, dated Fort Mandan, April 7th, 1805, is as follows ; " Having on this day at 4 p. m. completed every arrangement neces- sary for our departure, we dismissed the barge and crew with orders to return without delay to St. Louis, a small canoe with two French hunters accom- panyed the barge ; these men had ascended the missouri with us last year as engages [not eni;ag^s of the Expedition ; simply those two who were picked up at Cannon-ball river, Oct. l8th : see p. 171]. The barge crew consisted of six soldiers [besides Corporal Richard Warfington, in charge, being Privates M. I!. Reed and John Newman, disbanded, see note *^ p. 77, note '* ]). 167, note ^ p. 253, and four others], and two Frenchmen ; two Frenchmen and a Ricara Indian also take their passiige in her as far .is the Ricara Vilages, at which pLice we expect Mr. Tiebeau [Anthony Tabeau] to embark with his peltry who in that case will make an addition of two, perh.ips .'our men to the crew of the barge. We gave Richard Warfington, a discharged Cor|)l. the charge of the Barge and crew, and confided to his care likewise our dispatches to the government, letters to our private friends, and a number of articles to the President of the United States. One of the Frenchmen by the Name of [Joseph, red-inked in by Clark] dravline an honest discrete man and an excellent boat-man is imployed to coii» CORPORAL RICHARD WARFINGTON S RECORD. 259 manned with seven soldiers, two Frenchmen, and Mr. [Joseph] Gravelines as pilot, sailed for the United States, loaded with our presents and dispatches. duct the barge as a pilot ; we have therefore every hope that the barge and with her our dispatches will arrive safe at St. Louis. Mr. Gravlin who speaks the Kicara language extreemly well, has been imployed to conduct a few of the Kecara Chiefs to the seat of government who have promised us to decend in the liarge to St. Liwis [sic] with that view." So the barge contained the 13 that (iass counts: Corporal Warfington, in charge; Mr. Cravelines, pilot; six privates (Uvo of whom were Reed and Newman) ; two Frenchmen — these ten to go to St. Louis, as per text ; with two Frenchmen and an Arikara, to go a short distance. The return of certain members of this party to St. Louis is of course a matter of history, into which, however, a mere foot-note like this can hardly go. Hut I will give the record of Corporal Warfington, hitherto unpublished. It forms part of the same autograph letter of Lewis' which relates to Private New- man (see note ^, p. 167) accompanying Lewis' official .Muster-roll of Jan. 15th, 1S07. This letter is in good preservation ; but unluckily some water, or whisky perhaps, got spilled on it, soaked through its three pages, and made the old brown nut-gall ink run in an irregularly circular space of about two inches, so that just tlifcfe some words are not fairly legible. Yet these can be restored in perfect sense and syntax, by obvious conjecture ; and several experts have agreed in the following rendering : " Richard Warfington was a Corporal in the Infantry of the U' States army, whom I had occasion to take with me on my voyage as far as the Mandan nation, his term of service expired on the 4th of August [1804] within ? nearly three months previous to my arrival at that place ? nation? and? knowing that it would become necessary for me to send back my boat in the spring 1805 with a party of soldiers whose terms of service had not expired ; that it was of some importance that the government should receive in safety the dispatches which I was about to transmit from thence ; that there was not one of the party destined to be returned from thence in whom I could place the least confidence except himself, and that if he was discharged at the moment of the expiration of his term of service that he would necessarily loose his military military [it's — page turns] standing, and thereby lessen the efficiency of his command among the soldiery ; I was induced under these considerations to make an arrangement witli him by which it was agreed between us that he should not receive his dis- charge from the military service untill his return to St. Louis, and that he should in the interim retain his rank and receive only for his services the accustomed compensation, accordingly he remained with me during the winter, and was the next spring in conformity to my plan jilaced in command of the boat and charged with my disp.itches to the government, the duties assigned him on this occasion were performed with a punctuality which uniformly ? characterized ? his conduct while under my command. Taking into view tlie cheerfulness with which he continued in the service ? after every obligation had ceased to exist, bore ? the exposures ? tlic fatigues, labour and dangers incident to that service. 4 ^ I l!ii I I M 260 THE EXPEDITION MOBILIZES— KNIFE RIVEK. Apn7 8///."* The day was clea and cool, the wind from the northwest, so that we traveled slonly. After breakfasting at the second Mandan village, we passed the Mahaha [vil- lage] at the mouth of Knife " river, a handsome stream about 80 yards wide. Beyond this we reached the island which Captain Clark had visited on the 30th of October. This island has timber, as well as the lowlands on the north, but its [/. ^-..the timber's] distance from the water had prevented and above all the fidelity with which he discharged this? his? duty, it would seem that when rewards are about to be ? distributed among those who were engaged in the enterprise that his claim to something more than his pay of seven dollars Pr. month as corj'oral cannot be considered unreasonable." The "distribution of rewards," in which Captain Lewis hopes Corporal Warfington will not be forgotten, though he was not one of the permanent party that returned from the Pacific in l3o6, alludes to a certain Act of Con- gress making grants of land, etc. The dispatches which the corporal bore were the first direct official word from the Expedition since its departure from .St. Louis; and the last that was heard of or from Lewis and Clark until their return in September, iSo6. '"The IJiddle text, having finished with the Mandan Codex, Clark C, is already en route with Co^ miles to a point of wood on the north," passing a high bluff on the south, and having come about 14 miles [without noticing Spring creek]. In the course of the day one of our boats filled and was near sinking ; we however saved her with the loss of a little biscuit and powder. April ()th. We set off as soon as it was light, and pro- cceded five miles to breakfast, passing a low ground on the south, covered with groves of Cottonwood. At the distance of six miles we reached on the north a hunting-camp of Minnetarees, consisting of 30 lodges, built in the usual form of earth and timber. Two miles and a quarter further comes in on the same side Miry creek," a small stream about ten yards wide, which, rising in some lakes near the Mouse " [or and the Little Missouri above, namely : the Owl, Grand, Cannon-ball, Heart, and Knife. For this whole distance— in fact from the James river itself— the Missouri receives from the east no affluent of any size comparable to one of these. The five rivers named successively decrease in their respective totals of length from the Owl to the Knife. They are included in a somewhat triangular area embraced by the Cheyenne on the south, the Little Missouri on the west, and the Missouri on the east ; the points of this triangle being the mouth of the Little Missouri on the north, the mouth of the Cheyenne on the southeast, and the Black hills proper on the southwest. The Knife arises in open broken country near the Little Missouri and the heads of Heart river, in Dunn, Stark, and Williams Cos., and courses through Mercer Co. in a general easteriy direc. tion to the Missouri. One of its Indian names is Minahor Meenah Wakpa, lettered on some maps. This stream is distinctively Big Knife river (see Little Knife, beyond). The county town of Stanton is at its mouth. '*Or east (left) bank, about Hancock, McLean Co. " Capt. Clark myself the two Interi)retters the woman and child sleep in a tent of dressed skins." Lew is I) 6. " Now Snake Creek, quite near the boundary between McLean and Stevens Cos.; R. Bourbeuse (miry, muddy, like Vaseuse) of some French maps. This is the only creek from the north or east which the te.xt yields anywhere along here. Clark's map, 1814, and Lewis' too, 1806, have /:/w, the upper and larger of these being the Miry or " Mirey." Lewis D 12 has: " N. 20 W. to the mouth of Miry creek stard. side, passing a small run and a hill called Snake den." Here is the first of these creeks ; also, the obvious origin of the modern name Snake for the second of them. There are in fact four, of which Snake or Miry is the second, and the fourth is calleil Douglass ; between the third and fourth is Fort Stevenson. See next two notes. '♦The Mouse or Souris river is the largest tributary of the Red river of the North in the United States, joining the Assiniboin in Manitoba, the ff^.. ',. ''"^ ^ 1 ' *" * ' 262 MINNETAREE HUNTING-PARTY— HIGH BLUFFS. -< i\ Souris] river, passes through beautiful level fertile plains without timber, in a direction nearly southwest, the banks near its entrance being steep and rugged on both sides of the Missouri. Three miles above this creek we came to a hunting-party of Minnetarees, who had prepared a park or inclosure, and were waiting the return of the antelope. These animals, which in the autumn retire for food and shelter to the Black mountains during the winter, recross the river at this season of the year, and spread themselves through the plains on the north of the Missouri. We halted, (/>. i8o) smoked a short time with the Minnetarees, and then proceeded on through handsome plains on each side of the river, and camped at the distance of 23^ miles on the north side." The day was clear and pleasant, the wind high from the south ; but it afterward changed to a western steady breeze. The bluffs which we passed to-day are upward of 100 feet high, composed of a mixture of yellow clay and sand, with many horizontal strata of carbonated wood resembling pit- coal, from one to five feet in depth, scattered through the single river thus formed emptying into the Red river at a point where the latter is crossed by the Canadian Pacific R. R. The course of Mouse river is interesting. It heads wholly in the British possessions (north of 49° ), west of 105" \V. long., runs toward the 49th parallel (northern border of the United States), which it crosses near 103' 30', runs in the United States nearly to 103° long., recrosses 49° lat., then courses north of and nearly parallel with 49' N. lat. to about 102° W. long., when it again crosses 49' lat., re-entering the United States, strikes south and seems about to seek the Missouri. It is "bluffed off " however, by the Coteau du Missouri, representing a general elevation of 2,000 feet, and separating the Missouri watershed from that of the Red river. Thus the Mouse river makes a long loop into North Dakota, and returns upon itself, once more recrossing the parallel of 49" N. lat., at about loi" W. long., west of Turtle mountain, and so onto its junction with the Assiniboin, at a town called Milford, in Manitoba. The southernmost point in the bight of this loop is in McHenry Co., about N.E. of Fort Stevenson on the Missouri, the future site of which the Expedition is now approaching. " Here the Expedition is past the present site of Fort Stevenson, on the north (left) bank of the Missouri, in Stevens Co. (See last two notes.) This fort was flourishing in 1873, in the autumn of which year I came down from the 49th parallel along Mouse river, by an easy wagon road to Stevenson, and thence along the north side of the Missouri to Bismarck. i SNOW-GEESE— POCKET-GOPHERS. 263 bluff at different elevations, some as high as 80 feet above the water. The hills along the river are broken, and present every appearance of having been burned at some former period ; great quantities of pumice-stone and lava— or rather earth, which seems to have been boiled and then hardened by exposure—being seen in many parts of these hills, where they are broken and washed down- into gullies by the rain and melting snow. A great number of brants pass up the river ; some of them are perfectly white," except the large feathers of the first jomt of the wing, which are black, though in every other characteristic they resemble common gray brant. We also saw but could not procure an animal that burrows in the ground, and is similar in every respect to the burrowing- squirrcl, except that it is only one-third of its size." This may be [is] the animal whose works we have often seen in the plains and prairies ; they resemble the labors of the salamander [Geomj^s tuza] in the sand-hills of South Carolina and Georgia, and like him the animals rarely come above ground ; they consist of a little hillock of ten or twelve pounds of loose ground, which would seem to have been reversed from a pot, though no aperture is seen through which it could have been thrown. On removing gently the earth, you discover that the soil has been brolcen in a circle of about an inch and a half diameter, where the ground is looser, though still no opening is perceptible. When we stopped for dinner the squaw went out, and after penetrating with (/>. 181) a sharp stick the holes of the mice [gophers] near some drift-wood, brought to us a quantity of wild '* These are the snow-goose, Chen hyperboreus. " The animal here indicated by the description of its burrows is a com- mon spec.es of pouched rat or pocket-gopher, either Geomys bursarius , closely rebted to the "salamander •• ((7. /«.,) mentioned in the same parag^ph. or Thomo,nys fa^M./.s, a species of the next nearest genus ; both are commo^ i„ these parts and the.r habus entirely similar. They work extensive underground galleries throw up loose soil in heaps at intervals, and feed mainly on bulbous roots^ See Coues and Allen, Monogr. N. A. AW.ntia. 410, Washington, 1S77. pp. 612-614, 623-625. ''' 33S?i. ii 364 JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES— BURNING BLUFFS. artichokes, which the mice collect and hoard in large numbers. The root is white, of an ovate form, from one to three inches long, and generally of the size of a man's finger, and two, four, and sometimes six roots are attached to a single stalk. Its flavor as well as the stalk which issues from it resemble those of the Jerusalem artichoke,'" except that the latter is much larger." A larger beaver was caught in a trap last night, and the mosquitoes begin to trouble us. April \Qth. We again set off early with clear, pleasant weather, and halted about ten o'clock for breakfast, above a sand-bank which was falling in, and near a small willow-island. On both sides of the Missouri, after ascending the hills near the watei, one fertile unbroken plain extends as far as the eye can reach, without a solitary tree or shrub, except in moist situations or in the steep declivities of hills, where they are sheltered from the ravages of fire. At the distance of twelve miles we reached the lower point of a bluff on the south, which is in some parts on fire and throws out quan- tities of smoke, which has as trong sulphurous smell, the coal and other appearances in the bluffs being like those described yesterday. At one o'clock we overtook three Frenchman, who left the fort a few days before us, in order to make the first attempt on this river of hunting beaver, which they do by means of traps. Their efforts promise to be successful ; for they have already caught twelve, which are finer than any we have ever seen. They mean to accompany us as far as the Yellowstone river, in order to obtain our protection against the Assiniboins, who might attack them. '" Helianthus tuberosus, singularly misnamed "Jerusalem artichoke," as it is not botanically related to the artichoke, and has nothing to do with the city of Zion. The plant belongs to the order ComposiUt, and to the same genus as the sunflower. The word " Jerusalem " is here a corruption of the Italian girasole, of which the French tourne-sol and the English sunflower (supposed to turn toward the sun) are equivalent in signification. Compare Greek //A^orptin-of . of same sense, but a different word, which we apply to a different flower (heliotrope). '* A curiously constructed sentence. It means that the plant named tastes like the Jerusalem artichoke, and has a similar but smaller stalk and root, Lewis D 10. A; THE LITTLE BASIN— FORT BERTHOLD. 2G5 In the evening we camped on a willow-point to the south,"" opposite a bluff, above which a small creek falls in, and just above a remarkable bend in the river to the southwest, which we called the Little Basin. The low grounds which we passed to-day possess more timber than is usual, and are wider ; the current is mode- (/. 182) rate, at least not greater than that of the Ohio in high tides ; the banks fall in but little; so that navigation, comparatively with that lower down the Missouri, is safe and easy. We were enabled to make i8>4 miles. We saw the track of a large white bear; there were also a herd of antelopes in the plains ; the geese and swan were now feeding in considerable quantities on the young grass in the low prairies ; we shot a prairie-hen and a bald eagle [Haliactus laicoccphalus\ of which latter there were many nests in the tall cottonwood trees; but could procure neither of two elk which were in the plain. Our old companions the mosquitoes have renewed their visits, and give us much uneasiness, April wth. We set out at daylight, and after passing bare and barren hills on the south, and a plain covered with timber on the north, breakfasted at five miles' distance. Here we were regaled with a deer brought in by the hunters, which was very acceptable, as we had been for several days ™ Mistake of the text : " S. 52' W. to a point on the Stard. side, opposite a bluf," etc., Lewis D 14, and so on the right hand, left bank or north side of the river. The bluff and the small creek are both on the south side, in Mercer Co. This is very near the subsequent site of Fort Berthold, which is in lat. 47° 34', long. loio 48', nearly, at the southeast angle of the Berthold Indian Reservation. The three Knife River villages were permanent from 1796 at least till after 1837, when the survivors of the epidemic constituted one village on Knife river. The Hidatsas moved up river in 1845 to their present station, about 60 miles by river and 30 by land, where they were joined by the Arikaras in 1862. This is Fort Berthold, where the American Fur Co. in 1845 built a stockade named for a founder of this company, the Tyrolese, Bartholomew Berthold (b. 1780, d. Apr. 20th, 1831), of St. Louis. An opposition trading-post was built in the village in 1859, named Fort Atkinson. This was frozen out by 1862, when the American Fur Company obtained possession, and the name of Berthold was transferred to Atkinson. The older stockade was burned by the Sioux, Dec. 24th, 1862, and the new one was mostly destroyed by fire, Oct. 12th, 1874. The " Little Basin " of the text shows 011 any good map, between Garfield and Mercet Cos. ':;i»^»- il ' 8S6 THE COUNTRY ABOUT BEUTHOLD— ALKALI. without fresh meat ; the country between this and Fort Mandan being so frequently disturbed by hunters that the game has become scarce. We then proceeded with a gentle breeze from the south, which carried the periogues on very well ; the day was, however, so warm that several of the men worked with no clothes except around the waist, which is the less inconvenient, as we are obliged to wade in some places, owing to the shallowness of the river. At seven miles we reached a large sand-bar making out from the north. We again stopped for dinner, after which we went on to a small plain on the north | in Garfield Co.J, covered with Cottonwood, where we camped, having made 19 miles." The country around is much the same as that we passed yesterday ; on the sides of the hills, and even on the banks of the rivers, as well as on the sand-bars, is a white substance, which appears in considerable quantities on the surface of the earth, and tastes like a mixture of common salt with Glauber's salts. Many of the streams which come from the foot of the hills are so strongly impregnated with this sub- (/. iSj) stance that the water has an unpleasant taste and a purgative effect." A beaver was caught last night by one •' And haviiitj passed to-d.iy a stream from the south, in Mercer Co. , which has liecn called Dancinj; Hear creek — a name which some maps attach to that one from the south near yesterday's camp, in the bight of the Little Uasin. Among the best maps to go by, from Herthold and Stevenson to the Great Falls, are the sectional charts of the Report of the U. S. Northern Boundary Survey, 4to, Washington, 1878, prepared under the direction of the late Major William J. Twining, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., and Chief Astronomer of the Survey. The topography was done by I^ieut. Francis V. Cireene, U. S. T. E. The scale is one inch to eight miles. The Missouri w.is charteil for these maps mainly from observations during our trip in Mackinac boats from lienton to Bismarck, in the fall of 1874. We came over 1,100 traditional Missouri river-miles; the actual distance was 805 miles. Miles made for the carrying-trade of the river are naturally stretched to the utmost ; Lewis and Clark's are much more reliable. For instance, we made the distance from Knife river to .Stevenson 23 14 miles ; thence to Berthold, 24 J4 I thence to the little Missouri, 23 ; total, 71 miles. Lewis and Clark's estimates are wonderfully close to this. " This is the famous " alkali " of many parts of the West, often rendering the water undrinkable, and whitening great areas like snow. It consists largely or mainly of the salt named (sulpliate of soda). ,_H.' WHOOI'INC; CRANES— THE LUTIJ'. MlSSOUUr. 267 of the I'Vcnchmcii ; wc killed two jjocso, and saw some cranes," the lar^jest bird of that kind common to the Mis- souri and Mississippi, perfectly white except the lari^e feathers on tiie first joint of tiie winj^, which are blaci';. Under a bluff opposite our camp we discovered some Indians with horses, whom we supposed were Minnetarees, but the width of the river prevented our speaking to them. April 12///. We set off early and passed a high range of hills on the south side, our periogues being obliged to go over to the south, in order to avoid a sand-bank which was rapidly falling in. At si.\ miles we came-to at the lower side of the entrance of the Little Missouri, where we remaim-d during the day for the purpose of making celestial obser- tions. [Lewis D 17 gives these.] This river empties on the south side of the Missouri, 1,693 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi. It rises ti) the west of the Hlack mountains, across the northern e.xtrem- ity of which it finds a narrow rapid passage along high per- pendicular banks, then seeks the Missouri in a northeastern direction, through a broken country with highlands bare of timber, and the low grounds particularly supplied with Cot- tonwood, elm, small ash, box, alder," and an undergrowth of willow, redwood (sometimes called red or swamp willow), red-berry, and choke-cherry. In its course it passes near the northwest side of Turtle mountain, which is said to be only 12 or 15 miles from its mouth in a straight line a little to the south of west ; .so that both the Little Missouri and Knife river have been laid down too far southwest." It ■1 •'' The great white or whooping crane, Grus americana, " The expression " box, alder," does not mean two different plants, but is a mistake for boxekier, the common name of the ash leaved maple, NegunJo accroides, a sapindaceous tree with pinnate leaves, widely distributed and very common on the upper Missouri. The "redwood " presently named is probably Cotniis stolon! fera, one of the ingredients of kinikinik. See note', p. 139. ■" The source of the Little Missouri is stated with sufficient accuracy, but its general course is more nearly north th.in northeast, to near the Missouri, when it loops about east to the l.itter river. Note that the Turtle mountain, here said to be la or rs miles from its mouth, is not the same as, but ver)- far from, J 268 THE LITTLE MISSOURI— DWARF CEDAR. enters the Missouri with a bold current, and is 134 yards wide, but its greatest depth is two feet and a half ; which, joined to its rapidity and its sand-bars, makes the navigation difficult except for canoes, which may ascend it for a consid- erable distance. At the mouth, and as far as we could {p. 184) discern from the hills between the two rivers about three miles from their junction, the country is much broken, the soil consisting of a deep rich dark-colored loam, inter- mixed with a small portion of fine sand, and covered generally with a short grass resembling blue-grass. In its color, the natur of its bed, and its general appearance, it resembles so much the Missouri as to induce a belief that the countries they water are similar in point of soil. From the Mandan villages to this place the country is hilly and irregular, with the same appearance of Glauber's salts and carbonated wood ; the low grounds are smooth, sandy, and partially covered with Cottonwood and small ash ; at some distance back there are extensive plains of a good soil, but without timber or water. We found great quantities of small onions [^Allium sp.?] which grow single, the bulb of an oval form, white, about the size of a bullet, with a leaf resembling that of the shive [chive]. On the side of a neighboring hill there is a species of dwarf cedar YJuniperus sabina var. procumbens] ; it spreads its limbs along the surface of the earth, which it almost con- ceals by its closeness and thickness, and is sometimes covered by it ; having always a number of roots on the under side, while on the upper are a quantity of shoots which, with their leaves, seldom rise higher than six or eight inches ; it is an evergreen, and its leaf is more delicate than that of the com- mon cedar, though the taste and smell are the same. The country around has been so recently hunted that the that Turtle mountain which bestrides the 4gth parallel east of Mouse river, on the northern border of N. Dakota. The general course of the Little Missouri is approximately parallel with that of Powder river, a branch of the Yellowstone ; and if it went due north, instead of bearing eastward, it would strike about the mouth of the Yellowstone ; but its mouth is in Williams Co, One Indian name of it is Wakpa Chan Shoka, meaning heavily wooded river ; another is given as £-wdh-tark', ah-zhah, Clark C 249. .v» ONION AND GOOSE CREEKS. game is extremely shy, so that a white rabbit ^Lepus cam- pcstris], two beaver, a deer, and a bald eagle [Haliaetus leu- cocephalus\ were all that we could procure. The weather had been clear, warm, and pleasant in the morning, but about three we had a squall of high wind and rain, with some thunder, which lasted till after sunset, when it cleared off. April \ith. We set out at sunrise, and at nine o'clock, having the wind in our favor, went on rapidly past a timbered low ground on the south, and a creek on the north at the distance of nine miles, which we called [Wild] Onion" creek, from (/>. 185) the quantity of that plant which grows in the plains near it. This creek is about 16 yards wide at a mile and a half above its mouth ; it discharges more water than is usual for creeks of that size in this country, but the whole plain which it waters is totally destitute of timber. The Missouri itself widens very remarkably just above the junction with the Little Missouri. Immediately at the entrance of the latter it is not more than 200 yards wide, and so shallow that it may be passed in canoes with setting- poles, while a few miles above it is upward of a mile in width. Ten miles beyond Onion creek we came to another, discharging itsdf on the north in the center of a deep ben On ascending it for about a mile and a half, we found it to be the discharge of a pond or small lake, which seemed to have been once the bed of the Missouri. Near this lake were the remains of 43 temporary lodges which seemed to belong to the Assiniboins, who are now on the river of the same name. A great number of swan and geese were also in it ; from this circumstance we named the creek Goose " creek, and " So Lewis D 23. and Clark's map, 1814 ; Ognion R., Lapie's map, 1S21 ; L'eau qui .Monte, Heap ; Rising creek, Stevens ; Tide creek, Warren ; I'ride creek, (1. L. O. map, 1879; charted on Twining's and the Milit. map of Dakota, hut nameless. It is in Garfield (lately a part of Stevens) Co. " " This lake and it's discharge we call goos Egg," Lewis D 24 ; Goose-egg lake of the Summary Statement ; charted on Clark's map, nameless ; Cold Spring lake, Reynolds ; Sparrow creek, Stevens ; now Shell creek, in Garfield Co. There have been great vicissitudes of the Missouri about its mouth. The birds I . »--*■•■ I 370 GOOSE LAKE— GEESE AND OTHER GAME. 51 the lake by the same name. These geese we observe do not build their nests on the ground or in the sand-bars, but in the tops of the lofty Cottonwood trees. We saw some elk and buffalo to-day, but at too great a distance to obtain any of them, though a number of the carcasses of the latter animal are strewed along the shore, having fallen through the ice and been swept along when the river broke up. More bald eagles are seen on this part of the Missouri than we have previously met with ; the small sparrow-hawk \_Falco s'>im'crius], common in most parts of the United States, is a'so found here. Great quantities of geese are feeding on the prairies, and one flock of white brant, or geese with black [-tipped] wings, and some gray brant with them, pass up the river ; from their flight they seem to proceed much further to the northwest. We killed two antelopes, which were very lean, and caught last night two beavers. The French hunters, who had procured seven, thinking the neigh- borhood of the Little Missouri a {p. 186) convenient hunt- ing ground for that animal, remained behind there. In the evening we camped on a beautiful plain on the north, 30 feet above the river, having made 22^ miles." April 14/A. We set off early with pleasant and fair weather. A dog joined us, which we supposed had strayed from the Assiniboin camp on the lake. At 2% miles we passed timbered low grounds and a small creek. In these low were the common wild or Canada goose, Bernicla canadensis. I confirmed the statement of their breeding in trees wlien I passed this point on the river in 1874. Geese are wise birds, which know enough to get out of the way of wolves, foxes, and badgers. Lewis and Clark's statement of their arl)oreal nidification used to be much criticised, and discredited. See my Birds N.W., 1874, P- 555- '* Hut not without imminent danger. " .\ sudden squall of wind struck us and turned the perogue so much on the side as to allarm Sharbono who was steering at the time, in this state of alarm he threw the perogue with her side to the wind, when the spritsail giliing was as near overseting the perogue as it was possible to have missed. . . I ordered Drewyer to the helm," etc., Lewis D 22. This boat had on board the papers, instruments, metlicines, and the most valuable part of the merchandise ; to say nothing of both the captains, three men who could not swim, Sacajawea, and the baby — the helmsman being the only part of the lad- ing that might have been lost without inconvenience. T1' i LOCAL OPTION AMONG ASSINIHOINS, 271 grounds are several uninhabited lodges built with the boughs of the elm, and the remains of two recent camps, which, from the hoops of small kegs found in them, we judged could belong to Assiniboins only, as they are the only Mis- souri Indians who use spirituous liquors. Of these they are so passionately fond that it forms their chief inducement to visit the British on the Assiniboin, to whom they barter for kegs of rum their dried and pounded meat, their grease, and the skins of brge and small wolves and small foxes." The dangerous exchange is transported to their camps with their friends and relations, and soon exhausted in brutal intoxica- tion. So far from considering drunkenness as disgraceful, the women and children are permitted and invited to share in these excesses with their husbands and fathers, who boast how often their skill and industry as hunters have supplied them with the means of intoxication. In this, as in their other habits and customs, they resemble the Sioux, from whom they are descended. The trade with the Assiniboins and Knistenaux is encouraged by the British, because it procures provision for their cngagh on their return from Rainy lake to the English river and the Athabasky [Atha- basca or Athapasca] countr>', where they winter, these men being obliged during that voyage to pass rapidly through a country scantily supplied with game. We halted for dinner near a large village of burrowing- squirrels," which we observed generally selected a south- easterly exposure, though they are sometimes found on the plains. At 10^ miles we came to the lower point of an " The great gray wolf, Canis lupus occidentalis ; the coyote or prairie-wolf, Caiiis latrans; and the kit or swift fox, Vulpes velox. '" This name is applied to any of the spermophiies met with along the river (seldom, however, to the prairie-dog, which the authors call "barking-squirrel "). The most abundant spermophiies on the upper Missouri, and thence through the Milk river region, are Spermophilus richardsoni, a tawny, whole-colored species not distantly resembling a prairie-dog, but lighter colored and smaller, with a very short tail ; and S. tridtcemlineatus pallidus, a pale variety of the thirteen-lined, leopard, or federation spermophile. (See note at date of July 8th, boyond.) All such animals are "gophers" in the local vernacular. i , 272 SUNDAY ISLAND— CHABONEAU'S CREEK. ; ^ (/>. 187) island, which, from the day of our arrival there, we called Sunday island. Here the river washes the bases of the hills on both sides and above the island, which, with its sand-bar, extends i ^^ miles. Two small creeks fall in from the south ; the uppermost of these, which is the largest, we called Chaboneau's creek," after our interpreter, who once camped on it several weeks with a party of Indians. Beyond this no white man had ever been e.xcept two Frenchmen, one of whom (Lapage) is with us, and who, having lost their way, straggled a few miles further, though to what point we could not ascertain. About \yi miles ;j>;yond this island we camped on a point of woodland on the north, having made in all 14 miles. The Assiniboins have so recently left the river that game is scarce and shy. One of the hunters shot at an otter last evening ; a buffalo was killed, and an elk, both so poor as to be almost unfit for use ; two white bears were also seen, and a muskrat [Fiier zibctkicus] swimming across the river. The river continues wide and of about the same rapidity as the ordinary current of the Ohio. The low grounds are wide, the moister parts containing timber ; the upland is extremely broken, without wood, and in some places seems as if it had slipped down in masses of several acres in surface. The min- eral appearance of salts, coal, and sulphur, with the burnt hill and pumice-stone, continue, and a bituminous water about the color of strong lye, with the taste of Glauber's salts and a slight tincture of alum. Many geese were feeding in the prairies, and a number of magpies, which build their nests much like those of the blackbird, in trees, and composed of small sticks, leaves, and grass, open at the top ; the egg is of a bluish-brown color, freckled with reddish-brown spots. We also killed a large hooting-owl resembling that of the United States [Biido virginianus^ except that it was more booted and clad with feathers. On the hills are many aromatic herbs,^* " Called " Sharbons" creek, in Gass, p. 78 ; Sharbono's, Lewis D 31, 32, Us. It looks like a large river on Clark's map of 1S14, but I can find nothiny; on present charts with wh'ch to identify it. •' Lewis D 2g has: "resembling in taste, smel and appearance, the sage, mffm SAGE-BRUSH— A LARGE ISLAND. 273 resembling in taste, smell, and appearance the sage, hyssop, wormwood, southernwood, juniper, and dwarf cedar; a plant also about two or {p. 1S8) three feet high, similar to the cam- phor in smell and taste ; and another plant of the same size, with a long, narrow, smooth, soft leaf, of an agreeable smell and flavor, which is a favorite food of the antelope, whose necks are often perfumed by rubbing against it. April it,th. We proceeded under a fine breeze from the south, and with clear, pleasant weather. At seven miles we reached the lower point of an island," in a bend to the south, which is two miles in length. Captain Clark, who went about nine miles northward from the river, reached the high grounds, which, like those we have seen, are level plains without tim- ber. Here he observed a number of drains, which, descending from the hills, pursue a northeast course, and probably empty into Mouse river, a branch of the Assiniboin, which from Indian accounts approaches very near to the Missouri at this place." Like all the rivulets of this neighborhood these drains are so strongly impregnated with mineral salts that they are not fit to drink. He saw also the remains of several camps of Assiniboins. The low grounds on both sides of the river are extensive, rich, and level. In a little pond on the ii ^ hysop, wormwood, southernwood, and two other herbs," where the punctuation of the codex, as of the text, makes ambiguity. I do not read here four different plants, but one plant which resembles these. The commonest sage-brush in the West is ArUmisia tridentata, which we may suppose here meant. A. abrotanum is a S. European sage or wormwotxl, often cultivated in our gardens under the name of southernwood. The juniper is perhaps Juniperus communis ; the dwarf cedar hj. sabina var. procumbens, above described and determined ; the camphor-like plant, and the other aromatic one. remain to be identified. " There is a very large island — large enough to be indicated on the U. S. Geol. Surv. contour-map, and conspicuous on Twining's — six or eight miles below the mouth of the Little Knife river, and thus in about the place of this one. ** The Mouse river does in fact approach the Missouri, where it first strikes the parallel of 49° N. lat., though the approach is far from being so near as that which the loop of the Mouse river makes toward the Missouri about Fort Steven- son. The apprciimation is certainly not such as the text indicates, and noth- ing like what is legended on Clark's map ("one mile"). We must remember that this consummate geographer never laid eyes on Mouse river, and could only make conjectures as to its true course. See note '^, p. 261. 274 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE— GOAT-PEN CREEK. ii north we heard for the first time this season the croaking of frogs, which exactly resembles that of the small frogs in the United States. There are also in these plains great quanti- ties of geese, and many of the [sharp-tailed] grouse, or prairie- hen, as they are called by the Northwest Company's traders ; the note of the male, as far as words can represent it, is cook, cook, cook, coo, coo, coo, the first part of which both male and female use when flying ; the male too drums with his wings when he flies in the same way, though not so loud, as the pheasant ; " they appear to be mating. Some deer, elk, and goats were in the low grounds, and buffalo on the sand- beaches, but they were uncommonly shy; we also saw a black bear and two white ones. At 1 5 miles we passed on the north side a small creek 20 yards wide, which we called Goat-pen creek," from a park or inclosure for the purpose of catching that animal which those who went up the creek found (/>. /n7 i6t/t. The morning was clear, the wind light from the S.E. The country presents the same appearance of low plains and meadows on the river, bounded a few miles back by broken hills, which end in high level fertile lands ; the quantity of timber is however increasing. The appear- ances of minerals continue as usual, and to-day we found several stones which seem to have been wood, first car- bonated, and then petrified by the water of the Missouri, •' The ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus, always called pheasant in Captain Lewis' Virginian home. '• So on Clark's map, 1814 ; but the name does not occur in Lewis D 33-36 of thv-. date. The Little Knife or Upper Knife river falls into the Missouri from the north, in Mountraille Co., 55 miles above the mouth of the Little Missouri, and thus corresponds to Goat-pen creek. A; HALL'S STRAND AND OTHER CREEKS. 275 whfch has the same effect on many vegetable substances Tl>ere .s indeed reason to beh'eve that the strata of coalTn the h.lls cause the fire, and appearances which they exh b " se vt'Tn thT;^'ff "^'r'" ''^'^ "^^^'^^ P--"^ thin ! selves m the bluffs on the river, the coal is seldom seen • rtir tt r1 '" ''k "^l^'^b-hood of the strata of b" t' earth the coal, w.th the sand and sulphurous matter usually accompanying it. is precisely at the same height and nearly of the same thickness with those st^ta We pa sed three small creeks » or rather runs, which rise in 7hl h.lls to the north. Numbers of geese ;nd a f ew d ct ch.efly the mallard [Anas boscas] and blue-winged te.i [Q>.r,ueduia discors], many buffalo, elk. and deer were al" observed; and in the timbered low grounds this mornig we were surprised to observe a great quantity of oil hornet ts We camped in a point o'f wood^s [11 Pomt. of Gass] on the south, having come .8 miles, though the c.rcu.ts wh.ch we were obliged to make around sand bars very much increased the real distance April ,jth We set off early, the weather being fine and the w.nd so favorable as to enable us to sail the ( f jno\ greater part of the course. At lo^ miles we pitd' i creek ten yards wide on the south ; a1 18 miles a liul ru' the south. We had traveled 26 miles through a countrv s.m.lar to that of yesterday, except that there were greae^ lava and pum.ce-stone. of the last of which we observe S,l'!l"""T,''l'.'" ""' '""' °^ '^'' '''"^- One of them is called "Hall k ' Hairs : TTv^""' r'°^^ ^°^'-P^" "'=^'')- -'^ «'- - Lapilt, z r.h "ve ; """ '': .'^'"^"'"""- O"^ °f ">-« ^'--^ i the Whi " Knt h .1 """ ""''"■ '^^ """ ''y '"'' '^"^'^ »he mouth of the Li, e A,^»,t , " r' :'' '''"■'^^"''^ "^^■- "f Lewis and Clark, for which se In Wallace Co. ; across the river is Flannery Co. No names in Lewis D for ^^ ea::;t'er° f "^''' 7' 'T ''' "°^'''' ^^'--" Hall's strtn: ^nd th ^^ hne-earth nver of our text (now Muddy river) ; only a trace, unlettered for one creek from the south. (Examine Dry Fork and Reed liotto.n of Steven's.) f f 1 /^ 1 i 1 1 1 fi 276 THE MISSOURI CROOKED— TEDIOUS PROGRESS. some pieces floating down the river, as we had previously done as low as the Little Missouri. In all the copses of wood are remains of the Assiniboin camps; around us are great quantities of game, such as herds of buffalo, elk, antelopes, some deer and wolves, and the tracks of bears ; a curlue [curlew, Ntimenius longirostris] was also seen, and we obtained three beavers, the flesh of which is more relished by the men than any other food which we have. Just before we camped we saw some tracks of Indians, who had passed 24 hours before and left four rafts, and whom we supposed to be a band of Assiniboins on their return from war against the Indians of the Rocky mountains. April i8t/i. We had again a pleasant day, and pro- ceeded with a westerly wind, which, however, changed to the N.W. and blew so hard that we were obliged to stop at one o'clock and remain four hours, when it abated and we then continued our course. We camped about dark on a woody bank, having made 13 miles." The country presented the usual variety of highlands interspersed with rich plains. In one of these we observed a species of pea bearing a yellow flower, which is now in blossom, the leaf and stalk resembling the com- mon pea. It seldom rises higher than six inches, and the root is perennial. On the rose-bushes we also saw a quantity of the hair of the buffalo, which had become perfectly white by exposure and resembled the wool of the sheep, except that it was much finer and more soft and silky. A buffalo which we killed yesterday had shed his long hair, and that which remained was about two inches long, thick, (/. iqi) fine, and would have furnished five pounds of wool, of which we have no doubt an excellent cloth may be made. Our game to-day was a beaver, a deer, an elk, and some geese. The river has been crooked all day and bearing toward the south. " The crookedness of the Missouri along here makes many miles of naviga- tion for comparatively little advance. The Expedition has not yet reached the mouth of Muddy river (Whiteearth river of our text). WIND-BOUND— LITTLE ADVANCE MADE. 277 On the hills we observed considerable quantities of dwarf jumper, which seldom grows higher than three feet. Wc killed m the course of the day an elk, three geese, and a beaver. The beaver on this part of the Missouri are in greater quantities, larger and fatter, and their fur is more abundant and of a darker color, than any we have hitherto seen. Their favorite food seems to be the bark of the Cottonwood and willow, as we have seen no other species of tree that has been touched by them, and these they gnaw to the ground through a diameter of 20 inches. The next day, Friday, April igth, the wind was so high from the northwest that we could not proceed ^ but beine less violent on April 20th, we set off about seven o'clock, and nearly lost one of the canoes as we left the shore, by the falling in of a large part of the bank. The wind became again so strong that we could scarcely make one mile an hour, and the sudden squalls so dangerous to the small boats that wc stopped for the night among some willows on the north *' not bemg able to advance more than Cyi miles. In walking through the neighboring plains we found a fine fertile soil covered with cottonwood, some box-elder, ash [Fraxinus vtrtdts ?\ red elm, and an undergrowth of willow, rose- bushes, honeysuckle, red willow \_Corniis stolonifcra], goose- berry, currant, and service-berries iAviclanchicr alnifoliaA and along the foot of the hills great quantities of hyssop [Artemtsta sp.]. Our hunters procured elk and deer, which are now lean, and six beaver, which are fatter and more palatable. Along the plain there were also some Indian camps ; near one of these was a scaffold about seven feet high, on which were two sleds with their harness, and under it the body of a female, carefully wrapped ii^ several (/. 192) dressed buf- S/^'^^I^aT ^u^ ^'"'' ^ '"'""' °"' '° '••' ^'"^- ^hich I found very high, much washed by the ram, and without grass. I saw part of a log quite petriffed and of wh.ch good whetstones or hones could be made." Gass. p 79, Apr gth 'At th,s point the Expedition has hardly passed Flannery and Wallace Cos ' but next camps on the north are in Buford Co., with Allred Co. across the river' f^moAdGB 278 A NAMELLSS SCAFFOLD — WHITE-EARTiI RIVER. falo-skins ; near it lay a bag made of buffalo-skin, containing a pair of moccasins, some red and blue paint, beavers' nails, scrapers for dressing hides, some dried roots, several plaits of sweet grass, and a small quantity of Mandan tobacco. These things, as well as the body itself, had probably fallen down by accident, as the custom is to place them on the scaffold. At a little distance was the body of a dog not yet decayed, who had met this reward for having dragged thus far in the sled the corpse of his mistress, to whom according to the Indian usage he had been sacrificed. April 2\st. Last night there was a hurd white frost, and this morning the weather was cold, but clear and pleasant ; in the course of the day, however, it became cloudy and the wind rose. The country is of the same description as within the few last days. We saw immense quantities of buffalo, elk, deer, antelopes, geese, and some swans and ducks, out of which we procured three deer and four buffalo calves, which last are equal in flavor to the most delicious veal ; also two beaver and an otter. We passed one large and two small creeks on the south side, and reached at l6 [^] miles the mouth of Whiteearth" [White Clay in Gass] river, coming in from the north. This river, before it reaches the low grounds near the Missouri, is a fine bold stream, 60 yards wide, and is deep and navigable ; but it is so much choked up at the entrance by the mud of the Missouri that its mouth is not more than ten yards wide. Its course, as far as we could discern from the neighboring hills, is nearly due north," passing through ^' Not that so called on present maps, but the river now named Little Muddy, or simply Muddy ; the last considerable stream before the Yellowstone is reached, in Buford Co. ; Williston at its mouth, on Gr. Northern Ry. "From the Missouri, i. f., flowing due south to the Missouri. (See back Apr. i6th, 17th. i8th, and notes there.) White-earth or White Earth river is a prairie stream, heading in the Coteau du Missouri near 49°, and thus near the course of the Mouse river, where the latter crosses this parallel of latitude. It is the most considerable stream which has fallen into the Missouri from the N. or E. for many miles. It is not to be confounded with two " Muddy" rivers, the Little and Big, which fall into the Missouri on the same side, but both in Montana (above the mouth of the Yellowstone). i \ iaHMWlMi^a 1 WHITE-EARTH RIVER— CUT BLUFF. 979 a beautiful and fertile valley, thou^jh without a tree or bush of any description. Half a mile [two miles] beyond this river we camped on the same'* [opposite] side below a point of highland, which from its appearance we called Cut bluff. A/>n7 22d. The day clear and cold. We passed a high bluff on the north, and plains on the south, in which were large herds of buffalo, till breakfast, when the wind became so strong ahead that we proceeded with difficulty even with (*• 193) the aid of the towline. Some of the party now walked across to the Whiteearth river, which here, at the distance of four miles from its mouth, approaches very near to the Missouri. It contains more water than is usual in streams of the same size at this season, with steep banks about ten or twelve feet high; the water is much cleat er than that of the Missouri. The salts which have been mentioned as common on the Missouri are here so abundant that in many places the ground appears perfectly white, and from this circumstance the river may have derived its name. It waters an open country and is navigable almost to its source, which is not far from the Saskaskawan ;" judging from its size and course, it is probable that it extends as far north as the fiftieth [read forty-ninth] degree of latitude. After much delay in consequence of the high wind, we suc- ceeded in making 1 1 miles, and camped in a low ground on the south, covered with cottonwood and rabbit-berries. The hills of the Missouri near this place exhibit large irreg- ular broken masses of rocks and stones, some of which, although 200 feet above the water, seem at some remote period to have been subject to its influence, being apparently " " We reached the place of incampment after dark, which was on the Lard, side a little above lyhite earth river. . . .S. 50° W. to the upper point of the timbered bottom on Lard, side below a high blufT point which we called Cut bluff, —at \i mile pass White Earth river on Stard.," Lewis D 46, 47. This last course of the day, S. 50" W., was 2|^ miles long ; as White Earth river was passed at the first % mile of this course, Cut bluff is a point on the south side, two miles above this river, in Allred Co., opposite Buford Co. " Read Mouse river, which the head of the river here described approaches. The Saskatchewan is very much further north and west. < ■m 1 1 i i ! ': 1 ii i Ij Ii i It ' 111 V ( I aSo FUTUKK SITE OK TRENTON I'A.SJED. worn smooth by the agitation of the water. These rocks and stones consist of wiiite and {jray granite, a brittle black rock, flint, limestone, freestone, some small specimens of an excellent pebble, and occasionally broken strata of a black- colored stone like petrified wood, which makes good whe stones. The usual appearances of coal, or carbonated woot and of pumice-stone, still continue, the coal being of a better quality, and when burnt affording a hot and lasting fire, emit- ting very little smoke or flame. There are large herds of deer, elk, buffalo, and antelopes in view of us ; the buffalo are not so shy as the rest, for they suffer us to approach within lOO yards before they run, and then stop and resume their pasture at a very short distance. The wolves to-day pursued a herd of them, and at length caught a calf that was unable to keep up with the rest ; the mothers on these (/>. ig^) occasions defend their young as long as they can retreat as fast as the herd, but seldom return any dis- tance to seek for them. April 2id. A clear and pleasant mo. ning ; but at nine o'clock the wind became so high that the boats were in da ger of upsetting. We therefore were forced to stop at a pla^ of safety till about five in the afternoon, when the wind being lower we proceeded, and camped on the north at the distance of \y/2 miles [thus past Painted Wood creek]. The party on shore brought us a buffalo calf and three black-tailed deer. The sand on the river has the same appearances as usual, except that the quantity of wood increases. April 24///. The wind blew so high during the whole day that we were unable to move ; such indeed was its violence that, though we' were sheltered by high timber, the waves wet many articles in the boats. The hunters went out and returned with four deer, two elk, and some young wolves of the small kind. The party are very much afflicted with sore eyes, which we presume to be occasioned by the vast quantities of sand which are driven from the sand-bars in such clouds as often to hide from us the view of the opposite bank. The particles *'W1' IT I DISCOVERY OF THK YELLOWSTONE. 281 of this sand are so fine and lif,'ht that it floats for miles in the air, like a column of thick smoke ; it is so penetratin^j that nothing can be kept free from it, and we are compelled to eat, drink, and breathe it very copiously. To the same cause we attribute the disorder of one of our watches," although its cases are double and tight ; since, without any defect in its works that we can discover, it will not run for more than a few minutes without stopping. April 25///. The wind moderated this morning, but was still high ; we therefore set out early, the weather being so cold that the water froze on the oars as we rowed ; but about ten o'clock the wind increased so much that we were obliged to stop. This detention from the wind, and the reports from our hunters of the crookedness of the river, in- {p. /pj) duced us to believe that we were at no great dis- tance from the Yellowstone. In order, therefore, to prevent delay as much as possible, Captain Lewis determined to go on by land in search of that river, and make the necessary observations, so as to be enabled to proceed immediately after the boats shou! I join him. He therefore landed about eleven o'clock on the south side, accompanied by four men ; the boats were prev nted from going until five in the afternoon, when they , ^nt on a few miles further, and we camped for the night at a distance of 14^ miles. April 26th. We continued our voyage in the morning, and by twelve o'clock camped at eight miles' distance, at the junction of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, where we were soon joined by Captain Lewis. On leaving us yesterday he pursued his route along the foot of the hills, which he descended to the distance of eight miles; from these the wide plains watered by the Missouri and the Yellowstone spread themselves before the eye, occa- sionally varied with the wood of the banks, enlivened by the *'• " Attribute it to the sand, with which she seems perfectly charged, notwith- standing her cases are double and tight," Lewis D 52. The codices generally make their watches, chronometers, sextants, octants, guns, and rifles, of the feminine gender, as well as their boats. m f. :i \! •'jii •1 11 1 i i r < ! \ I ! 282 CONFLUENCE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. irregular windings of the two rivers, and animated by vast herds of buffalo, deer, elk, and antelope. The confluence of the two rivers was concealed by the wood, but the Yellow- stone itself was only two miles distant, to the south. He therefore descended the hills and camped on the bank of the river, having killed, as he crossed the plain, four buff does ; the deer alone are shy and retire to the woods, but the elk, antelope, and buffalo suffered him to approach them without alarm, and often followed him quietly for some distance. This morning he sent a man up the river to e.\amine it, while he proceeded down to the junction. The ground on the lower side of the Yellowstone near its mouth is flat, and for about a mile seems to be subject to inundation ; while that at the point of junction, as well as on the opposite side of the Missouri, is at the usual height of 10 to 18 feet above the water, and therefore not overflowed. There is more timber in the neighborhood of this [/>. ig6) place, and on the Missouri as far below as Whiteearth [Little Muddy] river, than on any other part of the Missouri on this side of the Chayenne. The timber consists principally of cottonwood, with some small elm, ash, and box-alder [box-elder, Negundo accroidcs\ On the sand-bars and along the margin of the river grows the small-leaved willow ( Salix longifolia\ ; in the low grounds adjoining are scattered rose-bushes, three or four feet high, the red-berry \Shepherdia argented\, service- berry \_Amelanchier a/ni/o/ia], and redwood [Cornus stofoni /era]. The higher plains are either immediately on the river — in which c-ise they are generally timbered and have an undergrowth like that of the low grounds, with the addition of the broad-leaved willow, gooseberry, choke-cherry [Primus detnissa], purple currant [Ribes sp.], and honeysuckle | Loiii- cera involi.crau] — or they are between the low grourds and the hills, and for the most part without wood, or anything except large quantities of wild hyssop [sage-brush, Artemisia sp.]. This plant rises about two feet high, and, like the willow of the sand-bars, is a favorite food of the buffalo, elk, deer, grouse, porcupine, hare, and rabbit. THE YELLOWSTONE. 283 This river, which had been known to the French as the Roche jaune. or as we have called it the Yellowstone,^' rises accordinjj to Indian information in the Rocky mountains ( in the Yellowstone National Park] ; its sources are near those of the Missouri and [not so near those of J the Platte; it may be navifjated in canoes almost to its head. It runs first through a mountainous country, in many parts fertile and well-timbered ; it then waters a rich, delijrhtful land, broken into valleys and meadows, and well supplied with wood and water, till it reaches near the Missouri open meadows and low fjrounds, sufficiently timbered on its borders. In the upper country its course is represented as very rapid ; but during the two last and largest portions, its current is much more gentle than that of the Missouri, which it resembles also in being turbid, though with less sediment. " In Ihc codices commonly the Yellow Stone river-perliaps .1 reminiscence of the time when the Missouri was la UivicVe Jaune of the I'rench, or the \-._ll„vv river; in (;ass, "the river jaune or Yellow Stone." The text reii.ls as it the translation of the Krench w.is first made by Lewis and Clark, and in this l)ass.a-e. They are doulnless the real authors of the now famous word ; l,ul it certainly ff in the mi.lst of a sentence, and thus making pp. .2-10 nf Cxlex S. It is .lated St. Louis. Stpt. 2lst, by a slip of the pen. pn.bably f.,r 23.1 or 24th. as Lewis was not there till about n.wn of the 23d. Here we read ■ "at the.listance ,.f 18.S8 miles we reache.l the entrance .,f the Yellow K.,ck river .m the 27th [slip for 2r,th] of Apl.; " an.l presently: "we examine.l the c.mntry minutely in the vicinity .,f the entrance of the River K.,ghejone '•-the .If overwritten for a r. but its tail left as long as that .,f they. In the c..,li.-..s passim, the wor.l ranges fr.m, Kejoiie, through Kejhone. Rochejone, R..clieiolin' R.)ehejhone. etc.. to its proper f.)rin. At this point the Lxpe.liti.m is 305 river-miles above Hism.irck, an.l 5(X)bel,,w lienton ; lat. 48" N.. nearly ; long. 104' \V.. nearly ; altitu.le about 2.„..#♦ "' ( 292 SAPID BEAVER-TAILS— ASSINIBOIN THEOLOGY. May 2d. The wind continued high during the night; at daylight it began to snow, and did not stop till ten o'clock, when the ground was covered an inch deep, forming a striking contrast with the vegetation, which is now considerably advanced, some flowers having put forth, (/. 20j) and the Cottonwood leaves being as large as a dollar. The wind lulled about five o'clock in the after- noon, and we then proceeded," along wide fertile low grounds and high level plains, and camped at the distance of four miles. Our game to-day was deer, elk, and buffalo ; we also procured three beaver, which are quite gentle, as they have not been hunted, though when the hunters are in pursuit they never leave their huts during the day. This animal we esteem a great delicacy, particularly the tail, which when boiled resembles in flavor the fleshy tongues and sounds of the codfish, and is generally so large as to afford a plentiful meal for two men. One of the hunters [J. Fields], in passing near an old Indian camp, found sev- eral yards of scarlet cloth, suspended on the bough of a tree as a sacrifice to the deity by the Assiniboins. The custom of making these offerings is common among that people, as indeed among all the Indians on the Missouri.' The air was sharp this evening ; the water froze on the oars as we rowed, and in the morning, May 3. 20j) old channel of the river, which is now dry. We saw vast quantities of buffalo, elk, deer, principally of the long- tailed kind [Cariacns virginianus macrurus], antelope, beaver, geese, ducks, brant, and some swan. The porcu- pines too are numerous, and so careless and clumsy that we can approach very near without disturbing them, as they are feeding on the young willows. Toward evening we also found for the first time the nest of a goose among some driftwood, all that we had hitherto seen being on the top of a broken tree on the forks, invariably from 15 to 20 or more feet in height. May 4th. Wc were detained till nine o'clurk i !• ' Now Red-water creek, a considerable stream from ^iven on some modern maps as passinj; into the Missouri ^t disla iehiv Poplar river. It drains from an elevation of about 3,(X)o ■ I. betweci, ilie Mis- souri and the Yellowstone. Stevens marks it Little Dry creek . bad'v. ^^ OLD INDIAN HUNTING-CAMPS. 395 repair the rudder of one of the boats, and when we set out the wind was ahead ; at 6^4 '" miles we passed a small creclc in a deep benil on the south, with a sand-island opposite it ; then, passing alonj,' an extensive plain, which gradually rises from the north side of the river, we camped at the distance of iS miles," in a point of woodland on the north. The river is this day wider than usual and crowded with sand-bars on all sides; the country is level, fertile, and beautiful ; the low grounds are extensive, and contain a much greater portion of timber than is common. Indeed, all the forepart of the day the river was bordered with timber on both sides, a circum- stance very rare on the Missouri, and the first that has occurred since we left the Mandans. There are, as usual, vast quantities of game, extremely gentle; the male buf- falo particularly will scarcely give way to us, and as we approach will merely look at us for a moment, as some- thing new, and then quietly resume their feeding. In the course of the day we passed some old Indian hunting-camps, one of which consisted of two large lodges, fortified with a circular fence 20 or 30 feet in diameter, made of timber laid horizontally, the beams overlying each other to the height of five feet, and covered with the trunks and limbs of trees that have drifted down the river. The lodges themselves are formed by three or more strong sticks about the size of a man's leg or arm and twelve feet long, (/. 206 ) which are attached at the top by a whith [withe] of small willows, and spread out so as to form at the base a circle of 10 to 14 feet in diameter. Against these are placed pieces of driftwood and fallen timber, usually in three ranges, one on the other ; the interstices are covered with leaves, bark, '" .y/c— but q}2 '>>• the codex ; three eourses to this creek, of 3, 5, and I'.i miles, respectively, Lewis I) Si. This is the creek charted on Clark's maj), next above his 2,000-niile creek, with the Indian Fort marked at its mouth. Such a stream also appears on Twining's map, with a large island at its niouth. " This Lakes the party past Tooly, Tooley, Tule, or Tulle, also Frog, creek, on the north, only ten miles by the Huford trail from the Poplar river ; but noth- ing appears in text or code:: about it. Present site of Chelsea, on G. N. Ry, also passed. M (II I hi f i 1 I i h 296 SEVERAL SPECIES OF GEESE DESCRIBED. and straw, so as to form a conical figure about ten feet high, with a small aperture in one side for the door. It is, how- ever, at best a very imperfect shelter afi^ainst the inclemencies of the seasons. Aid}/ $(/i. We had a fine morning, and the wind being from the east we used our sails. At the distance of five miles we came to a small island, and twelve miles further camped on the north, at the distance of 17 miles." The country, like that of yesterday, is beautiful in the extreme. Among the vast quantities of game around us, we distin- guish a small species of goose [Bernic/a /lutc/iinsi] differing considerably from the common Canadian goose [B. cana- densts\ ; its neck, head, and beak being much thicker, larger, and shorter in proportion to its size, which is nearly a third smaller ; the noise too resembling more that of the brant or of a young goose that has not yet fully acquired its note ; in other respects — in color, habits, and the number of feathers in the tail— the two species correspond ; this species also asso- ciates in flocks with the large geese, but we have not seen it pair with th( in. The white brant [^Chen hyperboreiis\ is about the size of the common brown brant \^Bernicla brentaX or two-thirds of the common goose, than which it is also six inches shorter from the extremity of the wings, though the beak, head, and neck are larger and stronger ; the body and wings are of a beautiful pure white, except the black feathers of the first joint of the wings ; the beak and legs are of a reddish or flesh-colored white ; the eye is of moderate size ; the pupil is of a deep sea-green, encircled with a ring of yellowish-brown ; the tail consists of 16 feathers equally long ; the flesh is dark ; and [in this respect], as well as in its note, [this brant] differs but little from the common brant, which in form and habits it resembles, and vvi':h which it (/. 20"]) sometimes unites in a common flock. The white brants also " "Soon after seting out the rudder irons of the \s' ''" ••.lOgue were broken by her runing fowl on a. sawyer, s'i>e was however retitt d in a few minutes with some tugs of raw hide and nales," Lewis I) 82. Several small streams or runs are passed unnoticed since Tooley, or Frog creek ; site of Macon also passed. ■>-.« SMALL AND LARGE WOLVES DESCRIBED. 297 associate by themselves in large flocks; but as they do not seem to be mated or paired off, it is doubtful whether they reside here during the summer for the purpose of rearing their young. [They go much further north to breed.] The uolves are also very abundant, and-are of two spe- cies. First, the small wolf or burrowing-dog of the nrai- nes Lcoyote, Cams latrans],wh\ch is found in almost alf the open plains. It is of an intermediate size between the iox and dog, very delicately formed, fleet and active. The ears are large erect, and pointed; the head is long and pomted, like that of the fox; the tail long and bushy; the Ua.r and fur are of a pale reddish-brown color, though much coarser than that of the fox ; the eye is of a deep sea- ^een color, small and piercing ; the talons are rather longer t^ian those of the wolf of the Atlantic States, which ani- mal, as far as we can perceive, is not to be found on this side of the Platte.'' These wolves usually associate in bands of ten or twelve, and are rarely if ever seen alone, not being able singly to attack a deer or antelope. They live and rear their young in burrows, which they fix near some pass or spot much frequented by game, and sally out in a body against any animal which they think they can overpo^ver; but on the slightest alarm retreat to their burrows, making a noise exactly like that of a small dog Tlie second species [Canis lupus occidentalisA is lower shorter in the legs, and thicker than the Atlantic wolf- the color, which is not affected by the seasons, is of every variety of shade, from a gray or blackish-brown to a cream- colored white. They do not burrow, nor do they bark, but howl ; they frequent the woods and plains, and skulk along the skirts of the buffalo herds, in order to attack the weary or wounded. ^ Captain Clark and one of the hunters [Drcwyerl met this eveningthe largest brown bear [grizzly bear, Ursus horribilis^, JK mistake The common wolf, in some of its varieties, was found in nv ; parts of North America, though it is now exterminated from set 1 S regions. It :. this wolf which is described in the next paragraph ■•H*^ -ijplBiJIKass i r T '• 1 1' VI 1 ' 1 '\ \\>. ( 398 URSUS HORRIBILIS CHARACTERIZED. we have seen. As they fired he did not attempt to attack, but fled with a most trenien- {p. 208) dous roar ; and such was his extraordinary tenacity of life that, although five balls passed through his lungs and he had five other wounds, he swam more than half across the river to a sand-bar, and survived 20 minutes. He weighed between 500 and 600 pounds at least, and measured 8 feet jyd inches from the ncse to the extremity of the hind feet, 5 feet 10^ inches round the breast, 3 feet li inches round the neck, I foot II inches round the middle of the foreleg, and his talons, five on each foot, were 4^ inches in length. This differs from the common black bear [^Ursus amcricanus'\ in having its talons much longer and more blunt ; its tail shorter ; its hair of a reddish or bay brown, longer, finer, and more abundant ; his liver, lungs, and heart much larger, even in proportion to his size, the heart being equal to that of a large ox ; his maw ten times larger ; his testicles pendant from the belly and in separate pouches four inches apart. Besides fish and flesh, he feeds on roots and every kind of wild fruit. The antelope are now lean and with young, so that they may readily be caught at this season, as they cross the river from S.W. to N.E. May 6th. The morning being fair and the wind favora- ble, we set sail and proceeded on very well the greater part of the day. The country continues level, rich, and beauti- ful ; the low grounds are wide and, comparatively with the other parts of the Missouri, well supplied with wood. The appearances of coal, pumice-stone, and burnt earth have ceased, though tlie salts of tartar or vegetable salts continue on the banks and sand-bars, and sometimes in the little ravines at the base of the low hills. We passed three streams on the south ; the first, at the distance of 1),^ miles from our camp, was about 25 yards wide ; but although it contained some water in standing pools, it discharged none ; this we called Littledry creek, about eis^lit miles beyond which is Bigdry creek, 50 yards wide, without any water; I 1 LITTLE AND BIG DRY CREEKS AND RIVERS. 299 the (/. 2og) third is six miles further, and has the bed of a large river 2CX) yards wide, yet without a drop of water. Like the other two, this stream, which we called Bigdry" river, continues its width undiminished as far as we can dis- cern. The banks are low ; the channel is formed of fine brown sand, intermixed with a small proportion of little pebbles of various colors ; the country around is fiat and without trees. These rivers had recently discharged their waters; from their appearance and the nature of the country through which they pass, we concluded that they rise in the Black mountains, or in the level low plains which are probably between this place and the mountains ; that the country being nearly of the same kind and of the same latitude, the rains of spring, melting the snows about the same time, conspire to throw at once vast quantities of water down these channels, which are then left dry during the summer, autumn, and winter, when there is very little rain. We had to-day a slight sprinkling, but it lasted a very short time. The game is in such plenty that it has become a mere amusement to supply the party with provisions. " " Big Dry river " (printed " Bigdry " river) is a mistake for Z,W, Dry river as appears from orig. ed. p. 212, from the Summary Statement at the end of the book, and from the codex : " The first of these we call little dry creek the 2d. 50 yards wide . . . we called it Big dry Creek, the 3d. . . . which we called litt'e dry river." Lewis D 87. The real Big Dry river is beyond the mouth of Milk river. The sequence of these "dry" creeks and rivers or coulees IS : i, Little Dry creek; 2. Big Dry creek ; 3, Little Dry river; and 4 (beyond Milk river), Big Dry river. All four of these coulees make into the Missouri from the south. The statement that the three former of these "rise m the Black mountains," etc., is very far out. The authors seem to have been misled by the diameters of these coulees, and to have forgotten for the moment that they had passed the mouth of the Yellowstone, the whole watershed of which great river necessarily lay between these couUts and any part of the Bl.ick hills-or else, and more likely, they mean by " Black moun- tauis " anything mountainous east of the Rockies. Clark charts all four of these coulees : No. l, nameless (elsewhere Lackwater creek); Xos. 2, 3, 4 by names as in this note. Old Fort Charles was near one of them, on the north bank of the Missouri. Nn. 2 is now Elk Prairie creek. Clark also charts, from the >wr//,, a stream he ells " .ArK'alia "-a name not in Lewis D, nor in the Sum- mary Statement. This is Wolf creek of Twining's and other maps ; Wolf Point (town) here now. I 1 i 300 THE GULF IN THE ISLAND BEND. We made 25 miles to a clump of trees on the north, where we passed the iiiglit. May jth. The morning was pleasant, and we proceeded at an early hour. There is much driftwood floating ; and, what is contrary to our expectation, although the river is rising the water is somewhat clearer than usual. At eleven o'clock the wind became so high that one of the boats was nearly sunk, and we were obliged to stop till one o'clock, when we proceeded, and camped on the south, above a large sand-bar projecting from the north, having made 15 miles." On the north side of the river are the most beauti- ful plains we have yet seen ; they rise gradually from the low grounds on the water to the height of 50 or 60 feet, and then extend in an unbroken level as far as the eye can reach. The hills on the south are more broken and higher, though at some distance back the country becomes level and fertile, {p. 210) There are no more appearances of burnt earth, coal, or pumice-stone, though that of salt still continues, and the vegetation seems to have advanced but little since the 28th of last month. Game is as abun- dant as usual. The bald eagles, of which we see great numbers, probably feed on the carcasses of dead animals ; for on the whole Missouri we have seen neither the blue- crested fisher [kinfjfisher, Ccryle alcyoti], nor the fishing- hawk [Patidion Caroline us is], to suppl ;• them with their fav- orite food; and the water of the river is so turbid that no bird which feeds exclusively on fish can procure a subsistence. May Sf/e. A light breeze from the east carried us 16 miles, till we halted for dinner at the entrance of a river on the north. Captain Clark, who had walked on the south, on ascending a high point opposite its entrance discovered " A place is named in the Summary Statement, "Gulf in the Island Bend," and located 13 miles below Milk river. But no such name appears in the text here or in Lewis D of this • ie. This is between Bark creek (south, Indian fight there, 1876) and a certain stream or coulee from the north, now called Little Porcupine creek, whose mouth our survey made 15 miles below Milk river ; town of Lenox there now. •s< .. " THE RIVER WHICH SCOLDS AT ALL OTHERS." 301 a level and beautiful country which it watered ; that its course for 12 or 15 miles wasN.W., when it divided into two nearly equal branches, one pursuing a direction nearly N., the other to the W. of N.W. Its width at the entrance IS 1 50 yards ; on going three miles up, Captain Lewis found It to be of the same breadth and sometimes more ; it is deep, gentle, and has a large quantity of water ; its bed is princ.pally of mud ; the banks are abrupt, about twelve feet in height, and formed of a dark, rich loam and blue clay • the low grounds near it are wide and fertile, and possess a con- siderable proportion of Cottonwood and willow. It seems to be navigable for boats and canoes ; by this circumstance, joined to Its course and quantity of water, which indicates that It passes through a large extent of country, we are led to presume that it may approach the Saskaskawan and aHord a communication with that river. The water has a peculiar whiteness, such as might be produced by a table- spoonful of milk in a dish of tea, and this circumstance induced us to call it Milk river." " ny far the greatest of all the northern tributaries of the upper Missouri. Thesurm.seof us approach to the Saskatchewan is correct. Some southern sources of the l.-itter head with Milic river in the main divide of the Rocky mountains a httle south of 49', or the northern border of Montana. Milk river sk,rts th.s parallel of latitude, a little north of it for some distance, crosses the pan..lelabout iio»3o' W. long., then runs in Montana approximately east- ward, but with general southerly inclination, to the Missouri near io6» 18 W ong. Tn.ts course the Milk river receives many tributaries, from both sides' thus dn-iining the whole country south of the Saskatchewan watershed. These tributaries have mostly a general north and south course, and a number of them cross 49 N lat. in each of these directions. The largest flow south into M, k river after the latter has entered Montana, as Cottonwood, Frenchman's, I.itt e Rocky and B,g Porcupine rivers. The latter is very large-about like roplar and Marthas rivers-and is the north " fork ■' of Milk river which Captain Clark discovered. M the crossing of 49= was a station called Milk River Post ; Fort Assimboin is now lower down. On Frenchman's river is (or was in 1374. when I was there) Fort M. J. Turnay-a very disagreeable place. The Bears law mountains and the Little Rocky mountains separate the Milk river watershed from that of the Missouri. At the mouth of .\Iiik river the G N Rv leaves the Missouri, along the north bank of whicli it runs up to here from the Muddy, below the mouth of the Yellowstone, and ascends Milk river, crossing at Glasgow. For the headline of this page, see Lewis' map, 1806 ii*v ' -.!> 302 MILK RIVER PASSED — BIG DRV RIVER. M If I In the evening we had made 27 miles, and camped on the south [six miles above Milk river, Lewis D 97]. The country on that side consists in general of high bro- (/. 2//) ken hills, with much gray, black, and brown granite scat- tered over the surface of the ground. At a little distance from the river there is no timber on either side, the wood being confined to the margin of the river; so that unless the contrary is particularly mentioned, it is always to be understood that the upland is perfectly naked, and that we consider the low grounds well timbered if even a fifth be covered with wood. The wild licorice [G/jryr- rhiza leptdota] is found in great abundance on these hills, as is also the white-apple [pomme blanche of the French, Psoralen csculenta]. As usual, we are surrounded by buffalo, elk, common and black-tailed deer, beaver, antelopes, and wolves. We observed a place where an Indian had recently taken the hair off an antelope's skin, and some of the party thought they distinguished imperfectly some smoke and Indian lodges, up Milk river — marks which we are by no means desirous of realizing, as the Indians are probably Assiniboins, and might be very troublesome. May gth. We again had a favorable wind, and sailed along very well. Between four and five miles we passed a large island in a deep bend to the north, with a large sand- bar at the upper point. At 15^^ miles we reached the bed of a most extraordinary [Rig Dry] river, which presents itself on the south." Though as wide as the Missouri itself, — that is, about half a mile, — it does not discharge a drop of water, and contains nothing but a few standing pools. On ascending it three miles we found an eminence from which we saw the direction of the channel, first south for ten or " Had our travelers been as familiar with the Upper Missouri country as they were with the great river itself, they would have thought less of this great dry course. Many of the smaller rivers run dry, and their courses are often road- beds for long distances. This Rig Dry river retains its name. (For other such coulees, of similar names, see note '*, May 6th, p. 2gg.) It is in the bight of a small, sharp bend of the Missouri, on rounding which the Expedition will reach the site of the long celebrated Fort Peck Indian Agency. BIG DKV RIVER-WI-KNKR'S RUN OR CREEK. 303 twelve „,iles, then turning to the E.S.E. as far as we could see. It passes through a wide valley without timber • the surrounding country consists of waving low hiiri'nter abrupt and consist of a black or yellow clay, or of a rich e.ght feet above the bed. they exhibit no appearance of bang overflowed; the bed is entirely composed of ligh Mivsour. are extremely fine. Like the dry rivers we pas ed before, this seemed to have discharged its waters re'enth bu the watermark indicated that its greatest deptl 1 d ot been more than two feet. This stream, if it deserve the name, we called Bigdry [Big Dry] river. About a mile below is a large creek on the same side vh.ch .3 also perfectly dry. Mineral salts and quartz a e in ^rge quantmes near this neighborhood. Theland of he M.ssoun from .ts mouth to this place has been mixed w h Ltalcj, but which ,s most probably this quartz. The game is now m great quantities, particularly the elk and buffalo vh.ch last ,s so gentle that the men are obliged to drive t em , ,f ,he way with sticks and stones. The ravte of the beaver are very apparent ; in one place the timbe was entirely prostrated for a space of three acres in Ln though the trees were m large quantities, and some of them as tue, as the body of a man. At the distance 04 oTsZuTi' ''*" K^''"^ '5K miles, at the entrance of a small creek m a bend on the north, to which we gave the name of Werner's creek, after one of our me,?' i" text, " 24 •■ a„,l " 2. ./ "me I , ' statements of distances date Le«.s 1.) iir .,ve. apa.eof .lescription of a renvxrkable " plover," -..' jsmm s Jl 1 ' ';§■,''( Iti 1 1 " !• 304 PifeCE DE RESISTANCE, AU NATUREL. For several days past the river has been as wide as it generally is near its mouth ; but as it is much shallower, crowded with sand-bars, and the color of the water has become much clearer, we do not yet despair of reaching the Rock [Rocky] mountains, for which we are very anxious. Maj' lot/t. We had not proceeded more than 4^ miles when the violence of the wind forced us to halt for the day, under some timber in a bend on the south side. The wind continued high, the clouds thick and black, and we had a of which he shot four ; the same is in Lewis Q 52, 53. This bird is the semi- imlmated tattler or willet, Sympkemia semipalmala, now a well-known species. Also at this date Lewis D 109 gives an amusing relation, which I cannot for- bear to quote, of Chaboneau's cookery, the result of which must have been a nasty mess, suggesting a cross between a sausage and a suet-pudding. Here is the recipe: " From the cow I killed we saved the necessary materials for making what our wrighthand cook Charbono calls the hotidin blanc [interlined " pou- dingue " by Clark in red ink] . . . About 6 feet of the lower extremity of the large gut of the Buffaloe is the first mosel that the cook makes love to ; this he holds fast .It one end with the right hand, while with the forefinger and thumb f>f the left he gently compresses it, and discharges what he says is not good to e.it, but of which in the squel [sequel] we get a moderate portion ; the mustle lying underneath the shoulder blade next to th ; back and fillets are next saaght, these are needed [kneaded] up very fine with j. good portion of the kidney suit [suet] ; to this composition is then added a just proportion of pepper and salt and a small quantity of flour ; thus far advanced our skillfull opporater C » seizes his recepticle [/. e., the gut], which has never once touched the water, for tluit would intircly distroy the regular order of the whole procedure ; you will not forget that tlie [out] side you now see is that covered with a good coat of fat, jiro- \i(led the anamal be in good order ; the oper.itor seizes the recepticle I s.iy, and tying it fast at one end turns it inwardi and begins now with repeated evolutions of the hand and arm, and brisk motions of the finger and thumb to put in what he says is /«r Wf/w^'-i'ry thus by stuffing and compressing he soon distends the recepticle to the utmost limniits of it's power of expansion, and in the course of it's longitudinal progress it drives from the other end of the recepticle a much larger portion of the than w.as previously discharged by the finger and tluinib in a former part of the operation ; thus when the >idos of the recepticle are skilfully exchanged the outer for the inner and all is compleatly filled with something good to eat it is tyed at the other end, but not any cut ofT, for that would make the pattern too scant ; it is then b.iptised in the missouri with two dips and a llirt, and bobbed into the kettle ; from whence, after it be well boiled it is t.aken and fryed with bears oil until it becomes brown, when it is ready to - esswage the pangs of a keen appetite or such as travelers in the wilderness are seldom at a loss for." '\^ ^» CHARACTER OF THE SOIL AXD MINERALS. 305 slight sprinkling of rain several times in the course of the day. Shortly after our landing a dog came to us, and as this mduced us to believe that we are near the hunting, grounds of the Assiniboins, who are a vicious, (/. »/?) ill-d.sposed people, it was necessary to be on our guard VVo therefore inspected our arms, which we found in good order, and sent several hunters to scour the country ; but they returned in the evening having seen no tents, nor any recent tracks of Indians. Boils'" and imposthumes are very common among the party, and sore eyes continue in a greater or less degree with all of us; for the imposthumes we use emollient poultices, and apply to the eyes a solution of two grains of white vitriol [sulphate of zinc] and one of su^ar-of-lcad, with one ounce of water. Ma_y lUh. The wind blew very hard in the night; but having abated this morning we went on very well, till in the afternoon the wind arose and retarded our progress- the current, too, was strong, the river very crooked, and he banks, as us.-al, constantly precipitating themselves in large masses into the water. The highlands are broken and approach nearer the river than they do below The so. , however, of both hills and low grounds appears as fertile as that further down the river. It consists of a black-look.ng loam with a small portion of sand, which covers the hills and bluffs to the depth of 20 or 30 feet, and when thrown in the water dissolves as readily as loaf sufjar and effervesces like marie.- There are also great appear- ances of quartz and mineral salts. The first is most com- monly seen in the faces of the bluffs; the second is found on the hills as well as the low grounds, and in the gullies u'h.ch come down from the hills; it lies in a crust of two " Text ami codex have " biles." Imposthumes or impostumes are abscesses here called by a name now obsolete. Probably the matter with the men "": - un, more than bad boils or furuncles, requiring poultices to favor suppura- tioii and discharge of the core. "» Old form of the M-onl marl. Marl has become a vague term ; it is here disnitegrate readily m water or on exposure to the air. 3o6 I'INKS AM) CKDAKS — I'.KATTON AND IIIK DKAK. ■' .1 < |i or three inches in depth, and may be swept up with a feather in large quantities. There is no longer any appear- ance of coal, burnt earth, or pumice-stone. We saw and visited some high hills on the north side about three miles from the river, whose tops were covered with the pitch-pine. This is the first pine we have seen on the Missouri ; it is like that of Virginia [Pinus rigida], except that the leaves are somewhat longer. Among this pine is also a dwarf cedar, something between three or four feet high, but generally spreading itself like a vine along the surface (/. 21^) of the earth, which it covers very closely, putting out roots from the under side. The fruit and smell resem- ble those of the common red ccda.r [Juttiperus virginianus^, but the leaf is finer and more delicate. The tops of the hills where these plants grow have a soil quite different from that just described ; the basis of it is usually yellow or white clay, and the general appearance light-colored, sandy, and barren, some scattering tufts of sedge being almost its only herbage. About five in the afternoon one of our men [Bratton], who had been afflicted with boils and suffered to walk on shore, came running to the boats with loud cries, and every symptom of terror and distress. For some time after we had taken him on board he was so much out of breath as to be unable to describe the cause of his anxiety; but he at length told us that about a mile and a half below he had shot a brown bear, which immediately turned and was in close pursuit of him ; but the bear being badly wounded could not overtake him. Captain Lewis, with seven men immediately went in search of him; having found his track they followed him by the blood for a mile, found him con- cealed in some thick brushwood, and shot him with two balls through the skull. Though somewhat smaller than tliat killed a few days ago, he was a monstrous animal, and a most terrible enemy. Our man had shot him through the center of the lungs ; yet he had pursued him furiously for half a mile, then returned more than twice that dis- THK (iRIZZLYS TENACITY OF LIFE — PINE CREEK. 307 every er we th as ut he had as in ncled men track con- 1 two than 1, and rough iously It dis- tance, and with his talons prepared himself a bed in the earth two feet deep and five feet long ; he was perfectly alive when they found him, which was at least two hours after he had received the wound. The wonderful power of life which these animals possess renders them dreadful ; their very track in the mud or sand, which we have sometimes found 1 1 inches long and 7^ wide, exclusive of the talons, is alarm- ing; and we had rather encounter two Indians than meet a single brown bear. There is no chance of killing them by a single shot unless the ball goes through the brain, and this is very difficult (/>. ^/j) on account of two large muscles which cover the side of the forehead and the sharp projection of the center of the frontal bone, which is also thick. Our camp was on the south, at the distance of 16 miles from that of last night. The fleece and skin of the bear'" were a heavy burden for tvvo men, and the oil amounted to eight gallons. May \2th. The weather being clear and calm, we set out early. Within a mile we came to a small creek," about 20 yards wide, emptying on the south. At ii^ miles we reached a point of woodland on the south, opposite which is a creek of the same width as the last, but with little water, which we called Pine creek." At i8f^ miles we came- to on the south opposite the lower point of a willow-island, situated in a deep bend of the river to the southeast. Here we remained during the day, the wind having risen at twelve so high that we could not proceed ; it continued to "' The grizzly bears have by this time won the respect of the party. Cajitain Lewis records at this . 216) one of 18 and the other of 30 yards' width, neither of them containing any water, and camped on the south at a point of woodland, having made only seven miles. The country is much the same as yesterday, with little timber in the low grounds, and a small quantity of pine and cedar on the northern hills. The river, however, continues to grow clearer, and this, as well as the increased rapidity [of the current], induces us to hope for some change of country. The game is as usual so abundant that we can get without difficulty all that is necessary. May 14///. There was some fog on the river this morn- ing, which is a very rare occurrence. At the distance of \]'2 miles we reached an island in a bend on the north, which continued for about half a mile, when at the head of it a large creek comes in on the north, to which we gave " No names for these dr)' runs to be discovered. One of them seems to be indicated on Clark's map by a nameless trace, next before the creek there lettered "Stick lodge Cr." ^^r^ ■> «.i iiii. , . GinSON S, STICK LODGE, AND REAR CREEKS. 309 the name of Gibson's " creek. At 7>^ miles is a point of roclvs on the south, above a creek on the same side, whicli we called Sticklodge" creek ; five miles further is a large creek" on the south, which, like the two others, has no run- ning water; and at l6>4 miles is a timbered point on the north, where we camped for the night. The country is like tiiat of yesterday, except that the low grounds are wider; there arc also many high black bluffs along the banks ; the game too is in great abundance. Toward evening the men in the hindmost canoes dis- covered a large brown bear lying in the open grounds, about 300 paces from the river. Six of them, all good hunters, immediately went to attack him, and concealing tliemselves by a small eminence came unpcrceived within 40 paces of him. Four of the hunters now fired, and each lodged a ball in his body, two of them directly through the lungs. The furious animal sprang up and ran open-mouthed upon them ; IS I be ereJ •' "Gibson had wounded a very large brown bear, but it wtis too late to pur- sue him," Lewis I) 124, May 13th, whence the name of this creek, nu (lout)t. It appears in the Summary Statement by the same name, and is so charted on Clark's map. " "A creek on Lard, called Stick Lodge C," Lewis D 128 ; "Stick lodge Cr," on Clark's map, where, however, we must observe that it is not brought into the Missouri according to the text, nor agreealjly with the courses and dis- tances of the codex of May 14th, for its mouth is charted below instead of above (iibsou's creek ; and another little creek, nameless on the map, and not noticed in the text, is charted in about the place assigned to Stick Lodge creek in the texl. I find no hint in the codex to explain the curious name ; May 14th is full of the bear-hunt and the mishap to the perogue. But it refers in some way to the leather tent or loilge of the explorers (compare Ilurnt Lodge creek of M.iy 17th), or else to an Indian lodge (wickiup) of brushwood. •' This creek is named in the Summary Statement " rJrown-bear-defeated creek," from the incident about to be narrated. It comes in the Statement between Gibson's and Hratton's creeks, and n(j Stick Lodge creek is there given. Lewis 1) I2f) has " a large dry creek Lard, the IJrown bear I)efeat " — which is as duubtful in statement as the bear-hunt itself was for awhile, before the hunters finally defeated the animal by the aid of a re-enforcement from the shore. This creek is charted on Clark's map by the name of " White Heard Cr." This is certaiidy the same creek ; T su])pose " Heard " is here a slip of the graver, and we know these bears were variously called " white " or " brown." Clark runs it into the Missouri right for the distances given above Gibson's .ind helow liratton's creek. Ij .M ' ...■ i i !'■ I ; 1 f n If 310 A I!i:AR-UrNT— A NARROW ISlAl'i:. as he c.iine near, tlie two lumters who hau rcscivcd their fire gave liiin two wounds, one of wliich. breaking his shoulilor, retaiiletl his motion for a nioni'.-iit ; but before tliey could rcloatl lie was so near tliat tlicy v.cre obliged to run to the (/>. j/7) river, and before they reached it lie had almost overtaken tliem. Two jumped into the canoe ; tlie other four separated, and concealing themselves in the wil- lows, fired as fast as each could reload. They struck him several times, but insteatl of weakening the monster, each s'lot seemed only to direct him toward the hunter ; till at last he pursued two of them so closely that they threw aside their guns and pouchrs, and jumped down a perpendicular bank of 20 feet into the river. The bear sprang after them ami was within a few feet c;f the hindmost, wl-.eii one of the hunters on shore shot him in the head and finally killed him. Tluy drargcd him to the shore, and found that eight balls had p.issed through him in different directions. The bi,;r was old and the meat toug!.,so that they took the skin onl}, and rejoined us at camp, where wc had been as much terri- fied by an accident of a different kind."" This was the narrow escai)e of one of oui' canoes, con- taining all our papers, instruments, medicine, and almost every article indispens.ible for the success of our enterprise. The canoe being under sail, a sudden squall of wind struck '" " Whicli. . . I cannot rci-oUcct but with the utniosl IreiiiiUituin and hormr, ... it liapponi'il unfurtunatcly for us this I'vcninj^ that Cliarbono was at the hehvi of this IVrojjue, instead of Drewyer. . . Charbono cannot swim and is pir- ha])s the nmsi 'iniiil waterman in the worhl. . . the peroj;ue tlien wrij;hled Imt hal a proper occasion to console our- selves and cheer the sperits of our men and nccordin^;ly took :• drink." We m.iy hope, for the creilit of .Sacajitwea's feminine instincts, that she viewed the survival of her lord and legal owner with emotions not unmixed. i.J^^ TIIK III:K() AM) HKKOIXK of THK OCCASION'. 311 her obliquely and turned Iier considerably. Tlie man at tiic helm, who was unluckily the worst steersman of tlic party HC.me alarmed, and instead of putting her before the wind lidfcd I.er np into it. The wind was so hif,d, that it forced the l)race of the s(p,are-sail out of the hand of the man who was attending to it, and instantly upset the canoe, which would have been turned bottom upward but for the resist- a.ice made by the awning. Such was the confusion on board, and the waves ran so high, that it was half a minute before she righted, and then was nearly full of water- but by bailing out she was kept from sinking until they rowed |i.slu,rc. Hes.des the loss of the lives of three men, wJ,o not being able to swim would probably have perished, we should iKive been deprived of nearly eveiything necessary for our purposes, at a distance of between 2,(XX) and 3,000 miles from any place where we could supply the deficiency ip.2iS).Uayit,f/t. A,s soon as a slight shower of rain iia.l passed, we spread out the articles to dry but the weatherwas so damp and cloudy that they derived little benefit from exposure. Our hunters procured us deer, buffaio, and beaver. May 16///. The morning was fair, and we were enablcil to dry and repack our stores. The loss we sustained is c uefly Ml the medicines, many articles of which are com- pletely spoiled, and others considerably injured." At four o clock we embarked, and after making seven miles camped on the north near some woods. The country on both sides IS broken ; the low grounds are narrower and with less tim- ber, though there are some scattered pine and cedar on the steep declivities of the hills, which are now higher than usual. A white bear tore the coat of [I.abiche] one of the men, which had been left on shore; and two of the party •» Sacaiaw.a's cnn.Uul on lh,r ,„vasi,>„ is |„ I,., a.lmircl in ilxlf as wdl .s l,v c-,r..s, .vi.h ,ha.„f her .raven Kren-h apo%.«y f.,r a n.M.. •■The In,l,a "■'"—. '" «l-;m I a. ril,c ..,,ual f„r,i„„l.. an,! r..s.,;„.i..n wi... a„v ,,cTs„n „n hoard ..I n,..,Mn,. o, .1,,. an„l..n., .a„,l„ ,n,l prcscrvcl ,„ost of the lit;l,t articles which were waslifil overlmani," Lewis I) ,),). IV :• 312 BRATTON S AND RATTLESNAKE CREEKS. i wounded a large panther [cougar, Felts co7icolor\ which was feasting on a deer. We caught some lean antelopes as they were swimming the river, and killed two buffaloes. May lyth. We set out early and proceeded on very well ; the banks being firm and the shore bold, we were enabled to use the towline, which, whenever the banks will permit it, is the safest and most expeditious mode of ascend- ing the river, except under sail with a steady breeze. At the distance of \oyi miles we came to the mouth of a small creek on the south, below which the hills approach the river, and continue near it during the day. Three miles further is a large creek [Bratton's'"] on the north ; and again, 63/( miles beyond this, is another large creek," to the south ; both containing a small quantity of running water, of a brackish taste. Tl;e last we called Rattlesnake [or Burnt Lodge] c cek, from our seeing that animal \Crotahis con- Jlnciitus] near it. Although no timber can be observed on it from the Missouri, it throws out large quantities of drift- wood, among which were some pieces of coal brought down '"Xameil for William lirattoii, a. private of the party ; so called in the Sum- mar)' Statement, though no name apjiears in Lewis I), this date, and consequently HiiUUe gives none ; charted by Clark under this name. It is a cimsiderable stream, now known as Timber creek of Ileaji. The above mentioned "small creek on the south," beforp Bratton's is reached, I find no name for anywhere, and cannot identify now. There is a nameless creek charted by Clark, next before Burnt Lodge creek, but it does not come into the Missouri in the right place to answer for the one here in question, as it is up-river from Bratton's. " Rattlesnake creek does not reappear in the Summary Statement. There we have, instead, three creeks between Brown Bear Defeated and the mouth of the Mu-iselshell, namely : I, Bratton's creek, N.; 2, Burnt Lodge creek, S. ; 3, Wiser's creek, N. But Rattlesnake and Burnt Lodge are one creek — the former is Lewis' name of it, the latter is Clark's. " Capt. Clark narrowly escajieil being bitten by a rattlesnake in the course of his walk ; . . . we called this stream rattlesnake creek," Lewis D 102, 103. Then Clark put it in his Summary Statement as Burntlodge creek, from the other accident which happened this day, when their leather tent was near being destroyed by fire : " notwithstand- ing the lodge was fifty paces distant from the fire it sustained considerable injury from the burning coals which were tlirown on it " by the high wind, Lewis I) 103, Clark's map charts, " Burnt Lodge Cr." plainh — on the S., next to Wiser's, N. This stream is called (Quarrel creek on Heap's map (but it is not Quarrel R. of Stevens', no>v Killed Wcuian's creek, on the north). H III 'iii|iiii>i„ CIIARACTFR OF THE COUNTRY— ALARM OF FIRE. 313 by the stream. We continued for 1^4 miles, and camped on the south after making (/. 2ip) 2o>^ miles. The country in general is rugged ; the hills are high, with their summits and sides partially covered with pine and cedar, and their bases on both sides washed by the river. Like those already mentioned, the lower part of these hills is a dark rich loam, while the upper region for 150 feet consists of a whitish-brown sand, so hard in many places as to resemble stone, though in fact very httle stone or rock of any kind is to be seen on the hills. The bed of the Missouri is much narrower than usual, being not more than betsveen 2cx3 and 300 yards in width, with an uncommonly large proportion of gravel ; but the sand-bars, and low points covered with willows, have almost entirely disappeared. The timber on the river consists of scarcely anything more than a few scattered Cottonwood trees. The saline incrustations, along the banks and the foot of the hills, are more abundant than usual. The game is in great quantities, but the buffalo are not so numerous as they were some days ago; two rattle- snakes [Crota/iis confliicntus\ were seen to-day, and one of them was killed. It resembles those of the middle Atlantic States \C. horridus\ being about 30 inches long, of a yel- lowish brown on the back and sides, variegated with a row of oval dark brown spots lying transversely on the ba 1: 'rom tlie neck to the tail, and two other rows of circular spots of the same color on the sides along the edge of the scuta ; there are 176 scuta on the belly, and 17 on the tail. Captain Clark saw in his excursions a fortified Indian camp which appeared to have been recently occupied, and was, we presumed, made by a party of Minnetarecs who went to war last March. Late^ at night wc were roused by the sergeant of the guard, in consequence of a fire which had communicated to a tree overhanging our camp. The wind was so high that we had not removed the camp more tlian a few minutes when a large part of the tree fell precisely on the spot we m \k ■tsr- if k :' II # I 1 ;* ! i 1 1 ?■ !■ 3H wiser's crekk— mountains in prospect. had occupied, and would have crushed us if we had not been alarmed in time. {/>.JJ0) May \Zth. The wind continued high from the west, but by means of the towline" we were able to make 19 miles, the sand-bars being now few in number, the river narrow, and the current gentle ; the willow has in a great measure disappeared, and even the Cottonwood, almost the only timber remaining, is growing scarce. At 123^ miles we came to a creek (Wiser's"] on the north, which was perfectly dry. VVe camped on the south, opposite the lower point of an island. May \<^th. Last night was disagreeably cold ; in the morning there was a very heavy fog, which obscured the river so much as to prevent our seeing the way. This is the first fog of any degree of thickness which we have expe- rienced. There was also last evening a fall of dew, the second which we have seen since entering this extensive opf.n country. About eight o'clock the fog dispersed, and we proceeded with the aid of the towline. The island near which we camped was three-quarters of a mil<* in length. Tile country resembles that of yesterday, high hills " closely "Singular to say, Lewis and Clark never speak of " cordelling," which is the us.ual expression for the act of pulling a boat up stream by a rope from the shore. ^ This is Wiser's creek, so called from Peter Wiser, one of the privates of the party. It is nameless in the text, and Lewis D 105, 106, this date, has simply a creek " Staril." But it is Wiser's in the Summary Statement, and charted by this name plainly on Clark's map, where it appears as the lust creek on the right ham! or starboard, north side, before coming to the Musselshell river. This is now called P'ourchette creek— on so.me maps I'ouchette, Ponchatte or Ponchet, bv mistake. It is a considerable stream — when it is full ; when dry, quite a marked coulee. '* Lewis D 107, this date, notes that Capt. Clark, on a.scending a height, first siglited the Musselshell, to be presently reached. lie also had in prospect from this oniinence a rdNi^i 0/ mounidiiis, difitant 40 or 50 miles. The.se were the Little Rocky mountains, of which the narrative will speak in due course by the name of the North mountain. Since the Expedition passed Fort Peck, I have each day expected to find in the codices mention of some other prominent landmarks ; but none appear to have been recorded. One of these is Tiger or Panthe? butte, 20 miles N.N.W. of Fort Peck. A second is Round butte, smith, near the Mis- !,ouri, about halfway between Uig Dry river and the Musselshell ; and a third. I I 1J» ift^fagfimiMi" Z3L /^*h-' not BLOWINU-ILV CR1:EK-A LAkGL RIVER REACHED. 315 bordering the river. In the afternoon the river became crooked, and contained more sawyers or floating timber tlian we have seen in the same space since leaving the PJatte Our game consisted of deer, beaver, and elk. We also killed a brown bear, which, though shot through the heart, ran at h s usual pace nearly a quarter of a mile before he fell. A. 21 miles is a willow-island half a mile in length on the north side, a quarter of a mile beyond which is a shoal of rapid water under a bluff; the water continued very strong for some distance beyond it ; at half a mile we came to a sand-bar on the north, from which to our camp was another half mile, making in all 22;^ miles. The saline substances which we have mentioned continue to appear • the men are much afflicted with sore eyes and imposthumes' May 20th. As usual, we set out early, and the banks being convenient for that purpose, we used the towline. (A 221) The river is narrow and crooked, the water rapid and the country much like that of yesterday. At the dis' tance of 2% miles we passed a large creek [from the south], with but httle water, to which we gave the name of Blowing. fly creek, from the quantity cf those insects » found in its neighborhood. They are extremely troublesome, infesting our meat while we are cooking, and at our meal- After making seven miles we reached by eleven „ uock the mouth of a large river cw the south, and camped for the day at the upper point of its junction with the Missouri This stream, which we suppose to be that called by the M.nnetarees [Mahtush-ahzhah "1 the Muscleshell [Mussel- near the last, is Church bu.te. The last two probably were not seen .simply because the party were immediately under the high bluffs bordering the river Not in the Summary Staten.eut ; not charted on Clark's map ; the last creek from the south .n approaching the Musselshell. Lewis D 132 supplies the required data not in the text: "large creek on Eard. 25 yds. will, called blowing My Cr." This is now Squaw creek. '« Blowflies, Musca vomitoria or a related species. " So Clark C^49. in a list of Indian names ; the element " ahzhah " is simply nver. Lew.s D ,29, this date, leaves a blank space, not filled in with any Indian name ; hence none appears in the te.xt. For the English name the ■w m V p^ -:!■ 316 THE MUSSELSHELL RIVER. shell] river, empties into the Missouri 2,270 miles above the mouth of the latter river, in latitude 47° o' 24j^" north. It is 1 10 yards wide, and contains more water than streams of that size usually do in this country ; its current is by no means rapid, and there is every appearance of its being susceptible of navigation by canoes for a considerable dis- tance. Its bed is chiefly formed of coarse sand and gravel, with an occasional mixture of black mud ; the banks are abrupt and nearly twelve feet high, so that they are secure from being overflowed; the water is of a greenish- yellow cast, and much more transparent than that of the Missouri, which itself, though clearer than below, still retains its whitish hue and a portion of its sediment. Opposite the point of junction the current of the Mis- souri is gentle, and 222 yards in width ; the bed is princi- pally of mud, the little sand remaining being wholly con- fined to the points, and [the water is] still too deep to use the setting-pole. If this be, as we suppose, the Muscleshell, our Indian information is that it rises in the first chain of the Rocky mountains not far [see note] from the sources of the Yel- lowstone, whence in its course to this place it waters a high broken country, well timbered, particularly on its borders, and interspersed with handsome fertile plains and codices usually have Muscleshell, as one or two words ; sometimes " Mustle- shell : " once " Cockkleshell ; " occasionally " Shell" river. I prefer to write Musselshell, but do not alter the text. The river is properly identitied, but the latitude assigned (Lewis D 132) is not f.ir enough north, as the JUth of the river is nearly up to 47° 30'. It heads in the Little Belt mountains, not far from a place called White Sulphur Springs, in Meagher Co., east of the Big Belt mountains, runs easterly between the Big Snowy mountains and Bull moun- tains, in a course approximately parallel with that of the Yellowstone, to about 107° 30' W. long., and then turns northward to the Missouri. Its sources are thus a good deal north of those of the Yellowstone, though approximately on the same meridian. The Musselshell is geologically interesting as indicat- ing the first changes in the hitherto unbroken cretaceous formation which the Missouri has so long traversed. Just north of the mouth of the Musselshell begin the evidences of volcanic action, and some of its tributaries, as well as the river itself, arise in paleozoic rncks (permo-carboniferous). The course of the river is, however, mainly through the cretaceous. SACAJAWEA'S BRAN'CH of the MUSSELSHELL. 317 a its on icat- the as ;e of meadows. We have reason, however, to believe, from their giving a similar account of the timber (/. 222) where we now are, that the timber of which they speak is similar to that which we have seen for a few d but we were so annoyed by clouds of du -t and sand that we could neither eat nor sleep and u creed to ren,ove our ca.p at eight o'clock to 'thoot 7; a adjo.„.„ H.„, ,,,.„, shielded us in son,e degrcW on the w.nd. VVe procured elk. deer, and buffalo. ^ (A ^^^r) three mile, beyond ,hi, we came ,o .l,e en ra ,ce {.rouse, f.djacUes columb,amis\ the first we have seen i„ s..ch numbers for several days. The low ground ' somewhat wider than usual, and apparently Tef. e h„u Jl much'" ■ irss'-rror^Vhe" '"= """ "'- -' '■•■'^'-' broken as that of'^ester lay^bu" Ts ",°m"' ''^ "°' =° so«he™ i,i,,s p„ssess^,;r:f pinr.h n": ara™':„':: T;':?„a7sa't';:;"''"",*''"^' "■'■'^'- »- --^p-'^' "> riie usual salt and mineral appearances. selshell. ^ ^^"^ '"'^'^^ " f^"'" tl.e mouth of tl>c Mus- of the Mutselshe . T 1 :: ■, ;: ; ^^ "^ '^^ ^° .""'^ "P"-- from the mouth ■.oat-voyage fro„. Henton to l"s in k w7 "" 7" ''"''• "" ''"^^' "" "- actor i„ those part.s-a ,o,k1 ai, " ""•, " ""^ ■^"" '"' =^ "'^'^■" ^■•>- Mith the county ami the I ulu , f "'""■ "'"""«'''>" "'"•''-•">'-' l-eing web-finjred in „t t, ^^ . -'.'"-"-ual personal peculiarities of was very quick on the tr 1 it .1 '""'^"""^ '''' -^'>' '^l"'''--! ; but he a deep bend to the Star.!.," l' „ is I , I thi'. • ' °" " 'f '^' ^'''^■- '" champ's creel:, as it is now calle.l, from he north ^t i 7T^ "' " '" '"="- -p. The Expedition approaches the sit: J tt H W ''C m" "'"''^ Wl 390 riSII, DEER, y\ND REAR. 1|: S ■ I The river continues about 250 yards wide, with fewer sand-bars, and the current more gentle and regular. Game is no longer in such abundance since leaving the Muscle- shell. We have caught very few fish on this side of the Mandans, and these were the white catfish [/cta/urus pmictatHs], of two to five pounds. We killed a deer and a bear. We have not seen in this quarter the black bear [Ursus amcrtcnnus], common in the United States and on the lower parts of the Missouri, nor have we discerned any of their tracks. They may easily be distinguished by the shortness of the talons from the brown, grizzly, or white bear [i/rsus horrihilis\, all of which seem a be of the same family [species'], which assumes those colors at different seasons of the year. We halted earlier than usual, and camped on the north, in a point of woods, at the distance of 16^ miles [thus past the site of Fort Hawley, on the south]. 1 ^^v CHAPTER IX. THE MISSOURI l-ROM TH..: MUSSELSHELL TO MARIA'S RIVER. AbafTal„charR.s ,h« camp-Judith' ivc- '"V"; '""'•'"^' "' l'.«-hor„ed ,l,...p_ budal. drive, „ver l.rccip , „/ ' i,,!,;"? s "I" '"'''•'" «'"1»-Ash r.,pid,_Herd» of adva„ci„«^-Ar,h,,cclural'efr;rof rr.-^tl..::;-"'-"^^ rai.,-Dirr,cul,y of /Ip^AY 23cl, I80S. Last night the frost was severe ; this wl pa Id ,/ °" °T °'"- ^' *^'-' ^'■^^^"'^^ °f a mile r^d Teano V '"ri°' ^ "^^'"^ °" ^'- -'-t''' which we mZiJ T' ' " " '5 yards wide, and though it has running water at a small distance from its mout^, ve? discharges none into the Missouri • Hn.e u ^ They indeed afford but litUe water 1 "'"' ' '' "■'"''• .0 co^e f.o,„ a ran.e of low hill,,- >v|,ich run IroZ.lVtTo a river-bank for 70 n iles I e vis J^' '«''".>^-'.*^"' '>'"'* ^^« "°t to be seen from >- iine of visionLen, Liui ;:: uT^r'^i^ Jf'" "^"""^'"^' ""'^'^ '" Crroll. up a .,.,, rid.e S.NV.. .U Z et . touIdT "" °' ''' '''" "' ^ leci, nt wouia have seen an exten- 321 ( IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I i45 1^ JIM m m IIIIIM II 2.2 IM 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 .4 6" — ► v2 ^ /a # c*^ .>' / '/ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation iV S V 4 •i>^ \\ % V cS^ i s 322 TEAPOT OR YELLOW CREEK— HAZEN'S RIVER. !)l till: \''i .•^t i: , west for 70 miles, and have their eastern extremity 30 miles to the north of Teapot creek. Just above its entrance is a large assemblage of the burrowing-squirrels on the north side of the river. At nine mi'es we reached the upper point of ail island in a bend on the south, and opposite the center of the island, a small dry creek on the north. Half a mile further a small creek falls in on the same side.' At 6^ miles beyond this is another, on the souih.* At 4}4 miles (/. 226) we passed a small island in a deep bend to the north, and on the same side, in a deep northeastern bend of the river, another small island. None of these creeks, however, possessed any water, and at the entrances of the islands the two first are covered with tall cottonwoods, and the last with willows only. The river has become more rapid ; the country is much the same as yesterday, except that there is rather more rock on the face of the hills, and some small spruce appears among the pitch-pines. The wild roses are very abundant and now in bloom ; they differ from those of the United States only in having the I" vs and the bush itself of a somewhat smaller size. We find t^^e ^lOsquitoes troublesome, notwithstanding the coolness of the morning; sive prairie N., 30 miles of bad lands S., and these mountains: the Little Rockies, N. 30 miles ; Bear's Paw, N. W. 70 miles ; Judith's, S. W. 40 miles ; Big and Little Moccasins, west of and near Judith's ; beyond which latter are the Snowies, S.,and the Little Belts, S. \V., the latter separated from each other by Judith's Gap, through which a head of Judith's river seeks the Missouri. This gap is due south of the mouth of Judith's river, about 75 miles as the crow flies. The " low hills" of the text are at least s.cwo feet high. ' Immediate vicinity of the present town of Carroll, by Twining's distances 17^ miles above Beauchamp's creek — practically the identical distance that Lewis and Clark make it from their Grouse creek. This point is 640 miles above Bismarck, and 165 miles below Benton. It came into existence when the road was opened from Helena to this point, and in 1875 consisted of 20 or 25 log cabins. * Nameless in text and codices ; uncharted by Clark. It shows well on Twining's map, lettered Hazen river, b'/i miles above Carroll. This map charts the identical islands next mentioned in the text ; and a mile or so above the upper one of these two islands comes in Little Rocky Mountain creek (Lewis and Clark's North Mountain creek). It is wonderful how closely these pioneer explorers' distances agree with the results of the best modem surveys. > 1 NORTH OR LITTLE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CREEK. 323 The buffalo is scarce tixlay, but the elk, deer, and antelope are very numerous. The geese begin to lose the feathers of the wings, and are unable to fly. We saw five bears, one of which we wounded, but in swimming from us across the river he became entangled in some driftwood, and sunk. We formed our camp on the north, opposite a hill and a point of wood in a bend to the south, having made 2^ miles.' May 24th. The water in the kettles froze one-eighth of an inch during the night ; ice appears along the margin of the river, and the cottonwood trees, which have lost nearly all their leaves by the frost, are putting forth other buds. We proceeded, with the towline principally, till about nine o'clock, when a fine breeze sprung up from the S.E., and enabled us to sail very well, notwithstanding the rapidity of the current. At one mile and a half is a large [North Mountain] creek, 30 yards wide, containing some water, which it empties on the north side, over a gravelly bed intermixed with some stone. A man who was sent up to explore the country returned in the eve.iing, after having gone ten miles directly toward the ridge of [the Little Rocky] mountains to the north, which is the source of this, as well as of Teapot creek. The air of these highlands is so pure that objects appear much nearer than (/. 227) they really are, so that, although our man went ten miles without thinking himself by any means halfway to the mountains, they do not from the river appear more than 15 miles distant. This stream we called Northmountain * creek. At 2 ell on map above creek these eys. ' Lewis D ends here, so far as the journal is concerned, though the codex includes 5 % leaves more of a meteorological register (now torn out, making a separate codex). The Biddle narrative continues directly with Codex E, which is a Lewis, and will take us to July i6th, at the Ciates of the Rocky Mountains. * The North mountain of L. and C. is the Little Rocky mountains of present geographers, rising to height of 5,000 feet or more, running nearly E. and W. on the parallel of 48° N., and across long. 108" 30' \V.,thuB separating the Milk river watershed along here from that of the Missouri itself. From their E. end, westward along the parallel of 48° N. nearly to long. 109" W., and up to Milk i) 3«4 SOUTH MOUNTAIN CREEK. a )i I' 'i ^11 ! I ti .i I miles higher is a creek on the south, which is 1$ yards wide, but without any water, and to which we gave the name of Littledog creek, from a village of burrowing-squirrels opposite its entrance, that being the name given by the French watermen to those animals. Three miles from this a small [now Warm Springs] creek enters on the north ; five beyond which is an island,' a quarter of a mile in length ; and two miles further, a small river. This falls in on the south, is 40 yards wide, and discharges a handsome stream of water ; its bed is rocky with gravel and sand, and the banks are high. We called it Southniountain* creek, as from its direction it seemed to rise in a range of mountains about 50 or 60 miles to the S.W. of its entrance. river, is the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The St. Paul, Minn. & Man. R. R., or Great Northern Ry., runs along the N. bank of Milk river here. North Mountain creek is the largest northern affluent of the Missouri, above the mouth of the Musselshell and below Judith's river, though not so large as South Mountain river, beyond. It is now called Little Rocky Mountain river or creek — a name often shortened to Little Rocky, or Little Rock. ^ Named points in the Missouri, above North Mountain creek, are ; I, Bird shoals or rapids, unnoticed in the text, probably on account of the season and consequent state of the river ; 3, Emil island, a little above these shoals ; and 3, Two Calf islands, a pair close to the mouth of South Mountain creek, doubtless corresponding to the single island of the text. * This is the first stream of any size which falls into the Missouri from the south, above the mouth of the Musselshell. The South mountain of L. and C, in which it heads, is the Judith mountains, with elevations from 5,000 to 6,000 feet. These mountains, and the Snowy mountains south of t'rem, are drained by western and nortb^r.i tributaries of the Musselshell (especially by the main north fork of this river), by the eastern heads of Judith's river, and by the South Mountain river of our text. The latter is now attempted to be called after some person whose name no geographers seem to know ; for he is Amel, Annel, Amiel, Armel, or Emile, on varioi'.s maps, and with one /or two. In any case, I do not see the sense or justice of thus changing Lewis and Clark's names, when, as in the instances of " North Mountain," and " South Mountain," they are absolutely identifiable, and were properly published. Hundreds of names, which have been superseded by modern inventions, should be restored, not only in equity, but on the plainest principles of the law of priority, which geographers pretend to obey. They must sit at the feet of the xoologists and botanists, before they can hope for any stability of their own nomenclature. " Annell's creek," forsooth t Why not Tom's, Dick's, or Harry's ? If this river is any- body's, it is Lewis aad Clark's. •■> ! ■"> THE BLACK HILLS, IN A BROAD SENSE. 3*5 1,000 lined outh I after Innel, lease, nes, Imes, I only phers kists, nell't [any- The low grounds are narrow and without timber; the country is high and broken ; a large portion of black rock and brown sandy rock appears in the face of the hills, the tops of which are covered with scattered pine, spruce, and dwarf cedar; the soil is generally poor, sandy near the tops of the hills, and nowhere producing much grass, the low grounds being covered with little else than the hyssop, or southernwood, and the pulpy-leaved thorn [Sarcobatus vermiculatus *]. Game is more scarce, particularly beaver, of which we have seen but few for several days, and the abundance or scarcity of which seems to depend on the greater or less quantity of timber. At 2^% miles we reached a point of woodland on the south, where we observed that the trees had no leaves, and camped for the night. The high country through which we have passed for some days, and where we now are, we suppose to be a con- tinuation of what the French traders called the Cote [Cdte] Noire or Black hills. The country thus denominated consists of high, broken, irregular hills, and short chains of mountains, sometimes {p. 228) 120 miles in width, sometimes narrower, but always much higher than the country on either side. They commence about the head of the Kansas, where they diverge ; the first ridge going westward, along the northern shore of the Arkansaw. The second approaches the Rock mountains obliquely in a course a little to the W. of N.W., and after passing the Platte above its forks and intersect*nr' the Yellowstone near the Bigbend, crosses the Missouri at this place, and probably swell the country as far as the Saskaskawan, though, as they are represented much smaller here than to the south, they may not reach that river. May 25M. Two canoes which were left behind yesterday, to bring on the game, did not join us till eight o'clock this morning, when we set out with the towline, the use of which the banks permitted. The wind was, however, ahead, * An anomalous apetalous chenopodiaceous plant, well known in the West at greaiewood. See Nuttall, Jour. Phila. Acad., I., p. 184. 326 TEAPOT AND OTHER ISLANDS. siM the current strong, particularly round the points against which it happened to set, and the gullies from the hills having brought down quantities of stone, these projected into the river, forming barriers for 40 or 50 feet around, which it was very difficult to pass. At the distance of 2^ miles we passed a small island in a deep bend on the south, and on the same side a creek 3o yards wide, but with no running water. About a mile further is an island between two and three miles in length, separated from the northern shore by a narrow channel, in which is a sand-island, a*: the distance of half a mile from its lower extremity. To this large island we gave the name of Teapot " island; two miles above which is an island a mile long, situated on the south. At 3^ miles is another small island, and one mile beyond it a second, three-quarters of a mile in length, on the north side. In the middle of the river, two miles above this, is an island with no timber, and of the same extent as this last. The country on each side is high, broken, and rocky; the rock being either a soft brown sandstone, covered with a thin stratum of limestone, or else a hard black rug- (/. 22g) ged granite, both usually in horizontal strata, and the sand-rock overlaying the other. Salts and quartz, as well as some coal and pumice-stone, still appear. The bars of the river are composed principally of gravel; the river low grounds are narrow, and afford scarcely any timber ; nor is there much pine on the hills. The buffalo have now become scarce ; we saw a polecat [skunk] this evening, which was the first for several days ; in the course of the day we also saw several herds of the big-horned animals {Ovis montana\ among the steep cliffs on the north, and killed several of them." At the distance of 18 miles we camped on the south. '* This name does not appear in the Summary Statement, instead of which wi named two islands, Ibex and Goodrich's, before we reach Windsor's (now Cow) creek. It is " Tea" island in Lewis E 7. No such great island as this now exists ; but there are four or more strung along the river for several miles, and at one of them is the shoal now called PicoH's or Picott's rapids (below Cow isUnd and Cow creek). " Lewis E 4-6 gives a long and minute description of the animals, and Gass, WINDSORS AND TURTLE CREEKS. 327 1 V! Zow) , now ndat Mand }ass, Sunday, May 26th. We proceeded at an early hour by means of the towiine, using our oars merely in crossing the river, to take advantage of the best banks. There are now scarcely any low grounds on the river, the hills being high, and in many places pressing on both sides to the verge of the water. The black rock has given place to a very soft sandstone, which seems to be washed away fast by the river, and being thrown into the river renders its navigation more difficult than it was yesterday. Above this sandstone, and toward the summits of the hills, a hard freestone of a yellowish-brown color shows itself in several strata of unequal thickness, frequently overlaid or incrusted by a thin stratum of limestone, which seems to be formed of concreted shells. At %yi miles we came to the mouth of a creek on the north, 30 yards wide, with some running water and a rocky bed ; we called it Windsor's " creek, after one of the party. At 4^ miles beyond this we came to another [Turtle"] creek in a bend to the north, which is 20 yards wide, with a handsome little stream of water ; there is, how- p. 88, makes much of these bighorns, apparently the first the party actually killed. " Some of the party killed three of what the French and natives call mountain sheep ; but they very little resemble sheep, except in the head, horns and feet. They are of a dun colour except on the belly and round the rump, where they are white. The horns of the male are very large ; those of the female small. Captain Clarke calls them the Ibex, and says they resemble that animal more than any other. They are in size somewhat larger than a deer." May 3$th. This account is perfectly diagnostic, and first appeared in 1807. Gass' editor and publisher, David M'Keehan, having a copy of Goldsmith's Animated Nature at hand, quotes that miraculous zo&logist's description of the ibex, and rejects it as inapplicable to the bighorn ; then he proceeds to cite Goldsmith's description of the moufflon or musimon, and comes to the conclu- sion, fortified by Gass' verbal accounts, that this is the animal which our bighorn is like, if not " exactly the same." In which conclusion he is quite right. '• Now Cow creek, near the mouth of which is Cow island, above Picoll's rapids and below Burdell's. A branch of Cow creek is Bull creek, and another is called Suction creek, perhaps referring to the calf. But where is Windsor's creek, meanwhile? " Nameless in text and codex, but charted by Clark as Turtle creek, from find- ing here the turtles which are presently mentioned. This is about the situation of some rapids now known as Budel's, Berdel's, Burdell's or Burdette's, not specified in the text, owing to the state of the Missouri. 328 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN VIEW. hi . ever, no timber on either side of the river, except a few pines on the hills. Here we saw, for the first time since we left the Mandans, several soft-shelled turtles [Trionj'x {Aspidonectes) spini/er], though this may be owing rather to the season of the year than to any scarcity of the animal. It was here (/. 2jo) that, after ascending the highest summit of the hills on the north side of the river, Captain Lewis first caught a distant view of the Rock mountains — the object of all our hopes, and the reward of all our ambition.'* On both sides of the river, and at no great dis- tance from it, the mountains followed its course. Above these, at the distance of 50 miles from us, an irregular range of mountains spread from west to northwest from his position. To the north of these, a few elevated points, the most remarkable of which bore N. 65° W., appeared above the horizon ; and as the sun shone on the snows of their summits, he obtained a clear and satisfactory view of those mountains which close on the Missouri the passage to the Pacific. At 4>4 :niles beyond this [Turtle] creek, we came to the upper point of a small sand-island." At the distance of five " About a year and a half before the day when the Rockies were ii' A sighted in Colorado by Zebulon M. Pike, on the isth of November, 1806. " This day I first caught sight of the Rocky Mountains the ' Great Divide ' between the Eastern and Western Oceans," is attributed to Pike by a flourishing periodical now published in Denver, which takes this expression as a motto for a stand- ing head. Very likely Pike said something to that effect, somewhere ; what he says in his Journal, orig. ed., Philadelphia, 1810, p. 163, is : " Gave three <-^(^rx to the Mexican mountains. . . Those were a spur of the grand western chain of mountains, which divide the waters of the Pacific from those of the Atlantic oceans," etc., at date of Saturday, Nov. 15th, 1806. Lewis E 7 is delightful here : " While I viewed these mountains I felt a secret pleasure in thus finding myself so near the head of the hitherto conceived boundless Missouri ; but when I reflected on the difficulties which this snowey barrier would most probably throw in my way to the Pacific, and the sufferings and hardships of myself and party in them, it in some measure counterballanced the joy I had felt in the first moments in which I gazed on them ; but as I have always held it a c.-ime to anticipate evils I will believe it a good comfortable road untill I am compelled to believe differently." " About the position of that now called Sturgeon island ; so named, not from ELK RAPIDS. 329 miles, between high bluffs, we passed a very difficult rapid, reaching quite across the river, where the water is deep, the channel narrow, and gravel obstructs it on each side. We had great difficulty in ascending it, though we used both the rope and the pole, and doubled the crews. This is the most considerable rapid [we have thus far found] on the Missouri, and in fact the only place where there is a sudden descent. As we were laboring over the rapids, a female elk with her fawn swam down through the waves, which ran very high, and obtained for the place the name of Elk Rapids." Just above them is a small low ground of cottonwood trees, where, at 22^ miles, we fixed our camp, and were joined by Captain Lewis, who had been on the hills during the afternoon. The country has now become desert and barren. The appearances of coal, burnt earth, pumice-stone, salts, and quartz continue as yesterday; but there is no timber except the thinly scattered pine and spruce on the summits of the hills, or along their sides. The only animals we have observed are the elk, the bighorn, and the hare common in this country. In the plain where we lie are two Indian (/). 3Jt) cabins [wickiups] made of sticks, and during the last few days we have passed several others in the points of timber on the river. Maj/ 27///. The wind was so high that we did not start till ten o'clock, and even then were obliged to use the towline during the greater part of the day. The river has become very rapid, with a very perceptible descent. Its ■rom any ordinary sturgeon, for none such is found in the Missouri, but from the curious shovel-headed or shovel-nosed "sturgeon, Scaphirhynchops platyrhynchusy a ti»h I have taken from this very locality. '• " A very considerable ripple which we call the Elk rappids," Lewis En; so charted by Clark, between his Turtle creek and Thompson's (now liirch) creek. Some iilentify these rapids with Burdell's, near Windsor's (Cow) creek ; others with the Dauphin rapids, which are near Thompson's (Birch) creek. But Elk rapids is neither of these, being certain shoals much below Thompson's or Birch creek, at the distance above Sturgeon island which the text indicates, and now known as the Lone Pine rapids. 'il : 4 ..;i ill i 11(1 330 DAUl'HIN RAI'IUS. general width is about 200 yards ; the shoals are more fre- quent, and the rocky points at the mouths of the gullies more troublesome to pass. Great quantities of stone lie in the river and on its bank, and seem to have fallen down as the rain washed away the clay and sand in which they were imbedded. The water is bordered by high rugged blufTs, composed of irregular but horizontal strata of yellow and brown or black clay, brown and yellowish-white sand, soft yellowish-white sandstone, and hard dark brown freestone ; also, large round kidney-formed irregular separate maFses of a hard black ironstone, imbedded in the clay and sand ; some coal or carbonated wood also makes its appearance in the cliffs, as do its usual attendants, the pumice-stone and burnt earth. The salts and quartz are less abundant, and, generally speaking, the country is, if possible, more rug- ged and barren than that we passed yesterday ; the only growth of the hills being a few pine, spruce, and dwarf cedar, interspersed with an occasional contrast, once in the course of some miles, of several acres of level ground, which supply a scanty subsistence for a few little cottonwoods. Soon after setting out we passed a small untimbered island on the south ; at about seven miles we reached a considerable bend which the river makes toward the south- east, and in the evening, after making 12^ miles, camped on the south near two dead cottonwoods, the only timber for fuel which we could discover in the neighborhood. Afny 28///. The weather was dark and cloudy ; the air smoky, and there fell a few drops of rain. At ten o'clock (/. Jjj) we had again a slight sprinkling of rain, attended with distant thunder, which is the first we have heard since leaving the Mandans. We employed the towline generally, with the addition of the pole at the ripples and rocky points, which we find more numerous and troublesome than those we passed yesterday. The water is very rapid round these points," and we are sometimes obliged to steer " One of these points is that now called Dauphin rapids, about 14 miles above Lone Pine rapids. > ! s RUNNING THE RAI'IOS— THOMPSON'S CREEK. 331 lies the canoes through the points of sharp rocks rising a few inches above the surface of the water, and so near to each other that if our ropes give way the force of the current would drive the side of the canoe against the rocks, and must inevitably upset the canoe or dash it to pieces. These cords are very slender, being almost all made of elk-skin, now much worn and rotted by exposure to the weather. Several times they gave way, but fortunately always in places where there was room for the canoe to turn without striking the rocks ; yet with all our precau- tions it was with infinite risk and labor that we passed these points. An Indian pole for building floated down the river ; it was worn at one end as if dragged along the ground in traveling ; several other articles were also brought down by the current, which indicates that the Indians are probably at no great distance above us ; judg- ing from a football, which resembles those used by the Minnetarees near the Mandans, we conjecture that they must be a band of the Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie. The appearance of the river and the surrounding country continued as usual, till toward evening, at about 15 miles, we reached a large creek on the north, 35 yards wide, dis- charging some water, and named after one of our men Thompson's " creek. Here the country assumed a totally different aspect ; the hills retired on both sides from the river, which now spreads to more than three times its former size, and is filled with a number of small, handsome islands, covered with cottonwood. The low grounds or the river are again wide, fertile, and enriched with trees ; those on the north are particularly wide, the hills being comparatively low, and {p. 2jj) opening into three large valleys, which extend for a considerable distance toward the north. These appearances of vegeta- " Birch creek of various modem maps, as the G. L. O. map of 1879, but not of Twining's, which names a Birch creek above Judith's river, and opposite Arrow river, nor of Ludlow's, which locates Birch creek Lelow Judith's river, about opposite Dog or Bull creek. Clark charts this stream as " Thomson's Cr." ; but the soldier's name was John B. Thompson, " with a. p." <7f,ii 332 BULL CRELK— A UUIKALO CilAKliES THE CA.MI', i.' :i • ■i: . (ion are delightful after the dreary hilli over which we have passed, and we have now to congratulate ourselves at having escaped from the last ridges of thr Black moun. tains. On leaving Thompson's creek we passed two small islands, and at 23 miles' [totslj distance camped among some timber on the north, opposite a small creek, which we named Bull " creek. The bighorn is in great quanti- ties, and must bring forth their young at a very early season, as they are now half-grown. One of the party saw a large bear also, but being at a distance from the river, and having no timber to conceal himself, he would not venture to fire. May 29M. Last night we were alarmed by a new sort of enemy. A buffalo swam over from the opposite side to the spot where lay one of our canoes, over which he clambered to the shore ; then taking fright he ran full speed up the bank toward our fires, and passed within 18 inches of the heads of some of the men, before the sentinel could niake him change his course. Still more alarmed, he ran down between four fires and within a few inches of the heads of the second row of the men, and would have broken into our lodge if the barking of the dog had not stopped him. He suddenly turned to the right, and was out o^ sight in a moment, leaving us all in confusion, every- one seizing his rifle and inquiring the cause of the alarm. On learning what had happened, we had to rejoice at suffering no more injury than the damage to some guns which were in the canoe which the buffalo crossed. In the morning early we left our camp, and proceeded as usual by the cord. We passed an island and two sand-bars, and at the distance of 2^ miles came to a handsome river which discharges on the south, and which we ascended to '* From the incident narrated May a^th ; charted, nameless, by Clark ; last creek S. below Judith's river ; now called Dog creek, perhaps from some mis- taking of L. and C.'s " Littledog " creek of May a4th, now left far behind. This stream is only two or three miles below the mouth of the Judith, and there- fore cannot be that Dog river which Twining charts ten or twelve miles lower down. Some cartographer might win fame by inscribing " Bulldog " creek. MISS JULIA HANCOCKS RIVER. iss the distance of a mile and a half. We called it Judith's'* river. It rises in the Rock mountains (/. iJ4), in about the same place with the Muscleshell, and near the Yellowstone. Its entrance is oo yards wide from one bank to the other, the water occupying about 75 yards, and in greater quan> tity than that of the Muscleshell river; though more rapid, it is equally navigable, there being no stones or rocks in the bed, which is composed entirely of gravel and mud, with some sand. The water is clearer than any which we have yet seen ; and the low grounds, as far as we could dis* cern, are wider and more woody than those of the Missouri. Along its banks we observed some box-elder intermixed with Cottonwood and willow ; the undergrowth consisting of rosebushes, honeysuckles, and a little red.willow. There was a great abundance of the argali or big-horned animal ;r to '""Cap. C. who ucended this R. much hiyher than I did has called it Juditth's River," Lewis E 17. The lady thus complimented was Miss Julia Hancock, of Fincastle, Va., familiarly called Judie or Judy by her family and intimate friends. Among the latter was Captain Clark, who perhaps had never heard her called Julia, and naturally supposed her name to be Judith. Miss Julia Hancock was the fourth child and third daughter of George Hancock and Peggy Strother, bom Monday, Nov. 21st, 1791 ; married Captain Clark, at Fin- cattle, Jan. 5th, 1808 : died at Fotheringay, June 27th, 1820. They had five chil- dren, the eldest of whom was Meriwether Lewis Clark, b. St. Louis, Jan. loth, i8og. All are dead ; for the only survivir>g son of G'^nt-al and Governor Wil- liam Clark is issue of a second marriage. This is Jefferson K. Clark, now resid- ing at 3121 Locust St., St. Louis, Mo. This river was actually first called " Bighorn " by Lewis, from the abundance of these animals (see May 28th). The sentence I have cited above is partly in Lewis' hand, partly in Clark's, interlined and over a careful erasure ; and so near was Miss Julia to losing her fine river that its name still stands " Bighorn," bis^ in the codex, not deleted, though with "Judith " interlined in Clark's hand. It does not rise so far west as the sources of the Musselshell, and far north of those of the Yellowstone. The Judith heads in the Little Belt and Big Snowy mountains (which are separated by Judith Gap), and runs on an average course due north to the Missouri, passing west of the Judith and both Moccasin mountains. It ih by far the largest southern tributary of the Missouri since the Musselshell. Less than a mile above its mouth was old Camp Cook, or Cooke, on the south side of the Missouri, where some of the adobe walls were visible when I passed in 1874. Close by was also built Fort Claggett, a small Indian trading-post, of two log- houses ; and this locality is now the site of the River Crow Agency. 334 RKCKNT INDIAN CAMP-FIRES— ASH RAPIDS. ir I ' f '■» in the high country through which it [Juditii's river] passes, and a great number of beaver in its waters. Just above the entrance of it we saw the fires of 126 lodges, which appeared to have been deserted about 12 or 15 days ; and on the other side of the Missouri, a large camp, apparently made by the same nation. On examin- ing some moccasins which we found here, our Indian woman said that they did not belong to her own nation, the Snake Indians, but she thought that they indicated a tribe on this side of the Rocky mountains, and to the north of the Missouri ; indeed it is probable that these are the Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie. At the distance of 6y2 miles the hills again approach the brink of the river, and the stones and rocks washed down from them form a very bad rapid, with rocks and ripples more numerous and difficult than those we passed on the 27th and 28th. Here the same scene was renewed, and we had again to struggle and labor to preserve our small craft from being lost. Near this spot are a few trees of the ash, the firs.t we have seen for a great distance, and from which we named the place Ash Rapids." On these hills there is but little timber, but the salts, coal, and other mineral appearances continue. On the north we (/. 2j^) passed a precipice about 120 feet high, under which lay scattered the fragments of at least 100 carcasses of buffaloes, although the water which had washed away the lower part of the hill must have car- ried off many of the dead. These buffaloes had been chased down the precipice in a way very common on the Missouri, by which vast herds are destroyed in a moment. The mode of hunting is to select one of the most active and fleet young men, who is disguised by a buffalo-skin round his body ; the skin of the head with the ears and horns " This is a bad place at any state of the river. It is now known as Drowned Man's rapids, from an accident which the name ex|iresses. It is marked on Clark's map, just above a nameless creek, from the north, noticed neither in the text nor the codex. This creek has since been called Norris. f I.VWAN- BATTUE OF BUFFALO_SLAt,aHTER R.VER. 335 .'hebuSalo ""xh" 'h" """. T' '" '"'" ' ->■ ^» "> ""aVe ine Duttalo. Thus dressed, he fixes liims,.lf J* . distance be.„ee„ a herd l, buffi'":,;', rorr';;!"' prec,p,c=s, vvhich sometimes extend for so^e mi e, u' advancetrd ^..^bSe^-T'bet'L'.^^r'rr ^l" alann, and findi.icj the hunter/K t^ 1 ^ ''''* *^"= before the. tin the vvhc:rare';.epu;e7aL^ tT T' - stre^vn with their dead bodies ^slmLtiil T perilous seduction <-h» t ^- ." . ^^'^et'nies, in this under foo by X' aoid^^"" " '"""'' ''''''' ^''^^^-^ ■ uoi uy tne rapid movements of Hi/. k,.*T^i missing his footing in the cliff is .,„,f^ buffaloes, or by the falling herd Ti, i T ^ '' ''°"'" "'= P'ecipico as they w Lh fl^' ,1'" '"^'""f ""en select as mnch men, creates^"'mo;t";re2rsret"h''°"The" T ^t'"' '"' been feasting on these caiare-.e^':;;"'^/ ;:f" """ oftmL ff """ "' "■"-'° 'or dinned at the distance y rZ : de ^ r.rfall"'"'"''^ ' ""'^ "-"""'^ "- - ."ary Statement. 14 Ji miiesa.K.^e Jud ,hl rC aTd"'.' '"k'"''' '''''■ ''"'■^"- above the Stone Walls. But by lU !• " n ', .^,'' ''"'"«'^' '" ''" ^'ark's map tableof distances, Anowriver isonlv 7^ "'^''" ' '""P^' =""1 ''>' ^^--'ene'i also, that Clark's map cLrt T e'r^r H '" ^p°:^ ^"'''''^■^- ^--• -W Slighter Hve. and thus aC. ^^ ^^ o. i;^ r ^ ^ i I ii ii t "I \'- i I. ij* METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, ETC. timber. Soon after landing it began to blow and rain, and as there was no prospect of getting wood for fuel farther on, we fixed our camp on the north, three-quarters of a mile above Slaughter river. After the labors of the day, we gave each man a dram, and such was the effect of long abstinence from spirituous liquors that, from the small quantity of half a gill of rum, several of the men were considerably affected, and all very much exhilarated. Our game to-day consisted of an elk and two beaver. May loth. The rain which commenced last evening con- tinued with little intermission till eleven this morning, when the high wind which accompanied it having abated, we set out. More rain has now fallen than we have had since the ist of September last, and many circumstances indicate our approach to a climate differing considerably from that of the country through which we have been pass- ing. The air of the open country is astonishingly dry and pure. Observing that the case of our sextant, though per- fectly seasoned, shrank and the joints opened, we tried several experiments, by which it appeared that a table- spoonful of water, exposed in a saucer to the air, would evaporate in 36 hours, when the mercury did not stand higher than the temperate point [55* F.] at the greatest heat of the day. The river, notwithstanding the rain, is much clearer than it was a few days past ; but we advance with great labor and difficulty, the rapid current, the ripples, and rocky points rendering navigation more embarrassing than even that of yesterday ; in addition to which, the banks are so slippery after the rain, that the men who draw the canoes can scarcely walk, and the earth and stone, constantly falling down the high blufTs, make it dangerous to pass under them ; still, however, we are obliged to make use of the cord, as the wind is strong ahead, the current too rapid for oars, and too deep for the (/. 2jf) pole. In this way maps. The Big Horn of Clark's map remains unaccounted for ; there is no sign of it in car text, and the only river called Big Horn in Lewis E is Judith's river, as we have seen. Here, however, I accept the usual identification. A LARGE BAND OF INDIANS AHEAD. 337 no we passed, at a distance of 5>^ miles, a small rivulet in a bend on the north ; two miles further, an island on the same side ; half a mile beyond which we came to a grove of trees, at the entrance of a run in abend to the south, and camped for the night on the northern shore. The eight miles which we made to-day cost us much trouble. The air was cold and rendered more disagreeable by the rain, which fell in several slight showers in the course of the day; our cords broke several times, but fortunately without injury to the boats. On ascending the hills near the river, one of the party found that there was snow mixed with the rain on ti.e heights. A little back of these the country becomes per- fectly level on both sides of the river. There is now no timber on the hills, and only a few scattering cottonwood, ash, box-elder, and willows along the water. In the course of the day we passed several camps of Indians, the most recent of which seemed to have been evacuated about five weeks since. From the several apparent dates we supposed that they were made by a band of about loo lodges, who were traveling slowly up the river. Although no parts of the Missouri, from the [village of the] Minnetarees to this place, exhibit signs of permanent settlements, yet none seem exempt from the transient visits of hunting-parties. We know that the Minnetarees of the Missouri extend their excursions on the south side of the river as high as the Yellowstone ; and the Assiniboins visit the northern side, most probably as high as Porcupine [Poplar] river. Ail the lodges between that place and the Rocky mountains we supposed to belong to the Minnetarees of Fort de Prai- rie, who live on the south fork of the Saskaskawan. May list. We proceeded in the two periogues, leaving the canoes to bring on the meat of two buffaloes killed last evening. Soon after we set off it began to rain ; and though it ceased at noon, the weather continued cloudy during the rest of the day. The obstructions of yesterday continue, and fatigue the men excessively. The banks are so slip- urn I '■MI '.I H : \ 'iL I 338 THE NATURAL STONE WALLS. pery {p. 2j8) in some places, and the mud is so adliesive, that they are unable to wear their moccasins; one-fourth of the time they are obliged to be up to their armpits in the cold water, and sometimes they walk for several yards over the sliarp fragments of rocks which have luUen from the hills. All this, added to the burden of dragging the heavy canoes, is very painful ; yet the men bear it with great patience and good humor. Once the rope of one of the periogues, the only one we had made of hemp, broke short, and the peri- ogue s\vu"g and just touched a point of rock, which almost overset her. At nine miles we came to a high wall" of black rock rising from the water's edge on the south, above the clifTs of the river; this continued about a quarter of a mile, and was succeeded by a high open plain, till three miles further a second wall, 200 feet high, rose on the same side. Three miles further a wall of the same kind, about 200 feet high and twelve in thickness, appeared to the north. These hills and river-cliffs exhibit a most extraordinary and romantic appearance. They rise in most places nearly perpendicular from the water, to the height of between 200 and 300 feet, and are formed of very white sandstone, so soft as to yield readily to the impression of water, in the upper part of which lie imbedded two or three thin hori- zontal stratrt of white freestone, insensible to the rain ; on the top is a dark rich loam, which forms a gradually ascend- ing plain, from a mile to a mile and a half in extent, when the hills again rise abruptly to the height of about 300 feet *' The cafton formation about to be described is called in the Summary State- ment the Natural Walls, and is charted by Clark as the Stone Walls. I cannot understand the position assigned to Slaughter river on his map, where it is brought in opposite the upper end of the Stone Walls. I suspect that Slaughter river of the map is net the Slaughter river of the text, and that the latter is the Wig Horn river of the map. Several special configurations of this cai^on have received late names, as Hole in the Wall, Cathedral Rock, and Citadel Rock. Clark's map charts a certain "Crevice Cr." from the south or west, between Slaughter and Stone Wall river ; but the text does not notice any such stream. See last and next notes. ARCHITECTURAL EFFECTS OF THIS CA550N. 339 more. In trickling down the cliffs, the water has worn the soft sandstone into a thousand grotesque figures, among which, with a little fancy, may be discerned elegant ranges of freestone buildings, with columns variously sculptured, and supporting long and elegant galleries, while the para- pets are adorned with statuary. On a nearer approach they represent every form of elegant ruins — columns, some with pedestals and capitals entire, others mutilated and pros- trate, and some rising pyramidally over each (/. 2jg) other till they terminate in a sharp point. These are varied by niches, alcoves, and the customary appearances of desolated magnificence. The illusion is increased by the number of martins {Petrochelidon lunifrotts, the cliff-swallow], which have built their globular nests in the niches, and hover over these columns, as in our country they are accustomed to frequent large stone structures. As we advance there seems no end to the visionary enchantment which surrounds us. In the midst of this fantastic scenery are vast ranges of walls, which seem the productions of art, so regular is the workmanship. They rise perpendicularly from the river, sometimes to the height of loo feet, varying in thickness from one to twelve feet, being as broad at the top as below. The stones of which they are formed are black, thick, durable, and composed of a large portion of earth, inter- mixed and cemented with a small quantity of sand, and a considerable proportion of talk [talc] or quartz. These stones are almost invariably regular parallelepipeds of unequal sizes in the wall, but equally deep and laid regu- larly in ranges over each other like bricks, each breaking and covering the interstice of the two on which it rests ; but though the perpendicular interstice be destroyed, the horizontal one extends entirely through the whole work. The stones are proportioned to the thickness of the wall in which they are employed, being largest in the thickest walls. The thinner walls are composed of a single depth of the parallelepiped, while the thicker ones consist of two or more depths. These walls pass the river at several places, 'i\ i "ii h J- 1 H 340 END OF THE CANON FORMATION. Ill I rising from the water's edge much above the sandstone bluffs, which they seem to penetrate ; thence they cross, in a straight line on either side of the river, the plains over which they tower to the height of from 10 to 70 feet, until they lose themselves in the second range of hills. Sometimes they run parallel in several ranges near each other, sometimes intersect each other at right angles, and have the appearance of walls of ancient houses or garc' ns. (/. 2^0) The face of some of these river-hills is composed of very excellent freestone, of a light yellowish-brown color. Among the cliiTs we found a species of pine which we had not yet seen, differing from the Virginia pitch pine in having a shorter leaf, and a longer and more pointed cone. The coal appears only in small quantities, as do the burnt earth and pumice-stone ; the mineral salts have abated. Among the animals are a great number of big- horn, a few buffalo and elk, and some mule-deer, but none of the common deer nor any antelopes. We saw, but could not procure, a beautiful [cross-] fox, of a color varied with orange, yellow, white, and black, rather smaller than the common fox of this country, and about the same size as the red fox of the United States. The river to-day has been from about 150 to 250 yards wide, with but little timber. At the distance oi 2Y2 miles from the last stone wall is a stream " on the north side, 28 yards in width, and with some running water. We camped just above its mouth, having made 18 miles. Saturday, June u/, 1805. The weather was cloudy with a few drops of rain. As we proceeded, by the aid of our cord, we found the river-cliffs and bluffs not so high as yesterday, and the country more level. The timber is in greater abundance on the river, though there is no wood ** Not named in the text or codex ; but in the Summary Statement given as " Stonewall creek, above the Natural Walls," 26 miles from Slaughter creek, and charted by Clark as " Stone Wall Cr." See next date. This stream will be found as Key or Key's creek on some maps, and as Eagle creek on better ones. i^ I ^^jS BEAR'S PAW MOUNTAINS IN VIEW 3^, -ater still clearer anTrocty 0!^'^ T'' ^"'^'^' »^« we met yesterday, thou^ tho- ^'".- " ^'''" *''«" -e- equally diffi^JuIt o pa 's G \"l "' ^"''^""*^'- such plenty as below • aH tW T '' ^^ "° '"^^"s '" ''orn and a mule-Ze'r h k""^ °^'^'"^^ ^^"-^ °^'e big. ^-ntity of bu^alo'^:;,,;'^^^ T "^^ '" '' " P'^'^ ' eight miles from th;nvI;of/u^ ""'" '""^^ ^*-^^t the wind was ahead TdT'eT\ ^^^^'thstanding the distance of 23 miles A. A^^'"^ '^'^ ^^"°« along to a small island, opposite a bend^/f,' '^- ^ '"''"' '''' "'"^ -t 2>i miles, to the upper pont o ''"f.'' '° ^'^^ "^^^'^ '• north ; at five miles to annfh • , ^ ""^" '^^^"^ °" the and opposite a bluff In 7h. ' '"'' °" ^''^ «°"th side an island on the south a secon^K''' '""^ '"'"'"' ^'^ P^^^^d and reached near a hil bluf^^ onTr' '' °" ^''^ "-^''. which we camped " ^ °" ^'^^ ""''th a third, on pear, both of which ar^ now ! K,' t '""'" ""^ P'-'^'^'>' the river-hills, which are "ow" than'u T *'^ ""^^ °^ delightful view of the rich Tertilenl ""'' ^" ^"^^^^^^ a many places extending from 'then ^ rL"' °" ^""'^ ''^'^' ^^ back. In these plains uHee^ "'"' '° " ^'"^^^ distance pure sand, which rrdrivenl"""'/^' '^^^^ ^^"'^"^ ^^^ west winds and there deposi ed TheT"" '^ '''' ^^^h- some distance from the river 'fh ^ ^'"' ^''""^''^ ^^^"-t'le the surface of the earth is verv .. T' ''' ''^"^^' ^^'^ere pebbles, which appear to be '^ "^ "'""'""'^ "'^'^ ^'"^" S"dy. N.. 8« „,;fc, .,,„,„ cii.ll 1°"!. , ""' "»»•''« l»i»S 11.0 I ilifc P"..J .o.d.y, «ve ,„i,„ Wo. X!'*''' »" " '»'" M"'.-. .■-I TO "I: M» hic;hw()()I) mountains in vikw. ^ I eight or ten miles, bearing north from our camp of last even- ing ; and this morning a range of high mountains [High- wood] bearing S.VV. from us, and apparently running to the westward, is seen at a great distance, covered with snow. In the evening we had a little more rain. yniii' 2d. Tlie wind blew violently last night and a slight shower of rain fell, but this morning was fair. We set out at an early hour, and although the wind was ahead, by means of the cord went on much better than for the last two days, as the banks were well calculated for towing. The current of the river is strong, but regular ; its timber increases in quantity, the low grounds become more level and extensive, and the bluffs on the river are lower than usual. In the course of the day we had a small shower of rain, which lasted (/. .?^.?) a few minutes only. As game is veryabundant, we think it necessary to begin a collection of hides, for the purpose of making a leathern boat, which we intend constructing shortly. The hunters, who were oi't the greater part of the day, brought in six elk, two buffalo, two mule-deer, and a bear. This last animal nearly cost us the lives of two of our hunters, who were together when he attacked them ; one of them narrowly escaped being caught ; the other, after running a consider- able distance, concealed himself in some thick bushes, and while the bear was in quick pursuit of his hiding-place, his companion came up, and fortunately shot the animal through the head. At 6^ miles we reached an island on the northern side ; I % miles thence is a timbered low ground on the south ; in the next 2^ miles we passed three small islands, and came to a dark bluff on the south ; within the following mile are two small islands on the same side. At 3^ miles we reached the lower part of a much larger island near a northern point ; as \. 24J) mountains or beyond them, we should find that the river we were following did not come near the Columbia, and be obliged to return, we should not only lose the traveling season, two months of which have already elapsed, but prob- ably dishearten the men so much as to induce them either to abandon the enterprise, or yield us a cold obedience, instead of the warm and zealous support which they have hitherto afforded us. We determined, therefore, to examine well before we decided on our future course. For this pur- jiose wc dispatched two canoes with three men up each of the streams, with orders to ascertain the width, depth, and rapidity of the current, so as to judge of their comparative bodies of water. At the same time parties were sent out by land to penetrate the country," and discover from the "•" The commanding officers could not determine which of these rivers or branches, it was proper to take; and therefore concluded to send a small party up each of them. Myself and two men went up the South branch, and a Ser- jeant and two more up the North. The parties went up the two branches about 15 miles. We found the South branch rapid with a great ni.iny inlands and the general course South West. The other party reported the North branch as less rapid and not so deep as the other. The North branch is 186 yards wide and the South 372 yards. The water of the South branch is clear, and that of the North muddy. About a mile and a half up the point from the confluence, a handsome little river falls into the North branch, called Rose [or Tansy] river." Gass, p. 94, June 3d. So it seems that Gass and his two men were the first to ascend the Missouri above the mouth of Maria's river. 344 MOUNTAIN RANGES IN rROSI'ECT. * t < 1i h t i rising grounds, if possible, the distant bearings of the two rivers; and all were directed to return toward evening. While they were gone we ascended together the high grounds in the fork of these two rivers, whence we had a very extensive prospect of the surrounding country. On every side it was spread into one vast plain, covered with verdure, in which innumerable herds of buffalo were roaming, attended by their enemies the wolves ; some flocks of elk also were seen, and the solitary antelopes were scattered with their young over the face of the plain. To the south was a range of lofty [up to about 6,000 feet ; Highwood | mountains, which we supposed to be a continuation of the South [/". <•., JudithJ mountain, stretching from S.E. to N.W., and termi- nating abruptly about S.W. from us. These were partially covered with snow ; but at a great distance behind them was a more lofty ridge [Little Belt mountains], completely covered with snow, which seemed to follow the same direction as the first, reaching from W. to N. of N.W., where their snowy tops were blended with the horizon. The direction of the rivers could not, however, be long distinguished, as they were soon lost in the extent of the plain. On our return we continued our examination ; the width of the north branch [/.<•., Maria's river] is [p. 244) 200 yards, that of the south is 372. The north, although narrower and with a gentler current, is deeper than the south branch ; its waters are of the same whitish- brown color, thickness, and turbidncss, and run in the same boiling and rolling manner which has uniformly character- ized the Missouri; its bed is composed of some gravel, but principally mud. The south fork [/. <•., the Missouri itself] is deeper, but its waters are perfectly transparent ; its current is rapid, but the surface smooth and unruffled ; and its bed is composed of round and flat smooth stones, like those of rivers issuing from a mountainous country. The air and character of the north fork so much resemble those of the Missouri that almost all the party believe that to be the true course to be pursued. We, however, though we have given no decided opinion, are inclined to think :. {^ TIIK OUKSTION OK THE TWO FORKS. 345 otherwise ; because, although this branch does give the color and character to the Missouri, yet these very circumstances induce an opinion that it rises in and runs through an open plain country, since if it came from the mountains it would be clearer — unless, which from the position of the country is improbable, it passed through a vast extent of low ground after leaving them. We thought it probable that it did not even penetrate the Rocky mountains, but drew its sources from the open country toward the lower and middle parts of the Saskaskawan, in a direction north of this place " What embarrasses us most is that the Indians, who appeared to be well acquainted with the geography of the country, have not mentioned this northern river ; for " the river which scolds at all others," as it is termed,'" must be, according to their account, one of the rivers which we have passed ; and if this north fork be the Missouri, why have they not designated the south branch, which they must also have passed in order to reach the great falls which they mention on the Missouri? In the evening our parties returned, after ascending the rivers in canoes for some distance and then continuing on foot, just leaving themselves time to return by(/>. ^^5) night. The north fork was less rapid, and therefore afforded the easiest navigation ; the shallowest water of the north was five feet deep, that of the south six feet. At 3>^ miles up the north fork is a small river [TetonJ coming in on the left or western side, 60 feet wide, with a bold current three feet ^t n jit Id ^f '■' Hut Maria's river docs head in the main divide of the Rocky mountains ; some of its sources are due west of its mouth ; and all the sources of Milk river intervene between any heads of Maria's and the Saskatchewan rivers. We must remember that the explorers were necessarily ignorant of the very great extent of the Milk river region. Mari.i's rises in the Rocky mountains about 48'^ 30', and runs in a very winding course, though with a general direction little S. of V,., its mouth being but little below 48". The Great Northern Railway now follows it uj) to Maria's Pass. '" Translation of an Indian name, given as " Ah-mah-tah-ru-spush-sher," Clark C 249, and supposed to be Milk river, not Maria's, Lewis' map of 1806 (made by Clark) lays down a course, lettered " The Indi.ins call this the River which scolds at all other Rivers," which is not far out for Milk river ; and nothing' appears there to answer to Maria's. 346 HOTll FORKS MUST BE KXI'l.OREl). in depth. The party by land had (rone up the south fork in a straight line somewhat north of west for seven miles, where they discovered that this little river (Teton] came within Kxi yards'" ot t!v "^outh fork ; and on returnin^i down it, found it a handsome stream, with as much timber as either of the lary;er rivers, consisting of the narrow and wide-leaved Cottonwood, some birch and box-elder, with an undergrowth of willows, rosebushes, and currants. They also saw on this river a great number of elk, and some beaver. All these accounts were, however, very far from deciding the important question of our future route. We therefore determined, each of us, to ascend one of the rivers during a day and a half's march, or further, if necessary for our sat- isfaction. Our hunters killed two buffalo, si.\ elk, and four deer to-day. Along the plains near the junction are to be found the prickly pear in great quantities; the choke- cherry is also very abundant in the river low grounds, as well as in the ravines along the river-bluffs ; the yellow and red currants are not yet ripe; the gooseberry is begin- ning to ripen, and the wild rose, which now covers all the low grounds near the rivers, is in full bloom. The fatigues of the last few days have occasioned some falling off in the appearance of the men ; who, not having been able to wear moccasins, have had their feet much bruised and mangled in passing over the stones and rough ground. They are, how- ever, perfectly cheerful, and have an undiminished ardor for the Expedition. June iftJi. At the same hour this morning. Captain Lewis and Captain Clark set out to explore the two rivers. Captain Lewis, with six men [Sergeant Pryor, Privates Drewyer, Shields, Windsor, Cruzatte, Lepage], crossed the north fork {p. 2^6) near the camp, below a small island, from which he took a course N. 30" W. for 4>^ miles, to a com- manding eminence. Here he observed that the North moun- " Cracon clu Nez is what this narrow isthmus used to be called. It is given by Governor Stevens as being in 1855 of the same width that is stated in the text (P. R. R. Rep. XII. pt. ii., p. 222, i860). THE NORTH FORK— UARN MOUNTAIN. 347 xt tain, changiii^j its direction parallel to the Missouri, turned toward tlie north, and terminated abruptly at the distance of about 30 miles, the point of termination [north end of Bear's Paw mountains'"] bearinjj N. 48^ E. The South mountain diverges to the south, and terminates abruptly, its extremity bearinjj S. 8'^ VV., distant about 20 miles ; to the ri^jht of and retreating from this extremity is a separate mountain, at the distance of 35 miles, in a direction S. 38° VV., which, from its resemblance to the roof of a barn, he called Harn moun- tain. The north fork, which is now on the [his| left, makes a considerable bend to the N.W., and on its western border a range of hills [Bee d'OutardJ, about ten miles long, bearing from this spot N. 60° VV., runs parallel with it. North of this range of hills is an elevated point of the river- bluff on its south side, bearing N. 72° VV., about twelve miles from us. Toward this he directed his course across a high, level, dry, open plain, which in fact embraces the whole country to the foot of the mountains. The soil is dark, rich, anu fertile; yet the grass is by no means so luxuriant as might have been expected, for it is short and scarcely more than sufficient to cover the ground. Thero are vast quantities of prickly-pears, and myriads of gra«shoppers \Caloptenus spretHs\ which afford food for a species of curlew \^Numc- nins longirostris\, which is in great numbers in the plain. He then proceeded up the river to the point of observation they had fixed on ; from which he went two miles N. 15° VV., to a bluff point on the north side of the river; thence his course was N. 30° VV. for two miles, to the entrance of a large creek" on the south. The part of the river along which ** Hearing in mind Captain Lewis' present point of view, we see that IJcar's I'aw and the Little Rockies, with the two Medicine Buttes between tliem (these being collectively his " North " mountain), are in line, so that they seem to end as said. Similarly, his " .South" mountain, otherwise Judith's, is, witli tlie two Moccasin Huttes, in line of vision with Mighwoo wird hfdilT.''' ";"" P"^'''^''^ "" ">«e t»vo hills, and after. . a w«e™ c'rsr""" "^ ""'"■ ""■=" "^ ^^ain changed In mki ," ■ """'' ° ''"■P '"•"i "long the south s.de l^^^^^rT'?'" ""■ I''"'-' "^ '-"" them te "ftff: r: d ti T ,::' ^■^"'■""' "•■•'■ s^-. quantities sected „e.;r the rr.r h , ^ ' ''■ ""'' '""^°P':<'- ""d "'ter. " An obscure sentence. Lewis E ji hn^ •• ir ■ •which I c.„e.. Lark C.) the river iLt'f ".j Z;™ f :"'^^"- "^"^ ''^^' of this creek the l.h.ffs were verv u . . , ^ ^ ■* '"' "^^ "'^ entrance Stard. side that we as." led ,L -" •^P>"'-''cd the river so near on the ex.ren,ity of this cours^w r ' j tr '"^^^^^ "^^ ''"'"'^ ^ -^^ "- The creek was calle.i Lark f r . 1. ^T'' '"'"'"' "'"^ '"'•" ' " ^ '«''*• " carcf..,y descHl.es E,^%J;"^ : ^ ^I'^"- "<, ^ ^-1' "ir ■. > Lewis l'ree.hng .season, tocether with .1, T , ' •^'""""''" '" '^^ '■'•"'•^ '^ 'he P1.^57,-S8S. L.„is- U,k ..,1. ,. ,k. Ifci :t;;" "^ ^•■- '■ -I"''' ■';*. •An unfortunate discrepancy here Lewi F single mountain which appeared to he i, . ,r\'*l ' "' ''■=*'-""^'^re'l » lofty miles, it boar X. „« W fro n i,l '^ '''''""""• '^"''•'»>"* ^^" "^ ""t.re M.re is a .lifferenC ^ J^l^ Z:" Tu ' ""^'' " '••"" •^'-"'-"■•• from proper .lata : so that Fow noun.r 'V'" '"^' ''"' ''^^■" -"--• son,ewhat famous Thre l,tte i " " '^ -other th.an the main peak of the of 49° N. across their nt.r, n f oot h, ; ^T. H ^ " ' "''" "" '"^ '""^ '''''•^"^•' "ould appear as one mount.aiP "'"'' ^'°"' ^''''''' P"'"' '^f view the species w.as not the P . SL b tir: '' ""' f ''"^ •''"""'^'- ">-^' rivers. See .Mien, .Mono.r v fT; ^^^ ^^*'''°" "^ '^e .Milk .and .M..ria's Ifi] : I 350 THE THREE BUTTES OR SWEET-GRASS HILLS. passed a skirt of their territory for seven miles. He also saw near the hills a flock of the mountain-cock, or a large species of the heath-hen, with a long pointed tail, which the Indians below had informed us were common among the Rocky mountains. Having finished his course of ten miles west across a bend, he continued two miles N. 80* W., and from that point discovered some lofty mountains " to the N.W. of Tower mountain, bearing N. 65" W., at 80 or 100 miles' dis- tance. Here he camped on the north side in a handsome low ground, on which were several old stick-lodges. He had seen but little timber on the river in the forepart of the day, but here there is a greater quantity than usual. The river itself is about 80 yards wide, from six to ten feet deep, and has a strong, steady current. The party killed five elk and a mule-deer; and by way of experiment roasted some burrow- ing-squirrels, which they found to be well-flavored and tender. June 6th. Captain Lewis was now [rightly"] convinced that this river pursued a direction too far north for our route to the Pacific, and therefore resolved to return; but waited till noon to take a meridian altitude. The clouds, however, which had gathered during the latter part of the night, continued and prevented the observation. Part of the men were sent forward to a commanding eminence, six miles S. 70" W., from which they saw, at the distance of about 15 miles S. 80*' W., a point of the south bluff of the river, which I Ml' I ■'irfit Amer. Nat. IX. 1875, p. 148 seq. It was unknown to science till 1822. The bird Lewis here mentions is the sage-grouse, Ceniroctreus urophatianus . " These are the other two of the Three Buttes or Sweet-grass hills, now separable by the eye from that one (Tower mountain) which had before intercepted the view of them. See text of July igth, 1806. ** That is to say, if the Expedition was to explore the Missouri to its source. To have followed up Maria's river and crossed the Continental Divide at Maria's Pass, would have been to discover the present route of the Great Northern Railway, north of Flathead and Pend d'Oreille lakes, over to Clark's fork of the Columbia. But the glory of the Great Falls^of Smith's, Dearborn's, Gallatin's Madison's, Jefferson's rivers^-of nearly the whole Missouri above steamboat navigation — would not then have been Lewis and Clark's. This was worth striv- ing for, even though it finally brought them to the worst possible point whence to reach the Columbia. > I CAPTAIN LEWIS' NARROW ESCAPE. 351 thence bore northwardly. In their absence two rafts had (/. 24.9 ) been prepared, and when they returned, about noon, the party embarked. But they soon found that the rafts were so small and slender that the baggage was wet ; there- fore it was necessary to abandon them and go by land. They therefore crossed the plains, and at the distance of twelve miles came to the river, through a cold storm from the northeast, accompanied by showers of rain. The abrupt- ness of the cliffs compelled them, after going a few miles, to leave the river and meet the storm in the plains. Here they directed their course too far northward, in consequence of which they did not stuke the river till late at night, after having traveled 23 miles since noon, and halted at a little below the entrance of Lark creek. They had the good fortune to kill two buffalo, which supplied them with supper ; but spent a very uncomfortable night without any shelter from the rain, which continued till morning, Friday, June jth, when at an early hour they continued down the river. The route was extremely unpleasant, as the wind was high from the N.E., accompanied with rain, which made the ground so slippery that they were unable to walk over the bluffs which they had passed on ascend- ing the river. The land is the most thirsty we have ever seen ; notwithstanding all the rain which has fallen, the earth is not wet for more than two inches deep, and resembles thawed ground ; but if it requires more water to saturate it than the common soils, on the other hand, it yields its moisture with equal difficulty. In passing along the side of one of these bluffs, at a narrow pass 30 yards in length, Captain Lewis slipped, and but for a fortunate recovery by means of his espontoon, would have been precipitated into the river over a precipice of about 90 feet. He had just reached a spot where by the assistance of his espontoon he could stand with tolerable safety, when he heard a voice behind him cry out, " Good God! Captain, what shall I do?" He turned instantly and found it was Windsor, who had lost his foothold about 352 PRIVATE WINDSOR'S IMMANENT PERIL. the middle (/. 2^0) of the narrow pass, and had slipped down to the very verge of the precipice, where he lay on his belly, with his right arm and leg over the precipice, while with the other leg and arm he was with difficulty holding on, to keep himself from being dashed to pieces below. His dreadful situation was instantly perceived by Captain Lewis, who, stifling his alarm, calmly told him that he was in no danger ; that he should take his knife out of his belt with his right hand, and dig a hole in the side of the bluf? to receive his right foot. With great presence of mind he did this, and then raised himself on his knees. Captain Lewis then told him to take off his moccasins and come forward on his hands and knees, holding the knife in one hand and his rifle in the other. He immediately crawled in this way till he came to a secure spot. The men who had not attempted this passage were ordered to return and wade the river at the foot of the bluff, where they found the water breast-high. This adventure taught them the danger of crossing the slippery heights of the river ; but as the plains were intersected by deep ravines, almost as difficult to pass, they continued down the river, sometimes in the mud of the low grounds, sometimes up to their arms in the water ; and when it became too deep to wade, they cut footholds with their knives in the sides of the banks. In this way they traveled through the rain, mud, and water, and having made only 18 miles during the whole day, camped in an old Indian lodge of sticks, which afforded them a dry shelter. Here they cooked part of six deer they had killed in the course of their walk, and having eaten the only morsel they had tasted during the whole day, slept comfortably on some willow-boughs. END OF VOL. I. aped y on pice, ;ulty eces I by that t of side :nce ees. and nife tely The 1 to lere gilt the ties, i^er, up too the jgh iles dge ley of lad me /,fi /.I •,^^ ■fy M ^ \. Vli ■>''-'wi;2. ^JV^*^. »o' .cW**, a\aoW^ JCO **^^ WohrtV" (f('fl J.K9 ■)tf>«^ ' Chills "*"»,< Sfutt. iaaakio"' ^ J"-' '""i ;/'»• i^V* 3' WllfrfS ^'nuMr/"*!: \ <>^' .^ <^ *'*««», »'*«» '&'/*..■. Chxo'l'TO"'' 1^'" ■?/ 1 V 1- V ..-A,^ >l^ ■•^^^ • *•">" J,. ?,".i ""atoof fl», ^ -^ \ It .»^vr< *alrM ^/ -io' ^ > ''*<. "^ A LEWIS AND CLARKS Tl^ACK , (^^tL.4crofs the Western Portion of' ' fVom the ^-^ MISSISSIPPI TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN; By On/eroftbeE^vecuhve ' of the v4l % >%. «u f\ f'off-r /l ^'o (te\sSi, Clenealmi wi ;Jf ^# in I«()4.5:,"/ '•*« 7 ;»)'//■'.< i^rrjuK M uTiST r/iOM :*S h.i vi//.\i,r' i!\- i it> ^' .«^^ ^ fH)ir/?' /v.- a7 -^C \_ r*^ " ( ^*' .s «■ i. ^■^o' i.■^<^ •^•^ ■i> ...-•'V 15 li ,y . f *"-ufi ?.:»,- ^t£\ m Uf iff'. ^/ f -Li J' ^. V '% ^' y »•.("' h-'"/ <■ .-"V u„rM ^^r ao/i> I / «A A'. rW'"' r,^r t tif/tinn ^detxv o ,^*£:;;^;^^H/' -fJilr/^rymjSoe^ ±. 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