June 20, 1804
26.24% Complete
Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

June 20, 1804

 

June 20th Wednesday 1804    Set out after a heavy Showr of rain and proceeded on the Same Course of yesterday S. 83° W. 3 ms.    passed Some Sand Isds. in the bend to L. S.    bad water    a large creek on the S. S. called Tiger Creek, [1] a willow and a large Isd. [2] above S. S.,

S 42° W. 1 m alg L. S.    wind S. W. hard, Some high land on L. S.
S. 46° W 2 ms. to P: L. S. psd. the head of the Isd.
S. 50° W, 1 ½ me. pt. L. S. opsd. an Isd. and large Butifull Prarie called
Sauke Prarie, pass hard water, Saw Pilicans on a Sand bar
S. 70 W   along L. S.    passd. Isd. ¾ Me. Swift water, one remark-
able circumstance in the water of this River is a free use of it
will create prespreation, the Swet run off our men in a
Stream when th[ey] row hard, York verry near loseing his
Eyes by one of the men throwing Sand at him in fun &
recved into his eyes—    passed Some bad water.
S. 25° W 1 ½ me. pt. on the S. Side, we came to at ½ a me. on the lower
point of a Willow Isd S. S. in View of a Sand bar on both
sides of the Isd. over which the water riffleed and roered
like a great fall, We took Some Luner observations of the
moon & Stars    Set up untill one oClock    the Musquetors
verry troublesome    our flank Guard or Hunters [Shields
and Collins] have not been with us for two nights, We saw
them to day at the Mouth of the Tiger R, the lands on the
L S. is very fine & well timbered near the river and appears
equally good on the other side but not so high [3]
 

Set out after a heavy Shower of rain and proceeded on the Same Course of last night    passed a large butifull Prarie on the S. S. opposit a large Island, Calld Saukee Prarie, a gentle breese from the S. W. Some butiful high lands on the L. S.    passed Som verry Swift water to day, I saw Pelicans to day on a Sand bar, my servant York nearly loseing an eye by a man throwing Sand into it, we came too at the lower Point of a Small Island, [4] the party on Shore we have not Seen Since we passed Tiger R—    The Land appeard verry good in each Side of the River to day and well timbered, we took Some Loner [lunar] observations, which detained us untill 1 oClock    a butifull night but the air exceedingly Damp, & the mosquiters verry troublesom

Course and Deistances June 20th
S. 42° W. 1 me. along L. S.
S. 46° W 2 me. to pt. S. S.    psd. an Isd.
S. 51° W 1 ½ ms. to pt. L. S. opsd. Isd & Sauckee Prairie on S. S.
S. 70° W ¾ me. along L. S.    water bad
S. 25° W 1 ½ ms. to a pt. S. S.    psd. Isd & bad Sand
  6 ¾  
 

On a small Island about one mile & ¾ below Euebaux's Creek .—    Observed time and distance of ☽ from Spica ♍ ★ West.—

  Time     Distance    
  h m s      
P. M. 10 59 40.3 46° 17' 25"

This is the mean of a set of six observations.

Magnetic azimuth of Pole star by Circumferenter well adjusted with spert. levl. [spirit level] N. 7° 55 W

    h m s
Time by Chronometer P.M. 12 49 46.6

T[h]is is the mean of a set of six observations suffering several minutes to elaps between each.—

 

Wednesday June 20th 1804, we Set out at 5 oC and after some rain    passed Tiger Creek [6] on the N. Side    passed Some high land on the South Side.    we passed a large Beutiful prarie called Sauke prarie, we had verry hard water all this day.    we passed Some high land on the South Side, Saw Some Crabb apple Trees [7] on the bank &C. [8]

 

Wensday June 20th 1804    Set out 〈as yousel late〉    Clouday day Rain, Srong 〈late〉 water    past Several Isd. Came 12 miles    ouer Hunters Did not Return Last night    encamped on an Isd in the middel of the River

 

Wednesday 20th.    At five in the morning we continued our voyage, passed Tiger creek, a large creek that flows in from the north, and encamped on an island. The land along here is good on both sides of the river.

 

Wendy 20th    Rain came on as we was a goeing to start in the morning    Shortly after Got fair    the hunters [9] Came to the bank of the River.    the[y] Killd. a bear brought the Skin    left the Meat as it was poor    the Currant was Strong    towd Our boat Untill we Came to the head of the Strong watter Island whare the watter run So Rappid that the men of the french Peirouge Could not make headway by Roeing Or poleing    the[y] had to jumpd. out and push her through the water    Incampd On the point of and Islanand Calld. Strong water point    Roed. 12 Miles

Wednesday June 20th    This morning as we were preparing to start a Rain came on which detained us, for some time, in about an hour the weather got clear, and our hunters who had crossed the River, early this morning came to the opposite bank of the River having killed a bear, but it proving very poor they brought only the Skin with them, the Meat being unfit for use, we started having our boat to tow, the current of the River being so strong that we found it impossible either to Row or pole her.    We proceeded on 'till we came to the head of strong Water Island, where the River ran so strong, that the Canadians who were in a Pettiauger could make no headway either by Rowing or poling, but were forced to jump into the River and push her through the water, We encamped on the point of an Island called strong Water point.    We towed our boat 12 Miles this day.

1. Apparently Crooked River, in Ray County, Missouri. In Codex A Clark indicates that they passed this stream on June 19, though it is not in his courses and distances for that day. Gass and Ordway both say the expedition passed Tiger River on the twentieth, while Biddle's History places the event on the nineteenth, presumably following Codex A. Evidently the June 19 camp was near the mouth of that stream on the opposite side, either above or below, wherever the mouth was in 1804. MRC map 12, made about 1890, shows what may be an old channel of Crooked River, but the two mouths were not far apart. It seems most probable that they camped on the nineteenth just beyond Sheep Nose Point, with the mouth of Crooked River in sight, and passed the stream early the next morning. Coues (HLC), 1:27–28 and nn. 60, 61; Osgood (FN), 59 n. 8. (back)
2. Clark interlined "and a large Isd." and indicated its insertion here. Obviously they passed a willow island and a large island, the latter perhaps the later Lexington Island. Osgood (FN), 234; MRC map 12. (back)
3. Some figures written diagonally at the bottom of this entry appear to be "270 W." (back)
4. Perhaps later Wolf Island, a few miles below present Wellington, Lafayette County, Missouri. MRC map 13. (back)
5. Lewis's observation from Codex O. The creek is apparently present Sniabar River, near Wellington, Lafayette County, Missouri. See entry for June 21. (back)
6. Apparently Crooked River, Ray County, Missouri. Clark indicates that the party passed this stream on June 19; see his entry for this day for a discussion of this matter. (back)
7. Mentioned only by Ordway this day, it is probably wild crab, Pyrus ioensis (Wood) Bailey. (back)
8. The camp was apparently on Wolf Island, below Wellington, Lafayette County, Missouri. (back)
9. Apparently John Shields and John Collins, but Clark says only that they had not joined the party for two nights and were spotted on shore. Nobody else mentions these hunters on this date. (back)