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Lewis & Clark Expedition

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June 21, 1804
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June 21, 1804

[Clark]

 

21 June Thursday 1804    river raised 3 Inches last night    after our bow man Peter Crousat a half Mahar Indian examined round this Small Isd. for the best water, we Set out determined to assd. [ascend] on the North Side, and Sometimes rowing Poleing & Drawing up with a Strong Rope we assended without wheeling or receving any damige more than breakeing one of my S. [starboard?] Windows, and looseing Some oars which were Swong under the windows

The Course of last night [1]
S. 25 W 1 me. psd. the lower point of a large Island on the L. S.
behind which is two Creeks    this Isd & Creeks are
Called Eue-beux after a french man, The water we
Drink, or the Common water of the missourie at this
time, contains half a Comn Wine Glass of ooze or
mud to every pint—
S. 77° W, 2 ½ mes. alg: S. S.    psd. the hd of the Isd. & Small one
in midl.
N. 30° East 1 ½ ms. psd. a Counter Current on the L. S.    Pass Lower
pt. of a Isd. Close on the L. S.
North alg. L. S. 1 me. Some wind from the S. S. E at 3 oClock [2]
N. 18° W   ½ me. L S.
N. 84° W   ½ me
S 80° W   ¾ me. along L. S.    passed Several Small willow Isds. on
L. S.    High Land on the 〈L〉 S. S
S. 35° W.   ¾ me. alg L. S, pass 2 Isd. Small on the right.
S. 14° W 2 ms. to pt. S. S. Came to at the last mentioned point

Two me[n] Sent out to hunt this afternoon Came in with a Deer, [3] at Sun Set The ellement had every appearance of wind, The hunters inform me that the high Countrey on the S. S. is of a good quallity, and well timbd. The High lands on the L. Side is equally good    The bottom land on this river is alike, 1st low and covd. with Cotton wood & willows Subject to over flow    the 2nd is higher groth Cotton Walnut ash Mulberry Linn [linden] & Sycomore [4]

[Clark]

21 St June Thursday
 

The river rose 3 Inches last night    after the Bows man Peter Crousat viewed The water on each Side of the Island which presented a most unfavourable prospect of Swift water over roleing Sands which rored like an immence falls, we Concluded to assend on the right Side, and with much dificuilty, with the assistance of a long Cord or Tow rope, & the anchor we got the Boat up with out any furthr dang. [damage] than Bracking a Cabbin window & loseing Some oars which were Swong under the windows, passed four Isds to day two large & two Small behind the first large Island two Creeks mouth Called (1) Eue-bert [NB: Hubert] Creek & River & Isd. [5]    the upper of those Creeks head against the Mine River & is large, passed a verry remarkable bend in the River to the S. forming an accute angle, [6] the high lands come to the river on the S. S. opposit the upper large Island, this Isd. is formed by a narrow chanel thro. the Pt. of the remarkable bend just mentiond below this Isd.    on the L. S. is a Couenter Current of about a mile—    passed between Several Small Islands Situated near the L. Side and camped above on the Same Side, [7]    Two men Sent out to hunt this evening    brought in a Buck & a pore [8] Turkey.

at Sun Set the atmespier presented every appearance of wind, Blue & white Streeks Centering at the Sun as She disappeared and the Clouds Situated to the S. W, Guilded in the most butifull manner. The Countrey and Lands on each Side of the river is various as usial and may be classed as follows.    viz: the low or over flown points or bottom land, of the groth of Cotton & Willow, the 2nd or high bottom of rich furtile Soils of the groth of Cotton, Walnut, Som ash, Hack berry, [9] Mulberry, Lynn & Sycamore.    the third or high Lands risees gradually from the 2nd bottom (cauht whin it Coms to the river then from the river) about 80 or 100 foot roleing back Supplied with water the Small runs of (which losees themselves in the bottom land) and are covered with a variety of time Such as Oake of different Kinds Blue ash, [10] walnut &c. &c. as far as the Praries, which I am informed lie back from the river at some places near & others a great Distance [11]

Course & Distance June 21 1804
S. 77° W, 2 ½ ms. along S. S. psd. the hd. of a lg Isd. L. S.
N. 30° E, 1 ½ ms. pt. L.S. psd. a cl. Low pt. Isd. on L.S. (1)
North, 1 me. along the Larboard Side
N. 18° W,   ½ me.    do    do    do
N. 84° W.   ½ me.    do    do    do
S. 80° W,   ¾ me.    do    do    psd. Sevl. Sm. Isds. L. S.
S. 35 W   ¾ me.    do    do    psd.    do    do    do
  7[½?]  

[Ordway]

 

Thursday June 21st 1804.    we Set out at 7 oC.    passed a Creek on the south side called or Eue bow Creek [12] peulaur    the Land high on South, on the N. fine Rich Bottom. I went on Shore with Drewyer all day & I never Saw as fine Timbered land in my life nor Such Rich handsome bottom land, Drewyer killed one Deer & him & me brought it to the River, one Turkey [13] likewise, we encamped on the South Side of the River, low land on S. Side high land on the N. Side.

[Floyd]

 

Thursday June 21th    Set out at 7 oclock    Clear day    past 2 Creeks on the South Side Callede Deubau Creeks    they com in opset the middel of Isd 〈at the opper pint of the Isd.〉    the water at this Isd. is verry Strong    the Land is Good and 〈High〉 well timberd    on the South Side the Land high that on the N. is Low 〈Bottom〉 Land    the timber is Cotton wood    water Strong    past Several Isd. Came 9 miles    ouer hunters killed one Deer    en camped on the South Side at the opper pint of isd.    the Land is Low that on the N. is High Land.

[Gass]

 

On the 21st we had rapid water, and for about a mile had to warp up our boat by a rope. A creek called Du Beau or Du Bois, [14] falls in on the south side behind an island. We encamped in the evening on the south side.

[Whitehouse]

 

Thursday 21st    Got on our way at the Strong water Point    the water was Strong    likeways had to towe the Cheif part of the day to the 3 Islands Calld. the 3 mills [15] whare the water Runs Rapidly    Campd. at the head of them    Roed 12 Miles    the hunters Came in with One deer & One turky and a bear Skin

Thursday June 21st    We got under way from strong water point, being obliged to tow the boat, the Current setting so strong against us, we continued towing the greatest part of the day 'till we arrived at three Islands, called the three Mills where the water still run rapidly.—    We encamped at the head of the three Islands, shortly after our hunters came to us, having One deer, One Turky, and the Skins of the bear that they kill'd the day before.    The distance we came this day being 12 Miles.—

1. This course differs from the Codex A material because it picks up the last course of the previous day and adds the first course of the next day. (back)
2. The first four courses of the day are added up at the side of the entry: 1, 2½, 1½, 1, and a total of 6. (back)
3. Ordway says that he and Drouillard were the hunters. (back)
4. The ash is either Fraxinus americana L. var. americana, white ash, or F. pennsylvanica Marsh. var. subintegerrima (Vahl) Fern., green ash; the "Linn" is Tilia americana L., basswood, linden; the "Sycomore" is Platanus occidentalis L., sycamore, plane tree, buttonwood. Steyermark, 1179–80, 1043, 789. (back)
5. Apparently called chenail-a-Hubert (or Herbert), but an alternative reading is chenail-a-barre (chenail or chenal = channel). Hubert, or Hebert, is taken to be the "french man," but chenail-a-barre would be a chenail with a bar or blockage across it. From the latter form comes the present name, Sni, Sniabar, or Snibar River, applied apparently to the larger stream, near the present town of Wellington, Lafayette County, Missouri. Coues (HLC), 1:29, n. 62; Stewart (APN), 450; MRC map 13. (back)
6. Later called Camden Bend, after the town on its banks in Ray County, Missouri. It was still there in about 1890, but in later years the river made a new channel and cut off the bend, leaving it as an oxbow lake, present Sunshine Lake. The Ray-Lafayette county line still follows the old course of the river. The June 21, 1804, campsite is therefore no longer on the Missouri River. MRC map 13; MRM map 36. (back)
7. Here Clark seems to indicate that they camped on the larboard side, but in the Field Notes he indicates the starboard side; larboard is confirmed by Ordway and Floyd. They had been going round what was later called Camden Bend (see n. 6, above) and the camp was in Lafayette County. Nearby on the high ground on the opposite side of the river was the future site of the town of Camden. MRC map 13. (back)
8. Someone has written over "pore" to make it "poor." (back)
9. Clark accurately includes the hackberry, Celtis occidentalis L., in the list of upper floodplain tree species that occupy the higher, more stable river terraces. Bragg & Tatschl, 343, 347. (back)
10. Clark describes the ravine and bluff vegetation above the river, which includes several species of oak, blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata Michx.), black walnut, and other species that follow the ravine back to the high praries at some distance. Steyermark, 1180–82. (back)
11. Clark's ecological description distinguishes between the cottonwood- and willow-dominated "low" floodplain vegetation, the more diverse "2nd or high bottom" vegetation, the "third or high lands" forests, and, finally, the treeless upland prairies. Those designations of forest types are accurate and typical of Missouri River topography and forest vegetation. Bragg & Tatschl, 343; Weaver, 49. (back)
12. Clark has it "Eue-beux" and "Eue-bert" while Floyd gives it as "Deubau"; now the several creeks called Little Sni a Bar Creek, Sni Creek, and Big Sni a Bar Creek, in western Lafayette County, Missouri. (back)
13. The wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo. (back)
14. Clark and Floyd mention two creeks, Ordway and Gass only one; Clark gives the name as "Eue-beux" and "Eue-bert." Presently there are several, called Little Sni a Bar Creek, Sni Creek, and Big Sni a Bar Creek, in western Lafayette County, Missouri. (back)
15. No other journal keeper mentions the three islands, although Charles Floyd notes a single island where the current was very strong. They may be the islands at the point of Camden Bend, Ray County, Missouri (see Clark's entries). (back)
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