April 30, 1805

[Lewis]

Tuesday April 30th 1805.

Set out at sunrise. the wind blew hard all last night, and continued to blow pretty hard all day, but not so much, as to compell us to ly by. the country as usual is bare of timber; the river bottoms are level and fertile and extensive, but possess but little timber and that of an indifferent quality even of it's kind; principally low cottonwood, either too small for building, or for plank or broken and dead at top and unsound in the center of the trunk. saw great quantities of game as usual. Capt. Clark walked on shore the greater part of the day, 〈the Interpreter, Charbono and his Indian woman attended him.〉 past some old Indian lodges built of drift wood; they appear to be of antient date and not recently inhabited. I walked on shore this evening and killed a buck Elk, in tolerable order; it appeared to me to be the largest I had seen, and was therefore induced to measure it; found it five feet three inches from the point of the hoof, to the top of the sholders; the leg and hoof being placed as nearly as possible in the same position they would have been had the anamal been standing.—

	Courses and distances of 30th April ^[1]	miles
S. 15° W.	to a point of timbered land on the Stard. side passing a sand point at ¾ of a me. Lard.	2 ½
S. 22 W.	to the upper point of the high timber in the center of a bend Lard side at the commencement of a bluff	1 ½
S. 85 W.	to a point of timbered land on Stard side opposite to a bluff.	1
S. 75 W.	to a point of timber at the upper part of a bluff in a bend on Lard. side	½
N. 40 W.	to the point of a sandbar on the Lard. side, passing a willow point at two miles and a large sandbar on Stard.	5
S. 40 W.	to a point of woodland on Stard. opposite to a bluff on Lard. the river making a considerable bend on Lard. side	3 ½
N. 70 W.	to a point of woodland on the Lard. side, passing, at the commencement of this course, a large sand Island in the Lard. bend.	3
S. 25 W	to the upper part of the high timber on the Lard. side.	2 ½
West	to a point of high timber on the Lard. side, a large sand island in the bend to the Stard. side.	3 ½
N. 80 W.	to a point of high woods on the Lard. side opposite to which we encamped on a sandbar Stard. side	1 ^[2]
	Miles	24

[Clark]

30th of April Tuesday 1805

The wind blew hard from the N E all last night, we Set out at Sunrise the wind blew hard the greater part of the day and part of the time favourable, we did not lie by to day on account of the wind I walked on Shore to day our interpreter & his Squar followed, in my walk the Squar found & brought me a bush Something like the Current, ^[3] which She Said bore a delicious froot and that great quantites grew on the Rocky Mountains, this Srub was in bloom has a yellow flower with a deep Cup, the froot when ripe is yellow and hangs in bunches like 〈graps〉 Cheries, Some of those berries yet remained on the bushes. The bottoms above the mouth of the last river is extensive level & fertile and covered with indifferent timber in the points, the up land appear to rise gradually, I saw Great numbers of Antelopes, also Scattering Buffalow, Elk, Deer, wolves, Gees, ducks & Grows— I Killed 2 Gees which we dined on to day— Capt Lewis walked on Shore and killed an elk this evening, and we Came too & camped on the S. S ^[4] the Countrey on both Sides have a butifull appearance.

	miles	Course & Distance the 30th of April
S. 15° W.	2 ½	to a point of timbered land on the Sd Side passed a Sand point at ¾ of a mile L. S.
S 22° W.	1 ½	to the upper point of the high timber on the Ld. Side in a bend a Bluff on the Lard.
S 85° W.	1	to a point of timbered land on the Std. Side opposite to a bluff on the Lard Side
S 75° W	½	to a point of timber at the upper part of a bluff in a bend to the Lard Side
N. 40° W.	5	to a point of a Sand bar on the Lard Side passing a Willow point at 2 miles, and a large Sand bar on S. S.
S 40° W.	3 ½	to a point of wood land on Std. Side opposit to a Bluff on the L. Side the [river] makeing a considerable bend L. S
N. 70° W.	3	to a point of wood land on the Lard. Side passing at the commencement of this course a large Sand Island in the Lard. bend.
S. 25° W.	2 ½	miles to the upper part of a high timber on the Lard. Side
West	3 ½	to a point of high timber on the Lard Side a large Sand Island in the bend to the Std. Side.
N. 80° W	1	to a point of high woods on the Larboard Side
	24

[Ordway]

Tuesday 30th April 1805. clear and pleasant. we Set off eairly. proceeded on Saw large gangs of buffaloe Swimming the River just before our cannoes & we would not Shoot them as we had meat enofe on board. passed high rough hills on S. S. the wind blew from the N. proceeded on verry well. towards evening, one of the men Shot a verry large beaver & a Goose in the edge of the River that would have weighed 70 or 80 pounds. it had large young ones in it. Capt. Lewis killed an Elk in a bottom on the N. S. Came 24 miles to day & Camped on a large Sand beach on the N. Side Some men went for the meat with Capt. Lewis. we Sailed a little in the bends of the River this afternoon.—

[Gass]

Tuesday 30th. We embarked at sunrise; had a fine morning and went on very well. We passed through a handsome Country, with a rich soil, and the prairies rising beautifully on both sides of the river. We went 24 miles and encamped on the North side. Captain Lewis killed a large elk here.

[Whitehouse]

Tuesday April 30th We set out early this morning, having fine pleasant Weather. we proceeded on, and passed by a most beautiful Country, being Priaries lying on both sides of the River, which rise 〈greatly〉 gradually from the banks of 〈the River,〉 it and the Soil very rich, In the afternoon we stopped and encamped on the North side of the River, Captain Lewis shortly after we encamped, went out a hunting, and killed a large Elk, in a bottom, near to where we had encamped,— which was brought to our Camp, the distance we went this day being 24 Miles.—

1. Also given on Atlas map 35, in both captains' hands. (back)

2. On Atlas map 36 this last course has been combined with the one above as "West 4¼." (back)

3. The Missouri, or buffalo, currant (see April 20, 1805). The species commonly has both yellow or purple to black fruits on different shrubs. Fernald, 751; Barkley, 134–35; Booth & Wright, 107; Hitchcock & Cronquist, 202; Kartesz & Kartesz, 435. Botanists recognize three closely related currant species along the upper Missouri. Ribes odoratum (the one noticed) is more eastern, principally in South Dakota and eastern Montana, while R. aureum Pursh, golden currant, is primarily in western Montana. The two species apparently come together in central Montana along the Missouri River. Thus, Sacagawea considered the currant near the mouth of the Yellowstone River (R. odoratum) the same as the one from the Rocky Mountains (R. aureum). The two species differ mainly in flower length. In addition, a third species, the wild black currant (R. americanum), occurs in eastern and western Montana and may occur on the Missouri River in central Montana as well. The latter has black fruits while the other two species have fruits which vary from yellow or orange, to purple or black. (back)

4. In Roosevelt County, Montana, in the neighborhood of present Brockton, Roosevelt County. Atlas maps 35, 48, 57; MRC map 62. (back)

Date: April 30, 1805
Author(s): Clark, William | Gass, Patrick | Lewis, Meriwether | Ordway, John | Whitehouse, Joseph
TEI XML: lc.jrn.1805-04-30.xml