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in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
| S. 9° E | 286 | poles to the mouth of the Creek passed the first rapid at 80 poles of 4 feet fall one of 3 feet fall above the Creek the Creek is 55 yards wide at its mouth. |
| S 35° E. | 270 | poles to a high hill in Prarie |
| S 29° W | 48 | poles to a pile of Stones on a Dividing ridge in a Direction the 1st rivein |
| S. 37° E | 180 | poles to a high part of the plain |
| S. 22° E | 194 | poles to 3 piles of Stones in the leavel plain leaving the Course of the Creek |
| S 31° W. | 112 | poles to a rock and pile in a leavele Pln. |
| S. 15° W | 400 | poles to a pile of Stones, passing the head of a rivein at 280 poles |
| S. 36° W. | 80 | poles to a pile of buffalow Dung passed the head of the 2d holl. at 2 poles |
| (To the river) | ||
| N. 70° W | 700 | poles to the river, at which place the river only 90 yards wide confined in Clifts, passed a Deep revein at 420 and one near its mouth of deep bluff banks at 644 poles— at the mouth of this last revein a rapid of 3 feet up the river |
| N 82° W. | 340 | poles to the Grand falls or Shoot at which place the Mis- souri is Confined within 280 yards and Pitches 87 feet ¾ of an inch a cascade for 200 yards above which has a fall of about 18 feet below 93 yds. a rapid of 6 feet fall |
| S 24° W. | 90 | poles, passed a rappid 2 feet fall |
| S. 19° W. | 80 | poles, passed a revein. Cascade |
| S. 11° W. | 80 | poles to a 2nd riffle of 4 feet fall |
| S. 31° W | 520 | poles opposit a rapid of 3½ feet fall and a Cascade of ½ a mile of 4½ feet |
| S. 52° W. | 178 | poles, through a hand Some Plain river bends to the right 2 feet Dist. |
| S. 40° W | 970 | poles to a fall & pitch of 19 feet passed a Deep revein near its mouth at which a rapid of 5 feet fall, & 10 feet |
| N. 84° W | 102 | poles to the 2nd great falls or Pitch of 47 feet 8 Inches, a Small rock attached to a bench of 5 feet fall on the Stard Side at this fall Re: th 479 yards wide river as far Can be Seen down 1½ miles N. 40° E. Passed a desent of 7f the |
| N 86° W. | 135 | poles passed a fall & Cascade of 14:½ the fall about 6 feet pitch |
| S 49° W. | 58 | poles rapid water desent of 2 feet |
| S 78° W. | 156 | poles to very large & fine fontain of water at a rapid, boils up and throws out an emense Current & quantity of water decline 3 feet. |
| S 25° W. | 124 | poles on the river. Several riffles in the river dest. 4 feet |
| S. 35° W. | 240 | poles passed a rock & 3 trees on bank the fall from the last rappid to this place must be 8 feet |
| S 58° W. | 88 | poles up the river dcint 1 foot 6 In |
| S. 40° W | 80 | poles to the upper Pitch of 26 Feet 5 In. and Cascade & one Pitch of 5 feet to the head of the rapid is 23 feet about 26.5 〈Inches〉 in all 49 feet 5 Inches fall from the last fall of 14.9 Inc feet to this a Continued rapid & cascade of about 19 feet fall river 580 yds wide |
| S 81° W. | 320 | poles to the head of the rapids. |
| S 55° W | 130 | poles along the river |
| S 36° W | 278 | poles to a tree on the edge of the water. passed a grove at 120 poles. river 〈about a mile〉 1440 yds wide wide |
| S 6° W. | 140 | poles to a Small grove at a rapid on the Lard. Side |
| S. 64° E | 78 | poles to the lower part a timber in a Deep bend |
| S. 14° E | 90 | poles to a tree in the bend opposite to Some low timber |
| S. 17 W. | 160 | poles to opposit the mouth of Medison (Ma-pah-pah,-ah-zhah, Medicine) river on the Std. Side this river is 137 yards wide |
| S. 1° W. | 88 | poles opsd. the lower point of a Sand Island |
| S. 45° E | 170 | poles to Some low timber near Som old lodges |
| S. 13° E. | 381 | poles to the lower point of an Island |
| N, 88° E | 70 | poles to opsd. a 2d Island |
| N. 71° E, | 120 | poles to a pt. opposed a 3rd Island, narrow Chnl. |
| S. 25° E | 664 | poles to the river at the 〈most eastern S Easterly〉 |
| Deduct |
490 5293 |
bend passed our Camp in Some woods opsd. the heads of the 3 Islands at 174 poles and a Small Creck at 284 poles, this Creck has back water wh it about ¾ of a mile and has a wide butifull valey to the S. Mountain |
| 1320 | add to the Distance below the Portg River— | |
| 320|6559 | [or] Miles 20½ |
☞ the total descent of the water from the head of the rappids to the entrance of portage Creck is 352 feet 2¾ Inches [2]
| 8 2¾ |
| 360 2¾ |
S 70 E 160 poles to the top of a high hill expirt near the most extreem S Esterly bend of the river.
From the top of this hill the Missouri bears S 85° W. about 10 ms. the gap of the Mountains is S. 25° W. The highest part of the South Mountains is N 84 E
from the mouth of Portage Creek up the Missouri is S 10 W 280 poles & has a fall over repeeted rapids of about 10 feet
Then S 10° E ½ a mile & a fall of 6 feet
South ¾ miles & has a fall of 18 feet
S. 81° W. 1¼ miles passed a run the fall of about 13 feet in repeeted rapids.
S. 15° W. ½ a mile repeeted rapids of about 5 feet fall.
S 75° W ¼ of a mile to a mouth of the Deep Ravein [X: 1 foot fall] from the Commincement of this Course to the Great fall is 8 feet the river is narrow Confined with high Bluffs.
Courses of the Missouri from the commencement of the portage below Portage River to the Most South Eastwardly bend above the Medicine River, noting the particular Cataracts Cascades and the hight they fall as Measured, together with an estimate of the decline of the water in rapids &c. &c. Sept. [June] 17 & 18th 1805. (S E. Side) [3]
| feet | |||
| S 9° E | 286 | poles to the enterence of portage river 55 yds. wide at 80 poles a rapid of 4 feet, the Com- puted decent of the water above is 4 feet to- gether makes— |
8 |
| S 10° W. | 280 | Po: from the enterances of portage River up the Lard. Side of the Missouri. the Com- puted distance the water in this distance is about 10 feet |
10 |
| S 10° E | 160 | Po. do do do do do Decent of | 6 |
| South | 240 | Po. do do do do Computed decent of | 18 |
| S. 81° W. | 400 | Po. do do do do Computed decent of passing a deep Small rivene in this Course |
13 |
| S. 15° W. | 160 | Poles the decent of the water within which dis- tance is about five feet river inclosed in rocks |
5 |
| S 75° W. | 80 | Poles to the enterance of a Steep rivene at which there is a fall of 3 feet which aded to the probably decent of the water in that dis- tance 2 feet makes |
5 |
| N. 82° W. | 340 | Poles to the Grand Cataract of 87 feet ¾ of an inch. Computed decent of water in the dis- tance 6 feet. The river at this Cataract 280 yards wide and just below 93 yards wide total |
93 ¾ |
| S 24° W. | 90 | Poles passing a fall of 2 feet purpindicular which added to the estimated decent of 13 feet within the first 200 yds. next above the Cataract makes a decent in this distance rather more than |
15 |
| S 19° W. | 80 | Poles passing a rivene and Cascade decent about |
3 |
| S 11° W. | 80 | Poles passing a Cascade of 4 feet, which to- gether with the probable decent of the water 2 feet is |
6 |
| S 31° W | 320 | Poles opposit a rapid of 3 feet 6 inch fall which added to the probably decent of the water within this distance of 5 feet 6 inches is river inclosed in rocks of a dark colour |
9 |
| S 52° W. | 178 | Poles through a handsom leavil plain the river makeing a bend to the right decent of the water probably about three feet |
3 |
| S 40°W. | 970 | Poles to a fall of 19 feet, below which there is a deep rivene at the enterance of with a fall of 5 feet which added to the probable decent in this distance of 10 feet makes |
34 |
| N 84° W. | 102 | Poles to the 2nd. Great Cataract of 47 feet 8 inches the river at this Cataract is 473 yards wide and confined Clifts of rocks |
47.8 |
| N. 86° W. | 135 | Poles passing a fall of 6 feet 7 inches which added to the probable decent of the water above the pitch of 47 feet 8 inches makes a fall of |
14.7 |
| S 49° W. | 58 | Poles along the river water verry rapid a probable decline of 2 feet |
2 |
| S 78° W. | 156 | Poles to a large fountain near the river. prob- able decent of the water in this distance may be 3 feet |
3 |
| S 25° W. | 124 | Poles on the river passing Several Small rapids and Swift water the probable decent is this distans four feet |
4 |
| S. 35° W | 240 | Poles passing a rock in the river on three trees on the Lard. Bank the fall of the water within this distance at least 8 feet |
8 |
| S 58° W. | 88 | Poles up the river, the probable decent in this distance Eighteen inches |
1.6 |
| S 40° | 80 | Poles to the upper pitch of 26 feet 5 inches
river is here 580 yards wide. to this fall add the probable decent in this distance of 2 feet, also [o]ne pitch above of 5 feet and the decent from the head of the rapids of 18 feet ex- clusive of the 5 feet pitch makeing in all 38 feet 5 inches fall |
51.5 |
| 4747 poles = 14 miles ¾ and 27 poles Total Falls | 360.2 ¾ |
| S. 81° W. | 320 | Poles to the head of the rapids; passed a rivene |
| S. 55° W. | 130 | Poles along the river. low banks. |
| S 36 W. | 278 | Poles to a tree on the edge of the water passd. a grove at 120 poles opposit to which the river is 1400 yards wide— |
| S 6° W. | 140 | Poles to a Small grove at a rapid on Ld Side. |
| S 64° E. | 78 | Poles to the lower point of a timber in a deep bend.— |
| S 14° E. | 90 | Poles to a tree in the bend opposit to Some low timber.— |
| S 17° W. | 160 | Poles to the river opposit to the enterance of Medicine River
which is 137 yards wide, and the Missouri just above it is 300 yards wide— |
| S 1° W. | 88 | Poles opposit to the lower point of a Small Island.— |
| S 45° E | 170 | Poles to Some low timber near Some old Lodges.— |
| S. 13° E. | 380 | Poles to the river opposit the lower poiont of white Bear
Island.— |
| N. 88° E. | 70 | Poles opposit to the lower point of a Second Island which is Small.— |
| N. 71° E | 120 | Poles to a rockey hill Side opposit to a third Island which is Seperated from the Lard. Shore by a very narrow Chanel. |
| S 25° E | 664 | Poles to a bend of the river. passing the upper points of the 1st & 3rd Island (at our Camp) at 144 Poles, and flattery run at 284 further river wide Still low banks.— |
| S 70° E. | 160 | Poles to the top of a high hill near the moste extreme S East- erly bend of the river— from this point the Missouri bears S 85° W. for about 10 miles. the gap of the Mtn. where the Missouri enters bears S. 25° W. [blank] miles and the Peni- cal of the South Mtn. bears N 84° E— |
☞ from the Survey and estimate it results, that the Missouri experiences a decent of 360 feet 2 inches and ¾ in the distance of [blank] Miles and [blank] Poles— [4]
The course from the White Bear Islands above the portage N. 42° E 4 miles leaveing the riveens of flattery run to the right. thence a course to the South Extremity of a ridge North of the South mountains for 8 miles & a half passing three riveens, the 2d is willow run. 11 miles from the Islands. Thence a course to the highest pinical of the North Mountain, leaveing the riveens of Portage or red Creek to the right, & the riveens of the river to the left to the mouth of Portage Creek 4 miles & a half, to the perogue which is on the river North Side & nearly opposit the place we buried Sundery articles is 1 mile down the river, The Swivel we hid under the rocks in a clift near the river a little above our lower camp
| N 42° E | 4 | miles to a ellevated part of the Plain |
| N 66° E | 3 | miles passed the head of a Drean |
| N 45° E | 4 | miles passed the head of a Drean |
| N. 18 E. | 4 | miles passed the head of a Drean |
| N. 10° W. | 2 | miles to the mouth of Portage Creek |
| N. 9 W. | ¾ & 46 P. | to the perogue on South side of the R. [6] |
| 17 ¾ & 46 P. | Portage through an open butifull plain |
Created by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.