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Lewis & Clark Expedition

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July 31, 1806
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July 31, 1806

[Lewis]

Thursday July 31st 1806.
 

The rain still continuing I set out early and proceeded on as fast as possible.    at 9 A. M. we fell in with a large herd of Elk of which we killed 15 and took their skins.    the bottoms in the latter part of the day became wider better timbered and abound in game.    the party killed 14 deer in the course of the day without attempting to hunt but little for them.    we also killed 2 bighorns and 1 beaver; saw but few buffaloe.    the river is still rising and excessively muddy more so I think than I ever saw it.    we experienced some very heavy showers of rain today.    we have been passing high pine hills all day.    late in the evening we came too on the N. E. side of the river and took sheter in some indian lodges built of sticks, about 8 ms. below the entrance of North mountain creek. [1]    these lodges appeared to have been built in the course of the last winter.    these lodges with the addition of some Elk skins afforded us a good shelter from the rain which continued to fall powerfully all night. I think it probable that the minnetares of Fort de Prarie visit this part of the river; we meet with their old lodges in every bottom.—

[Clark]

(31st July)
 
S 80° E 1 ½ Miles to a Stard. Bluff in a bend    low bluff on the Lard
Side
N. 28° W.    ½ a mile    passed wolf rapid which is not bad    high bluff on
the Std side
N. 80° W. 2 ½ to a high bluff under very high hills or low mountans on
the Lard Side opsd. a point on which there is wood
N. 10° E 1 mile to the enteran of a dry brook Lard. passing under a
high Bluff of diferent Colour on th Lard Side    high
Prarie on Std.
East 1 to a Lard point at a fiew trees.
N. 55 E. 3 miles to a Lard. point    passed a Std. point at 1 mile    high
cole blufs on [larboard?]
N E. 1 ½ miles to a red bluff on Lard Side    passed Std point
East 6 miles to a Stard Bend    passed 2 Lard. and a Stard point
low bluff Std.    passed a river 100 yards wide on the Lard
Side.    water Shallow & muddy—
N 60° E. 3〈1 ½〉 miles to an Isld. on a Stard point    passed a 〈brook in the
Lard Bend〉 a Stard. point and a Lard point
N. 30° E 2 miles to the enterance of a river in the Stard. Bend 40 yds
wide deep Coal R [2]    Banks of Coal below its enterance
N. 10° W. 1 ½ miles to a high bluff on Lard Side
East 2 ½ to the enterance of a Brook below a Lard. Bluff    passed
a Std. point    passed under a high bluff Lard. Slipping in
to R.
S. E. 1 mile to a Lard. point
N. E. 6 〈5?〉 miles to the head of a Isld. near an Id. Std. Sid    low Coal
Bluff on Stard Side    passed a Brook on Stard side
N. 20° E. 4 miles to the enterance of a brook in the Lard Bend op-
posit an island on the Stard Side
N. 70° E. 3 Miles to the lower part of Stard Bluff    passed an Small
island at the enterance of a river 60 yds wide deep    banks
on each Side
N. 30° W 3 miles to a Lard. Bluff opposit a Stard. point.
N. 80° E 6 〈5?〉 miles to the enterance of a Creek oppst on the Stard Side
passed a brook below the Lard. Clifts at 1 mile    one on
the Std. at 3 miles.    a Island Close to the Stard Side at 2
miles
N. 12° E 3 miles to the lower point of a Stard. Bluff in the bend opsd.
an island
N. 70° W 1 ½ miles to the lower point of a Island    passed a 〈Creek on
Lard.〉 Several Sand bars.    1 single
N. 5° W. 2 ½ miles to a tree in the Lard Side on a low bluff opsd. to an
a low timbered bottom below a Brook

[Clark]

Saturday 31st of July 1806
 

I was much disturbed last night by the noise of the buffalow which were about me.    one gang Swam the river near our Camp which alarmed me a little for fear of their Crossing our Canoes and Splitting them to pieces. Set out as usial about Sun rise    passed a rapid which I call wolf rapid [3] from the Circumstance of one of those animals being at the rapid. here the river approaches the high mountanious Country on the    N W. Side. [4]    those hills appear to be composed of various Coloured earth and Coal without much rock [5]    I observe Several Conical pounds [NB: mounds] which appear to have been burnt. [6]    this high Country is washed into Curious formed mounds & hills and is cut much with reveens.    the Country again opens and at the distance of 23 miles below the Redston or War-har-sah [7] River I landed in the enterance of a Small river [8] on the Stard. Side 40 yards wid Shallow and muddy.    it has lately been very high.    haveing passed the Enterance of a River on the Lard Side 100 yards wide which has running water. [9]    this river I take to be the one the Menetarries Call little wolf or Sa-a-shah [NB: Shah] River [10]    The high Country is entirely bar of timber.    great quantities of Coal or carbonated wood is to be seen in every Bluff and in the high hills at a distance on each Side. [11] Saw more Buffalow and Elk and antilopes this evening than usial.    18 Miles below the last river on the Stard. Side, I passed one 60 yards wide which had running water.    this Stream I call oak-tar-pon-er or Coal 〈R〉 River [12] has very steep banks on each side of it.    passed Several large Brooks [13] Some of them had a little running water, also Several Islands    Some high black looking Bluffs and encamped on the Stard. Side on a low point. [14]    the country like that of yesterday is open extencive plains.    as I was about landing this evening Saw a white bear and the largest I ever Saw eating a dead buffalow on a Sand bar.    we fired two Shot into him, we Swam to the main Shore and walked down the bank. I landed and fired 2 more Shot into this tremendious animal without killing him.    night comeing on we Could not pursue him he bled profusely. Showers all this day

Course distance and Remarks 31st July 1806
M
N. 80° E. to a Bluff in a Stard. Bend    passed a Low Bluff }   1 ½
on the Lard. Side
N. 28° W. to a high Bluff on the Stard Side.    passed wolf }      ½
rapid (not bad)
N. 80° W. to a Bluff under a very high rugid hill or low Mtn. }   2 ½
on the Lard. Side    opposit a timbered point
N. 10° E. to the enterance of a dry brook [15] on Stard. Side } 1
passed under a high 〈range〉 Bluff of different
coloured earth [16] on the Lard. Side.    high prarie
on the Stard. Side
East to a Lard point at a fiew Cotton wood trees   1
N. 55° E. to a Lard. point.    passed a Stard. point at 1 mile }   3
high Coal bluffs on the Lard Side
N. 45° E. to a red bluff on the Lard. Side.    passed a Std. point   1 ½
East to a Stard. Bend    passed two Lard. and one }   6
Stard. point    passed a river 100 yards wide on
the Lard Side. Shallow and the water muddy.
low Bluffs. Shabono R. [17]
N. 60° E. to an island close to the Stard. point    passed a }   3
Std point and a Lard point    river narrow
N. 30° E. to the enterance of a river in the Stard. Bend 40 }   2
yds. wide    Steep Coal banks [18] on each Side of
this little river.    about 4 feet deep & muddy.
Coal river [19]
N. 10° W. to a high Bluff on Lard. Side (rugid)   1 ½
East to the enterance of a brook [20]    below the Lard. }   2 ½
Bluff. passed a Stard point.    also a high Bluff on
the Lard. Side laterly Sliped into the river
S. 45° E. to a Lard. point   1
N 45° E. to the head of an island near the Stard. Side. }   6
low coal bluffs on Stard Side.    passed a Brook [21]
on Stard. Side
N. 20° E. to the enterance of a brook [22] in the Lard Bend }   4
opposit to an island near the Stard. Side
N 70° E to the lower part of a Stard. Bluff at the enter- }   3
ance of a river [23] 60 yards wide with deep banks
on each Side gibsons R    passed a Small island.
river muddy & Shallow
N. 30° W. to a Lard. Bluff opsd. a Stard point   3
N. 80° E. to the enterance of a creek [24] below a Stard Bluff }   6
opposit to an island.    passed a brook on Lard
Side at 1 mile    one on Stard at 3 miles and an
island Close to the Stard Side at 2 miles
N. 12° E. to the lower part of a Stard. Bluff in a bend op- }   3
posit to an island
N. 70° W to the lower point of an island    psd. Sand bars in }   1 ½
different parts of the river
N. 5° W. to a Single tree on a low Lard Bluff below the }   2 ½
enterance of a Brook [25] on the Lard Side. En-
campd opposit on the Stard Side
Miles 66

[Ordway]

 

Thursday 31st July 1806.    cloudy and rain.    we Set out as usal and procd. on verry well    at 9 Saw large gangs of Elk Swimming the River    we killed 15 of them mearly for the hides to cover our Canoes. Jo. Fields killed one Ibex    the hunters killed 14 deer and one beaver this day.    had Several Showers of rain.    the River verry muddy owing to the heavy rains washing those Clayey hills    came a long days roeing and Camped [26] at some old Indn. lodges on N. Side.—

[Gass]

 

Thursday 31st.    We set out early, though it continued at intervals to rain hard. About 10 o'clock we saw a great gang of elk on a small island, where we halted and in a short time killed fifteen of them. We took the skins and the best parts of the meat, and proceeded. At noon we halted, and in a short time killed fifteen of them. We took the skins and the best parts of the meat, and proceeded. At noon we halted to dine, and had then a very heavy shower of rain. We also killed another of the large horned animals or mountain sheep.— We remained here about an hour, then proceeded on, and will soon be clear of this range of high rough country. In our way this afternoon, we killed two mule and twelve other deer, and two beaver. Though the afternoon was wet and disagreeable, we came 70 miles to day. [27]

1. Rock Creek, in Phillips County, Montana; see May 24, 1805. The course of the Missouri has changed considerably in this vicinity, so the mileage below the creek mouth may not now apply. The camp was in either Fergus or Phillips County. Atlas map 39; MRC map 70. (back)
2. The words " Coal R " may have been added to a blank space; it is O'Fallon Creek (see later note in this entry). (back)
3. "Wolf rapid" is in Prarie County, Montana, near the mouth of Conns Coulee, some four miles southwest of present Terry. Atlas map 121. (back)
4. Including Little Sheep and Big Sheep mountains and other high country in Prairie County. Atlas map 121. (back)
5. The Tullock, Lebo, and Tongue River members of the Fort Union Formation all are exposed in vertical succession in the hills northwest of the river. The sediments are principally sandstone, mudstone, claystone, siltstone, and shale with coal beds. Most of these rocks are soft and easily eroded except for occasional lenses of indurated sandstone. (back)
6. The conical mounds form where resistant sandstone caps less resistant materials, protecting them from erosion. (back)
7. Clark apparently added this word later to a blank space. The stream is Powder River; see notes at July 30. (back)
8. O'Fallon Creek enters the Yellowstone River about a mile west of present Fallon in Prairie County. Both creek and town bear the name of Benjamin O'Fallon, trader, Indian agent, and nephew of William Clark. The creek was apparently named by one of O'Fallon's later friends or associates in the fur trade, since neither Clark's journals nor Atlas map 121 give it that name. On the Atlas map it is "Oak Tar pon er River" and "Coal River"; the latter is the name used in both sets of courses and distances, but not in the journal text. "Poner" may be the Mandan term, pasáŋh, "creek," but the meaning of the first portion of the word is unknown (see Fort Mandan Miscellany). Wood & Moulton, 374–75. (back)
9. Cherry Creek enters the Yellowstone from the north in Prairie County a little below Terry. On Atlas map 121 it is "Shabonas River" after Toussaint Charbonneau. (back)
10. This cannot be the "Little Wolf mountain Creek" of the Fort Mandan Miscellany of this edition, although the name, as Clark indicates, would have been learned from the Hidatsas at Fort Mandan. Clark may have added the name to a blank space. The term is Hidatsa, ceeša, "wolf." (back)
11. The coal is in the Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation near the river and in the Tongue River Member at a short distance from the river. (back)
12. Not the stream that bears those names in the courses and distances or on Atlas map 121; this is Cabin Creek in Prarie County, "Gibsons deep river" on the Atlas map, after George Gibson of the party. The words "Oak-tar-pon-er or Coal 〈R〉" may have been added later to a blank space and partly interlined. (back)
13. Including Cherry, Cabin, and Cedar creeks. Atlas map 121. (back)
14. The camp was in Dawson County, Montana, some seven miles southwest of present Glendive. Atlas map 121. The high, black-looking bluffs most likely are composed of the Pierre Shale near the center of the Cedar Creek anticline about ten miles southwest of Glendive. (back)
15. This is hard to identify unless Clark means "larboard," as he has it in the Voorhis version, in which case it could be Lost Boy Creek, which joins the Yellowstone from the northwest in Prairie County, some five miles west of Terry; on Atlas map 121 a nameless stream is shown among the "High broken Hills" below Wolf Rapid. (back)
16. The Tullock, Lebo, and Tongue River members of the Fort Union Formation are exposed in vertical succession on this hill at the mouth of Lost Boy Creek. Each member has slightly different coloration and composition. (back)
17. "Shabono R" may have been added to a blank space. (back)
19. In the courses and distances and on Atlas map 121 "Coal River" and "Oak Tar pon er" are O'Fallon Creek; in the journal narrative (see earlier note in this entry) they are Cabin Creek. (back)
20. Perhaps Hatchet Creek in Prairie County; "Dry Brook" on Atlas map 121. (back)
21. The most prominent stream on this course is Bad Route Creek on the larboard side, in Prairie County. However, a "Dry Brook" appears on the starboard side on Atlas map 121. (back)
22. Evidently Cracker Box Creek in Dawson County; the island appears on Atlas map 121, but not the stream. (back)
23. Cabin Creek (see earlier note in this entry), the "Oak-tar-pon-er or Coal River" of the journal narrative. (back)
24. Cedar Creek in Dawson County, "Cat fish Creek" on Atlas map 121. (back)
25. Whoopup Creek in Dawson County, a nameless stream opposite the camp of July 31 on Atlas map 121. (back)
26. Eight miles below the mouth of Rock Creek, Phillips County, Montana, according to Lewis. (back)
27. They camped at some old Indian lodges eight miles below the mouth of Rock Creek, Phillips County, Montana, by Lewis's account. (back)
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