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The Journals
of Lewis and Clark: Dates October 1, 1804 - October 4, 1804
The following
excerpts are taken from entries of the Journals of Lewis
and Clark. Dates: October 1, 1804 - October 4, 1804
October 1, 1804
October 1st, 1804. The weather was very cold and the wind
high from the southeast during the night, and continued
so this morning. At three miles distance, we had passed
a large island in the middle of the river, opposite to the
lower end of which the Ricaras once had a village on the
south side of the river: there are, however, no remnants
of it now, except a circular wall three or four feet in
height, which encompassed the town. Two miles beyond this
island is a river coming in from the southwest, about four
hundred yards wide; the current gentle, and discharging
not much water, and very little sand: it takes its rise
in the second range of the Cote Noire or Black mountains,
and its general course is nearly east; this river has been
occasionally called Dog river, under a mistaken opinion
that its French name was Chien, but its true appellation
is Chayenne, and it derives this title from the Chayenne
Indians: their history is the short and melancholy relation
of the calamities of almost all the Indians. They were a
numerous people and lived on the Chayenne, a branch of the
Red river of Lake Winnipeg. The invasion of the Sioux drove
them westward; in their progress they halted on the southern
side of the Missouri below the Warreconne, where their ancient
fortifications still exist; but the same impulse again drove
them to the heads of the Chayenne, where they now rove,
and occasionally visit the Ricaras. They are now reduced,
but still number three hundred men.
Although the river did not seem to throw out much sand,
yet near and above its mouth we find a great many sandbars
difficult to pass. On both sides of the Missouri, near the
Chayenne, are rich thinly timbered lowlands, behind which
are bare hills. As we proceeded, we found that the sandbars
made the river so shallow, and the wind was so high, that
we could scarcely find the channel, and at one place were
forced to drag the boat over a sandbar, the Missouri being
very wide and falling a little. At seven and a half miles
we came to at a point, and remained three hours, during
which time the wind abated: we then passed within four miles
two creeks on the south, one of which we called Centinel
creek, and the other Lookout creek. This part of the river
has but little timber; the hills are not so high as we have
hitherto seen, and the number of sandbars extends the river
to more than a mile in breadth. We continued about four
and a half miles further, to a sandbar in the middle of
the river, where we spent the night, our progress being
sixteen miles. On the opposite shore, we saw a house among
the willows and a boy to whom we called, and brought him
on board. He proved to be a young Frenchman in the employ
of a Mr. Valle a trader, who is now here pursuing his commerce
with the Sioux.
October 2, 1804
Tuesday, October 2. There had been a violent wind
from S.E. during the night, which having moderated we set
sail with Mr. Valle, who visited us this morning and accompanied
us for two miles. He is one of three French traders who
have halted here, expecting the Sioux who are coming down
from the Ricaras, where they now are, for the purposes of
traffic. Mr. Valle tells us that he passed the last winter
three hundred leagues up the Chayenne under the Black mountains.
That river he represents as very rapid, liable to sudden
swells, the bed and shores formed of course gravel, and
difficult of ascent even for canoes. One hundred leagues
from its mouth it divides into two branches, one coming
from the south, the other at forty leagues from the junction
enters the Black mountains. The land which it waters from
the Missouri to the Black mountains, resembles the country
on the Missouri, except that the former has even less timber,
and of that the greater proportion is cedar. The Chayennes
reside chiefly on the heads of the river, and steal horses
from the Spanish settlement, a plundering excursion which
they perform in a month's [96]time. The Black mountains
he observes are very high, covered with great quantities
of pine, and in some parts the snow remains during the summer.
There are also great quantities of goats, white bear, prairie
cocks, and a species of animal which from his description
must resemble a small elk, with large circular horns.
At two and a half miles we had passed a willow island on
the south, on the north side of the river were dark bluffs,
and on the south low rich prairies. We took a meridian altitude
on our arrival at the upper end of the isthmus of the bend,
which we called the Lookout bend, and found the latitude
to be 44° 19' 36". This bend is nearly twenty miles round,
and not more than two miles across.
In the afternoon we heard a shot fired, and not long after
observed some Indians on a hill: one of them came to the
shore and wished us to land, as there were twenty lodges
of Yanktons or Boisbrule there; we declined doing so, telling
him that we had already seen his chiefs, and that they might
learn from Mr. Durion the nature of the talk we had delivered
to them. At nine miles we came to the lower point of a long
island on the north, the banks of the south side of the
river being high, those of the north forming a low rich
prairie. We coasted along this island, which we called Caution
island, and after passing a small creek on the south encamped
on a sandbar in the middle of the river, having made twelve
miles. The wind changed to the northwest, and became very
high and cold. The current of the river is less rapid, and
the water though of the same color contains less sediment
than below the Chayenne, but its width continues the same.
We were not able to hunt to-day; for as there are so many
Indians in the neighborhood, we were in constant expectation
of being attacked, and were therefore forced to keep the
party together and be on our guard.
October 3, 1804
Wednesday, October 3. The wind continued so high
from the northwest, that we could not set out till after
seven: we then proceeded till twelve o'clock, and landed
on [97]a bar towards the south, where we examined the pirogues,
and the forecastle of the boat, and found that the mice
had cut several bags of corn, and spoiled some of our clothes:
about one o'clock an Indian came running to the shore with
a turkey on his back: several others soon joined him, but
we had no intercourse with them. We then went on for three
miles, but the ascent soon became so obstructed by sandbars
and shoal water, that after attempting in vain several channels,
we determined to rest for the night under some high bluffs
on the south, and send out to examine the best channel.
We had made eight miles along high bluffs on each side.
The birds we saw were the white gulls and the brant which
were flying to the southward in large flocks.
October 4, 1804
Thursday, 4th.
On examination we found that there was no outlet practicable
for us in this channel, and that we must retread our steps.
We therefore returned three miles, and attempted another
channel in which we were more fortunate. The Indians were
in small numbers on the shore, and seemed willing had they
been more numerous to molest us. They called to desire that
we would land, and one of them gave three yells and fired
a ball ahead of the boat: we however took no notice of it,
but landed on the south to breakfast. One of these Indians
swam across and begged for some powder, we gave him a piece
of tobacco only. At eight and a half miles we had passed
an island in the middle of the river, which we called Goodhope
island. At one and a half mile we reached a creek on the
south side about twelve yards wide, to which we gave the
name of Teal creek. A little above this is an island on
the north side of the current, about one and a half mile
in length and three quarters of a mile in breadth. In the
centre of this island is an old village of the Ricaras,
called Lahoocat; it was surrounded by a circular wall, containing
seventeen lodges. The Ricaras are known to have lived therein
1797, and the village seems to have been deserted about
five years since; it does not contain much timber. We encamped
on a sandbar [98]making out from the upper end of this island;
our journey to-day being twelve miles.
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