N. 60 E 11/2 up the river. here we halted and dine and our hunters overtook us with a deer which they had killed. river bottoms narrow and country thickly timbered. Cottonwood and pine grow intermixed in the river bottoms musquitoes extreemely troublesome. we expect to meet with the Minnetares and are therefore much on our guard both day and night. the bois rague in blume.—saw the common small blue flag and peppergrass. the southern wood and two other speceis of shrub are common in the prarie of knobs. preserved specemines of them. passed several old indian encampments of brush lodges.-
S 80 E 2 m. to two nearly equal forks of the river here the road forks also one leading up each branch these are the forks of which I presume the indians made mention. passed a creek on N. side 12 yds. wide shallow and clear.
N 75 E. 8 m. to our encampment of this evening over a steep high
Ms. 25 balld toped hill for 2 m. thence through and to the left of a large low bottom 2 M. thence three miles through a thick wood along the hill side bottoms narrow. thence 1 m. to our encampment on a large creek some little distance above it's mouth through a beatifull plain on the border of which we passed the remains of 32 old lodges. they appear to be those of the Minnetares as are all those we have seen today. killed five deer and a beaver today. encamped on the creek much sign of beaver in this extensive bottom.
[Lewis, July 7, 1806]
July 7 1806. Set out at 7 A.M. N. 75 E. 6 M. with the road through a level beatifull plain on the North side of the river much timber in the bottoms hills also timbered with pitch pine. no longleafed pine since we left the praries of the knobs. crossed a branch of the creek 8 yds. wid. on which we encamped at 1/4 m. also passed a creek 15 yd. wide at 1/4 further. North 6 ms.—passed the main creek at a mile 1/2 and kept up it on the wright hand side through handsom plain bottoms to the foot of a ridge which we ascended the main stream boar N W & W. as far as I could see it a wright hand fork falls into this creek at 1 M. above the commencement of this course.
N. 15 E. 8 m. over two ridges and again striking the wrighthand fork at 4 ms. then continued up it on the left hand side much appearance of beaver many dams. bottoms not wide and covered with low willow and grass. halted to dine at a large beaver dam the hunters killed 3 deer and a fawn. deer are remarkably plenty and in good order. Reubin Fields wounded a moos deer this morning near our camp. my dog much worried.
N. 10 E. 3 m. up the same creek on the east side through a handsome narrow plain.
N 45 E. 2 m. passing the dividing ridge betwen the waters of the Columbia and Missouri rivers at 1/4 of a mile from this gap which is low and an easy ascent on the W. side the fort mountain bears North Eaast, and appears to be distant about 20 Miles. the road for one and 3/4 miles desends the hill and continues down a branch.