History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 1

Page 171

soo Lewis and Clm•ke's .l;xpiltilion, &c. Ie''el. but occasionally br.eame varied by gentle rises and desrents, but with no timber except along the water. From this position, the point at which the Missouri enters the :fir•st chain of the Rocky mountains bore south .28° '"est about twenty-five miles, according to our estimate. 'l'hc northern extremity of tbat chain north 73 ° west at the distance of eighty miles. To the same extremity of the second chain north 65• west one hundred and fifty miles. To the most remote point of a third and continued chain of these mountains north 50° west about two hundt·ed milrs. The direction of the first chain was from south .20° east to north .20° west; of the second, ft·om south 45° east to north 45° west; but the eye could not r·each their southern extremities, which most llrobably may be traced to Mexico. In a course south 7 5° west, and at the distance of eight miles is a mountain, which from its a},peaJ>ance we shall call Fort Mountain. It is situated ia the level plain, and formi nearly a square, each side of which is a mile in extent. These sides, which are composed of a yellow clay with no mixture of rock or stone whatever, rise perpendicularly to the height of three huntlred feet, where the top becomes a level plain covered, as captain Lewis now observed, with a tolerably feJ>tile mould two feet thick, on which was a coat of grass similar to that of the plain below: it bas the ap­pearance of being perfect1y inaccessible, and although the mounds near the falls somewhat resemble it, yet none of them are so large. CHAPTER XII. The party embark on board the canoes-Description of Smith's riYer-Chauc ter of t'Lic country, &c.-De:.u·borne's river describcd-Cuptnin Clarke pre­eedes the party for the purpose of discovering the Indians of the .Rocky mountains-Magnificent rocky appearances on the borde1·s of the l'IH! r de JlOroinated the Gates of the Rocky roountaius-Captain Clarke arri,·e:; at the three forks of the Missouri without overtaking the Indians- The {Jarty ar• rive at the tiU"ee fot•ks, of which a pat·ticular and intereating llescr1ption i11 pven. Monday, July i5. 'VE rose early, emba:rked all our hag gage on board the canoes, which though light in number arc still heavily loaded, and at ten o'clock set out on our jouruey. At the distance of three miles we passed an island, just above which is a small creek coming in from the left, which we called Fort Mountain creek, the channel of which is ten yards wide but now perfectly dry. At six miles we came to an island opposite to a bend towards the north side; and reached at seven and a half miles the lowct· point of a woollland at the entrance of a beautiful river, which in ho­nour of the secretary of the navy we called Smith's rher. This stream falls into a bend on the south side of the llissouri, and is eighty yards wide. As far as '\ c could discern its course it wound through a cha:rming vaJlcy towards the southeast, in which many herds of bu1t~lloc were feelling, till at the distance of twenty-five miles it entered the Rocky mountains, and was lost ft·om our view. After dining near this place we proceeded. on four and three quarter miles to the head of an islam); four and a quarter miles beyond which is a second island on the left; three and a quarter miles further in a bend of the river towards the north, is a wood. where we encamped 1'ot• the night, after making ninet~en and three quarter miles.