Clark: November 19, 1805

November 19th Tuesday 1805 — It began to rain a little before day and continued raining until 11 o'clock. I proceeded on through immensely bad thickets and hills, crossing 2 points to a 3rd, on which we built a fire and cooked a deer which Jos. Field (Joseph Field) killed. From this point I can see into a deep bend in the coast to the N.E. for 10 miles. After breakfast I proceeded on N. 20 E. 5 miles to the commencement of a large sand bar, at a low part with ponds a little off from the coast. Here the high rocky hills end and a low marshy country succeeds. I proceeded up the course N. 10° W. 4 miles and marked my name and the day of the month on a pine tree. The waters which wash this sand beach are tinged with a deep brown color for some distance out. The course continued is N. 20° W., low coast and sand beach. Saw a dead sturgeon 10 feet long on the sand, and the backbone of a whale, as I conceived. It rained, and I then returned to the Cape and dined. Some curious deer on this course are darker, larger bodied, with short legs and pronged horns; the top of the tail black, the underpart white as usual. Passed a niche in the rocks below, into which falls a stream. After dinner I set out on my return S.E., passed over a low ridge and through a piney country 21½ miles to the bay, thence up the bay to the mouth of the Chen-nook (Chinook) River. Crossed in the canoe we had left there and camped on the upper side. The hills in the point of this bay are not high, and immediately below this river there are yellow bluffs. Above the river and up for about 2 miles the land is low and marshy and contains much driftwood. The country up this creek is low, with copses of high land, or, as I may say, elevated.

The buzzard which Ruben Fields (Reuben Field) killed: diameter of one feather is 1¼ and 1 line; from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other is 9 feet 0 inches; from the point of the bill to the tail is 3 feet 10¼ inches; middle toe 5½ inches; toenail 1 inch; wing feather 2 feet ½ inch; tail feathers 14¼ inches; head is 6¼ inches long including the beak.

November 19th Tuesday 1805 — A cloudy rainy day. Proceeded up the coast, which runs from my camp 1¼ miles west of the inner entry of the Cape, N. 20° W. 5 miles through a rugged hilly country thickly off the sea coast, to the commencement of an extensive sand beach which runs N. 10° W. to Point Lewis, about 20 miles distance. I proceeded up this coast 4 miles and marked my name on a low pine, and returned 3 miles back. (The country opposite this sandy coast is low and marshy.) Crossed the point 2 miles to the bay and camped on Chinnook (Chinook) River. See another book for particulars.

Tuesday November the 19th 1805 — I arose early this morning from under a wet blanket, caused by a shower of rain which fell in the latter part of the last night, and sent two men ahead with directions to proceed on near the sea coast and kill something for breakfast, and that I should follow myself in about half an hour. After drying our blankets a little, I set out with a view to proceed near the coast, the direction of which induced me to conclude that at the distance of 8 or 10 miles the bay was at no great distance across. I overtook the hunters at about 3 miles; they had killed a small deer, on which we breakfasted. It commenced raining and continued moderately until 11 o'clock A.M.

After taking a sumptuous breakfast of venison, which was roasted on sticks exposed to the fire, I proceeded on through a rugged country of high hills and steep hollows on a course from the Cape N. 20° W. 5 miles on a direct line to the commencement of a sandy coast which extended N. 10° W. from the top of the hill above the sand shore to a point of high land distant near 20 miles. This point I have taken the liberty of calling after my particular friend Lewis. At the commencement of this sand beach the highlands leave the sea coast in a direction toward Chinnook (Chinook) River, and do not touch the sea coast again below Point Lewis, leaving a low pondy country, many places open with small ponds in which there are a great number of fowl. I am informed that the Chinnook Nation inhabits this low country and lives in large wood houses on a river which passes through this bottom parallel to the sea coast and falls into the bay.

I proceeded on the sandy coast 4 miles and marked my name on a small pine, with the day of the month and year, etc., and returned to the foot of the hill, from which place I intended to strike across to the bay. I saw a sturgeon which had been thrown on shore and left by the tide, 10 feet in length, and several joints of the backbone of a whale which must have foundered on this part of the coast. After dining on the remains of our small deer, I proceeded over land S.E. with some ponds to the bay, distance about 2 miles, thence up to the mouth of Chinnook (Chinook) River 2 miles, crossed this little river in the canoe we left at its mouth, and camped on the upper side in an open sandy bottom. The hills next to the bay from Cape Disappointment to a short distance up the Chinnook (Chinook) River are not very high, thickly covered with different species of pine, etc., many of which are large. I observed in many places pines of 3 or 4 feet through growing on the bodies of large trees which had fallen down and were covered with moss and yet partly sound. The deer of this coast differ materially from our common deer, inasmuch as they are much darker, deeper bodied, with shorter legs, horns equally branched from the beam, the top of the tail black from the root to the end, eyes larger, and they do not lope but jump.