Clark: October 1, 1804

1st of October, Monday 1804. The wind blew hard from the S.E. all last night. Set out early, passed a large island in the middle of the river. Opposite this island the Ricaras lived in 2 villages on the S.W. side. About 2 miles above the upper point of the island, the Cheyenne River comes in on the L.S. and is about 400 yards wide, discharging but little water for a river of its size. The current is gentle, and navigable to the Black Mountains. We hauled the boat over a sandbar; the river is wide and shoal. Passed a creek at 5 miles which we call Sentinel Creek, and a small one above. There is little timber about this river, and the hills are not so high as usual. The upper creek I call Lookout Creek. Camped on a sandbar opposite a trading house, where a Mr. Valles and 2 men had some few goods to trade with the Sioux. A boy came to us. This Mr. Vallie informed us he wintered last winter 300 leagues up the Cheyenne River under the Black Mountains. He says the river is rapid and bad to navigate. It forks 100 leagues up; the N. fork enters the Black Mountains 40 leagues above the forks. The country is like that on the Missouri, with less timber and more cedar. The Coat Nur, or Black Mountains, is high and some parts retain snow all summer, covered with timber, principally pine. There are a great number of goats and a kind of animal with very large horns about the size of a small elk, and white bear. No beaver on the Cheyenne, but great numbers in the mountains. The Cheyenne Nation has about 300 lodges, hunt the buffalo, and steal horses from the Spanish settlements, which they do in 1 month. The channel of this river is coarse gravel. Those mountains are inhabited also by the white-booted turkeys. It is worthy of remark that the grouse, or prairie hen, is booted; the toes of their feet are so constructed as to walk on the snow, and the tail is short with 2 long stiff feathers in the middle.

Sandbars are so numerous that it is impossible to describe them, and I think it unnecessary to mention them.

1st of October, Monday 1804. The wind blew hard all last night from the S.E., very cold. Set out early, the wind still hard. Passed a large island in the middle of the river (1). Opposite the lower point of this island the Ricarees formerly lived in a large town on the L.S. About 2 miles above the head of the island we passed the (2) River on the L.S. This river comes in from the S.W. and is about 400 yards wide. The current appears gentle, throwing out but little sand, and appears to throw out but little water. The heads of this river — Indians live some distance up this river; the precise distance I can't learn. Above the mouth of this river the sandbars are thick and the water shoal, the river still very wide and falling a little. We are obliged to haul the boat over a sandbar, after making several attempts to pass. The wind was so hard we came to and stayed 3 hours. After it slackened a little we proceeded on round a bend, the wind in the after part of the day ahead. (2) Passed a creek on the L.S. which we call the Sentinel. This part of the river has but little timber, the hills not so high. The sandbars are now numerous, and the river is more than one mile wide including the sandbars. (2) Passed a small creek above the latter which we call Lookout C. Continued on with the wind immediately ahead, and came to on a large sandbar in the middle of the river. We saw a man opposite our camp on the L.S., which we discovered to be a Frenchman. A little off the willows we observed a house. We called to them to come over. A boy came in a canoe and informed us that 2 Frenchmen were at the house with goods to trade with the Sioux, whom he expected down from the Rickerries every day. Several large parties of Sioux set out from the Rics for this place to trade with those men. This Mr. Jon Vallie informs us that he wintered last winter 300 leagues up the Cheyenne River under the Black Mountains. He informs us that this river is very rapid and difficult even for canoes to ascend, and when rising the swells are very high. One hundred leagues up it forks; one fork comes from the south, the other at 40 leagues above the forks enters the Black Mountains. The country from the Missouri to the Black Mountains is much like the country on the Missouri, with less timber and a greater proportion of cedar. The Black Mountains, he says, are very high, and some parts of them have snow on them in the summer. Great quantities of pine grow on the mountains. A great noise is heard frequently on those mountains. On the mountains are great numbers of goats, and a kind of animal with large circular horns. This animal is nearly the size of an argali, a small elk. White bear is also plentiful. The Cheyenne Indians inhabit this river principally, and steal horses from the Spanish settlements. This excursion they make in one month. The bottoms and sides of R. Cheyenne are coarse gravel. This Frenchman gives an account of a white-booted turkey, an inhabitant of the Cout Noir.

1st of October, Monday 1804. At the mouth of River Cheyenne, or Dog River. We proceeded now from the mouth of this river 11 miles and camped on a sandbar in the river opposite a trading house. Very windy and cold. 11 miles above the Cheyenne R.

The red berry is called by the Rees Nar-nis.

The Ricarees. Names of the nations who come to the Ricarees to traffic and bring horses and robes:

1. * Kun-na-nar-wesh — Gens de Vache, Blue Beads
2. ° Noo-tar-wau — Hill Climbers
3. * Au-ner-hoo — the people who pen buffalo to catch them
4. * To-che-wah-Coo — Fox Indians
5. * To-pah-cass — White Hairs
6. * Cat-tar-kah — Paducar
7. * Kie-wah — Tideing Indians
8. * Too-war-Sar — Skin Pricks
9. Shar-ha (Chien) — the village on the other side
10. We-hee-Shaw (Chien) — the villages on this side

Those nations all live on the prairies from S.W. by S. to west of the Ricarees. All speak different languages and are numerous. All follow the buffalo and winter in the mountains. The Mandans call a red berry common to the upper part of the Missouri As-say; the engagés call the same berry graisse de buf. It grows in great abundance and makes a delightful tart.