Great Falls of the Missouri — Joseph Whitehouse: June 14, 1805

Joseph Whitehouse · Great Falls of the Missouri · Thwaites Vol. Thwaites Vol 7

That night's camp, per the NPS campsite reconstruction (Bergantino): right shore Missouri River, 3½ mi south Carter, MT

a fare pleasant morning. 2 men lay out all last night, which
walked on Shore one [with] a lame hand the other 2 sick.”
we proceeded on. passed the place where Cap! Lewis had
camped as he went up. had left 2 bear Skins & fat one Deer
Skin which they had killed. 2 of the men lay by it last night.
at breakfast we came up to the other man which had killed
2 buffalow & a deer. we proceeded on passed verry high
bluffs on each Side, & Several Islands of cotton timber. the
current verry rapid all day. our Intrepters wife verry Sick &
I am verry Sick myself. about 4 oC. P. M. we met one man
which Cap! Lewis Sent back to meet us. he informed us that
he came from the falls today, & that they were verry bad, &c.
about 20 miles from us above, & that Cap! Lewis & the other
three men was a going to the head of the falls, in order to
examine how far it was before we could take water again. we
went 10 miles to day through a verry rapid current, and
Camped at a Small bottom on the Lard Side. we Saw a nom-
ber of dead buffalow floating down the River which we expect
was killed in the falls.
1 The figure 2 is, in the MS., inserted with a caret, apparently at a later time;
possibly it is meant thereby that both men were sick, and that one had, in addition,
a lame hand. — Ep.
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1805] WHITEHOUSE’S JOURNAL