Great Falls of the Missouri — Joseph Whitehouse: June 16, 1805

we had a Shower of rain & high wind the fore part of last
night. aclear morning. all hands went over the Rapids 1st
with the canoes about 1 mile & then went back and took up
the perogue, and halted to wait the arival of Cap’ Lewis, &c.
their being a rapid a Short distance above which is impossable
to pass with loaded crafts. we caught a considerable quantity
of Small flat Scale fish at this place. about 12 oC. Cap! Lewis
& the men who accompanied him joined us. Cap! Lewis in-
formed us that he had been 15 miles up the River above the
first bad Rapids or Shoot & that the falls continued all that
distance in 5 different Shoots, but Some higher than the rest,
but the highest about 50 feet perpenticular & verry Rapid
water between each Shoot roling waves & white brakers. Cap!
Lewis informed us that the Lar‘ Side would be the best for us
to carry our goods and baggage by the falls, also the canoes.
So we crossed over to the Lar? Side and unloaded the canoes
& crossed them back to the Star? Side empty and towed them
[ ror ]
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _ [June 17
up the rapid about a mile. then crossed them back to the
Lar? Side again, in order that we might git them up a Small
River which comes in below the next Shoot to a more conve-
nient place to git them up the bank on to the plains. this little
River comes in on Lar? Side close below the next Shoot.
opposite to the mouth of this little River on S. S. a beautiful
Sulpher or mineral Spring rises out of the Side hills. it is a
verry Strong Sulpher water. we git & drink freely of it. in
the bottoms is a considerable of wild flax growing all in blos-
sum. Cap! Lewis’s party had prepared & dryed buffalow meat
and had caught & dryed a large quantity of fine fish, which we
call Salmon troute.