Great Falls of the Missouri — Joseph Whitehouse: June 17, 1805

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

That night's camp, per the NPS campsite reconstruction (Bergantino): Lower Portage Camp, Hower Coulee

a cloudy morning. Some men employed taking the canoes
up the little River about 134 miles. 6 men employed make-
ing Small low waggons to hall the canoes and baggage by the
carrying place above the falls. Capt Clark and five men went
to Survey & measure the distance up to the head of the falls,
to where we can take water again, & to look out a road for us
to go up with the waggons &c. 2 hunters out to git Elk
Skins to put our Iron boat together above the falls, as we leave
our largest craft here. the timber is verry Scarse above the
falls. verry high plains the buffalow pleanty. in the even-
ing we got the canoes up the Small River to the falls of it
which is about 4 feet perpenticular. we had Some difficulty
in gitting them up the rapids to day, as well as a dangerous
job. one canoe turned upside down in a bad rapid, & was
near drowning the 2 men which was in hir. Several others
filled with water but we haled them up Safe to the place con-
venient at the falls to take them up the bank. we caried them
out on a livel & turned them up on edge to dry.