Great Falls of the Missouri — Joseph Whitehouse: June 17, 1805
On a cloudy day, the party worked on multiple tasks related to portaging around the Great Falls. Some men hauled canoes about 1.5 miles up a small river, while six others built small low wagons to carry canoes and baggage across the portage. Captain Clark and five men set out to survey the route and measure the distance to where the river could be navigated again. Two hunters sought elk skins to cover the iron boat. One canoe capsized in a dangerous rapid, nearly drowning two men, but all were brought up safely to dry.
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.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
A cloudy morning. Some men were employed taking the canoes up the little River about 1¾ miles. Six men were employed making small low wagons to haul the canoes and baggage by the carrying place above the falls. Capt Clark (Capt. Clark) and five men went to survey and measure the distance up to the head of the falls, to where we can take to the water again, and to look out a road for us to go up with the wagons, etc. Two hunters went out to get elk skins to put our iron boat together above the falls, as we are leaving our largest craft here. The timber is very scarce above the falls. Very high plains, the buffalo plenty.
In the evening we got the canoes up the small river to the falls of it, which are about 4 feet perpendicular. We had some difficulty in getting them up the rapids today, as well as it being a dangerous job. One canoe turned upside down in a bad rapid, and nearly drowned the two men who were in her. Several others filled with water, but we hauled them up safely to the place convenient at the falls to take them up the bank. We carried them out on a level and turned them up on edge to dry.
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