Marias River decision camp — Joseph Whitehouse: June 6, 1805

A cold, cloudy morning. The wind blew cold from the northeast. Some of the men went a short distance from camp and killed 2 buffalo, one fat elk, 2 deer, 1 mule deer and one common deer, and 2 antelopes, etc. There was a light sprinkling of rain today. About 2 o'clock p.m., Capt Clark (Capt. Clark) and his party returned to camp. They informed us that the south fork is the most probable branch on our course, which Capt Clark allowed we would take. They had been about 40 miles up the south fork. When they got about 8 miles from our camp, they found a beautiful spring of water, where the small river was not more than 200 yards from the south fork. They refreshed themselves at the spring with a drink of good grog. They saw but little game on this river. They passed through high plains, where nothing grows but short grass and prickly pears. The course of the river, as far as they went, was about southwest. They saw a mountain to the south of them covered with snow.

One of the men, by the name of Jo Fields (Joseph Fields), was attacked by an old he-bear, which would have killed him if the rest of the party had not been within hearing to fire at him, which made him turn his course. They killed 3 bears and ate a part of one of them, and returned by way of the middle branch, which they came down, and killed in its bottoms a number of fat elk and deer, and saw wolves, antelopes, and beaver, etc. The bottoms of this middle river are like the bottoms below the forks, covered with timber. There are some cottonwood trees with a leaf like the leaf of a cherry. They saw wild tansy, etc. Capt Lewis (Capt. Lewis) and his party did not return this evening. The party has been employed dressing skins, etc.