Missouri River Breaks area — Joseph Whitehouse: May 14, 1805

a hard white frost last night. our mocasons froze near the
fire. a clear and pleasant morning. we Set off at Sun‘rise
and proceeded on passed the mouth of a large creek on N. S,
named [blank space in MS.]* and a Small willow Island ab’
the mouth of S* creek we Saw verry large gangs of buffaloe,
on N.S. high rough black hills on each Side of the River.
Some Spots of pitch pine on the hills on each Side of the
River. about 1 oC. we halted to dine at [a]timbred bottom
on the SS. Cap! Clark killed a buffaloe about 2 oC. we
proceeded. we had passed the mouth of a large creek this
fore noon on S. S. Serg! Gass Saw Some banks of Snow on
the N. Side of Some hills. about 4 oClock P.M. we passed
the mouth of a large creek on S.S. 100 yards wide at high
water mark. we proceeded on at 5 oC. we Saw a verry large
brown bear on the hills on S.S. Six men went from the
cannoes to kill him they fired at him and only wounded
him he took after them and chased 2 men in to a cannoe,
they Shoved off in the River and fired at him Some of the
men on Shore wounded him worse he then chased one man
down a Steep bank in to the River and was near gitting hold
of him, but he kept up Stream So that the bear could not git
up to him. one of the men on Shore Shot the bear in the
head, which killed him dead after having nine balls Shot in
him. we got him to Shore and butchered him, his feet was
nine Inches across the ball, and 13 in length, nearly of the
Same discription of the first we killed only much larger his
nales was Seven Inches Jong &c. the two captains ware out on
Shore after a verry large gang of buffaloe the white perogue
of the captains hoisted Sail as the wind blew fair. a violent
Storm of wind arose from a black cloud in the N. W. the
1 Lewis calls this Gibson’s Creek. — Ep.
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1805] WHITEHOUSE’S JOURNAL
wind shifted in[to] N. W. and took the Sail of a Sudden and
had it not been for the eairning [awning] and mast She would
have turned up side down. She filled ful of water with
much trouble they got her to Shore and unloaded hir found
that the most of the loading was wet the Medicine Spoiled
or damaged very much Some of the paper and nearly all the
books got wet, but not altogether Spoiled. we opened all the
loading, on the bank and Camped at a bottom covred with
timber on the N.S. our officers gave each man a draghm of
ardent Spirits, Came 181% miles this day. (1 man wounded
another bear). ;