Joseph Whitehouse: September 4, 1805
On a clear but bitterly cold morning with frozen moccasins and snow-covered mountains, the party set out around 8 a.m. without breakfast and climbed a snowy peak, suffering from the cold. Descending through rough terrain and a fir thicket, they killed a dozen pheasants and a deer, which they ate in a valley. By evening they reached a large Flathead Indian encampment of about 40 lodges with 400-500 horses. The natives welcomed them warmly with white robes and smoking. Captains Lewis and Clark planned to discuss their mission the next day.
the morning clear but verry cold our mockersons froze
hard. the mountains covred with Snow. 2 mountain Sheep
[ 148 ]
1805] WHITEHOUSE’S JOURNAL
Seen by one of the men. we delayed untill about 8 oClock
A. M. then Set out and assended a mountain without any thing
to eat. the Snow lay on the mou! So that it kep on our
mockisons_ the air verry cold our fingers aked with the cold.
we [de]scended the mountain down a rough rockey way and
along through a large thicket of bolsom fer timber in which
we killed a dozen fessents then descended down in to a large
valley on a branch and halted to dine our hunter killed a
Deer. Saw fresh Indian Sign. we Eat our deer. our Indian
guide and the young Indian who accompanied him Eat the
paunch and all the Small guts of the Deer. we then proceeded
on down the valley towards evening we arived at a large
Encampment of the flat head nation which is a large band of
the nation of about 40 lodges. they have between 4 and 500
well looking horses now feeding in this valley or plain in our
view. they received us as friends and appeared to be glad to
See us. 2 of our men who were a hunting came to their
lodges first the natives Spread a white robe over them and
put their arms around their necks, as a great token of friend-
ship. then Smoaked with them. when Cap! Lewis and Cap!
Clark ari[ved] they Spread white robes over their Shoulders
and Smoaked with them. our officers told them that they
would Speak with them tomorrow and tell them our business
and where we are going &c. the natives are light Com-
plectioned decent looking people the most of them well
cloathed with M? Sheep and other Skins. they have buffalow
Robes leather lodges to live in, but have no meat at this time.
but gave us abundance of their dryed fruit Such as Servis
berrys cherries different kinds of roots all of which eat verry
well. they tell us that we can go in 6 days to where white
traders come and that they had Seen bearded men who came
[from] a river to the North of us 6 days march but we have
4 mountains to cross before we come on that River. our
hunters killed another Deer this evening. Came [blank space
in MS.] miles to day and pitched our Camp on the plain near
the Creek on the right of the Indians lodges. considerable of
large pitch pine in the valley.
[ 149 ]
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _[Sept. 5
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
The morning was clear but very cold; our moccasins froze hard. The mountains were covered with snow. Two mountain sheep were seen by one of the men. We delayed until about 8 o'clock A.M., then set out and ascended a mountain without anything to eat. The snow lay on the mountain so that it kept on our moccasins. The air was very cold and our fingers ached with the cold.
We descended the mountain down a rough, rocky way and along through a large thicket of balsam fir timber, in which we killed a dozen pheasants. Then we descended into a large valley on a branch and halted to dine. Our hunter killed a deer. We saw fresh Indian sign. We ate our deer. Our Indian guide and the young Indian who accompanied him ate the paunch and all the small guts of the deer.
We then proceeded on down the valley. Toward evening we arrived at a large encampment of the Flathead nation, which is a large band of the nation of about 40 lodges. They have between 400 and 500 fine-looking horses now feeding in this valley or plain in our view. They received us as friends and appeared to be glad to see us. Two of our men who were hunting came to their lodges first. The natives spread a white robe over them and put their arms around their necks as a great token of friendship, then smoked with them. When Cap! Lewis (Capt. Lewis) and Cap! Clark (Capt. Clark) arrived, they spread white robes over their shoulders and smoked with them. Our officers told them that they would speak with them tomorrow and tell them our business and where we are going, etc.
The natives are light-complexioned, decent-looking people, most of them well clothed with mountain sheep and other skins. They have buffalo robes and leather lodges to live in, but have no meat at this time. They gave us an abundance of their dried fruit, such as serviceberries, cherries, and different kinds of roots, all of which eat very well. They tell us that we can go in 6 days to where white traders come, and that they had seen bearded men who came from a river to the north of us, 6 days' march, but we have 4 mountains to cross before we come to that river. Our hunters killed another deer this evening. Came [blank space in MS.] miles today and pitched our camp on the plain near the creek on the right of the Indians' lodges. There is a considerable amount of large pitch pine in the valley.
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