Lewis: August 2, 1805

August 2nd 1805. We resumed our march this morning at sunrise; the weather was fair and the wind from the northwest. Finding that the river still bore to the south, I determined to cross it if possible to shorten our route. This we accomplished about five miles above our camp of last evening by wading it. We found the current very rapid, about 90 yards wide and waist deep. This is the first time I ever dared to attempt to wade the river, though there are many places between this and the Three Forks where I presume it might be attempted with equal success. The valley through which our route of this day lay, and through which the river winds its meandering course, is a beautiful level plain with little timber, and what timber there is grows on the edges of the river. The land is tolerably fertile, consisting of a black or dark yellow loam, and is covered with grass from 9 inches to 2 feet high. The plain ascends gradually on either side of the river to the bases of two ranges of mountains which lie parallel to the river and form the boundary of the valley. The tops of these mountains were still partially covered with snow, while we in the valley were nearly suffocated by the intense heat of the midday sun. The nights are so cold that two blankets are barely sufficient covering. We found a great quantity of currants, two kinds of which were red, others yellow, deep purple, and black, along with black gooseberries and serviceberries, now ripe and in full perfection. We feasted sumptuously on our wild fruit, particularly the yellow currant and the deep purple serviceberry, which I found to be excellent. The currant grows much like the red currant common to the gardens in the Atlantic states, though the leaf is somewhat different and the growth taller. The serviceberry grows on a smaller bush and differs from ours only in color and the superior excellence of its flavor and size; it is of a deep purple. This day we saw an abundance of deer and goats or antelopes and a great number of elk tracks; of the former we killed two. We continued our route along this valley, which is from six to eight miles wide, until sunset, when we camped for the night on the river bank, having traveled about 24 miles. I feel myself perfectly recovered from my illness and do not doubt being able to pursue my march with equal comfort in the morning.

Friday August 2nd 1805. We resumed our march this morning at sunrise; the day was fair and the wind from the northwest. Finding that the river still bore to the south, I determined to cross it if possible in order to shorten our route. This we accomplished by wading the river about 5 miles above our encampment of the last evening. We found the current very rapid, waist deep and about 90 yards wide, the bottom smooth pebble with a small mixture of coarse gravel. This is the first time I ever dared to wade the river, though there are many places between this and the forks where I presume it might be attempted with equal success. The valley along which we passed today, and through which the river winds its meandering course, is from 6 to 8 miles wide and consists of a beautiful level plain with little timber, and that confined to the edges of the river. The land is tolerably fertile, and is either black or a dark yellow loam, covered with grass from 9 inches to 2 feet high. The plain ascends gradually on either side of the river to the bases of two ranges of high mountains, which lie parallel to the river and mark the limits of the plains. The tops of these mountains are still partially covered with snow, while we in the valley are nearly suffocated by the intense heat of the midday sun; the nights are so cold that two blankets are barely sufficient covering. Soon after crossing the river this morning, Sergt. Gass (Sergeant Gass) lost my tomahawk in the thick brush and we were unable to find it. I regret the loss of this useful implement; however, accidents will happen in the best of families, and I consoled myself with the recollection that it was not the only one we had with us. The bones of buffalo and their old droppings are to be found in every part of this valley, but we have long since lost all hope of meeting that animal in these mountains. We met with great quantities of currants today, two species of which were red, others yellow, deep purple, and black; also black gooseberries and serviceberries, now ripe and in great perfection. We feasted sumptuously on our wild fruits, particularly the yellow currant and the deep purple serviceberries, which I found to be excellent. The serviceberry grows on a small bush and differs from ours only in color, size, and the superior excellence of its flavor. It is somewhat larger than ours. On our way we saw an abundance of deer and antelopes; of the former we killed 2. We also saw many tracks of elk and bear. There was no recent sign of Indians. The Indians in this part of the country appear to build their lodges with willow boughs and brush; they are small, of a conical shape, and have a small opening on one side through which they enter. We continued our route up this valley on the larboard (left) side of the river until sunset, at which time we camped on the larboard bank of the river, having traveled 24 miles. We had brought with us a good stock of venison, of which we ate a hearty supper. I feel myself perfectly recovered from my illness and do not doubt being able to pursue my route tomorrow with the same comfort I have done today. We saw some very large beaver dams today in the bottoms of the river, several of which were five feet high and overflowed several acres of land. These dams are formed of willow brush, mud, and gravel, and are so closely interwoven that they resist the water perfectly. The base of this work is thick and rises nearly perpendicularly on the lower side, while the upper side, or that within the dam, is gently sloped. The brush appears to be laid in no regular order, yet it acquires a strength from the irregularity with which it is placed by the beaver that would puzzle the ingenuity of man to match.

Capt. Clark (Captain Clark) continued his route early this morning. The rapidity of the current was such that his progress was slow; in short, it required the utmost exertion of the men to get on, nor could they resist this current by any other means than the cord and pole. In the course of the day they passed some villages of burrowing squirrels, saw a number of beaver dams and the beavers that lived in them, many young ducks of both the mallard and the red-headed fishing duck, geese, several rattlesnakes, black woodpeckers, and a large herd of elk. They found the river much crowded with islands both large and small, and passed a small creek on the starboard (right) side which we called Birth Creek. Capt. Clark discovered a tumor rising on the inner side of his ankle this evening, which was painful to him. They camped in a level bottom on the larboard side.