Lewis: June 10, 1806
The expedition set out at 11 A.M. after recovering most of their horses, leaving the Indians to bring along one missing animal. Well-mounted with extra horses and light loads, the party rode about ten miles through fertile, timbered country, crossed a difficult Collins's Creek (wetting some provisions), and camped at the eastern edge of the Quamash Flats where they had first met the Nez Perce the previous fall. A group of Indians followed and camped with them. Collins shot a doe for supper, and the men also killed several burrowing squirrels.
Tuesday June 10th 1806. This morning we arrose early and had our horses
collected except one of Cruzatt’s and one of Whitehouse’s, which were not
to be found; after a surch of some hours Cruzatt’s horse was obtained and
the indians promised to find the other and bring it to us at the quawmash
flatts where we purpose encamping a few days. at 11 A.M. we set out with
the party each man being well mounted and a light load on a second horse,
beside which we have several supenemary horses in case of accedent or the
want of provision, we therefore feel ourselves perfectly equiped for the
mountains. we ascended the river hills which are very high and about three
miles in extent our sourse being N. 22° E. thence N. 15 W. 2 m to
Collins’s creek. thence due North 5 m. to the Eastern border of the
quawmash flatts where we encamped near the place we first met with the
Chopunnish last fall. the pass of Collins’s Creek was deep and extreemly
difficult tho we passed without sustaining further injury than weting some
of our roots and bread. the country through which we passed is extreemly
fertile and generally free of stone, is well timbered with several speceis
of fir, long leafed pine and larch. the undergrowth is chooke cherry near
the water courses, black alder, a large speceis of redroot now in blume, a
growth which resembles the pappaw in it’s leaf and which bears a burry
with five valves of a deep perple colour, two speceis of shoemate
sevenbark, perple haw, service berry, goosburry, a wild rose honeysuckle
which bears a white berry, and a species of dwarf pine which grows about
ten or twelve feet high. bears a globular formed cone with small scales,
the leaves are about the length and much the appearance of the common
pitch pine having it’s leaves in fassicles of two; in other rispects they
would at a little distance be taken for the young plants of the long
leafed pine. there are two speceis of the wild rose both quinqui petallous
and of a damask red but the one is as large as the common red rose of our
gardens. I observed the apples of this speceis last fall to be more than
triple the size of those of the ordinary wild rose; the stem of this rose
is the same with the other tho the leaf is somewhat larger. after we
encamped this evening we sent out our hunters; Collins killed a doe on
which we suped much to our satisfaction. we had scarcely reached Collins’s
Creek before we were overtaken by a party of Indians who informed us that
they were going to the quawmash flatts to hunt; their object I beleive is
the expectation of bing fed by us in which how ever kind as they have been
we must disappoint them at this moment as it is necessary that we should
use all frugallaty as well as employ every exertion to provide meat for
our journey. they have encamped with us. we find a great number of
burrowing squirels about our camp of which we killed several; I eat of
them and found them quite as tender and well flavored as our grey squirel.
saw many sand hill crains and some ducks in the slashey glades about this
place.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Tuesday, June 10th, 1806. This morning we arose early and had our horses collected, except one of Cruzatte's and one of Whitehouse's, which were not to be found. After a search of some hours, Cruzatte's horse was obtained, and the Indians promised to find the other and bring it to us at the quamash flats, where we plan to camp for a few days. At 11 A.M. we set out with the party, each man being well mounted and carrying a light load on a second horse. Besides these, we have several supernumerary horses in case of accident or the want of provisions; we therefore feel ourselves perfectly equipped for the mountains.
We ascended the river hills, which are very high and about three miles in extent, our course being N. 22° E., thence N. 15° W. 2 miles to Collins's Creek, thence due north 5 miles to the eastern border of the quamash flats, where we camped near the place we first met with the Chopunnish last fall. The crossing of Collins's Creek was deep and extremely difficult, though we passed without sustaining further injury than wetting some of our roots and bread.
The country through which we passed is extremely fertile and generally free of stone. It is well timbered with several species of fir, long-leafed pine, and larch. The undergrowth is chokecherry near the watercourses, black alder, a large species of redroot now in bloom, a growth which resembles the papaw in its leaf and which bears a berry with five valves of a deep purple color, two species of sumac, sevenbark, purple haw, serviceberry, gooseberry, a wild rose, a honeysuckle which bears a white berry, and a species of dwarf pine which grows about ten or twelve feet high. It bears a globular-formed cone with small scales; the leaves are about the length and much the appearance of the common pitch pine, having its leaves in fascicles of two. In other respects, they would at a little distance be taken for the young plants of the long-leafed pine. There are two species of the wild rose, both five-petaled and of a damask red, but one is as large as the common red rose of our gardens. I observed the apples (hips) of this species last fall to be more than triple the size of those of the ordinary wild rose. The stem of this rose is the same as the other, though the leaf is somewhat larger.
After we camped this evening, we sent out our hunters. Collins killed a doe, on which we supped much to our satisfaction. We had scarcely reached Collins's Creek before we were overtaken by a party of Indians, who informed us that they were going to the quamash flats to hunt. Their object, I believe, is the expectation of being fed by us, in which, however kind as they have been, we must disappoint them at this moment, as it is necessary that we should use all frugality as well as employ every exertion to provide meat for our journey. They have camped with us. We find a great number of burrowing squirrels about our camp, of which we killed several. I ate of them and found them quite as tender and well flavored as our gray squirrel. Saw many sandhill cranes and some ducks in the marshy glades about this place.
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