Meriwether Lewis: June 3, 1805

Monday June 3d 1805. This morning early we passed over and formed a camp on the point formed by the junction of the two large rivers. An interesting question was now to be determined; which of these rivers was the Missouri, or that river which the Minnetares call Amahte Arzha or Missouri, and which they had discribed to us as approaching very near to the Columbia river. to mistake the stream at this period of the season, two months of the traveling season having now elapsed, and to ascend such stream to the rocky Mountain or perhaps much further before we could inform ourselves whether it did approach the Columbia or not, and then be obliged to return and take the other stream would not only loose us the whole of this season but would probably so dishearten the party that it might defeat the expedition altogether. convinced we were that the utmost circumspection and caution was necessary in deciding on the stream to be taken.

Source: Thwaites, Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1904–05). Public domain. Lewis named the north fork Maria’s River on 8 June, against the opinion of the rest of the party.