Rapid descent of Missouri, 70-80 miles/day — Patrick Gass: August 27, 1806
The party set out early and traveled to the upper end of the Great Bend, pausing to hunt without success. Continuing around the bend, they killed an elk at its lower end and then took down three buffalo from a gang spotted feeding on an island, where they camped for the night. The following pleasant day they reached Pleasant Camp by around 11 o'clock and stopped for the remainder of the day, sending out hunters to obtain mule deer and antelope skeletons for the commanding officers, though the men returned with only buffalo and common deer.
barked early: proceeded on till we came to the upper end of
the Great-bend, and there stopped to hunt.* As our hunters
*In a former geographical note (pa. 62) we stated that the place where Mr.
Thompson, Astronomer to the North West Company, took his observations in the
year 1798 to ascertain the latitude and longitude of the northern bend of the Missouri,
was near the longitude of the Mandan villages. If what Mr. Thompson called the
northern bend is the same with what Mr. Gass calls the great bend (of which there
appears little doubt) the longitude of the Mandan villages will be between two and
three degrees west of the northern, or great bend ; or in about longitude 104 degrees
west of London, 29 degrees west of Philadelphia, rz 1-2 degrees west of the mouth of
the Missouri, and nearly 20 degreéS east of the mouth of the Columbia. This will
still shew the great errors of those maps of Louisiana, which place the Mandan villages
20 degrees west of the longitude of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi ;
and less than 12 degrees east of that of the mouth of the Columbia.
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION — 281
saw no game, we in a short time continued our voyage round
the bend; at the lower end of which we killed an elk. As we
were passing an island we saw a gang of buffaloe feeding on
it; when we halted and killed three of them, and encamped
on the island for the night.
Tbursday 28th. We had another pleasant day; embarked
early, and proceeded on till about 11 o’clock, when we arrived
at Pleasant camp, and halted. We left this camp on the
13th Sept. 1804. The Commanding Officers wishing to pro-
cure and take down with them the skeletons of some mule
deer, and cabre; and knowing that there were but few of those
animals lower down the river, continued here the remainder
of the day, and sent out six or eight hunters; who returned
at night without finding any of the wished for animals, but
killed some fat buffaloe and common deer.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Embarked early; proceeded on until we came to the upper end of the Great Bend, and there stopped to hunt.* As our hunters saw no game, we in a short time continued our voyage round the bend; at the lower end of which we killed an elk. As we were passing an island we saw a herd of buffalo feeding on it; whereupon we halted and killed three of them, and camped on the island for the night.
*In a former geographical note (page 62) we stated that the place where Mr. Thompson, Astronomer to the North West Company, took his observations in the year 1798 to ascertain the latitude and longitude of the northern bend of the Missouri, was near the longitude of the Mandan villages. If what Mr. Thompson called the northern bend is the same as what Mr. Gass calls the great bend (of which there appears little doubt), the longitude of the Mandan villages will be between two and three degrees west of the northern, or great bend; or about longitude 104 degrees west of London, 29 degrees west of Philadelphia, 12 1/2 degrees west of the mouth of the Missouri, and nearly 20 degrees east of the mouth of the Columbia. This will still show the great errors of those maps of Louisiana which place the Mandan villages 20 degrees west of the longitude of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi, and less than 12 degrees east of that of the mouth of the Columbia.
Thursday 28th. We had another pleasant day; embarked early, and proceeded on until about 11 o'clock, when we arrived at Pleasant Camp, and halted. We left this camp on the 13th of September, 1804. The Commanding Officers, wishing to procure and take down with them the skeletons of some mule deer and cabre (antelope), and knowing that there were but few of those animals lower down the river, remained here the remainder of the day, and sent out six or eight hunters, who returned at night without finding any of the wished-for animals, but killed some fat buffalo and common deer.
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