Patrick Gass: December 20, 1806
Traveling down the Missouri in late December 1806, the party met three Frenchmen by canoe; one former North West Company trader joined them bound for the United States. At the Arikara villages, Captain Clark held a council where the natives pledged peace but declined to send chiefs east. Encamped Cheyenne traders exchanged buffalo goods for corn. Rain, wind, and mosquitoes hampered travel over following days as hunters took elk, deer, and buffalo. The group passed the Teton Sioux area, an abandoned Loiselle's fort, and the Great Bend, reaching Pleasant Camp.
» gust of wind and rain, and proceeded on very well.
he. forenoon was cloudy, without rain ; and in the
pes – afternoon t
we found the musketoes very troublesome.
ie cu 4 hursday 21st. We. proceeded on early and had | a
ine ene At 10 e’clock we arrived at the. firgt
ak 5 My
went on early. * We lashed our small canoes | |
ap bis Ads and a ahergrer with se si ra
Mackey 18¢h. We set out early in acloudy : morn- | wh :
‘the weather became clear and please fs
We went about seventy miles, and encamped ; where ate
954 | JOURNAL.
village of the Rickarees, and taleds In our way
here we met three Frenchmen in a canoe; one of ~
them a young man, who formerly belonged to the
North West Company of traders, wished to go with —
us to the United States; which our Commanding
Officers consented toand he was taken on board one.
ef our canoes. When ote halted and landed at the
villages, the natives gene ally assembled, ;
tain Clarke held a council with them ; when th ey de
clared they would live in peace with a nations ; bit
‘that their chiefs and; warriers would not goto the
United States at pres as they had” sent one chief :
already, and he had not returned. There are alsoa
great many of the Chien, or Dog nation encamped
: ici, in large handsome leather lodges ; ; and who
have come to trade with the Rickarees for corn and
beans, for which they give in exchange buffaloe meat
and robes. They area very silly superstitious peo-
ple. Captain Clarke gave one of their chiefs a medal,
which he gave back with a buffaloe robe, and said he
‘was afraid of white people, and did not like to take
any thing from them: but after some persuasion he.
accepted the medal, and we left them.* Here a
‘Frenchman joined us to go to St. Louis, who was in |
the service of the Commanding Officers 5 and we
dropped down to the village on the e island oF en-
camped for the night. |
~
* We think that some further pron i 18 nexcoden to esta.
blish the weakness and superstition of these Indians. Had.
‘the rhief persevered in his rejection of the medal, we, in-
‘stead of thinking him: silly and superstitious, would have .
been inclined to the opinion, that he was ADS wisest Indian
| on the Miseouri. , : hag
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22nd, tA hcey was a clou dy wet morn”
1 ight of hard rain, and we staved at this
: 2 o’clock. “The natives used us friendly
RINK ess 5 ; gave us corn and beans with y
other articles ; but none of them would. go down 9.2?
with us. At noon we got under way; and having Be
proceeded twelve miles the weather became clear, ——~
and we’ halted to dry our baggage, which got very
wet last night. At four o’clock weagain wenton, ¢
5 and hada fine passage till night when we en uae ee
we Saturday 25rd We set out early ina fine TOD
ee ing, but the wind was high; and we went on ioe Ge
> well till near noo! . when the wind blew 60 hard the:
“ig – we had to halt, and were detained about’ four hours.
_. Three hunters went on ahead by land, and when we
– . had overtaken them they had killed two elk and some
deer, and we halted to take in the meat. Here we
had avery Hoey. shower of rain, which detained us
erhour. We encamped at night and found the —
25 very troublesome. |
syne 24th, We had a fine morning and went
on very well till noon, when the wind rose. and blew
so strong that. we were obliged to halt. Having lain
_ by ‘three hours we again proceeded, but did not go (0
_ far before we were obliged en account of the wind, a
again to stop, and encamp for the night. | AnD
— . Monday 251k. The morning was again pleseait,”
a and we proceeded omearly, having sent forward two
_ . small canoes with five mento hunt. When we had e,
gone twelve miles;we came tothe mouth ofthe Chi-
at aaah where we halted and staid till pa for the J var
aoe of taking an observation. Some ‘Of the men’
=
wr
ghia
fae JOURNAL,
went out to hunt, and while we remained hee “killed
| morning ; : passed Tectee river, but: saw ‘no
three sniall deer. At half past 12 0 ’clock we pro-
ceeded on again, and in a short time overtook our
canoes with the hunters, that had gone on ahead, and |
killed three deer. In the evening we encamped in a
ice: Bes
handsome bottom, be a hunter killed epotien
the Teeton band of the Sioux nation. Int
we passed Landselle’s fort; but found ne p
habiting it. At dark we ene RIpey after coming
about sixty miles.
ednesday 27¢h.- “We ‘again had a pleasant day
and embarked early : proceeded on till 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
ower end of which we killed an elk. As we were
passing an island we sawa gang of buffaloe feeding
en it; when we halted and killed three of ies, and |
encamped on the island for the night. _ |
eile 28h. We had another pleasant day j :.
*-In a former eeceamohicn note ‘ie 62). we ated that.
the place where Mr. “Thompson, Astronomer to the North
West Company, took his observations m the year 1798 to
ascertain the latitude and longitude efthe northern bend ot:
“the Missouri, was near the longitude of the Mandan villages. —
If what Mr Thnivsen 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 yillages
wih be between two and three degrees west of the norther n,
or great bend; or in about longitude 104 degrees west of —
: Lod lon, 29 degr ees west of Philadelphia, I} 3:2 degrees
west of the mouth of the!Missouri,, and nearly 20 degrees
east of the mouth ofthe Columbia. This will stillshew the _
great errors of those maps of Louisiana, which place the >
Mandan villages 20 degrees west of the longitude ef the
te _eonBuence of the Missouri-and Mississippi; and less” than,
18 degrees east of that of the mouth of the Columbia. et
“JOURNAL. gene oer ‘ae
emi hed aot. and baidiocted! ‘on an about he ee
5 o’clock, when We afrived at Pleasant camp, and het :
ed. We left this camp on the 18th September 1804.- ns
| ommanding Officers wishing to procure ‘and ie
ce down with them the skeletons of some mule | ne: us oy
Me l cabre ; ;.and knowing that there were but’ mina pee
4 animals Jower down the river, continued | aN . er.
mainder of the day, and sent out six or
who returned at night without finding
ie! sae. but killed some fat ‘
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
...gust of wind and rain, and proceeded on very well. The forenoon was cloudy, without rain; and in the afternoon we found the mosquitoes very troublesome.
Thursday 21st. We proceeded on early and had a fine morning. At 10 o'clock we arrived at the first village of the Rickarees (Arikara), and halted. On our way here we met three Frenchmen in a canoe; one of them a young man, who formerly belonged to the North West Company of traders, wished to go with us to the United States; which our Commanding Officers consented to, and he was taken on board one of our canoes. When we halted and landed at the villages, the natives generally assembled, and Captain Clarke (Captain Clark) held a council with them; when they declared they would live in peace with all nations; but that their chiefs and warriors would not go to the United States at present, as they had sent one chief already, and he had not returned. There are also a great many of the Chien (Cheyenne), or Dog nation, encamped here, in large handsome leather lodges; and who have come to trade with the Rickarees for corn and beans, for which they give in exchange buffalo meat and robes. They are a very silly, superstitious people. Captain Clarke gave one of their chiefs a medal, which he gave back with a buffalo robe, and said he was afraid of white people, and did not like to take anything from them; but after some persuasion he accepted the medal, and we left them.* Here a Frenchman joined us to go to St. Louis, who was in the service of the Commanding Officers; and we dropped down to the village on the island, where we camped for the night.
* We think that some further proof is needed to establish the weakness and superstition of these Indians. Had the chief persevered in his rejection of the medal, we, instead of thinking him silly and superstitious, would have been inclined to the opinion that he was the wisest Indian on the Missouri.
22nd. This was a cloudy wet morning, after a night of hard rain, and we stayed at this place until 2 o'clock. The natives used us in a friendly manner; gave us corn and beans with other articles; but none of them would go down with us. At noon we got under way; and having proceeded twelve miles the weather became clear, and we halted to dry our baggage, which got very wet last night. At four o'clock we again went on, and had a fine passage till night, when we camped.
Saturday 23rd. We set out early in a fine morning, but the wind was high; and we went on well till near noon, when the wind blew so hard that we had to halt, and were detained about four hours. Three hunters went on ahead by land, and when we had overtaken them they had killed two elk and some deer, and we halted to take in the meat. Here we had a very heavy shower of rain, which detained us another hour. We camped at night and found the mosquitoes very troublesome.
Sunday 24th. We had a fine morning and went on very well till noon, when the wind rose and blew so strong that we were obliged to halt. Having lain by three hours we again proceeded, but did not go far before we were obliged, on account of the wind, again to stop, and camp for the night.
Monday 25th. The morning was again pleasant, and we proceeded on early, having sent forward two small canoes with five men to hunt. When we had gone twelve miles, we came to the mouth of the Chien (Cheyenne) river, where we halted and stayed till noon for the purpose of taking an observation. Some of the men went out to hunt, and while we remained here killed three small deer. At half past 12 o'clock we proceeded on again, and in a short time overtook our canoes with the hunters, that had gone on ahead, and killed three deer. In the evening we camped in a handsome bottom, where a hunter killed another.
Tuesday 26th. We had a pleasant morning; passed Teton river, but saw none of the Teton band of the Sioux nation. In the evening we passed Landselle's fort; but found no person inhabiting it. At dark we camped, after coming about sixty miles.
Wednesday 27th. We again had a pleasant day and embarked early; proceeded on till 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 gang of buffalo feeding on it; when we halted and killed three of them, and camped on the island for the night.
* In a former explanatory 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 in about longitude 104 degrees west of London, 29 degrees west of Philadelphia, 13½ 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 18 degrees east of that of the mouth of the Columbia.
Thursday 28th. We had another pleasant day, embarked early, and proceeded on until about 5 o'clock, when we arrived at Pleasant Camp, and halted. We left this camp on the 18th of September 1804. The Commanding Officers, wishing to procure and take down with them the skeletons of some mule deer; and knowing that there were but few of these animals lower down the river, continued here the remainder of the day, and sent out six or seven hunters, who returned at night without finding any mule deer, but killed some fat...
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