Great Falls Portage — Patrick Gass: June 25, 1805

for more canoes and baggage; and one went down to the
hunter’s camp below Medicine river to bring him up in a
canoe. Another went up the river to look for elk. When he
had gone about three miles, he was attacked by 3 brown
bears, that were near devouring him; but he made his escape
by running down a steep bank into the water. In this adven-
ture he fell, injured his gun, and hurt one of his hands; there-
fore returned to camp. One of the men and myself went over
to an island to look for stuff for the canoe, but could find
nothing but bark, which perhaps will answer. We killed two
elk on the island. There is in the bottoms a great quantity
of spear-mint and currant bushes. Also multitudes of black-
birds. The musquitoes are very troublesome, though the
snow is on the mountains so near. In the evening the two
men came up the river with a quantity of good meat and 100
pounds of tallow.