Missouri River through Kansas-Missouri area — Patrick Gass: September 17, 1806

day, but very warm. One of our party last night caught a
large catfish, supposed to weigh 100 pounds. We got a great
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many papaws on our way to-day: a kind of fruit in great
abundance on the Missouri from the river Platte to its mouth;
and also down the Mississippi. About 11 o’clock we passed
through a bad part of the river, where it was so filled with
sawyers that we could hardly find room to pass through safe.
About two in the afternoon we met a large keel-boat, com-
manded by a Captain M‘Clanen, loaded with merchandize and
bound to the Spanish country by the way of the river Platte.
He intended to go by land across the mountains, and get the
Spaniards to bring their gold and silver on this side, where he
could take his goods and trade with them. He had fifteen
hands, an interpreter and a black. He intends to discharge
his men on this side of the mountain, and to get some of the
Ponis, who live on the river Platte to accompany him to the
Spanish country. Mr. M‘Clanen gave all our party as much
whiskey as they could drink, and a bag of biscuit. Some of
the men were sent on ahead in two small canoes to hunt, and
we encamped here for the night.