Clark: June 20, 1805
June 20th Thursday 1805 a Cloudy morning, a hard wind all night and this
morning, I direct Stakes to be Cut to Stick up in the prarie to Show the
way for the party to transport the baggage &c. &c. we Set out
early on the portage, Soon after we Set out it began to rain and continued
a Short time we proceeded on thro a tolerable leavel plain, and found the
hollow of a Deep rivein to obstruct our rout as it Could not be passed
with Canos & baggage for Some distance above the place we Struck it I
examined it for Some time and finding it late deturmined to Strike the
river & take its Course & distance to Camp which I accordingly did
the wind hard from the S. W. a fair after noon, the river on both Sides
Cut with raveins Some of which is passes thro Steep Clifts into the river,
the Countrey above the falls & up the Medison river is leavel, with
low banks, a chain of mountains to the west Some part of which particuler
those to the N W. & S W are Covered with Snow and appear verry highI
Saw a rattle Snake in an open plain 2 miles from any Creek or wood. When I
arrived at Camp found all well with great quantites of meet, the Canoes
Capt. Lewis had Carried up the Creek 1 mile to a good place to assend the
band & taken up. Not haveing Seen the Snake Indians or knowing in fact
whither to Calculate on their friendship or hostillity, we have Conceived
our party Sufficiently Small, and therefore have Concluded not to dispatch
a Canoe with a part of our men to St. Louis as we have intended early in
the Spring. we fear also that Such a measure might also discourage those
who would in Such Case remain, and migh possibly hazard the fate of the
expedition. we have never hinted to any one of the party that we had Such
a Scheem in contemplation, and all appear perfectly to have made up their
minds, to Succeed in the expedition or perish in the attempt. we all
believe that we are about to enter on the most perilous and dificuelt part
of our Voyage, yet I See no one repineing; all appear ready to meet those
dificuelties which await us with resolution and becomeing fortitude.
We had a heavy dew this morning. the Clouds near those mountains rise
Suddonly and discharge their Contents partially on the neighbouring
Plains; the Same Cloud discharge hail alone in one part, hail and rain in
another and rain only in a third all within the Space of a fiew Miles; and
on the Mountains to the South & S. E. of us Sometimes Snow. at present
there is no Snow on those mountains; that which covered them a fiew days
ago has all disappeared. the Mountains to the N. W. and West of us are
Still entirely Covered are white and glitter with the reflection of the
Sun.
I do not believe that the Clouds that pervale at this Season of the year
reach the Summits of those lofty mountains; and if they do the probability
is that they deposit Snow only for there has been no proceptable
diminution of the Snow which they Contain Since we first Saw them. I have
thought it probable that these mountains might have derived their
appellation of Shineing Mountains, from their glittering appearance when
the Sun Shines in certain directions on the Snow which Cover them.
Dureing the time of my being on the Plains and above the falls I as also
all my party repeatedly heard a nois which proceeded from a Direction a
little to the N. of West, as loud and resembling precisely the discharge
of a piece of ordinance of 6 pounds at the distance of 5 or six miles. I
was informed of it Several times by the men J. Fields particularly before
I paid any attention to it, thinking it was thunder most probably which
they had mistaken. at length walking in the plains yesterday near the most
extreem S. E. bend of the River above the falls I heard this nois very
distinctly, it was perfectly calm clear and not a Cloud to be Seen, I
halted and listened attentively about two hour dureing which time I heard
two other discharges, and took the direction of the Sound with my pocket
Compass which was as nearly West from me as I could estimate from the
Sound. I have no doubt but if I had leasure I could find from whence it
issued. I have thought it probable that it might be caused by running
water in Some of the caverns of those emence mountains, on the principal
of the blowing caverns; but in Such case the Sounds would be periodical
and regular, which is not the Case with this, being Sometimes heard once
only and at other times Several discharges in quick Succession. it is
heard also at different times of the day and night. I am at a great loss
to account for this Phenomenon. I well recollect hereing the Minitarees
Say that those Rocky Mountains make a great noise, but they could not tell
me the Cause, neither Could they inform me of any remarkable substance or
situation in these mountains which would autherise a conjecture of a
probable cause of this noise-. it is probable that the large river just
above those Great falls which heads in the detection of the noise has
taken it’s name Medicine River from this unaccountable rumbling Sound,
which like all unacountable thing with the Indians of the Missouri is
Called Medicine.
The Ricaras inform us of the black mountains making a Simalar noise &c.
&c. and maney other wonderfull tales of those Rocky mountains and
those great falls.
