Lewis: April 26, 1805

Friday April 26th 1805. This morning I dispatched Joseph Fields up the
yellowstone river with orders to examine it as far as he could
conveniently and return the same evening; two others were directed to
bring in the meat we had killed last evening, while I proceeded down the
river with one man in order to take a view of the confluence of this great
river with the Missouri, which we found to be two miles distant on a
direct line N. W. from our encampment. the bottom land on the lower side
of the yellowstone river near it’s mouth for about one mile in width
appears to be subject to inundation; while that on the opposite side of
the Missouri and the point formed by the junction of these rivers is of
the common elivation, say from twelve to 18 feet above the level of the
water, and of course not liable to be overflown except in extreem high
water, which dose not appear to be very frequent there is more timber in
the neighbourhood of the junction of these rivers, and on the Missouri as
far below as the White earth river, than there is on any part of the
Missouri above the entrance of the Chyenne river to this place. the timber
consists principally of Cottonwood, with some small elm, ash and boxalder.
the under growth on the sandbars and verge of the river is the small
leafed willow; the low bottoms, rose bushes which rise to three or four
feet high, the redburry, servicebury, and the redwood; the high bottoms
are of two discriptions either timbered or open; the first lies next to
the river and it’s under brush is the same with that of the low timbered
bottoms with the addition of the broad leafed willow, Goosbury, choke
cherry, purple currant; and honeysuckle bushis; the open bottoms border on
the hills, and are covered in many parts by the wild hyssop which rises to
the hight of two feet. I observe that the Antelope, Buffaloe Elk and deer
feed on this herb; the willow of the sandbars also furnish a favorite
winter food to these anamals as well as the growse, the porcupine, hare,
and rabbit. about 12 Olock I heard the discharge of several guns at the
junction of the rivers, which announced to me the arrival of the paty with
Capt Clark; I afterwards learnt that they had fired on some buffaloe which
they met with at that place, and of which they killed a cow and several
Calves; the latter are now fine veal. I dispatched one of the men to Capt
Clark requesting him to send up a canoe to take down the meat we had
killed and our baggage to his encampmt, which was accordingly complyed
with. after I had completed my observations in the evening I walked down
and joined the party at their encampment on the point of land fromed by
the junction of the rivers; found them all in good health, and much
pleased at having arrived at this long wished for spot, and in order to
add in some measure to the general pleasure which seemed to pervade our
little community, we ordered a dram to be issued to each person; this soon
produced the fiddle, and they spent the evening with much hilarity,
singing & dancing, and seemed as perfectly to forget their past toils,
as they appeared regardless of those to come. in the evening, the man I
had sent up the river this morning returned, and reported that he had
ascended it about eight miles on a streight line; that he found it
crooked, meandering from side to side of the valley formed by it; which is
from four to five miles wide. the corrent of the river gentle, and it’s
bed much interrupted and broken by sandbars; at the distance of five miles
he passed a large Island well covered with timber, and three miles higher
a large creek falls in on the S. E. sides above a high bluff in which
there are several stratas of coal. the country bordering on this river as
far as he could percieve, like that of the Missouri, consisted of open
plains. he saw several of the bighorned anamals in the couse of his walk;
but they were so shy that he could not get a shoot at them; he found a
large horn of one of these anamals which he brought with him. the bed of
the yellowstone river is entirely composed of sand and mud, not a stone of
any kind to be seen in it near it’s entrance. Capt Clark measured these
rivers just above their confluence; found the bed of the Missouri 520
yards wide, the water occupying 330. it’s channel deep. the yellowstone
river including it’s sandbar, 858 yds. of which, the water occupyed 297
yards; the depest part 12 feet; it was falling at this time & appeard
to be nearly at it’s summer tide.the Indians inform that the
yellowstone river is navigable for perogues and canoes nearly to it’s
source in the Rocky Mountains, and that in it’s course near these
mountains it passes within less than half a day’s march of a navigable
part of the Missouri. it’s extreem sources are adjacent to those of the
Missouri, river platte, and I think probably with some of the South branch
of the Columbia river. the first part of its course lies through a
mountanous rocky country tho well timbered and in many parts fertile; the
middle, and much the most extensive portion of the river lies through a
delightfull rich and fertile country, well covered with timber,
intersperced with plains and meadows, and well watered; it is some what
broken in many parts. the lower portion consists of fertile open plains
and meadows almost entirely, tho it possesses a considerable proportion of
timber on it’s borders. the current of the upper portion is extreemly
rappid, that of the middle and lower portions much more gentle than the
Missouri. the water of this river is turbid, tho dose not possess as much
sediment as that of the Missouri. this river in it’s course recieves the
waters of many large tributary strains principally from the S. E. of which
the most considerable are the Tongue and bighorn rivers the former is much
the largest, and heads with the river Platte and Bighorn river, as dose
the latter with the Tongue river and the river Platte.a suficient
quantity of limestone may be readily procured for building near the
junction of the Missouri and yellowstone rivers. I could observe no
regular stratas of it, tho it lies on the sides of the river hills in
large irregular masses, in considerable quantities; it is of a light
colour, and appears to be of an excellent quality.-