Lewis: February 10, 1806

Monday February 10th 1806. Drewyer visited his traps today but caught no
beaver. Collins and Wiser returned had killed no Elk. Willard arrived late
in the evening from the Saltworks, had cut his knee very badly with his
tommahawk. he had killed four Elk not far from the Salt works the day
before yesterday, which he had butched and took a part of the meat to
camp, but having cut his knee was unable to be longer ucefull at the works
and had returned. he informed us that Bratton was very unwell, and that
Gibson was so sick that he could not set up or walk alone and had desired
him to ask us to have him brought to the Fort. Coalter also returned this
evening. continue the operation of drying our meat.

There is a tree common to the Columbia river below the entrance of
cataract river which in it’s appearance when divested of it’s foliage,
much resembles the white ash; the appearance of the wood and bark is also
that of the ash. it’s stem is simple branching and diffuse. the leaf is
petiolate, plane, scattered, palmate lobate, divided by four deep sinuses;
the lobes are repand, or terminate in from 3 to 5 accute angular points,
while their margins are indented with irregular and somewhat circular
incissures. the petiole is celendric smooth and 7 inches long. the leaf 8
inches in length and 12 in bredth. this tree is frequently 3 feet in
diameter and rises to 40 or 50 feet high. the fruit is a winged seed
somewhate like the maple. in the same part of the country there is also
another growth which resembles the white maple in it’s appearance, only
that it is by no means so large; seldom being more than from 6 to 9 inches
in diamater, and from 15 to 20 feet high; they frequently grow in clusters
as if from the same bed of roots spreading and leaning outwards. the twigs
are long and slender. the stems simple branching. the bark smooth and in
colour resembling that of the white maple. the leaf is petiolate, plane,
scattered nearly circular, with it’s margin cut with accute angular
incissures of an inch in length and from six to 8 in number the accute
angular points formed by which incissures are crenate, or cut with small
accute angular incissures. or in this form. it is 3 inches in length, and
4 in width. the petiole celindric smooth and one and a 1/4 inches long.
the fruit or flower not known.