Lewis: July 18, 1805

Thursday July 18th 1805. Set out early this morning. previous to our
departure saw a large herd of the Bighorned anamals on the immencely high
and nearly perpendicular clift opposite to us; on the fase of this clift
they walked about and hounded from rock to rock with apparent unconcern
where it appared to me that no quadruped could have stood, and from which
had they made one false step they must have been precipitated at least a
500 feet. this anamal appears to frequent such precepices and clifts where
in fact they are perfectly secure from the pursuit of the wolf, bear, or
even man himself.at the distance of 21/2 miles we passed the
entrance of a considerable river on the Stard. side; about 80 yds. wide
being nearly as wide as the Missouri at that place. it’s current is rapid
and water extreamly transparent; the bed is formed of small smooth stones
of flat rounded or other figures. it’s bottoms are narrow but possess as
much timber as the Missouri. the country is mountainous and broken through
which it passes. it appears as if it might be navigated but to what extent
must be conjectural. this handsome bold and clear stream we named in
honour of the Secretary of war calling it Dearborn’s river.- as we were
anxious now to meet with the Sosonees or snake Indians as soon as possible
in order to obtain information relative to the geography of the country
and also if necessary, some horses we thought it better for one of us
either Capt. C. or myself to take a small party & proceed on up the
river, some distance before the canoes, in order to discover them, should
they be on the river before the daily discharge of our guns, which was
necessary in procuring subsistence for the party, should allarm and cause
them to retreat to the mountains and conceal themselves, supposing us to
be their enemies who visit them usually by the way of this river.
accordingly Capt. Clark set out this morning after breakfast with Joseph
Fields, Pots and his servant York. we proceeded on tolerably well; the
current stonger than yesterday we employ the cord and oars principally tho
sometimes the setting pole. in the evening we passed a large creek about
30 yds. wide which disembogues on the Stard. side; it discharges a bold
current of water it’s banks low and bed frormed of stones altogether; this
stream we called Ordway’s creek after Sergt. John Ordway. I have observed
for several days a species of flax growing in the river bottoms the leaf
stem and pericarp of which resembles the common flax cultivated in the U
States. the stem rises to the hight of about 21/2 or 3 feet high; as many
as 8 or ten of which proceede from the same root. the root appears to be
perennial. the bark of the stem is thick strong and appears as if it would
make excellent Hax. the seed are not yet ripe but I hope to have an
opportunity of collecting some of them after they are so if it should on
experiment prove to yeald good flax and at the same time admit of being
cut without injuring the perennial root it will be a most valuable plant,
and I think there is the greatest probability that it will do so, for
notwithstanding the seed have not yet arrived at maturity it is puting up
suckers or young shoots from the same root and would seem therefore that
those which are fully grown and which are in the proper stage of
vegitation to produce the best fax are not longer essencial to the
preservation or support of the root. the river somewhat wider than
yesterday and the mountains more distant from the river and not so high;
the bottoms are but narrow and little or no timber near the river. some
pine on the mountains which seems principally confined to their uper
region. we killed one Elk this morning and found part of the flesh and the
skin of a deer this evening which had been kited and left by Capt. Clark.
we saw several herds of the Bighorn but they were all out of our reach on
inacessable clifts.- we encamped on the Lard. side in a small grove of
narrow leafed cottonwood there is not any of the broad leafed cottonwood
on the river since it has entered the mountains. Capt Clark ascended the
river on the Stard. side. in the early part of the day after he left me
the hills were so steep that he gained but little off us; in the evening
he passed over a mountain by which means he cut off many miles of the
river’s circuitous rout; the Indian road which he pursued over this
mountain is wide and appears as if it had been cut down or dug in many
places; he passed two streams of water, the branches of Ordway’s creek, on
which he saw a number of beaver dams succeeding each other in close order
and extending as far up those streams as he could discover them in their
couse towards the mountains. he also saw many bighorn anamals on the
clifts of the mountains. not far beyond the mountain which he passed in
the evening he encamped on a small stream of runing water. having
travelled about 20 m. the water of those rivulets which make down from
these mountains is extreemly cold pure and fine. the soil near the river
is of a good quality and produces a luxuriant growth of grass and weeds;
among the last the sunflower holds a distinguished place. the aspin is
small but grows very commonly on the river and small streams which make
down from the Mouts.

I also observed another species of flax today which is not so large as the
first, sildome obtaining a greater hight than 9 Inches or a foot the stem
and leaf resemble the other species but the stem is rarely branched,
bearing a single monopetallous bellshaped blue flower which is suspended
with it’s limb downwards,