Lewis: May 20, 1805

Monday May 20th 1805 Set out at an early hour as usual, the banks being
favourable and water strong we employed the toe rope principally; river
narrow and croked; country much as that of yesterday; immence number of
the prickley pears in the plains and on the hills. At the distance of 21/4
miles passed the entrance of a large Creek, affording but little water;
this stream we named Blowing Fly Creek, from the immence quantities of
those insects found in this neighbourhood, they infest our meat while
roasting or boiling, and we are obliged to brush them off our provision as
we eat. At 11 A.M. we arrived at the entrance of a handsome bold river
which discharges itself into the Missouri on the Lard. side; this stream
we take to be that called by the Minnetares the ____ or Muscleshell River;
if it be the same, of which I entertain but little doubt, it takes it’s
rise, by their information in the 1st Chain of the Rocky Mountains at no
great distance from the Yellow stone river, from whence in it’s course to
this place it passes through a high and broken country pretty well
timbered, particularly on it’s borders, and intersperced with handsome
fertile plains and medows. but from the circumstance of the same Indians
informing us that we should find a well timbered country in the
neighbourhood of it’s mouth, I am induced to beleive that the timbered
country of which they speak is similar to that we have passed for a day or
two, or that in our view above, which consists of nothing more than a few
scattering small scrubby pine and dwarf cedar on the summits of some of
the highest hills nine tenths of the country being wholy destitute of
timber of any kind, covered with a short grass, arromatic herbs and the
prickley pear; the river bottom however, so far as we have explored it or
8 m. are well stocked with Cottonwood timber of tollerable size, &
lands of excellent quality. We halted at thentrance of the river on the
point formed by it’s junction with the Missouri determining to spend the
day, make the necessary observations and send out some hunters to explore
the country. The Muscle Shell river falls into the Missouri 2270 miles
above it’s mouth, and is 110 yards in width, it affords much more water
than streams of it’s width generally do below, it’s courant is by no means
rappid, and from appearances it might be navigated with canoes a
considerable distance; it’s bed is coarse sand and gravel principally with
an occasion mixture of black mud; it’s banks abbrupt and about 12 feet
high yet never appear to overflow; the waters of this river is of a
greenish yellow cast, much more transparent than the Missouri, which last
is also much more transparent than below but still retains it’s whiteish
hue and a proportion of it’s sedement. the Missouri opposite to this point
is deep, gentle in it’s courant, and 222 yards in width. The hunters
returned this evening and informed us that the country continued much the
same in appearance as that we saw where we were or broken, and that about
five miles abe the mouth of shell river a handsome river of about fifty
yards in width discharged itself into the shell river on the Stard. or
upper side; this stream we called Sah-ca-gar me-ah or bird woman’s River,
after our interpreter the Snake woman. Shields also found a bould spring
or fountain issuing from the foot of the Lard. hills about 4 miles up the
Missouri; a fountain in this plain country is a great novelty; I have not
seen a bould fountain of pure water except one since I left the Mandans;
there a number of small ones but all without exception are impregnated
with the salts which abound in this country, and with which I believe the
Missoury itself considerably impregnated but to us in the habit of useing
it not perceptible; the exception I make is a very fine fountain under the
bluffs on the Lard. side of the Missouri and at a distance from the river
about five miles below the entrance of the yellowstone River. The sands of
the Missouri are not so abundant as they have been for some time past,
being confined to the points only; the bed of the river principally mud
and still too deep to use the seting pole. Capt. Clark walked out today
and killed two deer and an Elk, the hunters killed 4 deer and elk and a
buffaloe. I saw two large Owls with remarkable long feathers on the sides
of the head which resembled ears; I take them to be the large hooting owl
tho they are somewhat larger and their colours brighter than those common
to the J States.-