Lewis: May 21, 1805

Tuesday May 21st 1805 A delightfull morning set out at an early hour and
proceeded on very well, imployed the chord principally; the shores are
abbrupt and bould and composed of a black and yellow clay; see no
extensive collection of pure sand, the bars are composed black mud and a
small poportion of fine sand; the courant still pretty strong. the
Missouri in it’s course downward makes a suddon and extensive bend to
receive the Muscle shell river, the point of country thus formed tho high
is still much lower than that surrounding it, thus forming a valley of
wavey country which extends itself for a great distance in a Northerly
direction; the soil is fertile, produces a fine turf of low grass and some
herbs, also immence quantities of the Prickley pear, without a stick of
timber of any discription. the country on the South side is high broken
and crowned with some scrubby pines and dwarf cedar; the leaf of this pine
is much longer than the common pitch or red pine of Virginia, the cone is
also longer and slimer, and the imbrications wider and thicker, and the
whole frequently covered with rosin. Mineral appearances as usual. the
growse or praire hen are now less abundant on the river than they were
below; perhaps they betake themselves to the open plains at a distance
from the river at this season.-

The wind which was moderate all the fore part of the day continued to
encrease in the evening, and about dark veered about to N. W. and blew a
storm all night, in short we found ourselves so invelloped with clouds of
dust and sand that we could neither cook, eat, nor sleep; and were finally
compelled to remove our lodge about eight oClock at night to the foot of
an adjacent hill where we were covered in some measure from the wind by
the hills. several loose articles blown over board and lost. our first
station was on a bar on Stard. opposite the lower point of a small Island,
which we now called windy Island. the bends of the river are short and
suddon, the points covered with some cottonwood, larger willow, or
broadleafed willow with an abundance of the wild rose and some small
honeysuckle bushes constitute the undergrowth, the redwood is also found
in small quantities. Capt. C walked on shore today and killed 2 Elk; the
party killed several deer and a buffaloe Cow.-