Lewis: May 23, 1805

Thursday May 23rd 1805. Set out early this morning, the frost was severe
last night, the ice appeared along the edge of the water, water also
freized on the oars. at the distance of one mile passed the entrance of a
creek 15 yds. wide on Stard. side, this we call Teapot Creek, it affords
no water at it’s mouth but has runing water at some small distance above,
this I beleive to be the case with many of those creekes which we have
passed since we entered this hilley country, the water is absorbed by the
earth near the river and of course appear dry; they afford but little
water at any rate, and that is so strongly impregnated with these salts
that it is unfit for uce; all the wild anamals appear fond of this water;
I have tryed it by way of experiment & find it moderately pergative,
but painfull to the intestens in it’s opperation. this creek runs directly
towards some low mountains which lye N. W. of it and appear to be about 30
mes. distant, perhaps it heads in them. This range of mountains appear to
be about 70 miles long runing from E to W. having their Eastern extremity
about 30 mes. distant in a northwardly direction from pot Island.also
passed two small creeks on Lard. and two others on Stard. all
inconsiderable and dry at their entrances. just above the entrance of
Teapot Creek on the stard. there is a large assemblage of the burrows of
the Burrowing Squirrel they generally seelect a south or a south Easterly
exposure for their residence, and never visit the brooks or river for
water; I am astonished how this anamal exists as it dose without water,
particularly in a country like this where there is scarcely any rain
during Yi of the year and more rarely any due; yet we have sometimes found
their villages at the distance of five or six miles from any water, and
they are never found out of the limits of the ground which their burrows
occupy; in the Autumn when the hard frosts commence they close their
burrows and do not venture out again untill spring, indeed some of them
appear to be yet in winter quarters. passed 3 Islands the two first
covered with tall cottonwood timber and the last with willows only. river
more rappid, & the country much the same as yesterday. some spruce
pine of small size appears among the pitch pine, and reather more rock
than usual on the face of the hills. The musquetoes troublesome this
evening, a circumstance I did not expect from the temperature of the
morning. The Gees begin to lose the feathers of their wings and are unable
to fly. Capt Clark walked on shore and killed 4 deer and an Elk. We killed
a large fat brown bear which took the water after being wounded and was
carried under some driftwood where he sunk and we were unable to get him.
Saw but few buffaloe today, but a great number of Elk, deer, some
antelopes and 5 bear. The wild rose which is now in blume are very
abundant, they appear to differ but little from those common to the
Atlantic States, the leaves of the bushes and the bush itself appear to be
of somewhat smaller size.