The Big White chief of the Mandans Spoke at some length explainin the
Cause of the misunderstanding between his nation and the ricaras,
informing them of his wish to be on the most freindly termes &c. the
Chyennes accused both nations of being in folt. I told to them all that if
they eve wished to be hapy that they must Shake off all intimecy with the
Seioux and unite themselves in a Strong allience and attend to what we had
told them &c. which they promesed all to do and we Smoked and parted
on the best terms, the Mandan Chief was Saluted by Several Chiefs and
brave men on his way with me to the riverI had requested the
ricaras & Chyennes to inform me as Soon as possible of their
intentions of going down with us to See their great father or not. in the
evening the Great Chief requested that I would walk to his house which I
did, he gave me about 2 quarts of Tobacco, 2 beaver Skins and a trencher
of boiled Corn & beans to eat (as it is the Custom of all the Nations
on the Missouri to give Something to every white man who enters their
lodge Something to eat) this Chief informed me that none of his Chiefs
wished to go down with us they all wished to See the cheif who went down
return first, that the Chyennes were a wild people and were afraid to go.
that they Should all listen to what I had Said. I gave him Some ribon to
Suspend his Medal to and a Shell which the Snake indians gave me for which
he was very much pleased.

The interpreter informed me that the Cheifs of those villages had no
intention of going down. one the Cheifs of the Village on the island
talkd. of going down. I returned to the boat where I found the principal
Chief of the lower vilege who had Cut part of his hair and disfigured
himself in Such a manner that I did not know him, he informed me the Sieux
had killed his nephew and that Was in tears for him &c. we deturmind
to proceed down to the Island and accordingly took the chief on board and
proceeded on down to the isd village at which place we arived a little
before dark and were met as before by nearly every individual of the
Village, we Saluted them and landed imediately opposit the town. The one
arm 2d Cheif of this village whome we had expected to accompany us down
Spoke to the mandan Cheif in a loud and thretening tone which Caused me to
be Some what alarmed for the Safty of that Cheif, I inform the Ricaras of
this village that the Mandans had opened their ears to and fold. our
Councils, that this Cheif was on his way to see their Great Father the P.
of U S. and was under our protection that if any enjorey was done to him
by any nation that we Should all die to a man. I told the Ricaras that
they had told us lies, they promised to be at peace with the mandans &
Menetarras. that our back was Scrcely turned before they went to war &
Killd. them and Stole their horses &cThe Cheif then envited me
& the Mandan Chief to his house to talk there. I accompanied him,
after takeing a very Serimonious Smoke the 2d Cheif informd. me that he
had opened his ears to what we had Said to him at the time we gave him the
medal that he had not been to war against any Natn. Since, that once been
to See the mandans and they were going to kill him, they had not killed
the Mandans, it was the Seeoux who killed them and not the ricaras, he
Said that the Mandan Cheif was as Safe as if he was in his own Vilg that
he had opened his ears and Could here as well as the mandans. I then
informd them what I had told the upper villages and we all become
perfectly reconsiled all to each other and Smoked in the most perfect
harmony we had invatations to go into their lodges and eate. I at length
went to the grand Chiefs Lodge by his particelar invitation, the Mandan
Chief Stuck close to me the Chief had prepd. a Supper of boiled young
Corn, beens & quashes of which he gave me in Wooden bowls. he also
gave me near 2 quarts of the Tobacco Seed, & informed me he had always
had his ears open to what we had Said, that he was well convinced that the
Seeoux was the caus of all the trouble between the Mandans & them the
Ricars had Stolen horses from the Mandan which had been returned all
except one which could not be got, this mischief was done by Some young
men who was bad. a long Conversation of explanations took place between
the Ricara & mandan Chiefs which appeared to be Satisfactory on both
Sides. the Chief gave a pipe with great form and every thing appeared to
be made up. I returned to the river & went to bead. the Indians contd
on board. made 22 miles today only.

The post Clark: August 21, 1806 appeared first on Lewis & Clark Research Database.

The Black Cat Chief of the Mandans Village on the North Side of the
Missouri Sent over and requested me to go over to his village which
envertation I axceptd and crossed over to his village. he had a parcel of
Corn about 12 bushuls in a pile in his lodge. he told me that his people
had but little corn part of which they had given me. after takeing a Smoke
he informed me that as the Sieoux were very troublesom and the road to his
great father dangerous none of this village would go down with us. I told
the Cheifs and wariers of the village who were there present that we were
anxious that Some of the village Should go and See their great father and
hear his good words & recve his bountifull gifts &c. and told them
to pitch on Some Man on which they could rely on and Send him to See their
Great father, they made the Same objections which the Chief had done
before. a young man offered to go down, and they all agreeed for him to go
down the charector of this young man I knew as a bad one and made an
objection as to his age and Chareckter at this time Gibson who was with me
informed me that this young man had Stole his knife and had it then in his
possession, this I informed the Chief and directed him to give up the
knife he delivered the knife with a very faint apology for his haveing it
in his possession. I then reproached those people for wishing to Send Such
a man to See and hear the words of So great a man as their great father;
they hung their heads and Said nothing for Some time when the Cheif Spoke
and Said that they were afraid to Send any one for fear of their being
killed by the Sieux. after Smoking a pipe and relateing Some passages I
recrossed to our Camp-. being informed by one of our enterpreters that the
2d Chief of the Mandans Comonly Called the little Crow intended to
accompany us down, I took Charbono and walked to the Village to See this
Chief and talk with him on the Subject. he told me he had deturmined to go
down, but wished to have a council first with his people which would be in
the after part of the day. I smoked a pipe with the little Crow and
returned to the boat. Colter one of our men expressed a desire to join
Some trappers who offered to become Shearers with and furnish traps &c.
the offer a very advantagious one, to him, his Services Could be dispenced
with from this down and as we were disposed to be of Service to any one of
our party who had performed their duty as well as Colter had done, we
agreed to allow him the prvilage provided no one of the party would ask or
expect a Similar permission to which they all agreeed that they wished
Colter every Suckcess and that as we did not wish any of them to Seperate
untill we Should arive at St. Louis they would not apply or expect it
&c. The Maharha Chief brought us Some Corn, as did also the Chief of
the little village of the Menetarras on mules of which they have Several.
The evening is Cool and windy. great number of the nativs of the different
villages Came to view us and exchange robes with our men for their Skinswe
gave Jo Colter Some Small articles which we did not want and Some powder
& lead. the party also gave him Several articles which will be usefull
to him on his expedittion.This evening Charbono informed me that
our back was scercely turned before a war party from the two menetarry
villages followed on and attacked and killed the Snake Indians whome we
had Seen and in the engagement between them and the Snake indians they had
lost two men one of which was the Son of the principal Chief of the little
village of the menitarras. that they had also went to war from the
Menetarras and killed two Ricaras. he further informed me that a
missunderstanding had taken place between the Mandans & minetarras and
had verry nearly come to blows about a woman, the Menitarres at length
presented a pipe and a reconsilliation took place between them

The post Clark: August 15, 1806 appeared first on Lewis & Clark Research Database.

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The distance from the Rocky Mountains at which place I struck the River
Rochejhone to its enterance into the Missouri 837 Miles 636 Miles of this
distance I decended in 2 Small Canoes lashed together in which I had the
following Persons. John Shields, George Gibson, William Bratten, W.
Labeech, Toust. Shabono his wife & child & my man York. The
Rochejhone or Yellow Stone river is large and navagable with but fiew
obstructions quite into the rocky mountains. and probably near it’s
source. The Country through which it passes from those Mounts. to its
junction is Generaly fertile rich open plains the upper portion of which
is roleing and the high hills and hill Sides are partially covered with
pine and Stoney. The middle portion or from the enterance of Clarks Fork
as low as the Buffalow Shoals the high lands Contain Some Scattering pine
on the Lard. Side. on the Stard. or S. E. Side is Some hills thickly
Supplied with pine. The lower portion of the river but fiew pines are to
be Seen the Country opens into extencive plains river widens and Contains
more islands and bars; of corse gravel sand and Mud. The Current of this
river may be estimated at 4 Miles and 1/2 pr. hour from the Rocky Mts. as
low as Clarks Fork, at 31/2 Miles pr. hour from thence as low as the
Bighorn, at 3Miles pr. hour from thence as low as the Tongue river,
at 23/4 Miles pr. hour from thence as low as Wolf rapid and at 21/2 miles
pr. hour from thence to its enterance into the Missouri

The Colour of the Water differs from that of the Missouri it being of a
yellowish brown, whilst that of the Missouri is of a deep drab Colour
containing a greater portion of mud than the Rochejhone. This delighfull
river from indian information has it’s extreem sources with the North
river in the Rocky mountains on the confines of New Mexico. it also most
probably has it’s westerly sources connected with the Multnomah and those
the main Southerly branch of Lewis’s river while it’s Easterly branches
head with those of Clark’s R. the bighorn and River Platte and may be said
to water the middle portion of the Rocky Mountains from N W to S. E. for
several hundred miles. the indians inform us, that a good road passes up
this river to it’s extreem source from whence it is buta short distance to
the Spanish settlements. there is also a considerable fall on this river
within the mountains but at what distance from it’s source we never could
learn like all other branches of the Missouri which penetrate the Rocky
Mountains all that portion of it lying within those mountains abound in
fine beaver and Otter, it’s streams also which issuing from the rocky
mountain and discharging themselves above Clark’s fork inclusive also
furnish an abundance of beaver and Otter and possess considerable portions
of small timber in their values. to an establishment on this river at
clarks Fork the Shoshones both within and West of the Rocky Mountains
would willingly resort for the purposes of trade as they would in a great
measure be relived from the fear of being attacked by their enimies the
blackfoot Indians and Minnetares of fort de Prarie, which would most
probably happen were they to visit any establishment which could be
conveniently formed on the Missouri. I have no doubt but the same regard
to personal safety would also induce many numerous nations inhabiting the
Columbia and Lewis’s river West of the mountains to visit this
establishment in preference to that at the entrance of Maria’s river,
particularly during the first years of those Western establishments. the
Crow Indians, Paunch Indians Castahanah’s and others East of the mountains
and south of this place would also visit this establishment; it may
therefore be looked to as one of the most important establishments of the
western fur trade. at the entrance of Clark’s fork there is a sufficiency
of timber to support an establishment, an advantage that no position
possesses from thence to the Rocky Mountains. The banks of the yellowstone
river a bold not very high yet are not subject to be overflown, except for
a few miles immediately below where the river issues from the mountain.
the bed of this river is almost entirely composed of loose pebble, nor is
it’s bed interrupted by chains of rock except in one place and that even
furnishes no considerable obstruction to it’s navigation. as you decend
with the river from the mountain the pebble becomes smaller and the
quantity of mud increased untill you reah Tongue river where the pebble
ceases and the sand then increases and predominates near it’s mouth. This
river can be navigated to greater advantage in perogues than any other
craft yet it possesses suficient debth of water for battauxs even to the
mountains; nor is there any of those moving sand bars so formidable to the
navigation of many parts of the Missouri. The Bighorn R and Clark’s fork
may be navigated a considerable distance in perogues and canoes. Tongue
river is also navigable for canoes a considerable distance.

The post Clark: August 3, 1806 appeared first on Lewis & Clark Research Database.

Shields killed a fat Buck on which we all Dined. after dinner and a delay
of 3 hours to allow the horses time to feed, we Set out at 4 P.M. I set
out and proceeded down the river through a butifull bottom, passing a
Indian fort on the head of a Small island near the Lard Shore and Encamped
on a Small Island Seperated from the Lard Shore by a very narrow Chanel.
Shields killed a Buffalow this evening which Caused me to halt sooner than
Common to Save Some of the flesh which was So rank and Strong that we took
but very little. Gibson in attempting to mount his horse after Shooting a
deer this evening fell and on a Snag and sent it nearly two inches into
the Muskeler part of his thy. he informs me this Snag was about 1 inch in
diamuter burnt at the end. this is a very bad wound and pains him
exceedingly. I dressed the wound.

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This extensive vally Surround with covered with snow is extreemly fertile
covered esculent plants &c and the Creeks which pass through it
contains emence numbers of beaver &c. I now take my leave of this
butifull extensive vally which I call the hot spring Vally, and behold one
less extensive and much more rugid on Willards Creek for near 12 miles in
length. remarkable Cold night

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