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| TIn January, 1803, President
Jefferson, in a confidential
message to Congress in regard to Indian affairs, took occasion to
recommend, among other things, the organization of a party to trace the
Missouri river to its
source, and thence proceed to the Pacific ocean. The recommendation was
favorably considered, and Capt. Merriwether Lewis, was, on his own
application, appointed to take charge of the expedition. Wm. Clarke was
subsequently associated with him, so that this celebrated expedition is
known in our
history as that of Lewis and Clarke. The incidents of this long,
tedious, and romantic journey are worthy to be related as among the
most interesting in the annals of American adventure. At that time all
that vast region bordering on the Upper Missouri and its tributaries,
as well as the
regions bordering on the Pacific, were unknown and unexplored by white
men. By the latter part of the year 1803 the party comprising the
expedition was made up and ready to start. The highest settlement of
whites on the
Missouri river at that time was at a place called La Charrette,
sixty-eight miles above the mouth. At this place it had been the design
of Capt. Lewis to winter, but the Spanish authorities of Louisiana had
not yet received
ofiicial information of the transfer of the country to the United
States. For
this reason the party remained in winter quarters at the mouth of Wood
river, on the east side of the Mississippi. Besides Captains Lewis and Clarke, the party was made up nine young men from Kentucky, twelve soldiers of the regular army, two Frenchmen as watermen and interpreters, and a colored servant belonging to Captain Clarke - twenty-six persons in all. A corporal, six soldiers and nine watermen, in addition to the above, were engaged to accompany the expedition as far as the country of the Mandans, as there was some apprehension of attacks by the Indians between Wood river and that tribe. Three boats were provided for the expedition. The largest was a keelboat, fifty-five feet long, drawing three feet of water, carrying one large square sail, and twenty-two oars. The other two were open boats, one of six, and the other of seven oars. The expedition started from the encampment at. the mouth of Wood river on Monday, May 14, 1804. Captain Lewis, who was at that time in St. Louis, joined the expedition at St. Charles, twenty-one miles up the Missouri, which place they reached on the 16th. Here they remained until the 21st, when they proceeded on their voyage, reaching La Charrette, the last white settlement, on the evening of the 25th. The village consisted of but seven poor families. On the 1st of June they arrived at the mouth of the Osage, one hundred and thirty-three miles on their journey. The country bordering on this river was inhabited by a tribe known as the Osage Indians. They had a remarkable tradition among them as to the origin of their nation. They believed that its founder was a snail passing a quiet existence along the banks of the Osage, till a flood swept him down to the Missouri and there left him exposed on the shore. By the heat of the sun he was changed to a man. The change, however, did not cause him to forget his native place away up on the banks of the Osage, and he immediately sought his old home. Being overtaken with hunger and fatigue, the Great Spirit appeared, gave him a bow and arrow, and taught him to kill deer and prepare its flesh for food and its skin for clothing. When he arrived at his original place of residence he was met by a beaver, who inquired who he was, and by what authority he came to disturb his possession. The Osage replied that he had once lived on the borders of that river and that it was his own home. While they were disputing the daughter of the beaver appeared, and entreated her father to be reconciled to the young stranger. The father yielded to her entreaties, and the Osage soon married the beaver's daughter. They lived happily on the banks of the Osage, and from them soon came the villages and nation of the Osages. Ever since they entertained a pious reverence for their ancestors, never killing a beaver, for by so doing they would slay a brother. It has been observed, however, that after the opening of the fur trade with the whites, the sanctity of their maternal relations was very much reduced. The next tribe mentioned by the explorers was that of the Missouris, once a powerful nation, but then reduced to about thirty families. They finally united with the Osages and the Ottoes, and as a separate nation became extinct. The Sauks, Ayauways (lowas), and the Sioux are mentioned as being the enemies of the Osages, and as making frequent excursions against them. On the 26th of June they arrived at the mouth of the Kansas, 340 miles from the Mississippi, where they remained two days for rest and repairs. Here resided the tribe of Indians of the same name, and had two villages not far from the mouth of the river. This tribe at that time had been reduced by the Sauks and Ayauways to only about three hundred men. The party at this stage of their journey saw numerous buffalo on the prairies. On the 2d of July the party passed Bear Medicine Island, near which were the remains of an old fort, built by the French, the ruins of the chimneys and the general outline of the fortification being visible. On the 8th of July they reached the mouth of the Nodawa. The river is mentioned as navigable for boats some distance. On the 11th they landed at the mouth of the Nemahaw. Mention is made of several artificial mounds on the Nemahaw, about two miles up the stream at the mouth of a small creek. From the top of the highest mound there was a fine view of the country. On the 14th they passed the Nishnahbatona river, finding it to be only three hundred yards from the Missouri at a distance of twelve miles from its mouth. Platte river and other streams, both in Iowa and Nebraska, are mentioned and the country described with great accuracy. Along in this part of the country were the first elk they had seen. On the 22d of July the explorers encamped on the north (Iowa) side of the river, ten miles above the mouth of the Platte river, to make observations and to hold an interview with the neighboring tribes. They remained here in camp until the 27th. Among the streams mentioned in this vicinity are the Papillon, Butterfly Creek and Moscheto Creek, the last named being a small stream near Council Bluffs. In mentioning them we use the orthography of the explorers, which in some instances differs from that now in use. The Indians who occupied the country about the mouth of Platte river at this time were the Ottoes and Pawnees. The Ottoes were much reduced, and formerly lived about twenty miles above the Platte on the Nebraska side of the river. They lived at this time under the protection of the Pawnees. The latter were also much dispersed and broken. One band of the nation formerly lived on the Republican branch of the Kanzas River., Another band were the Pawnee Loups, or Wolf Pawnees, who resided on the Wolf fork of the Platte. Another band originally resided on the Kanzas and Arkansaw, but in their wars with the Osages they were often defeated and retired to the Red river. Various other tribes living further west, are mentioned. On the 27th they continued their journey, and about ten leagues from their encampment, on the south (Nebraska) side of the river, they saw and examined a curious collection of graves, or mounds. They were of different heights, shapes and sizes. Some were of sand, and others of both earth and sand. They were supposed to indicate the position of the ancient village of the Ottoes before they retired to the protection of the Pawnees. On the 29th they passed the spot where the Ayauway Indians, a branch of the Ottoes, once lived, and who had emigrated from that place to the Des Moines. Mention is here made of an interview with one of the Missouri Indians who lived with the Ottoes, and the resemblance of his language to that of the Osages, particularly in calling a chief inca. On the 30th of July the party encamped on the south (Nebraska) side ol the river. At that place next to the river was a plain, and back of it a wooded ridge, rising about seventy feet, above the plain. At the edge of this ridge they formed their camp, and sent an invitation to the Indians to meet them. From the bluffs at this point they mention a most beautiful view of the river and adjoining country. The latitude of the camp was determined by observation to be 41 degrees 18 minutes and 14 seconds. The messenger sent to invite the Ottoes returned on the evening of the 2d of August, with fourteen Ottoe and Missouri Indians, accompanied by a Frenchman who resided among them, and who acted as interpreter. Lewis and Clarke made them presents of pork, flour and meal, and the Indians returned presents of watermelons. The next morning (Aug. 3d) a council was held with the six chiefs who were of the party of Indians; they were told of the change in the government, and promised protection and advised as to their future conduct. All the chiefs expressed their joy at the change in the government, and wished to be recommended to the Great Father (the President) that they might obtain trade and necessaries. They asked the mediation of the Great Father between them and the Mahas (Omahas), with whom they were then at war. At the conclusion of the council medals and other presents were given to the chiefs, and also some presents to the other Indians who were with them. The grand chief of the Ottoes was not present, but to him was sent a flag, a medal, and some ornaments for clothing. The explorers gave to the place where this council was held the name of Council Bluffs. The reader will remember, however, that it was above the present city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and was on the Nebraska side of the river. On the afternoon of the 3d of August they resumed their journey, and on the 7th arrived at the mouth of a river on the north side, called by the Sioux Indians, Eaneahwadepon (Stone river), and by the French, Petite Riviere des Sioux, or in English, Little Sioux river. The explorers were informed by their interpreter (M. Durion) that this river rises within about nine miles of the Des Moines; that within fifteen leagues of that river it passes through a large lake, nearly sixty miles in circumference, and divided into two parts by rocks, which approach each other very closely. Its width is various; it contains many islands, and is known by the name of Lac d' Esprit - Spirit Lake. The country watered by it is open and undulating, and may be visited in boats up the river for some distance. The interpreter further added that the Des Moines was about eighty yards wide where the Little Sioux approaches it; that it was shoally, and that one of its principal branches was called Cat river. The interpreter claimed to have been to the sources of the Little Sioux, and those who are familiar with the country about Spirit Lake, will concede that he described it quite accurately. The explorers speak of a long island two miles above the mouth of the Little Sioux, which they named Pelican island, from the large number of pelicans which were feeding on it, one of which they killed. They also killed an elk. On the 10th they passed the first highland near the river, after leaving their encampment at Council Bluffs. Not far from this, on a high bluff, was the grave of Blackbird, one of the great chiefs of the Mahas, who had died of small-pox four years before. The grave was marked by a mound twelve feet in diameter at the base, and six feet high, and was on an elevation about 300 feet above the water. In the center of the grave was a pole eight feet high. Near this the Mahas had a village, and lost four hundred men of their nation, and a like proportion of women and children by the small-pox at the time that Blackbird died. After this dreadful scourge they burned their village, which had consisted of three hundred cabins. On a hill at the rear of the place where the village stood were the graves of the nation. On the evening of the 18th the explorers were again visited at their camp by a party of Ottoes and Missouris, who entertained them with a dance. The professed object of their visit was to ask intercession for promoting peace between them and the Mahas, but probably the real object was to share a portion of the strangers' provisions and liquors. The next day, August 20th, after passing a couple of islands, they landed on the north side of the river, under some bluffs - the first near the river on that side after leaving the Ayauway village. It was here that the party had the misfortune to lose one of their men - Sergeant Charles Floyd. He had the day before been siezed with a billious colic. Before his death he said to Captain Clarke, "I am going to leave you; I want you to write me a letter." Soon after making this request the brave soldier passed away. He was buried on the top of the bluff, with honors due to a soldier. The place of his interment was marked by a cedar post, on which his name and the day of his death were inscribed. About a mile further up on the same side of the Missouri, they came to a small river, to which they gave the name of Floyd river, in honor of their deceased companion. The place of the burial of Sergeant Floyd was but a short distance below where Sioux City now stands. During a great freshet in the spring of 1857, the Missouri river washed away a portion of the bluff, exposing the remains of the soldier. The citizens of Sioux City and vicinity repaired to the place, and with appropriate ceremonies, reintorred them some distance back from the river on the same bluff. The same cedar post planted by his companions over his grave on that summer day more than half a century before, remained to mark the place of interment up to 1857, although during nearly all this time the country had been inhabited only by savages. On the 21st of August the expedition passed the site where Sioux City now stands, and noted in their journal the confluence of the Great Sioux river with the Missouri. From their interpreter, M. Durion, they received an account of the Great Sioux river. He stated that it was navigable for more than two hundred miles, to the great falls, and even beyond them. The reader will remember that this was before the time of steamboats on western waters. He mentioned a creek that emptied into the Great Sioux below the falls, which passed through cliffs of red rock, out of which the Indians made their pipes; that the necessity for procuring that article had caused the introduction of a law among the nations by which the banks of that creek were held to be sacred, and even tribes at war met at the quarries without hostility. These were what are now known as the "Red Pipestone Quarries," in southwestern Minnesota. A few miles above the month of the Great Sioux, on the north, or Dakota side of the river, they killed a buffalo, a deer and a beaver. They also saw some elk. The place where the buffalo was killed they described as a beautiful prairie, and gave it the name of Buffalo Prairie. They mention on the south side of the river a bluff of blue clay rising to the height of 180 or 190 feet. Several miles from this, on the south side of the river, Captains Lewis and Clark, with ten of their men, went to see a mound regarded with great terror by the Indians, and called by them the Mountain of the Little Spirits. They believed it was the abode of little devils in human form, eighteen inches high, and having large heads; that they had sharp arrows, and were always on the watch to kill those who might approach their place of residence. The Sioux, Mahas and Ottoes never would visit the hill or mound for fear of the vengeance of the Little Spirits. The mound, though extraordinary in its formation, they did not regard as artificial. From its top they could see large herds of buffalo feeding at a distance. On the 26th they passed the mouth of Yankton river, and, on landing, were met by several Indians, who informed them that a large body of Sioux were encamped near. On the 30th and 31st they held a council with the Sioux, and smoked with them the pipe of peace. The Indians exhibited their skill in dancing and various other amusements to entertain their visitors. These Indians were the Yankton tribe of the Sioux nation. Their grand chief was We-u-cha, or in English, Shake Hand. Speeches were made and presents exchanged. On the 1st of September the explorers passed Calumet Bluffs, and the next day Bonhomme Island, near which they visited some ancient earthworks, or fortifications, on the south, or Nebraska, side of the Missouri. They made a minute and careful examination of these works. They embraced nearly five hundred acres. A day or two after, on a hill to the south, near Cedar Island, they discovered the backbone of a fish, 45 feet long, in a perfect state of petrifaction. After several conferences with different tribes, and observations in regard to the country, its formation, and the different animals seen, on the 13th of October they reached a small stream on the north side, to which they gave the name of Idol Creek. Near its mouth were two stones resembling human figures, and a third like a dog. These were objects of great veneration among the Ricaras (Ricarees), who occupied the country in that vicinity. They had a legend that a young brave was deeply enamored with a girl whose parents refused their consent to the marriage. The young brave went out into the fields to mourn his misfortunes, and a sympathy of feeling led the lady to the same spot. The faithful dog would not cease to follow his master. The lovers wandered away together with nothing to subsist on but grapes, and they were at last changed into stone, with the lady holding in her hands a bunch of grapes. When the Ricaras pass these sacred stones, they stop to make offerings of dress to propitiate the deities, as they regard them. Such was the account given to Lewis and Clark by the Ricara chief. As they found here a great abimdance of fine grapes, they regarded one part of the story as very agreeably confirmed. On the 19th they reached the ruins of one of the Mandan villages. It had been fortified. This, they were informed by the Ricara chief, was one of several villages once occupied by the Mandans until the Sioux forced them forty miles higher up the river. In this vicinity they counted no less than 52 herds of buffalo, and 3 herds of elk at a single view. About the 1st of November, 1804, the expedition reached the country of the Mandans, where they went into winter quarters. These Indians had raised considerable com, some of which they presented to the party. During the winter they obtained a great deal of information in regard to the history, traditions, and manners and customs, not only of this peculiar and remarkable nation, but of other tribes. Their huts, or cabins, were all completed by the 20th of the month, and the place was named Fort Mandan. It was on the north side of the Missouri, in a grove of eottonwood. The place, as ascertained by observation, was in latitude 47 deg., 21 min. and 47 sec., and the computed distance from the mouth of the Missouri was 1600 miles. During the winter they were visited by a great many Indians of the Maadan and other tribes. A few French and traders of the Northwest Fur Company also visited them. The party remained at Fort Mandan until April 7, 1805, when they resumed their journey. There were then thirty-two persons in the expedition, some of the party having returned to St. Louis. In this portion of the country they began to see numbers of white bear, antelope, and other animals, which they had not seen lower down on the river. On the 12th they arrived at the mouth of the Little Missouri, near which they found large quantities of small onions, about the size of a bullet, of an oval form and white. The next day they passed a smalt stream to which they gave the name of Onion Creek, from the great abundance of that vegetable growing near it. Along this part of the Missouri were large numbers of bald eagles, and also many geese and brant. Numerous deserted Indian lodges were noticed, which they supposed to have belonged to the Assiniboins, as there were the remains of small kegs. That tribe was the only one in this region that then used spirituous liquors. They obtained it from the traders of the Hudson Bay Company, bartering their furs for it. Here many plants and aromatic herbs are mentioned, and some resembling in taste and smell sage, hyssop, wormwood and juniper. On the 26th they camped at the mouth of the Yellowstone, where game of various kinds was very abundant. Frequent mention is made of the burned hills along that part of the Missouri for some distance above and below the Yellowstone. Among the animals killed hy the hunters of the expedition in this part of the voyage were several brown bears. On the evening of the 14th of May the men in one of the canoes discovered a large brown bear lying in the open grounds about three hundred yards from the river. Six of them, all good hunters, went to attack him, and, concealing themselves by a small eminence, four of them fired at a distance of about forty paces. Each of them lodged a ball in the bear's body, two of them directly through the lungs. The animal sprang up and ran open-mouthed toward them. As he came near, the two hunters who had reserved their fire, gave him two more wounds, one of which, breaking his shoulder, retarded his motion for a moment. Before they could reload he was so near upon them that they were obliged to run to the river, the bear almost overtaking them. Two of the men sprang into the canoe, and the others concealed themselves in some willows and fired as fast as they could reload, striking him several times. The shots seemed only to direct him toward the hunters, till at last he pursued two of them so closely that they threw aside their guns and pouches, and jumped twenty feet down a perpendicular bank into the river: The bear sprang after them, and was within a few feet of the hindmost when one of the hunters on shore shot him in the head, and finally killed him. They dragged the bear to shore and found that eight balls had passed through his body in different directions. On' the 20th of May the party reached the mouth of the Muscleshell, a river of considerable size from the south. They were then 2270 miles above the mouth of the Mississippi, in latitude 47 deg., 24 min. Mention is made of what the French traders called Cote Noire, or Black Hills. On the 26th of May they had the first view of the Rocky Mountains, "the object," as the journalist remarks, "of all our hopes, and the reward of all our ambition." The view was obtained from what they called one of the last ridges of the Black Mountains. On the 30th they had reached that part of the river which passes through between walls of rocks, presenting every form of sculptured ruins, and having the appearance of being the productions of art. Of these objects of natural scenery they give a most glowing description. On the 3d of June the expedition reached a junction of two branches of the river, when they were at a loss to determine which was the true Missouri river. Parties, one under Captain Lewis and the other under Captain Clark, proceeded to explore both branches by land. The party under Captain Lewis, on the 13th, reached the Great Falls of the Missouri on the southern branch, which determined the question. One of the men was sent to inform Captain Clark of the discovery. The explorers give a vivid description of the wonderful and beautiful scenery which is here presented. In the vicinity of the falls they saw a herd of at least a thousand buffalo, one of which they shot. Here Captain Lewis himself had an encounter with a large brown bear, from which he escaped by plunging into the river. Mention is made of grasshoppers at the mouth of Medicine river, about twelve miles above the Great Falls, in such multitudes that the herbage on the plains was in part destroyed by them. At that point the Missouri is described as being three hundred yards wide, and Medicine river one hundred and thirty-seven yards wide. The party remained here until the 15th of July, examining the surrounding country, constructing canoes, and making general preparations for continuing the journey. On that day they again embarked with eight heavily loaded canoes, encountering many diflScult places for navigating, owing to the rapids. Toward the latter part of July they reached a point where the Missouri is formed of three branches, one of which they called Jefferson, one Madison, and one Gallatin. Here the party divide and explore the several branches, partly for the purpose of finding the Shoshones, the Indians that were known to inhabit that region. On the 11th of August they encountered a single Indian on horseback, who proved to be one of that tribe or nation. Captain Lewis, who had continued his course up the Jefferson, or principal branch forming the sources of the Missouri, reached a point where it had so diminished in width that one of his men in a fit of enthusiasm, with one foot on each side of the rivulet, thanked God that he had lived to bestride the Missouri. A few miles further on they reached the point where issues the remotest water - the hitherto hidden sources of that river, which had never before been seen by civilized man. They sat down by the brink of the little rivulet, and quenched their thrist at the chaste and icy fountain, which sends its modest tribute down to the great ocean thousands of miles away. Crossing over the the dividing line between the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, at a distance of three-quarters of a mile, they stopped to taste for the first time the waters of the Columbia, here a stream of clear, cold water flowing westward. On the same day Captain Lewis succeeded in gaining a friendly interview with the Shoshones. Captain Clark, with a part of the expedition, was at this time at the junction of the three branches of the Missouri, and Captain Lewis engaged a number of the Indians, with about thirty of their horses, to transport their merchandise and outfit to the Shoshone camp. The Shoshones are described as being a small tribe of the nation called the Snake Indians, an appellation which embraces the inhabitants of the southern parts of the Rocky Mountains and of the plains on either side. During the summer the Shoshones resided about the headwaters of the Columbia, where they lived chiefiy on salmon. In their journal the explorers give a long and interesting account of the habits, traditions, and manner of life of this people. They found them honest, friendly, and ready to render them all assistance in their power. After purchasing twenty-nine horses from the Shoshones, the party on the 30th of August resumed their journey toward the Pacific. On the 4th of September, after many difficulties in finding a practicable route, they came to a large encampment of Indians who received them with great cordiality. The pipe of peace was introduced and a council held. They represented themselves as a band of a nation called Tushepaws, a numerous people then residing on the headwaters of the Missouri and Columbia rivers. The Indians shaded their berries and roots with the strangers and received some presents. Several horses were purchased from them. On the 6th they reached a stream to which they gave the name of Clark river, Captain Clark being the first white man who ever visited its waters. The route was a rugged one, and in many places almost impracticable, and to add to the difficulties of the situation, snow had been falling, so that on the 16th it was six or eight inches deep. The difficulty of procuring game or other subsistence made it necessary for them to kill several of their horses on this part of their journey, for food. They had a little of what was called portable soup which they used by melting some snow. This, and about twenty pounds of bear's oil, was their only remaining subsistence. They were now in a region where their guns were of little service, for there was scarcely a living creature to be seen in those mountains. Captain Clark and six hunters searched the mountains all day for game but found none, and at night encamped on a small stream to which they gave the name of Hungry Creek. Their only refreshment during the day was a little of the portable soup. On the 26th, Captain Clark and his hunting party encountered three Indian boys, and sent them forward to the village with some presents. An Indian came out to meet them, and conducted them to a large tent in the village, which was the residence of the great chief. After some introductory ceremonies by signs, the Indians set before the strangers some buffalo meat, dried salmon, berries and several kinds of roots. This, after their long abstinence, was a sumptuous treat. One of the chiefs conducted them to another village, two miles away, where they were received with great kindness and passed the night. These Indians called themselves Chopunish, or Pierced-Nose (Nez Perces). With a few articles Captain Clark chanced to have in his pockets he purchased some dried salmon, roots and berries and sent them by one of his men and a hired Indian back to -Captain Lewis. The main body with Captain Lewis had been so fortunate as to kill a few pheasants and a prairie wolf. As soon as it was known in the villages that the wonderful strangers had arrived the people crowded in to see them. Twisted Hair, the chief, drew a chart or map of the country and streams on a white elk-skan, which was of great service in guiding them on their course. From these Indians as many provisions were purchased as could be carried on their horses. After proceeding down the river some distance, they determined to continue their journey in canoes, which they set about constructing. By the 7th of October the canoes were launched and loaded. The horses were branded and left with the Indians to be kept until their return. Accompanied by some of the Indians down Lewis river, the expedition finally reached the Columbia on the 16th, having stopped at a number of villages on the way. The Columbia at the mouth of Lewis river they found to be 960 yards wide, and Lewis river 675 yards wide. Here they found themselves among a nation who called themselves Sokulks, a people of a mild and peaceable disposition. Fish was their principal article of food. On the 18th they resumed their journey down the Columbia in the presence of many of the Sokulks who came to witness their departure. They passed many different tribes who inhabited the borders of the Columbia, all of whom they visited in their villages and encampments, learning their condition, habits, history and mode of living. Wherever they halted large numbers of Indians gathered to see them, and generally manifested the greatest kindness and hospitality. All of them had pierced noses. On the 22d of October the party reached the Great Falls of the Columbia. Many Indians inhabited this portion of the country, and some of them assisted the party in unloading the canoes, transporting the goods around the falls, and in bringing down the canoes. At one place it was necessary to haul the canoes over a point of land to avoid a perpendicular fall of seventy feet. Some distance below the falls they came to a village of another tribe or nation called the Echeloots. Here they found the first wooden houses they had seen after leaving the settlements near the Mississippi. They were made of logs and poles, with poles for rafters and covered with white cedar, kept on by strands of cedar fibres. The inhabitants received the strangers with great kindness, invited them to their houses, and came in great numbers to see them. They were surprised to find that these Indians spoke a language quite different from that of the tribes above the Great Falls. Some of their customs, however, were the same. Like the tribes they had recently visited, they flattened the heads of their children, and in nearly the same manner. Among the mountain tribes, however, this custom was confined to the females almost exclusively, whereas the Echeloots subjected both sexes to the operation. On the 18th they came to another tribe where they saw a British musket and several brass tea-kettles which the Indians prized very highly. In the interview with the chief he directed his wife to hand him his medicine-bag, from which he drew out fourteen forefingers, which he said had belonged to the same number of his enemies whom he had killed in battle. These fingers were shown with great exultation, after which they were carefully replaced among the other valuable contents of the medicine-bag. This was the first instance in which the explorers had observed that any other trophy than the scalp was ever carried from the field in Indian warfare. On the 2d of November the party passed the rapids which form the last descent of the Columbia, and tide-water commences. On this part of the Columbia they began to meet with tribes who had some knowledge of the whites, and from articles in their possession, it was observed that they had maintained some sort of trade or barter with the whites. The Indians here also began to be troublesome and were disposed to pilfer whenever an opportunity offered, showing that in their intercourse with the whites they had contracted some vices that they are free from in the absence of such intercourse. On the 16th of November, 1805, the expedition encamped in full view of the Pacific Ocean, at Haley's Bay, as laid down by Vancouver. Their long, tedious and eventful journey to the Pacific having ended, they made preparations for going into winter quarters. Some distance below the mouth of the Columbia, three miles above the mouth of a little river that empties into the bay, in a thick grove of lofty pines, they formed their winter encampment. Game was exceedingly plenty, and during the winter they were visited by a large number of the Indians inhabiting the coast region. They called the place Fort Clatsop, from the tribe of Indians inhabiting the immediate vicinity. Here they remained until the 23d of March, 1806, when they commenced their return, by the same route. Before leaving, Captains Lewis and Clark posted up in the fort a note to the following effect: "The object of this is, that through the medium of some civilized person, who may see the same, it may be made known to the world that the party consisting of the persons whose names are hereto annexed, and who were sent out by the government of the United States to explore the interior ot the continent of North America, did cross the same by the way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, to the discharge of the latter into the Pacific ocean, where they arrived on the 14th day of November, 1805, and departed the 23d day of March, 1806, on their return to the United States, by the same route by which they came out." It is somewhat singular that this note a short time after fell into the hands of a Captain Hill, while on the coast near the mouth of the Columbia river. It was delivered to him by some Indians, and taken to Canton,, China, from whence it was brought to the United States in January, 1807. On the 23d of September, 1806, the party reached the mouth of the Missouri, and decended the Mississippi to St. Louis, arriving at 12 o'clock. Having fired a salute, they went on shore, where they "received a most, hearty and hospitable welcome from the whole village." This is bat a very partial and hasty review of that romantic and extraordinary expedition - the first exploration by authority of the government of the United States of that wonderful region which of late years has attracted so much attention. It gave to the world the first authentic account of the upper Missouri and its tributaries, and of the rivers that flow from the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains and seek the Pacific Ocean through the great Columbia. It imparted to civilized man some definite knowledge of the strange tribes whose homes were on the borders of those rivers; of their habits, traditions and modes of life; of the fauna and flora of a region hitherto unknown, and of natural sceneiy not surpassed in grandeur and sublimity by that of any other part of the world. Other explorers have since revealed a portion of the hidden treasures of that part of our national domain, but the pioneer expeditien of Lewis and Clarke, so successfully accomplished, will always possess a peculiar and thrilling interest. |