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National Historic Trails - Lewis and Clark Trail - Lewis and Clark in the Rocky Mountains
The Three Forks
Clark's advance party had reached the Three Forks of the Missouri (13) on July 25. They saw the prairie had recently been burned, and there were horse tracks which appeared to be only a few days old. Clark left a note for Lewis telling him he was going to continue on in search of the Shoshones; if he didn't find them he would return to the Three Forks.
The main Party arrived at the Three Forks on July 27, making camp where Clark had left the note. Lewis ascended a prominent rock bluff to view the area which he believed"to he an essential point in the geography of this western part of the Continent."
The officers named the east fork of the Three Forks in honor of Treasury Secretary, Albert Gallatin, the south fork in honor of Secretary of State James Madison, and the west fork in honor of President Jefferson.
Third Range Of Mountains
On July 31, the Expedition reached the third range of mountains (14) which forms another close canyon. They were out of fresh meat. No game was killed on this day; indeed, no buffalo had been seen since entering the mountains. Lewis wrote: "When we have plenty of fresh meat I find it impossible to make the men take any care of it or use it with the least frugallity. Tho' I expect that necessity will probably teach them this art."
On Aug. 1, Lewis, and three men, went ahead (15) in search of Indians. Near his camp on the morning of Aug. 3, Clark discovered Indian tracks which he followed to an elevation where the Indians had apparently spied on his camp (16). But Clark found no Indians.
By now, the arduous task of pulling the eight heavily laden dugouts was taking its toll. At one place a tow line broke, at another they were dragging the vessels over rocks. Clark wrote: "The men were so much fatiegued today that they wished much that navigation was at an end that they might go by land."
Lewis reached Big Hole River (17) on Aug. 4, and after some investigation decided this was not the route the Expedition should follow. He left a note on a green willow for Clark, telling him not to go that way, but to wait there. By the time Clark's party arrived at the Big Hole River, a beaver had gnawed down the green willow upon which Lewis had left the note, and had taken off with it. Consequently, Clark's party began the difficult task of ascending the swift waters of that treacherous river. One boat turned over and two others filled with water before Lewis' Party arrived and told them they would have to return to the Jefferson.
It had been 21 days since they left the Great Falls of the Missouri. The 33 travelers had used up enough provisions to warrant leaving one canoe on shore to be retrieved on the return journey.
The Beaver's Head
A few miles below the mouth of Ruby River, Sacagawea recognized a prominent point of land known to her people as the Beaver's Head (18). She informed the captains that they were not far from the summer retreat of her people, which, she said, was on a river beyond the mountains (Lemhi River.)
On Aug. 9, Lewis, along with three men, again set out ahead of the main party in an attempt to find the Shoshones.
About 9 1/2 miles by water from the Beaver's Head, the main party reached an island which they named 3000-Mile Island (19) - a reference to their distance up the Missouri River.
Fourth Range Of Mountains
Lewis's parry, which was following an Indian road, passed through the fourth range of mountains (20) on Aug. 10, and from the number of rattlesnakes about the cliffs called it "Rattlesnake Cliffs." The main party entered this canyon four days later and both Clark and Sacagawea were m danger of being struck by these serpents.
Lewis continued on the Indian road, and soon came to a fork at the head of the Jefferson River. He left a note here on a dry willow to inform Clark of his decision to follow the west fork.
At about 15 miles from the forks (21), on Horse Prairie, Lewis finally saw a Shoshone on horseback--the first Indian the Expedition had seen in 1400 miles. The native, wary of the strangers, would not allow them to approach, and soon disappeared into the mountains.
Fifth Range Of Mountains
Lewis fixed a small U.S. flag onto a pole as a symbol of peace, which was carried along as they followed the horse's tracks. They camped that night at the head of Horse Prairie. They were now about to enter the fifth range of mountains (22).
The following morning they came upon recently inhabited willow lodges. and a place where the Indians had been digging roots. They continued on until they reached what Lewis described as "the most distant fountain of the waters of the Mighty Missouri (23) in surch of which we have spent so many toilsome days and wristless nights. Thus far I had accomplished one of those great objects on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for many years... He then wrote that Private McNeal "exultingly stood with a foot on each side of the little rivulet and thanked his god that he had lived to be-stride the mighty & heretofore deemed endless Missouri."
The Continental Divide And The Shoshone Indians
The four men soon crossed the Continental Divide (24) and began their descent on the western side of the Bitterroot Mountains along an Indian road. The next day, Aug. 13, they saw on an eminence, about a mile ahead (25), two women, a man and some dogs. When they came within a half mile of the Indians, Lewis set his accouterments on the ground, unfurled the flag, and advanced alone towards them. But the wary Indians disappeared behind a hill.
Continuing on about a mile, Lewis came upon three Shoshone females. One young woman began to run, but an elderly woman and a girl of about 12 years remained. Lewis laid down his gun and approached the two. He gave them beads, moccasin awls, mirrors and some paint. At Lewis' request, the elderly woman called back the young
woman. The three agreed to lead the men to their village. After about two miles, they met 60 warriors mounted on excellent horses coming rapidly toward them. Convinced of Lewis's peaceful mission, the Indians smoked the pipe with the white men.
They then went down Lemhi River four miles to the village (26). The lodges were all made of sticks because the Pahkees (the Indians who inhabited the area around the Great Falls of the Missouri) had raided them that spring. They took or killed 20 Shoshones, took all their skin lodges, and a great number of horses.
At the village Lewis was told that he would not be able to reach the ocean by way of Salmon River. Lewis hoped that the description of the river was exaggerated and that the Expedition could, in fact, navigate these waters.
Lewis told the Indians that another chief of the white men (Clark) was waiting at the forks of the Jefferson with baggage. He asked the Indians to come with him and bring 30 horses that would be used to transport the baggage over the Divide to their village. The Expedition would then trade with them for horses.
Many of the Indians still felt that the whites were in league with the Pahkees and were trying to lead them into an ambush. Nevertheless, 28 men and three women agreed to accompany Lewis back to the forks of the Jefferson. Sixteen of the Indians bravely camped with Lewis at the forks even though the promised "chief' and baggage were not to be seen.
Clark's party arrived at the forks the next day (Aug. 17). The band of Shoshones with Lewis just happened to be the band to which Sacagawea belonged. It also turned out, to the advantage of the Expedition, that Sacagawea's brother, Cameahwait, was now chief of that band.
Searching For Navigable Waters And Bargaining For Horses
The camp of Aug. 17-23 was named Camp Fortunate (27) in commemoration of the meeting with the Shoshones. Lewis and Clark in-formed the Indians of their mission, and told them that once they had portaged over the Divide to the Indians' village, they would buy horses from them, if horses were needed to find a navigable river to the ocean.
On Aug. 18, Lewis bartered for two horses, which Clark and 11 men would need on their reconnaissance over the Divide to satisfy in their own minds whether the Salmon was a navigable route to the Columbia. Sacagawea and Charbonneau accompanied Clark's Party to the Shoshone village to encourage the Indians to bring horses to Camp Fortunate. In the meantime, Lewis purchased another horse for the hunters. His men also purchased a horse.
On Aug. 20. Lewis selected a site three-fourths of a mile below Camp Fortunate to cache more excess baggage. And while they waited the return of the Indians who were to bring horses, they made harnesses and pack saddles for the portage.
On the same day, Clark reached the Shoshone village. He hired a Shoshone named Toby for a guide on his reconnaissance. Clark was in-formed of a route over the Bitterroots which the Nez Perce used to go to the Missouri (33). On this route game was scarce, and the Nez Perce suffered excessively from hunger. He learned that the mountains there were broken, rocky and so thickly covered with timber that the Indians could scarcely pass. Clark reasoned that should the Salmon prove unnavigable, the party would take the Nez Perce trail, for if those Indians could cross the mountains with their women and children, certainly the Expedition could do likewise.
On Aug. 22, Sacagawea, Charbonneau, Cameahwait, and about 50 men with a number of women and children arrived back at Camp Fortunate with the horses needed to cross the Divide. At this time Lewis purchased five more horses at a cost of about six dollars worth of merchandise for each.
Clark's party reached the North Fork of the Salmon on this same day. They continued down the Salmon along a very steep and rocky mountain. As they went along they looked for trees suitable for making dugouts in case the river was navigable. They found only one such tree.
On Aug. 23, back at Camp Fortunate, Lewis had the canoes taken out of the river and sunk in a nearby pond so they wouldn't be lost by high water or burned in one of the fires the natives made on the prairies. The Indians had sold Lewis all the horses they could spare until they returned to their village.
Clark's party continued down the north side of Salmon River with great difficulty, traveling over large, sharp rocks. Still not totally convinced that the river was unnavigable, Clark had some of his party halt to hunt and fish while three men and Toby continued on with him to farther examine the river. Clark finally conceded that the Indian information was accurate: the Salmon was not navigable. He marked his name on a tree at the mouth of Indian Creek (28).
Before Lewis' party left Camp Fortunate, 50 men, women and children came to the camp on their way to hunt buffalo. Lewis managed to purchase three more horses and a mule from these people. Then, as much baggage as possible was packed on the horses for the portage. The Indian women carried the balance.
Move on to the continuation of the Lewis and Clark Trail.
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