Clark
15 June Friday 1804, we Set out early proceeded on about 1 me. and the Boat turned on a Sawyer which was near doeing her great damage, the river is riseing fast & the water exceedingly Swift,
S. 35° W |
2 |
ms. alg. S. S. |
S 50° W. |
1 ½ |
Me. to a pt. on L. S. passed a Prarie & Creek on the L. S |
S. 51° W |
2 ½ |
me. to a pt. on S. S. psd. a Small Willow Island |
S. 8. w. |
|
to pt. L. S. ¾ of a me. psd. the Lower pts. of 2 Isd. |
S. 80° W. |
2 |
Ms. to the upr. pt. of an Isd. on S. S. passed thro a verry
bad part of the river, the wost moveing Sands I ever Saw,
the Current So Strong that the Ours [oars] and Sales under
a Stiff bresse Cld. not Stem it, we wre oblged to use a toe
rope, under a bank Constantly falling |
S. 5° W. |
2 |
Ms. to a pt. on S. S. psd. along a Isd. on the left, to the
lowr. pt. of one Still on the left |
S 12° W |
1 ½ |
ms. to a pt. S. S. opsd. the Antient Village of the little Osage
|
passd. a bad Sand bar on which we Stuck for a Short time this is Said to be the worst part of the river and Camped opsd. the bend in which the Antient Villages of the little Osarge & Missouries, the lower or first of those villagies (L. Osages) is Situated in Butifull Plain at the foot of Some riseing land, in front of their Villges next the river is a butifull bottom Plain in which they raised their Corn &c. back of the Village the high Prarie extends back to the Osarge River, about 3 Ms. above & in view the Missouries Nation resided under the protection of the
Osarges, after their nation was riducd by the Saukees below, thos built their Village in the Same low Prarie and lived there many years, the war was So hot & both nations become So reduced that the Little Osage & a fiew of the Missoures moved & built a village 5 ms near the Grand Osage, the rest of the Missoures went and took protection under the
Otteaus
[Otos] on Platt river
Clark
15th, June, Friday 1804 Set out early and had not proceeded far e'er we wheeled on a Sawyer which was near injuring us Verry much, passed a plain on the L. S. a Small Isd. in the midle the river riseing, water verry Swift Passed a Creek on the L. S. passed between two Islands, a verry bad place, Moveing Sands, we were nearly being Swallowed up by the roleing Sands over which the Current was So Strong that we Could not Stem it with our Sales under a Stiff breese in addition to our ores, we were Compelled to pass under a bank which was falling in, and use the Toe rope occasionally, Continued up pass two other Small Islands and Camped on the S. S. Nearly opposit the Antient Village of the
Little Osarges
and below the Antt. Village of the
Missoures
both Situations in view an within three Ms. of each other, the
Osage
were Settled at the foot a hill in a butifell Plain which extends back quite to the Osage River, in front of the Vilg: Next to the river is an ellegent bottom Plain which extends Several miles in length on the river in this low Prarie the
Missouries
lived after They were reduced by the
Saukees
[NB: Saukees
] at Their Town Some Dists. below. The little osage finding themselves much oppressed by the Saukees & other nations, left this place & built a village 5 ms. from the Grand Osarge
Town about [blank] years ago. a few of the Missoures accompanied them, the remainder of that nation went on the Otteaus on the River Platt. The River at this place is about 〈3〉 1 [NB: one] ms. wide our hunters did not Come in this evening the river beginning to fall
Course & Distance June 15th
S. 35° W |
2 |
Ms. along the S. S. |
S. 50° W |
1 ½ |
Ms. a pt. L. S. passed a pra: & Creek L. S. |
S. 51° W |
2 ½ |
Ms. a pt. S. S. psd. a willow Isd. |
S. 8° W |
¾ |
Ms. to a pt. L. S. passd. Low pt. 2 Isds. |
S. 80° W |
2 |
Ms. to upr. Pt. Isd. S. S. psd. bad plain |
S. 5° W |
2 |
Ms. to a pt. S. S. passed bad plain
|
S. 12° W |
1 ½
|
Ms. to a pt. S. S. psd. a Isd. in Midl. opsd.
Old Village Lit: Osage. |
|
12 ¼ |
|
Whitehouse
Friday 15 Got on Our way at the willow prarie the wind S. E fresh We Crouded Sail and Saild 16 miles Campd at the Indian Settlement namd. little Zoe prarie the hunters met us with four bears And three deer the party drank a Drachm of whisky and Roe on—
Friday June 15th This morning we left Willow point (or Willow Priari,[)] with a fair Wind from the South east, and in the evening encamped at an Old deserted Indian settlement (formerly belonging to the Caw Nation[)], called the little Zoe Priari, where we were met by our hunters, who had kill'd four Bears and Three Deer, The Captains order'd a dram of whiskey, to be served to each man. We had during this day, crouded all Sail and the distance we run being 16 Miles.—
Biddle's notation at the head of this sheet of the Field Notes (document 21) reads "15 to 16."
A submerged tree with one end stuck in the mud, the other bobbing up and down in the current with a sawing motion, one of the great menaces to river navigation. Criswell, 75.
The Missouri Indian village that is identified as the Gumbo Point site. See entries for [June 8] and [13], 1804, and Chapman (LOM). Nicollet shows an "Old Village of Little Osages" in the vicinity, although he may have relied on Clark's information. Nicollet (MMR), 362; MRC map 11.
The area below where the Missouris resided may be a reference to the Utz site, where they lived from prehistoric to early historic times. Bray (ETG).
They would have moved near one of the villages on the Big, or Grand, Osage River in west-central Missouri. Chapman (OOIT), 146, 279 (fig. 2), 280 (fig. 3); MRC map 11.
Lewis's observation from Codex O.
Perhaps Van Meter Ditch, Saline County, Missouri; mentioned only by Ordway and Floyd.
Only Ordway applies this name to what is apparently the Gumbo Point site, Saline County, where the party camped. Its meaning is unknown. See entries of Floyd and Clark for this day and also Clark for [June 13].
Grand, or Great, Osage Indians.
Red mulberry, Morus rubra L.
Referring to the Kaw, or Kansa, Indians, but the site is generally considered a Missouri village.