The day brings endless “seens of visionary inchantment” as they struggle to move through the White Cliffs area of the Upper Missouri River Breaks. When a tow rope breaks, Lewis once again mentions the white pirogue‘s “evil gennii”. After passing Citadel Rock and Grand Natural Wall, they camp at present-day Eagle Creek where Lewis notices a distinctive species of pine.
Scenes of Visionary Enchantment
by Yellowstone Public Radio[1]Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © … Continue reading
High Wall on the Upper Missouri
10″ x 20″ oil on board
© 2009 by Charles Fritz. Used by permission.
Hard Labor
the men are compelled to be in the water even to their armpits, and the water is yet very could, and so frequent are those point that they are one fourth of their time in the water, added to this the banks and bluffs along which they are obliged to pass are so slippery and the mud so tenacious that they are unable to wear their mockersons, and in that situation draging the heavy burthen of a canoe and walking ocasionally for several hundred yards over the sharp fragments of rocks which tumble from the clifts and garish the borders of the river; in short their labour is incredibly painfull and great, yet those faithfull fellows bear it without a murmur.
at 12 OCk. we came too for refreshment and gave the men a dram which they received with much cheerfullness, and well deserved
—William Clark
Scenes of Visionary Enchantment
As we passed on it seemed as if those seens of visionary inchantment would never have and end; for here it is too that nature presents to the view of the traveler vast ranges of walls of tolerable workmanship, so perfect indeed are those walls that I should have thought that nature had attempted here to rival the human art of masonry had I not recollected that she had first began her work.
—Meriwether Lewis
The White Pirogue’s Evil Genie
The toe rope of the white perogue, the only one indeed of hemp, and that on which we most depended, gave way today at a bad point, the perogue swung and but slightly touched a rock, yet was very near overseting; I fear her evil gennii will play so many pranks with her that she will go to the bottomm some of those days.—
—Meriwether Lewis
The Grand Natural Wall
at 1 m on this course passed a high stone wall on Std. 12 feet thick and rising 200 feet.
—Meriwether Lewis
Grand Natural Wall
© 22 May 2016 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Limber Pine above Eagle Creek
Capt. Lewis walked on Shore & observed a Species of pine we had never before Seen, with a Shorter leaf than common & The burr different
—John Ordway
Limber Pine above Eagle Creek
Pinus flexilis
© 2016 May 21 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Camp at Eagle Creek
© 21 May 2016 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
`3½ to the upper part of a timbered bottom on the Stard. side above the entrance of stone wall creek affording water and 28 yds. wide just above the mouth of which we encamped.
—Meriwether Lewis
Weather Diary
State of thermometer at rise
Weather Wind at State of thermometer at 4 P. M. Weather Wind at 4 P. M. State of the river 48 [above 0] cloudy after rain W 53 [above 0] cloudy after rain S W raised 1 ½ in. but little rain The Antelope now bring forth their young. From the size of the young of the bighorned Antelope I suppose they bring forth their young as early at least as the Elk.
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.
The White Cliffs is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. It is part of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management.—ed.
Notes
| ↑1 | Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © 2003 by Yellowstone Public Radio. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
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- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
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- Yellowstone Public Radio
Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).