16 April: Early in the morning, cool, windy, overcast sky. At 7:30, 5°R [43. 3°F, 6.3°C]. We set out early. At first we had rather uniform banks; then, to the left, long undulating hills, sparsely covered with woods and dead yellow grass; down below, along the bank, [there were] stratified limestone and fragmentsThis region is called Bonnet de Boeuf Bluffs and the creek discharging here, Bonnet de Boeuf Creek.M25Probably because the Indians wore [bison] bull head caps with horns. Near the hill someone has built a long hut as a warehouse for salt and other products. To the right the shore is steeply eroded, [with] tall forest on it and trees before in the stream; several very bad snags left only one narrow channel free. To the right, near the forest filled with tall white Platanus, [are] long, wide sandbars; on their upper points are accumulations of wood. Here the river is rather narrow. In the woodlands[Page 2:18] the undergrowth is already rather green. To the left along the steeply eroded bank, treetops emerge from the water, especially maples, which blossom in this condition. [Then] came a sandbar on which several individuals with many dogs came from the forest; they called out to us.

After 6:30 the sun was still high in the sky, but one could barely see it because of clouds. Islands and sandbars remain to our left; to the right [there are] as many large trees in the river as in a whole devastated forest. Three large gulls (Larus) fly downriver. After breakfast we have large sandbars to the right and left, here and there steeply eroded, with accumulations of trees on them as well as willows and tall forest. Big bends in the river. Its water is very cold. Exceptionally large [quantities of] earthen sediment are made [carried by] and proof [of] the strong current. In the bends of the river there are always sandbars. On one of them along the right bank, we saw wild turkeys M26Meleagris gallopavo.running. After nine o’ clock a violent collision with a piece of wood.

About 9:30 we became totally entangled in a huge mass of driftwood; the ship rose up and received jolts; the engine often stopped. Finally, by pushing and with help from the boat, we pulled free again. At a quarter past ten, the direction of the river is W 5 S. To the right, a large sandbar; everywhere the river is full of snags; we run aground soon afterward, several times. On the left-hand side, farther on, there are large sandbars; the river is very wide. To the right, borders of willow and cottonwood behind the bars. From here on we often ran aground, and the engine was often shut off. At twelve o’ clock the river was very wide; 7 1/2°R [48.9°F, 9.4°C] on the thermometer. We moved along the right bank. As we were about to sit down for lunch, we ran onto the sand near the high bank; a crewman struggled onto it, and we fastened the ship to several cottonwoods until it was afloat again.

After lunch we found ourselves again near Fox Prairie; [these are] extended prairies, which are still mixed, not exclusively [prairies] as farther north. They lie on the left bank of the river or to our right. At one time the Meskwaki and Sauk [Indians] joined battle here with the Missourias and, except for several families, completely exterminated them. This remnant now lives along the other riverbank with the Otoes and other tribes. M27The Missourias came down the river in many canoes close to shore. All the enemy had concealed themselves along the bank and at close range shot them to death in their vessels, then sprang up with their war clubs and knives and
killed the wounded. Only a few escaped. From then on, this bend of the river was called Missouri Bend. Major Bean assured me that not the Sauks but the Osages carried out this massacre. We went to the upper deck of the ship, onto the roof of the upper room, in which about eighty persons now live, and viewed the prairies, but the weather was too hazy and gloomy and we could not see far. Cap - tain Captain Bennett showed me the map he had made of the river’ s course, just a hurried sketch; it does not begin, however, until high up on the Missouri. Today the banks of the river offer little variety; its water, however, was lower today than on previous days; that is, we struck bottom today far more often.

In the afternoon we again moved for a long time along the left bank, where large masses of trees lay everywhere in the water. About three o’ clock in the afternoon, we put in at the left bank near Webb’ s Warehouse to take on wood. We looked for plants and found the ones we had already observed. Our dogs caught a young rabbit rab - bit (Lepus americanus); the old one escapedThe stop lasted a quarter of an hour. Farther on, this bank has hills, between which are ravines covered with tall timber.[Page 2:19] Maples, hornbeams, and redbuds bloom here; the elms have produced samaras. To the rear, the view of the broad surface of the river is impressive. Ducks appear in several places. To the right was a large sandbar to which we came too close. The engine is often stopped [and] the bell is rung, as it is when the engine is started up again.

Soon we were once again without sufficient water; because the engine was not running, the current drove the ship to the side. For a long time we lay motionless near the shore while the boat was sent out for a sounding. Until about evening we slid alternately, more or less on the bottom; we remained close to the left bank until the day drew to a close. We covered about 7 miles from Webb’ s Warehouse, and when night came, we were not in a favorable situation. We slid and struck bottom and got practically loose, yet remained there for the night.