THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



1843 



( Continued) 



June 4, Sunday. We have run pretty well, though the 

 wind has been tolerably high ; the country we have passed 

 this day is somewhat better than what we saw yesterday, 

 which, as I said, was the poorest we have seen. No 

 occurrence of interest has taken place. We passed this 

 morning the old Riccaree ^ Village, where General Ash- 

 ley'-^ was so completely beaten as to lose eighteen of his 



1 " We halted for dinner at a village which we suppose to have belonged 

 to the Ricaras. It is situated in a low plain on the river, and consists of 

 about eighty lodges of an octagon form, neatly covered with earth, placed 

 as close to each other as possible, and picketed round." (" Lewis and Clark," 

 ed. 1893.) 



" The village of the Rikaras, Arickaras, or Rikarees, for the name is vari- 

 ously written, is between the 46th and 47th parallels of north latitude, and 

 1,430 miles above the mouth of the Missouri. ... It was divided into two 

 portions, about eighty yards apart, being inhabited by two distinct bands. 

 The whole extended about three quarters of a mile along the river bank, and 

 was composed of conical lodges, that looked like so many small hillocks, 

 being wooden frames intertwined with osier, and covered with earth." 

 (" Astoria," W. Irving.) 



" From the hills we had a fine prospect over the bend of the river, on 

 which the villages of the Arikkaras are situated. The two villages of this 

 tribe are on the west bank, very near each other, but separated by a small 

 stream. They consist of a great number of clay huts, round at top, with a 

 square entrance in front, and the whole surrounded with a fence of stakes, 

 which were much decayed and in many places thrown down." (" Travels in 

 North America," p. 166, Maximilian, Prince of Wied.) 



■^ " General Ashley of Missouri, a man whose courage and achievements 

 in the prosecution of his enterprises had rendered him famous in the Far 



