American Expedition of Discovery. 13 



year ; and will, of course^ reach Canton earlier than the furs 

 u-hich arc annually exported from Montreal arrive in Great 

 Britain. 



In our outward bound voyage we ascended to the foot of 

 the rapids below the great falls of the Missouri, where we ar- 

 rived on the Hth of June 1S03. Not having met with any 

 of the natives of the Kocky Mountains, we were, of course, 

 ignorant of the passes by land which existed through these 

 mountains to the Columbia river ; and had we even know^l 

 the route, we were destitute of horses, which would have 

 been indispensably necessary to enable us to transport the 

 requisite quantity of ammunition and other stores to ensure 

 the remaining part of our voyage down the Columbia : we 

 thej-ofore determined to navigate the Missouri as far as it 

 was practicable, or unless we met with sonic of the natives, 

 from whom we could obtain horses, and information of the 

 country. Accordingly, we took a most laborious portage at 

 the fall of the Missouri, of 18 miles, which M'e effected with 

 our canoes and baggage bv the 3d of July. From thence, 

 ascending the Missouri, we penetrated the Rocky Mountain 

 at the distance of 71 miles above the upper part of the 

 portage, and penetrated as far as the three forks of that 

 river, a distance of 180 miles further. Here the Missouri 

 divides into three nearlv equal branches at the same point: 

 (he two largest branches are so nearly of the same dignity 

 that we did not conceive that either of them could, with 

 propriety, retain the name of the Missouri; and therefore 

 called these streams Jefferson's, Madison's, and Gallatin's 

 rivers. The conHuence of these rivers is 3848 miles from 

 the mouth of the Missouri by the meanders of that river. 

 We arrived at the three forks of the Missouri on the 27th 

 of July. Not having yet been so fortunate as to meet with 

 the natives, although I had previously made several exer- 

 tions for that purpose, \vc were compelled to continue our 

 route by water. 



The most northerly of the three forks, that to which wc 

 have given the name of Jefferson's river, was deemed the 

 most proper for our purposes, and vv^e accordingly ascended 

 il -18 miles, to the uj)per forks>, and its exlrcujc navigable 



point. 



