APPENDIXES 



A — CROSSING THE RIVER PLATTE 



1804 



[July 21.] Set out early under a gentle breeze from the S.E at 7 oClock 



the wind luled and it Commns'd raining, arrived at the lower Mouth of the 

 Great River Piatt at 10 oClock .... This Great river being much more rapid 

 than the Missourie forces its Current against the opposit Shore. The Current 

 of this river comes with great velosity roleing its Sands into the Missouri, fill- 

 ing up its Bead & Compelling it to incroach on the S [Noiih] Shore, we found 

 great dificuelty in passing aroimd the Sand at the Mouth of this River. Capt. 

 Lewis and Myself with 6 men in a perogue went up this Great river Piatt 

 about 2 [one] Miles, found the Current verry rapid roleing over Sands, pass- 

 ing thi-ough different Channels none of them more than five or Six feet deep, 

 about 900 [600] yards Wide at the Mouth, I am told by one of our Party who 

 wintered two winters on this river, that "it is much wider above, and does 

 not rise more than five or six feet" Spreds verry wide [with many small 

 islands scattered thro' it,] and from its rapidity & roleing Sands Cannot be 

 navagated with Boats or Perogues. The Indians pass this river in Skin Boats 

 which is flat and wiU not turn over. 



( Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1804-1806. Edi- 

 ted by Reuben Gold Thwaites. 8 vols. New York, Dodd, Mead, & Co., 

 1904-05. v. 1, p. 86-87.) 



Printed editions began with Nicholas Biddle in 1814 and come down to our own days. The 

 original manuscripts are in the library of the American Philosophical Society to which President 

 Jefferson turned them over for safekeeping. The complete text following the spelling and pimctua- 

 tion of the original was first given in the Thwaites edition, and later in the Bernard DeVoto 

 issue of 1953 (the latter omitting a few passages from time to time not needed for his purpose). 



Nothing is said here about any ceremony, to be sm:e, and it may be taken for granted that 

 the few members of the party who had crossed the Platte before had no chance to do any 

 initiating now. This account is set down here because it is the first crossing in recorded history 

 and because the quotations which follow show that the event was duly celebrated in a few 

 years. 



1809 



A Mississippi voyageur who had never passed the Platte was called a hlanc- 

 bec; and upon his first passing he was subjected to an initiation, such as 

 used to be given to sailors when they first crossed the equator. 



(Gen. Thomas James. Three years among the Indians and Mexicans. 

 Waterlook, Illinois: Printed at the Office of the "War Eagle," 1846. Re- 

 printed in: Three years among the Indians and Mexicans, ed. by Walter 

 B. Douglas, Missouri Historical Society, 1916. Footnote reference on 

 page 20.) 



1810 



On the 28th [of April], they breakfasted on one of the islands which he at the 

 mouth of the Nebraska or Platte River; the largest tributary of the Missouri, 



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