This journal entry has a great description of the prairie dog, and a funny note about a “Great no. Musquitors this evening"
Journal entry by Clark
July 30th Monday 1804
Set out this morning early proceeded on to a Clear open Prarie on the L. S. on a rise of about 70 feet higher than the bottom which is also a Prarie both forming Bluffs to the river of High Grass & Plumb bush Grapes &c. and Situated above high water is a Small Grove of timber at the foot of the Riseing Ground between those two priraries, and below the Bluffs of the high Prarie we Came too and formed a Camp, intending to waite the return of the french man & Indians— the white horse which we found near the Kanzeis River, Died Last night
posted out our guard and Sent out 4 men, Captn. Lewis & went up the Bank and walked a Short Distance in the high Prarie. this Prarie is Covered with Grass of 10 or 12 inches in hight. Soil of good quallity &, Still further back at the Distance of about a mile the Countrey rises about 80 or 90 feet higher, and is one Continual Plain as fur as Can be Seen, from theBluff on the 2d rise imediately above our Camp the most butifull prospect of the River up & Down and the Countrey opsd. prosented it Self which I ever beheld; The River meandering the open and butifull Plains, interspursed with Groves of timber, and each point Covered with Tall timber, Such as willow Cotton Sun [NB: Some] Mulberry, Elm, Sucamore, Lynn & ash (The Groves Contain Hickory, Walnut, Coffeenut & Oake in addition)—
Two ranges of High Land parrelel to each other and from 4 to 10 miles Distant between which the river & its bottoms are Contains. (from 70 to 300 feet high)
Joseph Fields Killed and brought in an Anamale Called by the French Brárow, and by the Ponies Cho car tooch this Anamale Burrows in the Ground and feeds on Flesh, (Prarie Dogs), Bugs, & vigatables— "His Shape & Size is like that of a Beaver, his head mouth &c. is like a Dogs with Short Ears, his Tail and Hair like that of a Ground Hog, and longer, and lighter. his Interals like the interals of a Hog,["]
his Skin thick and loose, his Belly is White and the Hair Short— a white Streek from his nose to this Sholders.
The toe nails of his fore feet is one Inch & ¾ long, & feet large; the nails of his hind feet ¾ of an Inch long, the hind feet Small and toes Crooked, his legs are Short and when he Moves Just Suffcent to raise his body above the Ground 〈he〉 He is of the Bear Species. we hav his Skin Stuffed—
Jo. & R. Fields did not return this evening, Several men with Verry bad Boils— Cat fish is Cought in any part of the river Turkeys Gees & a Beaver Killed & Cought every thing in prime order men in high Spirits. a fair Still evening Great no. misquitors this evening
Journal entries from:
Lewis, Meriwether, Clark, William, et al. September 4, 1806. The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Ed. Gary Moulton. Lincoln: U of Nebraska Press, 2002.The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 2005. U of Nebraska Press / U of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries-Electronic Text Center. 5 Oct. 2005 . http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/?_xmlsrc=1804-07-30.xml&_xslsrc=LCstyles.xsl
