Early in the morning, slightly overcast sky, pleasant weather; we continued along the left bank. The river had fallen another inch during the night. The Little Blue Water River remained to our left, hidden behind a long island. On the steep bank of this island, there was one jutting point among several others that was formed by buried trunks covered with earth and sand. Scarcely had we left it behind us when the ship struck a sandbar. The engine was put in reverse; the current caught the steamboat and drove it past that promontory so closely that it completely took off the columns on the left side of the lower gallery that support the upper deck on that side. The carpenter was able to set most of them upright again except for two, which were broken to bits. After breakfast the river was very broad and beautiful, but then it is usually very shallow; soon we struck bottom several times, and one could let the engine exert only limited force. At 7:30, 65°F [18.3°C]. Here the direction of the river was W 8 N. Weather very pleasantly warm. A sounding was taken with the boat around the ship.

Mr. McKenzie gave me a gift of beautiful Indian artifacts: a pair of Cree Indian moccasins and a shot bag, which is worn over the shoulder and fastened in front with a belt. They were made of deer or antelope leather and delicately ornamented with colorful porcupine spines or feather quills. The dyes for these quills are extremely beautiful and vivid; the Indian women boil them from European materials and from roots. They were also given cochineal. Formerly they painted themselves with varieties of clay; they always had yellow clay, and when it was fired, it turned red. The women do extremely neat work; their colorful figures stitched in leather are most smoothly and neatly done, as the items I received today verify.

After we had lain aground at the tip of the sandbar for about two hours, we hauled the boat in and soon found more water nearby along the right bank. Here again there were logs and big trunks in the water; the undergrowth in the forest was already somewhat green; the redbud was blooming. About 9:30 a brisk wind arose, which was favorable to us, but the sky was overcast. The bank to the right was 15 to 20 feet high and steeply eroded; on it [was] forest, where many redbuds (Cercis), in particular, as well as several other trees were blooming; the color of the open redbud blossoms is now like that of peach blossoms in Europe. Several settlements; they have excellent, fertile soil. The bank to the left is flat; in front, sandy shore with forest behind it. To the right one sees on the bank, in addition to the splendid redbud, small bushes of red-violet phlox (Phlox [——]), which look attractive. Here, near a settlement with piled-up split wood, limestone hills again arise along the right bank, with rocky walls on their domes. The forest on them is somewhat sparse; [there are] large boulders and deposits of wood before it.

The voyageurs we had put ashore approached on the left bank and ran toward the ship; the boat was lowered and they are taken aboard. Opposite us on the bank there is a screw mill, built with logs, isolated on a rocky area. Near it there is a settlement. In this region groundhogs (Arctomys monax) are very numerous. A small creek or run empties here, and all the surrounding hills were colored red from the redbud and extremely mottled. The ship hastened to the other side and took on the men, about thirty in all. They brought on board a groundhog, which was not rust-red on its belly but was, however, on its feet legs. Now comes a very wide spot in the river. Before us to the left, an island with a promontory of willows already completely green; the cottonwoods behind them are not yet green. The promontory to the left before the island has many snags in the water. Rain is now falling. We are sailing straight toward the tip of the island, close to shore, and then to the right and away from it. The side of the island also has a green willow border, its floor overgrown with rushes (Equisetum). Beyond the island the left bank also has a green border of willows; behind them, the tall forest. We steam along beside [the island]; it has only recently been formed of clay and sand. Farther on, several sandbars and sandy islands.

Now, we once again keep more to the right side of the river; here, too, the willows and even the cottonwoods are noticeably green, though not yet the forest behind them. Here, on a trunk near the water, we found Mr. Sanford, who had shot a rabbit. He was brought aboard with the boat. Dougherty had traveled ahead to [Fort] Leavenworth. At twelve noon, 68 1/2°F [20.3°C]. At this time a violent storm began with heavy rain, hail, thunder, and lightning; it lasted for about an hour and a half and dealt severe lightning strikes; at the same time, temperature of 68 1/2°F [20.3°C]. The rain fell in torrents. Along the bank, a most picturesque blend of green, white, and red trees. A dangerous spot with snags along the right bank; we passed [several] islands. A narrow spot in the river; here to the left, a small cabin on an open rocky hill. The redbud is also blooming here; short thickets, green. Here a rocky point juts out picturesquely. A small creek. Ducks in the river. After our meal the thunderstorm continues and there is heavy rain; the whole region is darkened. The forest here is much greener than on previous days. Accompanied by thunder and lightning, we follow the right bank; the trees there are blooming very beautifully.

We soon reached the landing place that leads to the village of Liberty. Its location [is] very picturesque beneath tall, slender forest trees and before scenic rocks on the hill, where everything is full of fresh vegetation and red blossoms of Cercis. Ravines with forest, rocks with green moss refreshed by the rain, and young plants; indescribable splendor of the blossoms. Nowhere had we yet seen spring so far advanced. The pawpaw tree (Annona) was just opening its buds; it does not extend much farther to the north. Exceptionally scenic hill—its rocks, its vegetation. Before it, small houses and colorfully attired people, who had gathered. There were ten Germans here who had taken employment with a fur company for the Rocky Mountains. Here they receive eighteen dollars; farther upstream, fifteen [dollars] a month. We landed at two o’clock; the sky was just clearing. The rain stopped, but the bank was extremely muddy. We went ashore to enjoy the fine spring air. The plants were freshly blooming, though not yet in great number, especially hornbeam and redbud trees. Two keelboats were here, which had come up from St. Louis; they have one mast and must be pulled upstream. A large number of men on shore were passengers or members of the crew.

After an hour’s stop we left this place and continued [up the river]. After about half an hour, we took on wood not far from Blue Water River; there were several habitations in front of the hill, and we found some pretty plants, albeit no new species. We found here a few small, narrow canoes with several French engagés from the upper Missouri who had just come down from there to await the Yellow Stone. Several of these persons were half-breed and of brown color. One of them, a big, strong man, was half Chippewa and known as a really excellent Missouri pilot; he was supposed to help steer the boat. They had Indian utensils as well as partly Indian dress; their paddle blade was painted red; they had skin covers for a tent and brought along several turkeys they had just shot. One of them, a small swarthy Frenchman, wore a fur cap with a short ostrich feather.

There were now large sandbars and islands in the river; cottonwood forests to the right along the bank. Behind the sandbars to the left, the Blue Water River emptied, its clear, blue water distinct from that of the Missouri. From here on, there was a gradual bend in the river and sandbars in several places; we pressed ahead only slowly and received occasional jolts from the shallows and bars. Farther on we ran aground hard on the right bank. In the quicksand in the soft bank, we saw a cow sunken in so deeply that it inevitably had to perish there. Perhaps it had been lying in this condition for several days; with the approach of our ship it exerted itself, but in vain. Concerning these quicksands see Major Long’s travels. We struck bottom several more times without, however, being delayed. Evening soon came upon us; we spent the night off the right bank.