Journey from St. Louis to the Borders of Settlements along the Missouri,
Entry into the Missouri – St. Charles – Gasconade River – Portland – Osage River – Jefferson City – Marion – Franklin – Boonville – La Mine River – Pierre à [la] flèche – Grand River – Fox Prairie, where the Missourias were annihilated – Dangerous voyage – Bald eagle’s nest – Former Osage territories – We are stranded on a sandbar 9 miles from Fort Osage along Fishing Creek – Fort Osage – The Osages (Wassaschi) – Bluewater River – Violent thunderstorm – Liberty – Kansas River – The Kansa [Indians] – Indians recently settled here from the East – Dangerous situation – Little Platte River – The Iowas – Cantonment Leavenworth
April 18, 1833
Early in the morning we could not immediately continue our journey, because the engine was broken. At daybreak there was fog, which soon gave way to bright skies, but it was very cool. At 7:30, temperature of (——) R. Dreidoppel had heard wild turkeys in the forest near the ship; therefore he and Bodmer went out early to hunt them. A severe head cold held me back. The hunters brought back nothing but a cast-off antler (Cervus virginianus), but since we would probably have to stay here three hours longer, they went out again. I went botanizing but found the plants less developed than before. I found many trees with fresh foliage; most of the maples and aspens had shed their blossoms; the spicewood was rather green, as [were] several other shrubs. A blue and a sea-blue viola were the only flowers. I found several large fox burrows used quite recently, as well as a wild turkey, which ran around close to me and by no means timidly; unfortunately, I did not have a gun. The air was so filled with the cry of the cranes that one heard them from all directions; they were moving in a northeasterly direction and belonged to the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) species. Their call sounds very much like that of European cranes but is usually clearer and more whirring or chirring; then again there are loud, high sounds. The men often shot at these beautiful birds without getting any of them.
Sanford and Dougherty went ahead to hunt; we were supposed to take them on board farther upstream. The boat was sent out to take soundings. Behind us lay Fire Prairie Creek on the left bank and Fishing Creek before us to the right. The hunters returned. Mr. Bodmer had shot a wood duck. Dreidoppel had shot a rabbit and captured a 5-foot-long black snake (Coluber constrictor). While we were viewing it still living, another large snake was being carried downstream by the Missouri. We shot it but could not recover it. At twelve noon, 63 1/2°F [17.5°C].
At a quarter to twelve, we finally set out, after we had repeatedly rung the bell to summon the scattered crew back from the woodlands. One man who had lagged behind nevertheless later caught up with us. We were scarcely a short distance from our night quarters when we ran into great danger. The water was so densely filled with so many snags that we could barely get through; again we paused for a long time, took soundings, and cut off several dangerous trees. Then twenty-six men were put onto a sandbar to the left to pull the steamboat. They all exerted themselves [and] they all pulled in line; however, the rope broke suddenly, and the entire crew fell flat on the ground. As a matter of precaution, the ship was now fastened to a large tree; this was our salvation, for soon afterward the rudder was dislodged and rendered useless; therefore we would surely have drifted onto the snags and foundered.
Not until about two o’clock, when the rudder had been repaired, were we able to continue our journey. We began [our] voyage [again], but not even a half hour had gone by before we were firmly aground on a flat sandbar, and despite all efforts, we remained there the entire night. The boat brought the men who had been set out on the sandbar to the wooded bank on the right, because they could no longer catch up with us by water; they made their way on foot until close to the steamboat. At nightfall our situation was not very safe, for there was a very strong current on the sandbar where we were stranded. Since the ship could not be secured, [we were] always uncertain [as to] whether we would be swept away during the night, but everything remained unchanged, and the level of the river fell even more.