May 14, 1834
Nice, bright morning. Pretty area. Numerous ducks and geese on the river. [The men] shot in vain at a few turkeys. [There was a] beautifully wooded chain of hills on the right. We passed Weeping Water River (l’Eau qui Pleure); a little farther [there was] a small creek on the right bank where we heard turkeys calling. We landed; four hunters fired at and missed the sought-after birds. The spot where we came across them was very beautiful. The creek made a sharp bend that formed a deep, level, shady basin, overgrown [and] lushly green with grass and [straight], tall trees. The crowns of the lindens, oaks, elms, Celtis, maples, and other giant trees touched, and [at a place] where three wild turkeys were found standing, the ground was densely covered with herbage. The beautiful red-breasted hawfinch was here, and we shot the pretty Sylvia trichas. From this pleasant spot we continued on and surprised two game animals in the river, but they escaped from us [when] they reached a sandbar in the river. Farther downriver, in the vicinity of the Table River, we found numerous wild geese [but] shot at them in vain. At seven thirty it was 58°F [14.4°C]. The wind was out of the east. After ten o’clock we put ashore on the right, where we pushed into a magnificent virgin forest. Caterpillars made all these dense forests unpleasant, especially the willow thickets on the bank. [One’s] clothing was immediately covered with them. The forest consisted of all kinds of local trees. The Zanthoxylum grew [commonly] here. Vitis, Hedera quinquefolia, Rhus, and Smilax [were] densely entwined and entangled every thing. The ground was rankly covered with bushes and fallen trees. Branches made walking difficult.
We found various beautiful birds here—Icteria, Sylvia aestiva, trichas, the catbird, Muscicapa ruticilla, and more—in short, a great number of different species. After half an hour, we sailed on. At twelve thirty, 69°F [20.6°C]. We soon ran aground, which caused a delay. The region is beautiful [and] heavily wooded; to the right we always saw the hill chain with hardwood forests; to the left, the lowland with softwood willows and tall, polelike cottonwoods.
This afternoon we noticed the first parakeets. Gardner had [seen] these beautiful birds before we came across him, therefore, at about l’Eau qui Court [Niobrara River]. In the evening we saw some game on the bank. At sunset [the men] had to row with great effort through a spot that was dense with snags. We navigated along the right bank and reached Little Nemaha Creek, which Dauphin called Omaha Creek, a [common] name [for it]. Several hundred paces farther on, we ran aground and then landed at the left bank about one mile below the mouth of the creek. Here a single, swimming pelican was wounded, but [it] reached a sandbar where we could not follow. As soon as the [camp]fire was burning, Dauphin went fishing and caught a white catfish [weighing] about fifteen pounds.