May 9, 1834

Nice, bright, calm morning. Ducks and wild geese on the river. Beautiful hill chains. Rock formations alternated with green areas; lovely, lush forests [were] in leaf; beautiful, tall cottonwoods on the riverbank. At seven thirty, 60°F [15.6°C]. Northeast wind hora 1. Many ducks [and] Ardea herodias [were] in the shallow water at a sandbar. A flock of eight to ten Anser hyemalis were seen; among them was a pair of gray individuals. In the morning [we] passed the Ayauä River. Soon we [saw] before us the hill chain where [we would come to the mouth] of the Big Sioux on the left bank [of the Missouri]. A black-headed gull winged upriver past us. [At] noon, 88 1/2°F [31.4°C].

About three o’clock we reached the mouth of the Big Sioux River. On the left bank it flows out diagonally along the hill chain. Immediately beyond [the river there are] steep, yellow clay bluffs. The heat was intense this noon. In the afternoon, soon after the river mouth, we reached Floyd’s Grave on the left bank. At the next turn of the river, one or [perhaps] a few miles onto the prairie, an Omaha Indian village was located; it was supposed to contain about 50 lodges. We could not stay long enough to visit it, [since we] had neither guide nor interpreter; we also needed to take advantage of the nice [weather], because we had lost so much time during the frequent [earlier] storms.

In the evening we stayed overnight on the left bank opposite Omaha Creek. The weather was pleasant. There was a polelike cottonwood forest farther inland; in the nearby high willows, a large owl called out—doubtless Strix nebulosa. Caprimulgus could be neither seen nor heard here. A severe wind arose in the night.

Current Location

Journal Location: Missouri River