"Groops of Shrubs covered with the most delicious froot is to be seen in every direction, and nature appears to have exerted herself to butify the Senery by the variety of flours [flowers] Delicately and highly flavered raised above the Grass, which Strikes & profumes the Sensation, and amuses the mind."

William Clark, July 4, 1804

Although the boats were past the hardest stretch of the Missouri River - between the Grand and Kansas rivers - travel was by no means easy, thanks to the heat and strong current. Sgt. Charles Floyd wrote on July 3 that "water verry Strong So Hard that we Could Hardley Stem it." Two days later, the keelboat spun around three times, twice on shifting sand and once on a mass of floating driftwood that the French called embarras.

On the evening of July 4, 1804, the party camped at a stream on the west bank of the river that they christened Independence Creek. Capt. William Clark was struck with the beauty of the prairies that stretched away to the west. The campsite was in "one of the most butifull Plains, I ever Saw, open & butifully diversified with hills & vallies all presenting themselves to the river covered with grass and a few scattering trees a handsom Creek meandering thro." This mixture of grass (probably big bluestem) and scattered trees was characteristic of the tallgrass prairie landscape of western Missouri and eastern Kansas.

The July 4 camp at Independence Creek was also the site of an old and extensive Kansa Indian village, the second abandoned Kansa village site the expedition had seen in the last few days. To trade with the Kansa, the French had built a trading post, which the boats passed on July 3. Sgt. John Ordway noted in his journal that a French merchant from St. Louis founded the post. Clark wrote that near the trading post the party found a "verry fat and jentle" horse that had apparently been lost by Indians. The horse was added to the three used by the hunters.

To celebrate the Fourth of July, Clark wrote, "we Closed the day by a Discharge from our bow piece, an extra Gill of whiskey." A gill consisted of four ounces, which meant that the men received a half-pint of whiskey that day.

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Indian Trade Goods

Carrying hundreds of pounds of Indian trade items for gifts and bartering, the Lewis and Clark Expedition expected to meet many Indian nations on the way to the Pacific Ocean. As laid out by President Thomas Jefferson, the expedition's mission was to befriend tribes, make peace among them and announce that with the purchase of Louisiana Territory, the American president was their new leader. In terms of commerce, the goal was to lay a foundation for exclusive trade in furs with Indian tribes living within the Louisiana Territory. Reciprocal gift-giving was essential for good relations with Indians, and the expedition correctly anticipated that they would have to trade for food and other supplies. Lewis and Clark also needed to impress their future trading partners with the quality and quantity of their goods. Lewis bought most of the trade items in St. Louis and Philadelphia. In the end they fell short, as the expedition had little of value to offer in trade during the 1806 return to St. Louis.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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