Spring 1806

Dear Mr. Jefferson,

This journey was the corpse at its best. This Journey was America at its best.  

"I have given you" I think the quote says that some one has done something for someone else or given them something I don't really know.  In the beginning of the journey I signed a contract agreeing what grade I wanted and for a while I wasn't trying hard enough to earn that grade but then I realized that it was quick and easy to make my Journal entries much better. At the beginning I was earning about a C minus but now I think I have raised my standards up to a B.

Signed, Maddy

 

Ps. For my weekly labors, discoveries... for all my endeavors have brought to this journey, I believe i should be paid the grade of a B

November 7th 1805

The sweat on my back was thick and the humidity in the air seemed much more dense then normal. I could just feel it. The salt in the air filled my lungs as I took a deep breath. We had done it, finally we reached the pacific coast. The frontiersmen stopped to gaze out to our first look at the sea. It all seemed more like a dream to me or maybe what I imagined heaven to look like. I looked over to see Captain Clark with an ear to ear smile across his sweaty face. "Ocian in view! O! The joy!" His voice sang, echoing all around, traveling along the tops of Cascades mountain range. We all were still staring at the view. 

I had thought that the Columbia River would never end or my arms would decide to fall off before we made it to the ocean. Paddling so much has really started to get to me. Now I was sore all over. It seemed at the time that we were close to a resting point in our expedition, but we thought wrong.

That day a storm came in and we still had to make camp and eat something. The Pacific Northwest weather had an ice wind to it and held a thick fog close to the shores. That was the most tiered I have felt so far on our expedition. Tomorrow I hope they let us sleep in.

September 20, 1805

Watkuwueis 

I remember sitting around the warm fire, watching everyones tired faces morph to intrigued fearful stairs as Watkuweis told us her horrifying stories. Watkuweis is a woman who went to the mountains with her family to hunt buffalo when she was a young girl.  When they were about to leave the blackfeet a tribe of indians came and killed her whole family and took her with them.  She lived in there village for a long time as a slave.  It was harsh and they were cruel.  She was then traded to another man for a musket.  This man was good to her and treated her well.  She lived with him for many years and bore him a baby boy. One day a women told her that the men were going back to their homes across the big river and never coming back and they were going to take her with them.  Then the woman helped her escape!! She went towards the mountains.  The trail was harsh but she was tough.  Watkuwueis built a raft in order to cross a big river. I will never forget when watkuwueis told us about the bear that attacked her and that she killed all by herself! I can't believe she has such courage to kill a bear with only a hatchet to protect her. Not only did she do these amazing deeds but she kept her baby alive for a shockingly long time. There was nothing more for him to eat when she was already feeding her son most of the food but she still could not keep them both alive herself.  The young boy died and she dug a shallow ditch and barried her infant son.