CAUGHT IN A FLASH FLOOD
Note: The incident of the flash flood occurred while the expedition
was portaging the Great Falls of the Missouri River, near the present-day
city of Great Falls, Montana. On his way to the falls one morning,
Clark decided to walk close to the riverbank as the grass on the
hillside was slippery and wet from a previous rain. Charbonneau,
Sacagawea, and Pompey were with him.
June 29, 1805
Captain William Clark
... a torrent of rain and hail fell more violent than ever I saw
before, the rain fell like one voley of water falling from the heavens
and gave us time only to get out of the way of a torrent of water
which was Poreing down the hill in[to] the River with emence force
tareing every thing before it takeing with it large rocks &
mud, ... on arrival at the camp on the willow run met the party
who had returned in great confusion to the run leaveing their loads
in the Plain, the hail & wind being so large and violent in
the plains, and them naked, they were much brused, and some nearly
killed one knocked down three times, and others without hats or
any thing on their heads bloody & complained verry much, I refreshed
them with a little grog.
Captain Meriwether Lewis
S[h]arbono lost his gun, shot pouch, horn, tomahawk, and my wiping
rod, Capt. Clark his Umbrella and compass or circumferenter. ...
the men who were all nearly naked and [no] covering on the head
were so sorely mawled with the hail which was so large and driven
with such force by the wind that it nocked many of them down and
one particular[l]y as many as three times most of them were bleeding
freely and complained of being much bruised. ... Capt. C. gave the
party a dram to console them in some measure for their general defeat.
Sergeant John Ordway
Capt Clark informed us that when he Saw the Shower comming ... he
observed a deep reveen ... under which they took Shelter near the
river ... then a torrent of rain fell and hail [more] violent than
they ever Saw before. the rain fell like one voley of water falling
from the heavens and ... poreing down the hill with amence force
tareing everry thing before it ... Capt Clark took his gun and Shot
pouch ... he Scrambled up the hill pushing the Intrepters wife who
had hir child in hir arms. the intrepter ... makeing attempts to
pull up his wife by the hand much Scared and narely without moition,
at length reached the top of the hill Safe, where Capt Clark found
his servant york who was in search of them greatly agitated, for
their well fare. Capt Clark informed me when he went in to the revene
it was a flat dry rock, but before he got out of it, it was up to
his waist so he wet his watch, lost the large Compass, an elegant
purse, tommahawk, an Humbrello [umbrella] Shot pouch & horn
with powder and ball mockinsons and the woman lost hir childs Cloaths
& bear bedding ... The Compass is a seerious loss, as we have
no other large one. the plains are So wet that we could doe nothing
this evening. we got revived with a dram of grog and got some warm
Soup and took our rest.
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