3415 Entries
Journal Entries
Original journal entries from all six expedition journalists: Lewis, Clark, Floyd, Ordway, Gass, and Whitehouse. Sourced from the Thwaites Edition (1904-1905).
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Jul
23
1805
Clark's Party Hunts Ahead Seeking Native Inhabitants
Captain Clark and four men pushed ahead to try to find Native inhabitants while the rest of the party continued upriver against rapid currents, passing many islands. Clark's…
Jul
24
1805
Wild Horse Spotted but Cannot Be Approached
On a fine day with northwest winds, Clark continued up a creek along an Indian road. Around 10 a.m. the party spotted a fat but very wild horse…
Jul
24
1805
Crimson Bluffs and Snow-Capped Amphitheater Mountains
The expedition set out at sunrise against a strong current, passing a striking crimson bluff with black and red slate. Lewis described the towering, amphitheater-like snow-capped mountains and…
Jul
24
1805
Clark's Goat Skin Found Below Yellowish-Red Cliff
On a clear, pleasant day, the party set out as usual against a very rapid current. They found a goat skin left by Captain Clark's advance party and…
Jul
24
1805
Sacagawea Identifies Red Earth as Native Paint Source
The expedition continued its journey upriver, passing a bank of very red earth that the Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea identified as a source of paint used by Native peoples.…
Jul
25
1805
Mosquito Swarms Drive Seaman to Misery
Along the upper Missouri, swarms of mosquitoes tormented the expedition so severely that Lewis devoted a journal entry to the suffering of his Newfoundland dog, Seaman. The insects…
Jul
25
1805
White Bear Spotted; Snow-Capped Mountains Ahead
On a clear, pleasant morning the party set out and continued upriver, spotting a large white bear on an island, several otter, and a flock of antelope, one…
Jul
25
1805
Entering a New Mountain Chain by Afternoon
On a fine morning, the expedition set out at the usual time and passed a beautiful plain along the north side of the river. By 2 o'clock they…
Jul
26
1805
Clark Climbs Summit to Seek Indians and Survey Rivers
Clark left Charbonneau and another footsore man to rest while he pressed on with two others to climb a mountain about 12 miles west, hoping to spot Indians…
Jul
26
1805
Barbed Grass and Prickly Pear Plague Men's Moccasins
The expedition pushed upriver against a strong current using cords and poles, passing a 15-yard creek named Howard's Creek after party member Thomas P. Howard. The valley widened…
Jul
26
1805
Second Mountain Chain Still Distant; Snow Peaks Ahead
On a clear morning, the party set out against a rapid current, passing springs, rocky cliffs, and shores lined with pine and cedar. They realized they had not…
Jul
26
1805
Spotted Rattlesnake Swims as Valley Opens
The party traveled by canoe through a mountain range with sparse vegetation, mostly cedar and spruce along the shores. Around 11 a.m. they emerged into a valley and…
Jul
27
1805
Feverish Clark Scouts the Middle Fork
Clark spent the night feverish and aching, but pressed on despite his illness. He traveled eight miles across a prairie to the Middle Fork, which he found nearly…
Jul
27
1805
Three Forks of the Missouri Reached and Surveyed
The expedition pushed upriver against strong currents, the men exhausted, and reached the Three Forks of the Missouri by 9 A.M. Lewis climbed a limestone cliff to survey…
Jul
27
1805
Arrival at the Three Forks of the Missouri
On a clear morning the party set off at sunrise against a rapid current, passing rocky cliffs nesting small birds. Around 9 o'clock they reached the Three Forks…
Jul
27
1805
Arrival at the Three Forks of the Missouri
On a pleasant morning, the party traveled through a small mountain and reached the Three Forks of the Missouri, where three branches of nearly equal size, about 60…
Jul
28
1805
Sacagawea Recognizes Her Capture Site at Three Forks
At the Three Forks of the Missouri, Sacagawea recognized the area as the place where, five years earlier, a Hidatsa raiding party from the Knife River had captured…
Jul
28
1805
Clark Ailing; Hunters Return with Eight Animals
A foggy morning gave way to clear weather as hunters set out early and the party aired all the baggage. Captain Clark was very unwell, so the men…
Jul
28
1805
Sacagawea Identifies Her Hidatsa Captivity Site
The party spent the day airing baggage, dressing skins, and hunting while Captain Clark remained ill. Their Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea told them this was the spot where she…
Jul
29
1805
Celestial Observation Places Camp at 45° 22' North
On a fair Monday morning with winds from the north, William Clark reported feeling somewhat better in health. He carried out celestial observations, taking two meridian altitudes that…
Jul
29
1805
Hunters Return with Four Bucks; Men Sew Leather Garments
At their camp, hunters brought in four fat bucks of long-tailed red deer, along with a young sandhill crane caught in the meadows, which Lewis observed before releasing.…
Jul
29
1805
Hunters Return with Deer and Unusual Long-Legged Crane
The party rested at their camp at the Three Forks of the Missouri on a clear, warm morning with an east wind. Captain Clark was feeling somewhat better.…
Jul
30
1805
Passing the Site of Sacagawea's Capture
The expedition departed at 8 a.m. and traveled 13.5 miles up the north fork of the river, navigating very rapid, shallow water with a coarse gravel channel, numerous…
Jul
30
1805
Sacagawea Identifies Her Hidatsa Capture Ground
With Captain Clark recovered, the expedition reloaded canoes and continued up Jefferson's River. Lewis walked overland with Sacagawea, Charbonneau, and two invalids, halting at the spot where Sacagawea…
Jul
30
1805
Setting Out from Three Forks Through Beaver Country
On a clear, pleasant, warm morning, the party loaded canoes and set out around 9 a.m., with Captain Lewis and several men walking ashore. They passed large cottonwood…
Jul
30
1805
Up the North Branch from Three Forks
The party set out around 7 a.m. and traveled up the north branch of the river, which measured about 60 yards wide and 6 feet deep with a…
Jul
31
1805
Lewis Found Blanketless, Having Killed Only a Duck
On a fair morning, the party reached Captain Lewis's camp for breakfast; he had spent the night without a blanket and had killed a duck for supper. The…
Jul
31
1805
Philosophy River Named on Jefferson's River
Lewis waited anxiously at camp for Clark's party, who had been delayed by swift water and the river's winding course. After they arrived and breakfasted, the group continued…
Jul
31
1805
Rejoining Lewis After His Night Alone on Shore
On a fine, very warm morning, the party set off at sunrise on the rapid current and passed a beaver-dammed creek on the larboard side. Around 8 a.m.…
Jul
31
1805
Lewis Camps Alone After Canoes Fall Behind
A dewy morning followed a night in which Captain Lewis, having gone ahead on foot, was forced to camp alone in the wilderness when the canoes could not…
Aug
1
1805
Clark Shoots a Bighorn in the Mountain Canyon
On a fine Wednesday, Captain Lewis departed at 8 o'clock, leaving Clark to lead the boats. The party traveled nine miles through a steep mountain canyon with ragged…
Aug
1
1805
Lewis Searches for Shoshone Across Treeless Mountains
On August 1, 1805, Lewis split off from Clark after breakfast, taking Drouillard, Charbonneau, and the injured Sergeant Gass to search ahead for the Shoshone Indians. They crossed…
Aug
1
1805
Lewis Scouts Ahead for Indians Along Swift Current
Clear weather as the party set out, with hunters taking a goose and beaver early on. After breakfasting under cedar trees, Captain Lewis, Sergeant Gass, Charbonneau, and Drouillard…
Aug
1
1805
Lewis Crosses Mountain Seeking Snake Indians
After breakfast, Captain Lewis, Patrick Gass, and the two interpreters went ahead of the main party to search for Snake Indians. Their route took them across a large…
Aug
2
1805
Clark Encounters Rattlesnakes on the Open Plain
On a fine Friday, the party set out early along a river resembling the previous valley's terrain. Clark walked ashore and encountered several rattlesnakes on the plain. Battling…
Aug
2
1805
Lewis Fords Waist-Deep River; Twenty-Four Miles Upstream
On a fair day with northwest winds, Lewis's party set out at sunrise and waded across the rapid, waist-deep, 90-yard-wide river to shorten their route—the first time Lewis…
Aug
2
1805
Beaver Sign Abundant on Crooked Shallow River
On a fine, warm day, the party set out early and traveled about 14 miles up an increasingly small, crooked, shallow, and rapid river. They passed cottonwood bottoms,…
Aug
2
1805
Beaver Lodges and Old Indian Camps Along Shallow Stream
The party set out early and continued upriver along a now small, crooked, shallow, and rapid stream. They passed cottonwood bottoms, abundant beaver lodges with freshly cut trees…
Aug
2
1805
Crossing the River into a Mountain Valley
The party set out, traveled four or five miles, and crossed the river. The day was very hot in the valley, while the night turned so cold that…
Aug
3
1805
Panther Killed; Indian Footprint Spotted Ashore
On a fine, breezy morning, Clark walked ashore and killed a deer, spotting a fresh footprint he believed belonged to an Indian who may have observed the party…
Aug
3
1805
Twenty-Three Miles Through Sparse Cottonwood Plains
The party continued up the valley on foot, traveling about 23 miles through wide plains sparsely timbered with cottonwood, willow, and brush, flanked by mountains bearing small pine.…
Aug
3
1805
Panther Killed on Island; Deer Taken by Clark
On a clear, pleasant, warm day, the party set out as usual along a crooked, island-filled river. Captain Clark went ashore briefly and killed a deer, while another…
Aug
3
1805
Red Panther Shot; First of Its Kind Taken
The expedition pushed up a winding, island-filled river in present-day Madison County, Montana. Captain Clark walked ashore and killed a deer, while hunter R. Fields shot a reddish-brown…
Aug
3
1805
Finest Currants and Serviceberries of the Journey
Captain Clark's party continued traveling along a valley, passing several fine springs flowing from the mountains. The group found abundant currants and serviceberries growing throughout the valley and…
Aug
4
1805
Early Departure to Lewis's Previous Camp
On a cool, fine morning with the thermometer at 49 degrees at sunrise, the party set out very early and breakfasted at the camp Captain Lewis had left…
Aug
4
1805
Surveying the Northwest and Middle Forks
Lewis and his small party explored ahead, surveying a confluence where a rapid, clear northwest fork (about 50 yards wide) joins a gentler, warmer, more turbid middle fork.…
Aug
4
1805
Lewis's Note Found at Abandoned Camp
Clear morning with a sunrise departure. A hunter was sent ahead for fresh meat. Around 8 a.m., the party reached Captain Lewis's camp from the 2nd, finding a…
Aug
4
1805
Mountain Goats Observed; Lewis's Note Found on Shore
The party sent a hunter ahead for fresh meat and set out around 8 a.m. They found a note from Captain Lewis indicating he would hunt nearby until…
Aug
4
1805
Climbing a High Knob to Survey River Forks
The party traveled about six miles in the morning before reaching a fork in the river. After crossing the south branch and climbing a high knob, they realized…
Aug
5
1805
Rocky Ascent to the Major Forks
On a cold, clear morning with southeast winds, the party struggled up an increasingly rapid and rocky river. Joseph and Reubin Field were sent hunting and killed two…
Aug
5
1805
Mountain Spur View Determines the Middle Fork Route
Lewis scouted ahead to determine which fork of the river to follow. Leaving an ailing Charbonneau and Sergeant Gass to travel slowly to a designated meeting point, he…
Aug
5
1805
Worsening Rapids Lead to a River Fork
The party set out at sunrise on a clear, cool morning with two hunters sent ahead, one returning with a deer before breakfast. They struggled through worsening rapids…
Aug
5
1805
Severe Three-Foot Rapids Lead to a River Fork
The party continued upriver, sending hunters ahead who killed two deer. They struggled up severe rapids, some dropping three to four feet nearly vertically. Cold south wind and…
Aug
5
1805
Party Splits to Search for Indians at the Forks
The party discussed strategy at a river fork, deciding that Gass and one of the interpreters would cross to the west branch and wait there, while Captain Lewis…
Aug
6
1805
Drouillard's Message Redirects Party to Middle Fork
On a clear, cool Tuesday, Clark's party struggled up a rocky, island-divided river. During breakfast, Drouillard arrived with word from Captain Lewis that the fork they were ascending…
Aug
6
1805
Three Canoes Swamp; Medicine and Supplies Soaked
The party set out early to return to the forks of the Jefferson River. Lewis discovered that Clark had mistakenly taken the rapid fork because he never found…
Aug
6
1805
Wrong Fork Taken; Party Reverses Course
On a clear morning, the party hauled canoes up the rapids through low, timbered bottoms until Drouillard reported they had taken the wrong fork. Captain Lewis, scouting ahead,…
Aug
6
1805
Drouillard Arrives: Party Has Taken the Wrong Fork
The party continued hauling canoes up rapids on the Big Hole fork before stopping for breakfast, where hunters spotted a large Indian trail. George Drouillard arrived with word…
Aug
6
1805
Canoe Overturns After Crew Takes Wrong Branch
Gass and his party went looking for the canoes and reached the north branch about two miles above the forks. They learned the canoe crew had missed the…
Aug
7
1805
Stores Dried; Unneeded Canoe Cached at the Forks
On a fine morning, the party dried their stores and took sextant readings. With dwindling supplies and one canoe now unneeded, they hauled it into the bushes near…
