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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Feb
2
1806
Cloudy Skies with Light, Insignificant Snowfall
A brief midday observation noted cloudy skies with a small amount of snow falling, though the snowfall was too light to be considered significant.
Feb
2
1806
Thaw Arrives at Midday as Men Haul Meat
The weather grew more moderate, with thawing beginning around midday and rain falling by evening. Some members of the party spent the day bringing additional meat back to…
Feb
3
1806
Drewyer Returns Having Killed Seven Elk
Around 3 PM, Drewyer and Lapage returned with news that Drewyer had killed seven elk in a point several miles below camp, accessible by canoe via a small…
Feb
3
1806
Drewyer's Seven Elk Located Below Camp
Around 3 PM, hunters Drewyer and LaPage returned, reporting Drewyer had killed seven elk in a point several miles below camp, accessible by canoe via a small creek…
Feb
3
1806
Drouillard and Lepage Return with Seven Elk and Beaver
Hunters George Drouillard and Baptiste Lepage returned to camp with seven elk and a large beaver from their hunting trip. Six men set out by canoe to retrieve…
Feb
3
1806
Hunter Reports Seven Elk Killed; Canoe Party Dispatched
The day continued damp and cloudy following rain the previous night. One of the expedition's hunters returned to camp with news of having killed seven elk, then set…
Feb
4
1806
Party Retrieves Elk; Prairie Elk in Better Condition
Sergeant Pryor and five men set out again to retrieve the elk Drewyer had killed, while Drewyer himself returned to continue hunting in the same area. Clark notes…
Feb
4
1806
Pryor's Party Sent to Retrieve Drewyer's Seven Elk
Sergeant Pryor and a party of five men set out again to retrieve elk that Drewyer had killed, while Drewyer and LaPage returned to continue hunting in the…
Feb
4
1806
Canoe Departs at High Tide to Retrieve Elk Meat
On this day, six men departed once more by canoe to retrieve elk meat that had been hunted earlier. The tide was running high. The brief entry records…
Feb
4
1806
Salt Workers Return with a Bushel of Salt
The men who had been sent to deliver meat to the salt works returned to camp, bringing back a bushel of salt with them. The weather stayed clear…
Feb
5
1806
Reubin Field Kills Six Elk; Lost Canoe Recovered
At Fort Clatsop, a hunter's gunshot across the Netul marsh in the evening prompted Sergeant Gass and a party to row over, using a small creek at high…
Feb
5
1806
Lost Indian Canoe Recovered; Reubin Field's Elk Kill
Late in the evening, a gunshot and shout from across the Netul swamp prompted Lewis to send Sergeant Gass and a party to investigate. They took advantage of…
Feb
5
1806
Hunter Kills Six Elk; Missing Skiff Finally Recovered
Around midday, one of the expedition's hunters returned to camp with news of having killed six elk, providing a significant addition to the party's food supply. Meanwhile, another…
Feb
5
1806
Overnight Camp Amid Snow Retrieving Elk Meat
A small party set out by canoe to retrieve the meat from the elk killed the previous day. The task could not be completed in a single day,…
Feb
6
1806
Indians Steal Elk Meat; Pryor Returns Short-Handed
Sergeant Gass and party were sent out with Reuben Field to retrieve an elk Field had killed. Sergeant Pryor returned late in the evening with only the flesh…
Feb
6
1806
Indians Steal Drouillard's Elk; Ordway Sent to Retrieve Rest
At Fort Clatsop, Lewis sent Sergeants Gass and Ordway with Reubin Field and a party to retrieve elk that Field had killed. Sergeant Pryor returned that evening with…
Feb
6
1806
Party Butchers Elk in the Field and Makes Camp
The party went out to retrieve elk that had been killed earlier, butchering the animals where they lay. They packed some of the meat together and made camp…
Feb
7
1806
Elk Meat Hauled In; Captains Dine on Marrowbone
At Fort Clatsop, Sergeant Ordway and Wiser returned in the evening with part of the elk meat killed by Reubin Field, while Sergeant Gass and the rest of…
Feb
7
1806
Good Supper of Marrowbone After Elk Recovery
At Fort Clatsop, Sergeant Ordway and Wiser returned with part of the elk meat hunted by R. Fields, while Sergeant Gass and the rest of the party stayed…
Feb
7
1806
Ordway Canoes Meat to Fort Through Hard Rain
Ordway and one other man traveled by canoe back to the fort, bringing along some meat from a marsh area where hunting or butchering had taken place. The…
Feb
7
1806
Heavy Rain Hampers Final Meat Haul
The party continued the work of bringing in meat from a recent hunt, managing to deliver some of it to the fort. However, Gass and a portion of…
Feb
8
1806
Five Elk Retrieved; Pryor's Party Returns to Fort
At Fort Clatsop, Sergeant Ordway and two men were sent to rejoin Sergeant Gass's party and retrieve the rest of R. Field's elk, returning that evening with meat…
Feb
8
1806
Five Elk Recovered; One Carcass Spoiled
At Fort Clatsop, Sergeant Ordway and two men were sent to help bring back the rest of Reubin Field's elk, returning that evening with meat from five elk,…
Feb
8
1806
Ordway Ferries Men and Meat Amid Evening Hail Showers
Ordway took a canoe across the water to retrieve men and meat. Meanwhile, another party that had been working downriver returned and then headed up a small nearby…
Feb
8
1806
Hail Day; Hunters Kill Four More Elk
On this day the weather brought hail. Some of the expedition's hunters had success in the field, killing four more elk. The party managed to bring all of…
Feb
9
1806
First Black Bear Spotted Since Arriving at Coast
Hunters Collins and Wiser left on an expedition, while Drewyer returned having killed only one beaver and spotted the first black bear seen since the party's arrival; local…
Feb
9
1806
First Black Bear Spotted Near Fort Clatsop
On this Sunday at Fort Clatsop, Collins and Wiser took the Indian canoe across the Netul River to hunt. Drewyer returned in the evening with only one beaver,…
Feb
9
1806
Men Spend the Day Jerking Meat in Hail Showers
On this day at the expedition's winter quarters, the party occupied themselves with jerking meat to preserve it. The weather was unsettled, with several showers of hail falling…
Feb
9
1806
Hunter Catches Beaver on Quiet Coastal Day
The day brought mixed weather, with periods of sunshine alternating with rain showers. One of the expedition's hunters managed to catch a beaver. The brief entry reflects a…
Feb
10
1806
Gibson Too Ill to Move at Salt Camp
Hunters Collins and Wiser came back empty-handed, while Willard returned from the Salt Camp after badly cutting his knee with his tomahawk; he had killed four elk two…
Feb
10
1806
Willard's Tomahawk Wound; Gibson Gravely Ill
At Fort Clatsop, Drewyer checked his traps but caught no beaver, while Collins and Wiser returned without elk. Willard came back late from the Saltworks after badly cutting…
Feb
10
1806
Gibson Gravely Ill at Salt Works; Five Elk Killed
Two men arrived from the salt works with news that Gibson was very sick and Bratton was unwell. The same men reported they had killed five elk but…
Feb
10
1806
Salt Works Crew Ill and Injured
The day featured pleasant weather. In the afternoon, two men arrived at camp from the salt-making works on the coast bringing news that two of their companions there…
Feb
11
1806
Pryor Dispatched to Retrieve Ailing Gibson
At Fort Clatsop, Sergeant Gass with R. Field and J. Thompson crossed the Netul River to hunt. Sergeant Pryor was sent with four men by canoe to retrieve…
Feb
11
1806
Rescue Party Sent for Gibson at Salt Works
At Fort Clatsop, Sergeant Gass, Reubin Fields, and Thompson crossed the Netul River to hunt. Sergeant Pryor and four men were sent to bring the ailing Gibson back…
Feb
11
1806
Sick Men Recalled from Salt Works
A canoe was sent around to the salt works to retrieve the sick men, with two additional men assigned to take their places at the salt-making operation. Three…
Feb
11
1806
Six Sent for Sick Men; Hunters Take Eight Elk
Six men were dispatched from the fort to retrieve sick members of the party. Meanwhile, Gass and two others set out on a hunting trip lasting until the…
Feb
12
1806
Clatsop Returns Dogs for Stolen Elk
A Clatsop man visited Fort Clatsop bringing three dogs as compensation for elk his people had stolen earlier, but the dogs ran off in alarm; the visitor was…
Feb
12
1806
Botanical Descriptions of Two Evergreen Shrubs
At Fort Clatsop, a Clatsop man visited and offered three dogs as compensation for elk his people had previously stolen, but the dogs ran off; he was permitted…
Feb
12
1806
Clatsop Visitors Offer Dogs as Restitution
Clatsop Indians visited Fort Clatsop and stayed overnight. One visitor came intending to offer three dogs as restitution for elk that his people had stolen from hunter Fields…
Feb
13
1806
Natives Forecast Herring Run in March
The Clatsop visitors departed at 11 A.M., and the day passed without notable events. The party finished drying meat the previous day, securing what they believe is a…
Feb
13
1806
Month's Dried Meat Secured; Herring Run Reported
The visiting Clatsop departed at 11 a.m., and the day passed quietly at Fort Clatsop. The party finished drying meat the previous day and now had roughly a…
Feb
13
1806
Sea Otter Skin Traded for Scrap of Tobacco
On this day, John Ordway recorded a brief trade transaction with a local Indian, acquiring a sea otter skin in exchange for a small piece of tobacco—less than…
Feb
14
1806
Clark Completes Map from Missouri to Pacific
At Fort Clatsop, the captains worried about sick men at the salt works and the unexplained delay of Sergeant Pryor's party. Drouillard caught a fat beaver, which the…
Feb
14
1806
Clark's Route Map Finished; Drouillard Catches Beaver
At Fort Clatsop, the captains worry about sick men at the salt works and Sergeant Pryor's overdue party. Drouillard caught a fat beaver, providing the evening's meal. The…
Feb
14
1806
Rain Confines Men to Winter Quarters
Rain fell throughout the day at the expedition's winter encampment. No other activities or events were recorded in this brief entry.
Feb
15
1806
Gibson Carried by Litter Through Coastal Winds
At Fort Clatsop, Drewyer and Whitehouse left to hunt toward the southwestern mountains. Bratten arrived from the saltworks in poor health, reporting that Sergeant Pryor was bringing the…
Feb
15
1806
Gibson Arrives by Litter; Bratton Returns Ill
At Fort Clatsop, Drewyer and Whitehouse left to hunt near Point Adams. Bratton arrived from the salt works in the afternoon, recovering from illness, and reported that Sergeant…
Feb
15
1806
Gibson Carried Ashore in a Blanket
In the evening, the hunting party returned to camp. Bratton came overland and arrived sick. The men carried Gibson up from the canoe in a blanket, as he…
Feb
16
1806
Bark and Saltpeter Treatments for Bratton and Gibson
At Fort Clatsop, Clark sent Shannon, Labiche, and Frazier hunting up the Kilhawanakkle River, while Sergeant Gass's party remained unheard from. Clark treated two ailing men: Bratten, weakened…
Feb
16
1806
Lewis Calibrates Octant; Treats Bratton and Gibson
At Fort Clatsop, Lewis spent the day calibrating his octant against his sextant, determining its error to be 2°1'45" additive beyond the fracture. He sent Shannon, Labiche, and…
Feb
16
1806
Three Hunters Depart Fort Clatsop
On this day at the expedition's winter quarters, activity was minimal and Ordway's journal entry is exceptionally brief. He notes only that three men from the party left…
Feb
17
1806
Fresh Meat Sought for the Sick; Gibson Improving
At Fort Clatsop, Collins and Windsor were sent hunting near Point Adams to get fresh meat for the sick. Shannon, Labiche, and Frazier returned with an elk carcass.…
Feb
17
1806
Gibson Out of Danger; Joseph Fields Returns
Hunters Collins and Windsor went out for fresh meat for the sick, while Shannon, LaBiche, and Frazier returned with elk meat from a kill made by Sergeant Gass's…
Feb
17
1806
Gass's Party Returns with Eight Elk
Hunters returned to the fort with elk meat, including one retrieved from a creek. Sergeant Gass and two men came back after killing eight elk, two of which…
Feb
17
1806
Four Bushels of Salt Deemed Sufficient Supply
The party returned to the fort in the afternoon, where they found the sick men still in poor condition. A messenger arrived from the salt works reporting that…
Feb
18
1806
High Waves Turn Back Ordway's Salt Works Party
At Fort Clatsop, two parties were sent out: Sergeant Ordway's group toward the salt works and Sergeant Gass's group to retrieve eight elk killed across the Netul River.…
Feb
18
1806
Ordway Repelled by Waves; Swamp Pine Examined
At Fort Clatsop, two parties were sent out: Sergeant Ordway toward the Saltworks and Sergeant Gass to retrieve elk killed across the Netul River. Ordway returned unable to…
Feb
18
1806
High Winds Drive Canoe Party Back
A canoe was dispatched to the salt works, and ten men set out to retrieve elk meat. High winds at the bay forced the party traveling by water…
Feb
18
1806
Storm Blocks Bay Crossing; Both Parties Halted
Two parties set out from the fort on this stormy day. A sergeant and six men headed to the salt works to retrieve salt and kettles, while Gass…
