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
3
1805
Gass Visits Great Falls and Marvels at Enormous Spring
Gass, having missed seeing the Great Falls of the Missouri while working on the boat, set out with another man to view them. He judged the second pitch…
Jul
4
1805
Independence Day Dram Lifts Spirits at Leather Boat
On a fine but dewy Independence Day morning at the Great Falls of the Missouri, the crew worked to finish the leather boat and received a dram of…
Jul
4
1805
Independence Day; Iron Boat Nears Completion Without Tar
On Independence Day at the Great Falls portage camp, Lewis directed work crews finishing the iron-frame boat, leaving only the seams to seal, while resigning himself to finding…
Jul
4
1805
Independence Day Celebrated with Last of the Whiskey
On Independence Day 1805, members of the expedition spent the day working on the boat and dressing animal skins to make clothing. Around 4 o'clock in the afternoon,…
Jul
5
1805
Buffalo Herd Pursued; Wind Foils the Hunt
Warm, sultry weather with light winds prevailed at the camp. Around 8 a.m., Clark spotted a large herd of buffalo and led several men in pursuit, but unfavorable…
Jul
5
1805
Improvised Sealant Applied to Gaping Iron Boat Seams
Lewis dried the experimental iron-frame boat in the sun over fires and prepared a substitute sealant of charcoal, beeswax, and buffalo tallow, worried it may not work since…
Jul
5
1805
Hunters Return with Buffalo and Antelope
While some men worked on the boat at camp, others went out hunting. The hunting party returned at night, having killed several buffalo along with some cabres, also…
Jul
6
1805
Midnight Tempest Drops Musket-Ball Hail
Around midnight a heavy southwest wind brought rain, and at daybreak a black cloud rolled in from the southwest with continuous thunder, lightning, and a tremendous half-hour downpour…
Jul
6
1805
Hailstones Cool Drinking Water at the Falls
Overnight and morning storms brought hail the size of musket balls, rain, thunder, and lightning to the camp near the falls; some hail was collected to cool drinking…
Jul
6
1805
Buffalo Hides Sought to Cover the Iron Boat
On this beautiful and pleasant day, the party continued work on constructing their boat. Four men were sent downriver to hunt buffalo, with the goal of obtaining hides…
Jul
7
1805
Hunters Return; Elk Hides Needed for Iron Boat
On a warm, cloudy Sunday with southwest winds and afternoon rain, Clark waited at camp as four hunters who had been out overnight finally returned in the evening.…
Jul
7
1805
Blowflies Plague the Drying Iron-Frame Boat
On a warm, cloudy Sunday, the party struggled to dry the bark of an iron-frame boat, which was plagued by blowflies. Lacking tents, the men used sails for…
Jul
7
1805
Thermometer Left Behind on Cottonwood Island
On a clear, pleasant day, the party traveled about 17 miles up the Missouri through rapid currents, passing large grassy and timbered islands of cottonwood and cedar. One…
Jul
7
1805
Boat Construction Finished; Buffalo Retreat to Plains
The party spent the night outdoors, with a few drops of rain falling in the evening. The hunters returned without much success, as the buffalo had moved out…
Jul
8
1805
Clark Measures the Missouri at the Great Falls
On a warm, partly cloudy morning, Clark organized the men into hunting parties to procure buffalo skins and meat, then set out to measure the widths of the…
Jul
8
1805
Retracing Lost Notes Along the Great Falls
On a warm, fair day at the Great Falls portage camp, Captain Clark set out with most of the men to redo notes lost on the river and…
Jul
8
1805
Hunters Bring Cat-Like Animal and Spotted Squirrel
Hunters from the party went out and returned in the evening with three buffalo, a deer, and an antelope, along with a small light-colored cat-like animal they had…
Jul
9
1805
Leather Boat Leaks; Coal-and-Tallow Seal Fails
On a clear, warm morning with southwest winds, the party launched the leather boat and discovered it leaked. Without tar, they had used a coal-and-tallow substitute to seal…
Jul
9
1805
Iron-Frame Boat Abandoned After Seams Separate
A fair morning turned difficult when a violent windstorm struck just as the canoes were being loaded, forcing the party to unload and wetting some baggage. After launching…
Jul
9
1805
Iron-Framed Experiment Launched but Leaks
In the morning, the crew loaded the canoes and launched the iron-framed boat known as the Experiment, which floated lightly but leaked. A northwest windstorm with rain struck…
Jul
10
1805
Ordway Sent Upriver to Find Canoe Timber
On a windy, fair day following overnight showers, Clark sent Sergeant Ordway ahead with four loaded canoes and eight men to find timber suitable for building new canoes…
Jul
10
1805
Felling Flawed Cottonwoods; Thirteen Ax Handles Broken
Captain Clark and his party crossed the river early and traveled eight miles upstream by land, where they felled two cottonwood trees—both flawed—to make canoes, deciding to shorten…
Jul
10
1805
Clark Scouts Timber for Two New Canoes
Captain Clark and ten men set out to find timber large enough to build two more canoes, with hunters having spotted suitable trees about 20 miles upriver. The…
Jul
11
1805
Pryor Dislocates Shoulder Retrieving Buffalo Meat
On a fair, windy Thursday, Clark sent Bratten, sidelined by an infected finger, to retrieve two needed axes from the incoming canoes. Bratten's canoe arrived around 1 p.m.…
Jul
11
1805
Mysterious Booming Sounds from the Rocky Mountains
Lewis waited at his camp for the canoes to arrive, sending hunters out who returned with meat from a fat buffalo. He observed large grey eagles, which he…
Jul
11
1805
Buffalo Killed While Canoes Fail to Return
The party waited for the canoes until 2 o'clock in the afternoon. When the canoes still had not arrived, four men, including the journal writer, set out and…
Jul
12
1805
Canoe Building and Meat Drying on Windy Friday
On a fair, windy Friday with strong southwest winds, the crew began work at daylight, some building canoes and others drying meat for the upcoming voyage. Clark sent…
Jul
12
1805
High Winds Delay Departure of the Six Canoes
Held up by high winds, Lewis sent Sergeant Gass with three men upriver to help Captain Clark finish building canoes, keeping only enough men to load the six…
Jul
12
1805
Circular Indian Lodge of 216 Feet Circumference
A party of men traveled upriver to help Captain Clark's group. Along the way, they passed a small bottom on the north side of the river containing an…
Jul
13
1805
Curious Buffalo Bull Wanders Among the Canoes
On a calm, cool morning that turned windy from the southeast, the camp was approached by a curious buffalo bull that wandered within a few steps of one…
Jul
13
1805
Lewis Travels Overland with Sick Man and Sacagawea
On a calm clear morning, Lewis loaded the remaining baggage into six small canoes and crossed to the opposite shore, sending Charbonneau by water in place of the…
Jul
13
1805
Sacagawea Arrives; Mosquitoes Plague Canoe Camp
A man arrived at the new location accompanied by the Native woman, bringing word that the canoes had departed from the previous site known as White-bear camp, carrying…
Jul
14
1805
Two New Canoes Launched Amid Mosquito Swarms
On a calm, warm Sunday morning, the party was plagued by troublesome mosquitoes and gnats. The canoes arrived at noon and were unloaded to dry out their contents.…
Jul
14
1805
Lewis Takes Bearings on Mountain Chains from Bluffs
On a calm, warm Sunday with troublesome mosquitoes, the crew finished and launched two new canoes, 25 and 33 feet long, with only seats and oars left to…
Jul
14
1805
Canoes Reunited After 22-Mile Water Route
The party reunited with the canoes and baggage, finding the water route stretched 22 miles compared to just 6 miles overland. Despite afternoon rain, they finished preparing the…
Jul
15
1805
Prickly Pear Thorns Torment Seaman at Great Falls
During the 18-mile portage around the Great Falls of the Missouri, the expedition's dog Seaman suffered severely from prickly pear cactus thorns that pierced his paws, causing him…
Jul
16
1805
Clark Passes Forty Abandoned Shoshone Willow Shelters
On a cold but fair morning with heavy dew, the party sent a man back to retrieve a forgotten ax before setting out early. They killed and breakfasted…
Jul
16
1805
Shoshone Shelters Raise Hopes of Meeting the Tribe
After a heavy dew, the party sent a man back for a forgotten ax and departed early. They passed about 40 abandoned willow shelters, likely Shoshone, raising hopes…
Jul
16
1805
Lewis Advances Toward the Mountain for Observations
Captain Lewis and two men went ahead toward the mountain to take an observation. The party passed a dry 60-yard-wide riverbed on the south side and traveled through…
Jul
17
1805
Lunar Observations Fix Latitude at Pine Rapid
The party set out early and navigated Pine Rapid at an island with some difficulty, where Clark caught up with Lewis. Together they took a meridian altitude and…
Jul
17
1805
Sunflower Seeds and Yellow Currants Described in Detail
Lewis describes the abundant sunflowers, currants, serviceberries, and other plants near the river, detailing how Indigenous peoples prepare sunflower seeds for food and providing a botanical description of…
Jul
17
1805
Double Crew Hauls Canoes Through Narrow Rapids
On a fine, pleasant day, the party reached Captain Lewis's camp at a rapid stretch of the Missouri and ate breakfast. They combined two canoe crews to haul…
Jul
18
1805
Dearborn's River Named; Clark Advances Ahead Quietly
On a fine morning, the party passed a major tributary entering from the starboard side, nearly as wide as the Missouri, which Clark named Dearborn's River after the…
Jul
18
1805
Bighorn Sheep on Cliffs; Clark Scouts for Shoshone
The party set out early after watching bighorn sheep navigate sheer cliffs across the river. Two and a half miles on, they passed an 80-yard-wide tributary on the…
Jul
18
1805
Passing the Clearwater River Thick with Currants
The party set out early and passed the Clearwater River on the north side, noting it as about 50 yards wide, rapid, and shallow, with abundant currants growing…
Jul
19
1805
Crossing Two Mountains on an Ancient Indian Path
On a fine Friday, Clark continued along an Indian path beside a very crooked river, crossing two mountains and noting abandoned spring camps with peeled trees and poles.…
Jul
19
1805
Entering Towering 1,200-Foot Perpendicular Cliffs
The expedition pushed up a swift, deep river plagued by mosquitoes and summer heat, with snowy mountain peaks visible above. Lewis killed an antelope, and a man killed…
Jul
19
1805
Thunderstorm in the Pine and Cedar Mountains
The expedition traveled through a rugged mountainous stretch where the slopes held pine, spruce, and cedar, though the bottoms had only small willows. Around 1 o'clock a thunderstorm…
Jul
20
1805
Clark's Overland March Through Valley to River
On a fine Saturday, Clark's small party traveled overland through a valley, leaving the river about six miles to their left before joining an Indian road that brought…
Jul
20
1805
Black Currants Praised; Potts's Creek Named
The expedition pushed upriver against a strong current, using tow ropes where possible. The valley widened, revealing cottonwood, aspen, pine, and abundant berries, of which Lewis collected seeds…
Jul
20
1805
Emerging from Mountains to Elk and Clark's Note
The party emerged from the high, rocky mountains around 8 a.m. into lower terrain with abundant timber and plentiful currants in red, yellow, and black varieties. They killed…
Jul
21
1805
Clark Halts to Rest Bruised Feet; Awaits Canoes
With his party's feet badly bruised and cut, Clark decided to halt and wait for the canoes coming up the Missouri, hoping to hunt fresh meat for the…
Jul
21
1805
Tow Ropes and Poles Through Mountain Rapids
The expedition set out early and struggled up a rapid stretch where the river enters the mountains, relying on tow ropes and poles through swift, shallow water. They…
Jul
21
1805
River Bends Southwest Through Red-Purple Rock Hills
The party traveled along the river in the morning, passing moderately high hills, red-purple rocks, two small creeks, and hills with scattered pines. By noon the river's course…
Jul
22
1805
Clark Nurses Blistered Feet in Camp
On a fine but previously cold morning with southeast winds, Clark rested in camp to nurse painful blisters and bruises on his feet, opening them up for relief.…
Jul
22
1805
Wild Onions Gathered; Thermometer Peaks on Onion Island
Traveling up the Missouri through a maze of islands, Lewis walked ashore to chart the channels by sight. On one fertile island he gathered wild onions, naming it…
Jul
22
1805
Sacagawea Recognizes Childhood Landscape
On a pleasant day, the party traveled along the river, passing fine springs on the southern shore and several islands. The country was level to the south, while…
Jul
23
1805
Drouillard's Deer Left on Bank for Canoes
On a fair morning with a southerly wind, Clark set out by land and after six miles caught up with George Drouillard, who had shot a deer. The…
Jul
23
1805
Lost Drouillard Returns with Five Deer
The expedition set out early, with Captain Clark continuing overland on the starboard side with four men. They reunited with Drouillard, who had been lost overnight but had…
Jul
23
1805
Clark's Advance Party Seeks Shoshone Nation
Captain Clark and three men set out ahead toward the Three Forks, hoping to locate the Snake (Shoshone) nation. The day was partly cloudy with troublesome mosquitoes and…
