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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Aug
9
1804
Twenty Miles Covered Under Favorable Southern Winds
The day began with morning fog that cleared by 8 a.m. A southerly wind allowed the party to make good use of their sails, covering more than 14…
Aug
9
1804
River Cuts Narrow Neck, Shortening Route Fifteen Miles
The party was unable to set out until 7 a.m., then traveled with the help of a gentle breeze. After covering eleven miles, they reached a spot where…
Aug
10
1804
Pressing Upriver Through Nebraska Prairie Sandbars
The Corps of Discovery pushed onward up the Missouri River through what is now Nebraska. Members of the party hunted game and recorded observations of the surrounding prairie…
Aug
10
1804
Twenty-Three Miles Before the Hard Rainstorm
The party set out early, navigated a shallow sandbar, and traveled 23 miles before camping on a sandbar on the north side, with high hilly land to the…
Aug
10
1804
Rain and Wind Before Passing the High Bluffs
The morning began clear with troublesome mosquitoes until the sun rose higher, and the party camped on the east side after traveling 24 miles. Early Saturday, August 11,…
Aug
10
1804
Brief Encampment on the North Bank
The expedition camped on the north side of the river after passing along the south side. The brief entry provides no further detail about the day's travel, weather,…
Aug
11
1804
Climbing Chief Black Bird's Burial Mound
After a stormy dawn with strong northwest winds and rain, the expedition landed on the Lewis side of the river to climb a high bluff where Chief Black…
Aug
11
1804
Visiting Blackbird's Bluff Burial Site
Despite rain that fell from morning until nine, the party continued traveling until ten, when they stopped at a high bluff that served as the burial site of…
Aug
12
1804
Measuring an Eighteen-Mile River Bend at Noon
The expedition set out early under a southern breeze along a wider, shallower stretch of river. At noon they stopped to take a meridian altitude reading and measured…
Aug
12
1804
Sailing Past Red Cedar Bluffs to Sandbar Camp
The expedition departed at the usual time and proceeded under a gentle northeast breeze that allowed them to sail. The day was clear. They passed bluffs of red…
Aug
12
1804
Twenty-One Miles by River Despite Winding Course
A fair morning with a sharp breeze blowing from the south. Over the course of 24 hours, from noon the previous day to noon today, the party traveled…
Aug
12
1804
Mosquito-Plagued Night Before an Eighteen-Mile Bend
The party endured an exceptionally bad night of mosquitoes before setting out at daylight. They navigated an eighteen-mile bend in the river whose neck measured only 974 yards…
Aug
13
1804
Departure from Fish Camp Under Southeast Breeze
On Monday, August 13, 1804, the expedition departed at daylight as usual, traveling under a gentle southeasterly breeze and passing an island. From their previous campsite, called Fish…
Aug
13
1804
Arrival at the Abandoned Omaha Village
The expedition departed very early under a gentle southeast breeze and sailed through a cloudy morning that cleared around 10 a.m. They arrived at the Maha (Omaha) village…
Aug
13
1804
Omaha Village Found Deserted Near Fish Camp
The expedition arrived at a fish camp near the Maha (Omaha) Village around 4 o'clock. The commanding officer dispatched a sergeant and four men carrying a white flag…
Aug
13
1804
Scouts Sent to Contact the Maha Village
After contending with wind, the party landed in the afternoon on a sandy beach near the Maha (Omaha) village on the south side of the river. A sergeant…
Aug
14
1804
Smallpox Devastated the Abandoned Maha Village
On a fine Tuesday morning with shifting winds, the party sent to the Maha (Omaha) village returned around noon reporting they found no Indians or fresh signs, as…
Aug
14
1804
Smallpox Devastated the Omaha Village Four Years Past
The party remained in camp awaiting the return of the men sent on August 7 to pursue a deserter. Floyd notes that the Omaha Indians had abandoned their…
Aug
14
1804
Hunting Party Returns Empty; Fishing Plans Made
The weather was fair and pleasant. Some of the men went out hunting but returned without any game. The following day, Captain Clark and several men traveled about…
Aug
14
1804
Empty Village, Scarce Game, New Mast Fitted
The party reported that scouts had visited a nearby village but found no Indians there. Hunters were sent out but returned empty-handed, as game seemed scarce in the…
Aug
15
1804
Brush Drag Yields Over 300 Fish at Beaver Creek
Camped three miles northeast of the Maha Village, Clark took ten men to a beaver-dammed creek about a mile southwest, where they fashioned a brush drag from willow…
Aug
15
1804
Lewis's Fishing Party Hauls 709 Fish
Captain Lewis led a fishing party of twelve men to a nearby creek, where they caught 709 fish of various kinds. The brief entry records no other notable…
Aug
15
1804
Lewis Leads Fishing Party; 709 Fish Caught
Captain Lewis led a fishing party out the next day and returned with a substantial catch of 709 fish, including nearly 200 pike among them.
Aug
15
1804
Seine Nets and Pike at Maha Creek
The party fished at Maha Creek with brush nets, catching 387 fish of various kinds, and later Captain Lewis led twelve men who took 709 more, including 167…
Aug
16
1804
Lewis Leads Crew to Catch 800 Fish in Pond
On a cool, breezy morning at Fishing Camp northeast of the Maha village, Captain Lewis took twelve men to a nearby creek and pond, where they used a…
Aug
16
1804
Creek Yields 709 Fish for Twelve Men
Captain Lewis and twelve members of the expedition went to a nearby creek to fish. They had a remarkably successful outing, catching 709 fish of various kinds. Sergeant…
Aug
16
1804
LaBiche Returns Alone Carrying a Message
The weather was pleasant, and the men spent the day in camp repairing their weapons and clothing. LaBiche returned alone, having become separated from his search party, and…
Aug
17
1804
Grass Specimens Collected Near 99th Meridian
On a fine, cool day with southeast winds, Clark recorded latitudes and distances of notable places along the river since leaving the mouth of the Dubois, estimating their…
Aug
17
1804
Missouri River near Little Sioux River — Joseph Whitehouse: August 17, 1804
Editorial note: no detailed primary-source journal entry survives for August 17, 1804 that is distinct from the surrounding days. The...
Aug
17
1804
Camp Awaits Drouillard; Arms and Clothing Repaired
The expedition remained in camp with a southeast wind, still waiting on George Drouillard and the three men sent with him. The men in camp spent the day…
Aug
17
1804
Oto Grand Chief and Warriors Arrive at Camp
The party remained in camp waiting for men who had not returned the previous night. On Saturday, August 18, the men came back, bringing with them the Grand…
Aug
18
1804
Floyd's Final Journal Entry Before His Death
Sergeant Charles Floyd recorded a short note about his health, stating he had been very sick for some time but believed he had recovered. His optimism proved mistaken:…
Aug
18
1804
Deserter Moses Reed Tried and Sentenced to Run Gauntlet
A party returned with the deserter Moses Reed along with Oto chiefs Big Horse and Little Thief (Petevaliar), a Frenchman, and seven warriors who came to negotiate peace…
Aug
18
1804
Drouillard Returns with Deserter Reed and Oto Chiefs
Drouillard and two other men returned to camp bringing back the deserter Moses Reed, along with several Oto leaders: the principal chief Little Thief, another chief called Big…
Aug
19
1804
Council with Oto and Missouri Chiefs at Bluffs
On a fine Sunday morning with southeast winds, the captains held a council with nine Oto and Missouri chiefs and warriors under an awning, repeating a speech previously…
Aug
19
1804
Lewis and Clark Deliver Speech and Present Medals
The expedition held a council with friendly Indians on this day. At 9 o'clock, Captains Lewis and Clark delivered a long speech and conferred with the visitors. They…
Aug
20
1804
Sergeant Floyd Dies: Expedition's Only Fatality
Sergeant Charles Floyd died on this day, becoming the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die during the expedition. About 22 years old, he had been…
Aug
20
1804
Sergeant Charles Floyd Dies After Midday Dinner
The expedition departed early under a gentle southeast breeze as the visiting Indians returned to their village. The party sailed well through the morning and stopped at noon…
Aug
20
1804
Sergeant Charles Floyd Dies Despite All Efforts
The expedition set out early under fair winds and pleasant weather, traveling until a 2 o'clock dinner stop. There, Sergeant Charles Floyd died despite the best efforts of…
Aug
21
1804
Passing Floyd's River and the Sioux River Mouth
The expedition departed very early under a gentle southeast breeze, passing Willow Creek, a 170-foot bluff, Floyd's River, and the mouth of the Sioux River on the starboard…
Aug
21
1804
Passing Mouth of Grand Sioux River
The party departed early under a strong breeze from the south. They passed the mouth of the Grand Sioux River, close beneath a high bluff on the north…
Aug
21
1804
Strong South Wind and Blinding Sand from the Bars
A strong south wind pushed the expedition along well, though they had to reef the sail and struggled to see the channel as sand blew thickly from the…
Aug
21
1804
Past Willow Creek and the Sioux River
The expedition traveled more than 20 miles, passing colored bluffs, Willow Creek, and the Sioux River along the north side of their route. They made camp for the…
Aug
22
1804
Lewis Nearly Poisoned Testing Cobalt Mineral Deposits
The expedition set out early with a southerly wind, with George Shannon rejoining the boat. They landed at a bluff containing alum, copperas, cobalt, pyrites, and other minerals,…
Aug
22
1804
Cedar Bluff Passed; Horses and Two Deer Returned
The party set out early against a swift current with a strong southerly wind. They passed a cedar bluff on the south side containing various mineral substances. The…
Aug
22
1804
Mineral Deposits of Sulfur, Brass, and Copperas Examined
The expedition traveled upriver against a swift current, aided by a strong south wind. Along the south side, they passed bluffs with cottonwood, elm, maple, oak, and cedar,…
Aug
22
1804
Copperas and Alum in Cedar-Covered Bluffs
The expedition traveled past bluffs on the south side of the river containing copperas, alum, and some kind of ore, and passed a creek along the way. For…
Aug
23
1804
Buffalo Retrieved; Elk Escape Despite Heavy Gunfire
The party set out very early, though two men with the horses had not caught up the previous night. Clark walked ashore and shot a fat buck, while…
Aug
23
1804
Buffalo Bull Retrieved; Clark Shoots Fat Buck
The party set out early with two hunters going ashore. Captain Clark walked along the bank and shot a fat buck, then the group stopped for breakfast. Two…
Aug
23
1804
Clark Kills Deer and Buffalo on Straight Stretch
With a fair wind, the party traveled along a notably straighter stretch of the river. Captain Clark and another man killed a deer and a buffalo, and men…
Aug
24
1804
Burning Blue Clay Bluff and Delicious Currants
After overnight and morning rain, the party set out and passed a tall blue clay bluff on the south side that had recently been on fire and was…
Aug
24
1804
Chronometer Stops; Cause Undetermined
On Friday, August 24th, 1804, Meriwether Lewis recorded a brief entry noting a mechanical problem with the expedition's chronometer. The instrument stopped running shortly after he wound it.…
Aug
24
1804
Twelve Oto Indians Arrive at Council Bluffs Camp
Hunters Drouillard and Colter returned to camp with the horses, having killed an elk which they brought in. At 7 p.m., twelve Oto Indians arrived at the camp,…
Aug
24
1804
Burning Cedar Bluffs and Rabbit Berry Bushes
The party traveled along the Missouri, passing cedar bluffs on the north side where parts were actively burning and various minerals could be found. They observed small red…
Aug
25
1804
Expedition Hikes to the Mound of Little People
Captains Lewis and Clark, with Drouillard, York, Sergeant Ordway, and several other men, hiked from the mouth of White Stone Creek to investigate the so-called Mountain of Little…
Aug
25
1804
Return from Spirit Mound; First Bats Observed
On August 25, 1804, Lewis and his party returned from visiting the so-called Mound of Spirits. Along the way, they spotted the first bats they had seen since…
Aug
25
1804
Treaty Council with Otoe and Missouri Chiefs
On a foggy morning, the expedition hosted a council with six Otoe and six Missouri chiefs near their camp. After 9 o'clock, Captain Lewis conducted the treaty, presenting…
Aug
25
1804
Giant Catfish; Hill Avoided by Local Natives
The party noted that very large catfish, sometimes weighing up to three hundred pounds together, were being caught in the Missouri River with hook and line. Captains Lewis…
Aug
26
1804
Jerking Elk Meat; Shannon and Horses Still Missing
On Sunday, August 26, 1804, the party rejoined the boat at 9 a.m., jerked meat from the previous day's hunt, and prepared elk skins for a tow rope…
Aug
26
1804
Patrick Gass Promoted to Sergeant After Floyd's Death
On this day, the commanding officers issued formal orders promoting Patrick Gass to sergeant in the Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery, filling the vacancy left by…
