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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Nov
16
1804
Three Deer Taken Tracking Creek to Its Mouth
The party traveled across level plateaus dotted with goats and buffalo, reaching the head of a creek and following it southeast. Along the way they killed three deer…
Nov
17
1804
River Ice Thickens; Construction Continues at Fort
On a fine but cold Saturday morning, William Clark noted that the ice on the river had thickened overnight. Several Indians came to visit the encampment, and one…
Nov
17
1804
Entire Party Moves into Completed Winter Quarters
On November 17, 1804, the weather was clear with sunshine on the trees. Around 11 o'clock, a Frenchman arrived bringing a fat elk from the pirogue. The men…
Nov
17
1804
Abundant Hunt Yields Antelope, Black-Tailed Deer, Buffalo
Captain Lewis led a hunting party that returned with thirteen common deer, two black-tailed deer, three buffalo, and a wild goat believed to be a true antelope. The…
Nov
17
1804
Horse Sled Built; Mandan Report Buffalo's Return
On a cold November day in 1804, Sergeant Gass built a horse sled for one of the North West Company traders, who planned to use it to travel…
Nov
18
1804
Black Cat Questions Expedition Customs and Councils
On a cold, windy Sunday, Black Cat, chief of the Mandans, visited the expedition and asked many questions about their customs. He explained that his nation had held…
Nov
18
1804
Smokehouse Framed with Earth and Ash Covering
The expedition crew continued construction work on a smokehouse, framing it with timber cross-drawing and using chinks, daubing, and a covering of earth and ashes since planks were…
Nov
18
1804
Eleven Deer and a Wolf on a Clear Pleasant Day
On a clear, pleasant day, the expedition traveled past timbered land on the south bank and hills and prairies on the north, passing an island and numerous sandbars.…
Nov
19
1804
Hunters Return with Thirty-Two Deer and Twelve Elk
On a cold Monday with ice running in the river, the hunting party returned by pirogue with a substantial haul of 32 deer, 12 elk, and a buffalo,…
Nov
19
1804
Hunters Return with Five Buffalo, Eleven Elk, Thirty Deer
The weather turned pleasant and moderate. The party daubed the storehouse and smokehouse, with everyone busy at various tasks. Around 3 p.m., the hunters returned in the pirogue…
Nov
19
1804
Buffalo Swimming the River; Three Streams Converge
The expedition traveled past large timbered bottomlands on both sides of the river. The party spotted buffalo swimming across the river and killed two. They passed an island…
Nov
20
1804
Captains Move into Newly Built Winter Huts
Captains Lewis and Clark moved into their newly built huts at the winter camp. A strong west wind blew through much of the day, though temperatures were mild.…
Nov
20
1804
Shortcut Across the Neck of Grand Bend
Under clear skies and a fair wind, the party traveled past prairies on the north and timbered bottoms on the south. Two men took the horse overland across…
Nov
20
1804
Hidatsa Interpreter Arrives with Four Horse-loads of Furs
On a warm November day at the expedition's winter quarters, the interpreter hired for communicating with the Gros Ventres (Hidatsa) arrived with four horses loaded with furs and…
Nov
21
1804
Stone Gathered by Pirogue for Fort Chimneys
On a fine Wednesday with some southwesterly wind, the expedition sent out a pirogue and gathered stone to build chimneys for their winter quarters. The men sorted and…
Nov
21
1804
Completing the Circuit of the Grand Bend
The party traveled along bluffs on the south side of the river for four miles, reaching the end of the Grand Bend, about a mile from where they…
Nov
21
1804
Short River Trip to Gather Chimney Stones
The party traveled a short distance down the river to gather stone for the backs of their chimneys, completing four chimney backs during the day's work.
Nov
22
1804
Eighty Bushels of Corn Collected; Wife Threatened
On a fine, warm day at Fort Mandan, Sergeant Pryor and five men were sent by pirogue to the second village to collect 100 bushels of corn arranged…
Nov
22
1804
Trader Lucelle's Cedar Fort on Cedar Island
The party traveled past timbered land on the south bank and high plains on the north. Around 3 o'clock they passed Cedar Island, one of the Three Sisters,…
Nov
22
1804
Pirogue Returns with Twelve Bushels of Mandan Corn
The party sent a pirogue to the second Mandan village to trade for corn. The men finished building the backs of the chimneys at their winter quarters. Toward…
Nov
23
1804
Stone Gathering Continues; Men Suffer from Colds
On a fair, warm day with a southeasterly wind, the party sent men out to gather stone. Several men were suffering from bad colds, and one man, Shields,…
Nov
23
1804
Four Indians Spotted at Elk Island Camp
The party traveled past timbered land and high ground, noting Smoke Creek on the north side and passing Elk Island, with a wooded bottom to the north and…
Nov
23
1804
Rope-Making Begun to Haul Keelboat Ashore
On this day, the expedition focused on practical preparations at their camp. The crew set up rope-making equipment, with several men assigned to crafting a large rope. The…
Nov
24
1804
Huts Covered with Puncheons; Boat Hauled Ashore
On a warm Saturday with the wind blowing from the southeast, the expedition continued building their winter quarters, covering the huts with hewed puncheons. Several of the men…
Nov
24
1804
Indians Steal the Expedition's Horse
The expedition passed a small creek on the south side and continued upriver. Around 3 o'clock, the man traveling overland with the horse reported that Indians had stolen…
Nov
24
1804
Guard Reduced; Daily Native Visitors Continue
Daily activities continued as usual at the encampment. The guard was reduced in size to a sergeant and three men. Native visitors continued to come to the camp…
Nov
25
1804
Lewis Departs to Visit Nearby Indian Towns
On a warm, pleasant Sunday, Captain Lewis set out with two interpreters and six men to visit Indian towns and camps in the area. Work continued on covering…
Nov
25
1804
Tense Standoff as Indians Detain the Pirogue
Around 50 anticipated Native visitors arrived at 10 o'clock, and the captains designated three as chiefs and distributed gifts. Five came aboard for about three hours. When Captain…
Nov
25
1804
Lewis Rides Upriver to Visit Hidatsa Nation
Captain Lewis, the interpreters, and six men departed this morning on an expedition roughly 24 miles upriver to visit a nearby Indian nation. Captain Lewis and the interpreters…
Nov
26
1804
Sharp Northwest Wind Halts Work at Fort Mandan
Just before dawn at Fort Mandan, the wind shifted to the northwest and blew hard, bringing sharp, cold air that lasted throughout the day. The sky stayed cloudy…
Nov
26
1804
Welcoming Reception from Large Band on South Bank
The expedition encountered a large band of Indians lining the south bank of the river. Around 10 a.m., they anchored about 100 yards offshore and met with the…
Nov
27
1804
Lewis Returns with Two Chiefs; Rumors Dispelled
On a cold, cloudy day with the river clogged by floating ice and a northwest wind, the men finished daubing the fort. Captain Lewis returned from the Mandan…
Nov
27
1804
Visit to Eighty-Lodge Village; Battle Described
Gass and several men visited a nearby Indian camp of about 80 lodges, observing women dressing buffalo skins and noting the people's friendliness, though also their pilfering and…
Nov
27
1804
Huts Completed; Three Hidatsa Chiefs Visit Camp
The crew finished daubing, covering, and completing their huts at the winter encampment despite thick weather. Captain Lewis returned with three chiefs from the upper Hidatsa (Gros Ventre)…
Nov
28
1804
Snow Halts Work; Black Cat Shown Fort Curiosities
A cold, snowy day with northwest winds and the Missouri River clogged with floating ice. Snow began at 7 a.m. and continued throughout the day, halting work at…
Nov
28
1804
Indians Seize Boat Rope; Chiefs Negotiate Release
The expedition prepared to depart around 9 a.m., with some chiefs aboard intending to travel with them. Tensions flared when Indians grabbed the boat's rope and refused to…
Nov
28
1804
Snow Falls; Tension Between Drouillard and Gibson
Snow fell in the morning with a northeast wind, and the river level was dropping. Ordway also noted tension from the previous evening between George Drouillard and Mr.…
Nov
29
1804
River Freezes; Trader La Rocque Visits the Camp
A very cold, windy day with northwest winds and varying snow depths around 13 inches in the woods following snowfall the previous night. The river froze at the…
Nov
29
1804
Sioux War Party Kills Hunter, Steals Horses
While unrigging the boat in cold weather, a sergeant dislocated his shoulder. The next morning, an Indian was brought across the river and reported that a Sioux war…
Nov
29
1804
River Drops Two Feet; Keelboat Sits Dry on Shore
On a cold, clear, frosty morning with about 12 inches of snow on the ground, the Missouri River dropped about two feet overnight, leaving the expedition's boat sitting…
Nov
30
1804
Sioux War Party Kills Mandan Chief; Clark Mobilizes
On a cold November morning, a Mandan messenger reported that a Sioux and Pawnee war party had ambushed Mandan hunters about eight leagues southwest, killing one young chief,…
Nov
30
1804
Fair Wind Carries Party Toward Arikara Villages
The party traveled along black bluffs to the south and prairie bottom to the north. An Indian on shore asked to join them on the way to the…
Nov
30
1804
Sioux Raid Mandans; Clark Crosses River with Twenty Men
Around 9 a.m., an Indian arrived across the river with news that a Sioux war party had attacked the Mandans, killing one man on each side, wounding others,…
Dec
1
1804
Cheyenne Delegation Arrives Bearing a Peace Pipe
On a windy Saturday at Fort Mandan, the men worked on setting pickets for the fort. A young chief arrived with news that six Cheyenne (called Shar ha)…
Dec
1
1804
Fort Pickets Cut; North West Company Trader Arrives
The party worked on completing their fort by cutting and carrying pickets. A trader from the North West Company arrived at the fort and reported that Indians had…
Dec
1
1804
Three Hundred Cheyenne Lodges Reported at the Villages
The party worked on bringing in pickets to fortify their garrison at Fort Mandan. An Indian arrived from the Mandan village reporting that a large group, around 300…
Dec
2
1804
Cheyenne and Mandans Smoke Peace Pipe at Fort
On a mild Sunday that turned colder when the wind shifted north, Mandan chiefs from the lower village arrived at the camp with several young men and four…
Dec
2
1804
Cheyenne Visitors at Fort; Winter Halts Construction
A group of Cheyenne Indians, accompanied by some Mandans, visited the fort and were noted as civil and good-natured. Work on the fort continued through moderate weather on…
Dec
2
1804
Cheyenne Dog Indians Welcomed with Food and Tobacco
The expedition continued on as a number of Cheyenne, also called Dog Indians, arrived from a nearby village to visit. The party received the visitors in a friendly…
Dec
3
1804
Slain Warrior's Father Brings Gifts of Dried Squash
On a fine but later cold and windy Monday with northwest winds, the expedition received a visit from the father of a Mandan man who had been killed.…
Dec
3
1804
New Year's Day Spirits and Corn from Native Visitors
Since Christmas, the expedition has lived peacefully at their fort, with Native visitors bringing daily supplies of corn. To celebrate New Year's Day 1805, the party fired two…
Dec
3
1804
Picket Installation Begins at Fort Mandan
On this day, the expedition party began the work of setting up pickets at their winter encampment, hauling and installing the wooden stakes used to form a defensive…
Dec
3
1804
Strong Downstream Winds Halt Party Beneath Dark Bluffs
The party traveled along a stretch of river bordered by high land on both banks. Around noon, strong winds blowing downstream forced them to stop beneath tall bluffs,…
Dec
4
1804
Black Cat Visits; Main Fort Bastion Completed
On a cloudy, raw Tuesday with a northwest wind, the Mandan chief Black Cat and two young chiefs visited the camp and stayed throughout the day, as had…
Dec
4
1804
Black Cat Dines with Officers as Stockade Work Continues
The expedition continued work on fortifying their winter quarters, gathering and setting pickets for the stockade. Black Cat, the chief of the second Mandan village, visited the camp…
Dec
4
1804
Backtracking for Deeper Water; Indian Swims to Meet Them
The party backtracked to their previous day's stopping point at noon to try the other side of the river, since the water was too shallow and sandbars too…
Dec
5
1804
North West Company Men Announce Imminent Departure
On a cold, raw Wednesday with a southeast wind and light snow, the captains received visitors at their winter quarters. Two men from the North West Company stopped…
Dec
5
1804
Sentinel Platform Built Atop Smokehouse
Construction work at the winter camp continued as usual. The men built a platform on top of the meat and smokehouse to serve as a sentinel's post, allowing…
Dec
5
1804
Hunter Kills Four Goats Swimming Across the River
Clear and pleasant weather marked the day. Around 11 o'clock, the party spotted goats swimming across the river; a hunter ran along the shore and killed four, which…
Dec
6
1804
Violent Winds and Snow; Ten Degrees at Fort Mandan
At Fort Mandan, violent north-northwesterly winds brought snow and bitterly cold air, with the thermometer reading 10 degrees above zero at 8 a.m. Around 9 a.m., a Native…
