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
8
1806
Lewis Sights Shishequaw Mountain on Northern Plains
Lewis's party set out at 6 AM and traveled northwest, crossing Dearborn's River and sighting the conical Shishequaw Mountain standing in advance of the Rocky Mountains' eastern range.…
Jul
8
1806
Venison Found Cooked in Boiling Hot Spring
The party rode south across large plains, crossing several creeks and spotting elk, deer, and antelope. After about twelve miles they reached a boiling hot spring, where they…
Jul
8
1806
Crossing Torrent Creek onto Medicine River Plains
After a frosty start, the party set out early heading north, spotting deer, antelope, and wolves on the plains. About three and a half miles in, they crossed…
Jul
9
1806
Ordway Returns Horses; Tobacco Cache Not Found
The party rose early at Camp Fortunate, retrieving horses and hauling canoes ashore to dry and repair them. Men dug for tobacco Captain Lewis had cached the previous…
Jul
9
1806
Cold Rain Soaks Party Along Jefferson River
The party set out early in extremely cold weather and was soon caught in steady rain that soaked them through, briefly sheltering in some old lodges. They traveled…
Jul
9
1806
Canoe Cache Opened; Reunion at the River
The party hunted along the way, with one deer killed and shared as a roasted meal before continuing down the river. Around noon they reached the canoe cache…
Jul
9
1806
Rain Delays March; Hunters Kill Large Buffalo
The party set out down the river but were soon forced to halt at some old Indian lodges to take shelter from rain. After an hour they pushed…
Jul
10
1806
Canoes Launched Down Jefferson Through Beaverhead Valley
After a freezing night that left ice three-quarters of an inch thick, Clark's group launched the canoes, loaded gear, and set off down Jefferson's River through Service Valley,…
Jul
10
1806
Drouillard Shoots Large Brown Bear on Riverbank
The party traveled 24 miles down the southwest bank of the river, slowed by ground left muddy from the previous day's rain. Hunting was poor in the morning…
Jul
10
1806
Expedition Departs by Land and Water Simultaneously
On a cold morning, the party dismantled one unusable canoe for paddles and firewood, launched the remaining six canoes, and loaded their baggage. Captain Clark's group rounded up…
Jul
10
1806
Snow on Mountains; Hunters Take Five Deer
After a cold night, the morning broke clear and cold, with snow visible on all surrounding mountains from the previous day's storm. The party set out down the…
Jul
11
1806
Cold Southwest Winds Slow Progress on Jefferson
Clark sent four hunters ahead in two canoes and proceeded down a winding channel after breakfast. He passed Sergeant Pryor's camp near Beaverhead and battled strong, cold southwest…
Jul
11
1806
Buffalo Herds Roaring at White Bear Islands
On a fair morning with refreshed grasses, Lewis and his party set out early across the plains, traveling about eight miles southeast to the White Bear Islands on…
Jul
11
1806
Headwinds Force Halt at Wisdom River Mouth
The party set out early and pushed on against a strong, unfavorable headwind. By evening they reached the mouth of Wisdom River (Big Hole River) and camped at…
Jul
11
1806
Reaching Missouri at Bear Islands; Buffalo Skins Fashioned into Canoes
The party crossed the point and traveled eight miles to reach the Missouri River at the Bear Islands, nearly opposite their old encampment. The hunters quickly killed five…
Jul
12
1806
Canoes Cached; Hard Winds Hamper Missouri Departure
Clark's party spent the morning making paddles and pulling nails from canoes being cached at the forks, setting out around 7 A.M. Sergeant Pryor had gone ahead the…
Jul
12
1806
Ten Best Horses Stolen Before Departure
The party finished building their canoes by 10 A.M., but discovered that ten of their best horses were missing and feared stolen. Multiple search parties were sent out…
Jul
12
1806
Clark's Canoe Nearly Swamped by Sudden Wind
The party split up wood for paddles in the morning and set out down the river, traveling swiftly. Captain Clark's canoe was driven to shore by wind under…
Jul
12
1806
Ten Horses Missing; Search Up Medicine River
The party gathered their horses and discovered ten were missing. Gass set out to search and rode seven miles up the Medicine River, recovering three before returning to…
Jul
13
1806
Reuniting Horse and Canoe Parties at Madison River
The party set out early and reached the mouth of the Madison River by noon, meeting Sergeant Pryor and his horse party, who had killed six deer and…
Jul
13
1806
Cache Flooding Ruins Bearskins and Plant Specimens
Lewis relocated his camp to a previous station opposite the upper point of White Bear Island and put Thompson and others to work finishing horse gear. Opening the…
Jul
13
1806
Reunited at Three Forks of the Missouri
The party set out as usual and traveled down to their previous year's camp near the Three Forks of the Missouri, reuniting with the horse party who had…
Jul
13
1806
Cache Opened at Old Encampment; Spoiled Goods Aired
The party moved about a mile up to their old encampment and opened a cache they had previously deposited there, finding some items had spoiled. With one man…
Jul
14
1806
Sacagawea Guides Party Toward Mountain Gap Road
Clark's party set out east across the Gallatin River plains, sending Shields ahead to hunt. Beaver dams choked the river bottoms, forcing Clark to detour onto an island…
Jul
14
1806
Carriage Wheels and Iron Frame Recovered at Falls
At a campsite near the Great Falls, the carriage wheels were dug up in good condition, and the iron frame of the boat was found largely undamaged. Meat…
Jul
14
1806
Colter Kills Beaver; Headwinds Halt Progress
The party continued down the river after breakfast but faced strong headwinds. Colter killed two young beavers around noon, and the group halted as the wind grew too…
Jul
14
1806
Mosquito Torment; Valuables Cached Against Indian Visitors
The party remained in camp on July 14, 1806, plagued by mosquitoes that tormented them throughout the morning until a fine breeze finally arose around noon and drove…
Jul
15
1806
Crossing the Divide to Reach the Yellowstone
Clark's party gathered their horses and set out at 8 AM, crossing a low mountain gap and following an old buffalo road along the heads of branches of…
Jul
15
1806
Drouillard Confirms Horses Stolen by Indians
At the Great Falls portage camp, Lewis sent McNeal downriver to check on the cached white pirogue and supplies, while other men dried meat, dressed deerskins, and prepared…
Jul
15
1806
Collins and Cruzatte Fill the Larder with Game
The party traveled well through the day, catching up with Collins, who had already killed three deer by mid-morning. They paused for breakfast, during which Collins shot a…
Jul
15
1806
Horses Apparently Stolen; Lewis Scales Up Response
At the portage camp, a man set out to check on a pirogue left at the other end of the portage, while another returned from searching for missing…
Jul
16
1806
Buffalo Hide Fashioned into Moccasins for Horses
The party set out late at 9 AM after horses strayed downriver overnight. Labiche was sent ahead to hunt, and Shannon killed a fat buffalo bull whose hide…
Jul
16
1806
Descending to Great Falls by Buffalo-Skin Canoe
After a delay retrieving stray horses, Lewis and his small party left their camp and traveled down the Missouri to the Great Falls. Lewis took the baggage by…
Jul
16
1806
Wind Forces Halt at Gates of the Rocky Mountains
The party set out after breakfast and made good progress until a strong headwind around noon forced them to halt near the Gates of the Rocky Mountains. Collins…
Jul
16
1806
Lewis Departs to Explore Maria's River
Captain Lewis took six horses and set out to explore up Maria's River with only three hunters, leaving four horses behind to help haul canoes and baggage across…
Jul
17
1806
First Pelican Sighted Along the Yellowstone
Soaked by overnight rain, Clark's party gathered the horses and set out early, traveling down the Yellowstone (Rochejhone) River. They passed several creeks flowing from snow-capped mountains, which…
Jul
17
1806
Sunrise Sketches of Falls Before Vast Buffalo Plains
Lewis sketched the falls at sunrise before setting out across vast, treeless plains he likened to a shaved bowling green, dotted with immense buffalo herds and trailing wolves.…
Jul
17
1806
Mountain Sheep Skins Preserved for Eastern Transport
After breakfast, the party continued downriver. Collins and Colter skinned two mountain sheep, preserving the skin and bones for the officers to bring back east. High winds nearly…
Jul
17
1806
Smoke Fires Deployed Against Tormenting Mosquitoes
Patrick Gass notes the use of something—likely smoke from fires—that drives away mosquitoes and provides relief from the tormenting insects that had been plaguing the party. The brief…
Jul
18
1806
Charbonneau Thrown from Horse Chasing Buffalo
The party set out after two buffalo bulls wandered near camp; one was shot and died across the river. Charbonneau was thrown from his horse chasing buffalo when…
Jul
18
1806
High Divide Between Rose River and Maria's River
The party set out before sunrise and rode through open plains, crossing a high divide between the waters of the Rose River and Maria's River, from which several…
Jul
18
1806
Buffalo Herds Spotted Along the Gentle Current
The party continued downstream on a gentle current, spotting large herds of buffalo on the plains along with many beaver and otter. Collins killed three deer around midday.…
Jul
18
1806
Pirogue and Cache at Portage's Lower End Inspected
Gass and three men traveled to the lower end of the portage to inspect the pirogue and the cache left there, finding everything secure. They removed some tobacco…
Jul
19
1806
Rigging a Padded Saddle for Gibson's Leg Wound
Clark tended to Gibson's serious leg wound, rigging a padded horse saddle so the injured man could travel more comfortably than in a litter as the party pushed…
Jul
19
1806
Eight Fat Mule Deer Killed on Scout Downriver
Drewyer and J. Fields scouted downriver early, returning by 12:30 PM to report reaching a previously visited point six miles away, passing Buffalo Creek at two miles. They…
Jul
19
1806
Hunters Kill Four Buffalo at White Bear Camp
The party's hunters crossed a river bend on foot and killed four buffalo and a buck deer, while the canoes proceeded around. After taking the best meat, they…
Jul
19
1806
Canoes Arrive; Boiling Spring Noted on Mountain Crossing
The men spent the day dressing skins in preparation for crossing the portage once the canoes arrived. Mosquitoes were bothersome. At 3 p.m., a sergeant and nine men…
Jul
20
1806
Decision to Lash Two Small Canoes Together
Camped along the river, Clark sent Sergeant Pryor and Shields downstream to scout for larger timber, but after examining about 12 miles of bottoms they found nothing better…
Jul
20
1806
Rough Gravelly Plains Bruising Barefoot Horses
Lewis's party rode at sunrise along the north side of Maria's River, crossing increasingly broken, gravelly plains with poor whitish-blue clay soil that bruised their barefoot horses. They…
Jul
20
1806
Wagon Tongues Fitted; Mosquitoes Torment the Camp
The party remained in camp this day because the truck wagons were not yet ready. Sergeant Gass worked on fitting tongues into the wagons, while other men spent…
Jul
20
1806
Rest Day; Horses Tested in Harness at Evening
The party decided to remain in camp for the day to allow the men who had arrived with the canoes to rest after their fatiguing journey. Weather conditions…
Jul
21
1806
Half the Horses Missing; Indians Suspected
Clark discovered half the expedition's horses missing and sent Shannon, Bratten, and Charbonneau to search; all returned unsuccessful, though Shannon spotted a large decorated lodge about 12 miles…
Jul
21
1806
Soaked Instruments Dried After Difficult River Crossing
The party set out at sunrise along the north side of the river, but steep ravines forced them to cross repeatedly. During one crossing, a pack horse missed…
Jul
21
1806
Missing Horses Unrecovered; Canoes Launched Regardless
Mosquitoes plagued the camp through the night. At daybreak one man went out to retrieve the horses but could not find them; several others searched throughout the day…
Jul
21
1806
Search Parties Fail to Recover Missing Horses
The party loaded two canoes onto wagons and moved them forward by hand for some distance while one man searched for the missing horses. He returned at midday…
Jul
22
1806
Hard Dry Plains Yield No Tracks of Stolen Horses
Strong northeast winds continued, with a cool predawn. Clark sent Sergeant Pryor and Charbonneau upriver to the first narrows to search for the missing horses, but they returned…
Jul
22
1806
Buffalo Dung for Fuel on Scarce-Timber Plains
Lewis's party set out early and traveled up the river over rough, gravelly terrain that left their horses footsore. After seven miles the land leveled out, though timber…
Jul
22
1806
Axletree Breaks Hauling Canoes Past Great Falls
The party split up in different directions searching for four missing horses, finally locating them around noon at the Great Falls of the Missouri. They harnessed the horses…
Jul
22
1806
Axletree Breaks After Four Miles of Hauling
Members of the party scattered to search for missing horses, and two men soon located them. The horses were harnessed to the wagons, and the group moved about…
Jul
23
1806
Fresh Moccasin Confirms Indians Stole the Horses
Wolves or stray dogs raided camp overnight, eating most of the dried meat. Sergeant Pryor and Windsor found a fresh Indian moccasin and piece of robe, convincing Clark…
