Christmas Day at Fort Clatsop
Christmas Day at the newly built Fort Clatsop on the Pacific coast was bleak compared to the previous year at Fort Mandan. Constant rain, scarce game, and dwindling trade goods left the Corps of Discovery with little to celebrate. Dinner consisted of spoiled elk eaten out of necessity. The men marked the day by firing their guns at dawn and exchanging small gifts, including white weasel tails from Sacagawea to Clark and an Indian basket from Clark to Lewis. The party remained sheltered in their huts, having completed the fort in just 15 days.
Christmas at Fort Clatsop was a somber affair. The rain was relentless, game was scarce, and trade goods were nearly exhausted. The festive optimism that had marked the previous Christmas at Fort Mandan was gone.
“We would have Spent this day the nativity of Christ in feasting, had we any thing either to raise our Sperits or even gratify our appetites. Our Diner consisted of pore Elk, so much Spoiled that we eate it thro’ mear necessity.”
The men exchanged modest gifts: Sacagawea gave Clark two dozen white weasel tails, Clark gave a small Indian basket to Lewis, and the men fired their guns at dawn. Clark wrote, “all the party Snugly fixed in their huts.” Despite the hardship, the Corps had reached the Pacific and built a serviceable winter fort in just 15 days.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Christmas at Fort Clatsop was a somber affair. The rain was relentless, game was scarce, and trade goods were nearly exhausted. The festive optimism that had marked the previous Christmas at Fort Mandan was gone.
"We would have spent this day, the nativity of Christ, in feasting, had we anything either to raise our spirits or even gratify our appetites. Our dinner consisted of poor elk, so much spoiled that we ate it through mere necessity."
The men exchanged modest gifts: Sacagawea gave Clark two dozen white weasel tails, Clark gave a small Indian basket to Lewis, and the men fired their guns at dawn. Clark wrote, "all the party snugly fixed in their huts." Despite the hardship, the Corps had reached the Pacific and built a serviceable winter fort in just 15 days.
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