Journal entry · September 17, 1804

Clark: September 17, 1804

William Clark · Missouri River near White River

That night's camp, per the NPS campsite reconstruction (Bergantino): right shore, 1 mi SE of Oacoma, SD

17th of Septr. Monday 1804 above White river Dried all those articles
which had got wet by the last rain, a fine day Capt Lewis went hunting
with a vew to seethe Countrey &its productions, he was out all Day
Killed a Buffalow & a remarkable bird of the Spicies of Corvus, long
tail of a Greenish Purple, Varigated a Beck like a Crow white round its
neck comeing to a point on its back, its belley white feet like a Hawk
abt. the size of a large Pigeon Capt Lewis returned at Dark. I took the
Meridian & equal altitudes to day made the Lattitude.

Colter Killed a Goat, & a Curious kind of Deer, a Darker grey than
Common the hair longer & finer, the ears verry large & long a
Small resepitical under its eye its tail round and white to near the end
which is black & like a Cow in every other respect like a Deer, except
it runs like a goat. large.

The hunters brought in 8 fallow Deer & 5 Common Deer to day, Great
numbers of Buffalow in the Praries, also a light Coloured woolf Covered
with hair & corse fur, also a Small wolf with a large bushey tailSome
Goats of a Different Kind Seen to day,Great many Plumbs, rabits,
Porcupines & barking Squrels, Capt Lewis Killed a rattle Snake in a
village of the Squirel’s and Saw a Hair to day. Wind from the S. W. we
finished Drying our Provisions Some of which was wet and Spoiled,

—

17th of September Monday 1804 Dried all our wet articles this fine Day,
Capt Lewis went out with a View to see the Countrey and its productions,
he was out all day he killed a Buffalow and a remarkable Bird of the
Corvus Species long tail the upper part of the feathers & also the
wing is of a purplish variated Green, the black, a part of the wing
feather are white edjed with black, white belley, white from the root of
the wings to Center of the back is white, the head nake breast & other
parts are black the Becke like a Crow. abt. the Size of a large Pigion. a
butifull thing (See Suplement in No. 3)

I took equal altitudes and a meridian altitude. Capt. Lewis returned at
Dark, Colter Killed a Goat like the one I killed and a curious kind of
deer of a Dark gray Colr. more so than common, hair long & fine, the
ears large & long, a Small reseptical under the eyes; like an Elk, the
Taile about the length of Common Deer, round (like a Cow) a tuft of black
hair about the end, this Speces of Deer jumps like a goat or Sheep

8 fallow Deer 5 Common & 3 buffalow killed to day, Capt. Lewis Saw a
hare & Killed a Rattle Snake in a village of B. squerels The wind from
S. W. Dryed our provisions, Some of which was much Damaged.

The NPS atlas for this night

right shore, 1 mi SE of Oacoma, SD

NPS campsite reconstruction (Bergantino) · Camp of September 16 to September 17, 1804

NPS sites within 5 miles of this camp

Nearest 360° view, 2.1 mi ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Explore the Trail at this night →

Source: National Park Service, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Park Atlas.

Nearest 360° imagery: Chamberlain L&C Interpretive Center Terrain360’s closest capture is about 8.1 miles from this entry’s tagged location.
Open the nearest 360° capture ↗

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