Journal entry · July 12, 1804

Missouri River near Platte River mouth — John Ordway: July 12, 1804

John Ordway · Missouri River near St. Joseph area · Thwaites Vol. Quaife 1916

That night's camp, per the NPS campsite reconstruction (Bergantino): island left side opposite Big Nemaha River

Cloaths,4 &.C., the Capts take observations. Several hunters
went out this mornins the hunters which went out yesterday
on the South Side went up the Mahas River this River is
about 80 y^ wide and navigable for pearogues Some distance up.
this prarie comes to its mouth and continues both Sides. A long
distance in the Country, one Sentinel a Sleep on his post last
night, and tried by court martial this day.5 Drewyer killed 2
Deer to day.
1 Written “de Salamin” by Clark; “Solomon’s Island” by Biddle, and so
shown on Nicollet’s map.
2 Still the Little Tarkio, in Holt County, Mo.; characterized by Coues as
“a sloughy stream, whose waters have leaked into the Missouri in places at
least 20 miles apart.” On modern maps its mouth is variously located. On
the M. R. C. map it is shown just below Forest City, Mo.
3 Clark wrote “Ne Ma How”; Whitehouse, “Grande-mo-haugh”; Gass
gives “Moha,” and Floyd “Granma mohug.” It is the modern Grand Nemaha
of southeastern Nebraska, joining the Missouri just above the Kansas-Nebraska
boundary. In passing from the Little Tarkio to the Grand Nemaha, there-
fore, the expedition crossed this boundary line.
4 Floyd notes (July 11) that “the men is all Sick.” and Clark that they are
“much fatigued.”
5 The culprit, Alexander Willard, was sentenced to receive “One hundred
lashes on his bear back, at four different times in equal proportion,” the punish-
96 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [July 13

The NPS atlas for this night

island left side opposite Big Nemaha River

NPS campsite reconstruction (Bergantino) · Camp of July 11 to July 12, 1804

NPS sites within 5 miles of this camp

360° view at this camp ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Explore the Trail at this night →

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

Terrain360 · the place today

Missouri River near St. Joseph area in 360°

Nodaway River to Atchison KS · 2,002 panoramas on this trail · 42 journal entries written here

10 frames across 1.7 mi of the route around this location

Help improve this record

See something that needs correcting, or know a source we are missing? The archive gets better through its readers.

Send a correction

Our Partners

Follow the research

New findings, additions, and corrections from the archive. One email a month, no noise.