Missouri River near Platte River mouth — John Ordway: July 12, 1804
The expedition paused while the captains took observations and several hunters went out. Some hunters from the previous day traveled up the Nemaha River, noted as about 80 yards wide and navigable for pirogues, with prairie extending along both banks. A sentinel, Alexander Willard, had been found asleep at his post the night before and was tried by court martial that day, receiving a sentence of one hundred lashes administered in four installments. Drouillard killed two deer. Many of the men were reported sick and fatigued.
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
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Clothes, etc. The Captains take observations. Several hunters went out this morning. The hunters which went out yesterday on the south side went up the Mahas River. This river is about 80 yards wide and navigable for pirogues some distance up. This prairie comes to its mouth and continues on both sides a long distance into the country. One sentinel was asleep on his post last night, and was tried by court martial this day. Drewyer killed 2 deer today.
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