Missouri River near Tavern Cave — John Ordway: May 24, 1804
The party camped on the south side of the Missouri River. The entry's footnotes provide background context, identifying Captain Amos Stoddard as the commissioner appointed by President Jefferson to receive Upper Louisiana from France in the March 10, 1804 transfer ceremony, with Captain Lewis as chief witness. Lieutenant Worrall served under Stoddard. Geographic notes identify Bonhomme Creek in St. Louis County and the Femme Osage River, variously spelled by the journalists. A nearby cave, roughly 120 feet wide and 40 feet deep, was a well-known stopping point for Missouri River voyagers.
lected encamped on S Side
1 Capt. Amos Stoddard, U. S. A. He was the commissioner appointed by
President Jefferson to receive Upper Louisiana from France. The ceremony
of transfer occurred Mar. 10, 1804, with Captain Lewis as the chief official
witness. The transfer effected, Stoddard became military governor of Upper
Louisiana.
2 Lieutenant Worrall, one of Captain Stoddard’s officers.
• For a list, together with some account of the various members of the expedi-
tion mentioned by Ordway in the course of the journal, see Coues, I, 253 59.
4 Bonhomme Creek. All of the journalists who mention it labor over its
spelling. It joins the Missouri in St. Louis County.
5 The Femme Osage River. Clark writes it “Osage Womans R”; Floyd,
“the wife of Osage River.”
6 Clark gives the dimensions as “about 120 feet wide 40 feet Deep & 20 feet
high.” The cave was a well-known Btopping place for voyagers on the Missouri.
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 81
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
...camped on the south side.
[Footnotes:]
1. Captain Amos Stoddard, U.S. Army. He was the commissioner appointed by President Jefferson to receive Upper Louisiana from France. The ceremony of transfer occurred March 10, 1804, with Captain Lewis as the chief official witness. Once the transfer was effected, Stoddard became military governor of Upper Louisiana.
2. Lieutenant Worrall, one of Captain Stoddard's officers.
3. For a list, together with some account of the various members of the expedition mentioned by Ordway in the course of the journal, see Coues, I, 253-59.
4. Bonhomme Creek. All of the journalists who mention it struggle with its spelling. It joins the Missouri in St. Louis County.
5. The Femme Osage River. Clark writes it "Osage Womans R"; Floyd, "the wife of Osage River."
6. Clark gives the dimensions as "about 120 feet wide, 40 feet deep, and 20 feet high." The cave was a well-known stopping place for voyagers on the Missouri.
[1804] Sergeant Ordway's Journal 81
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
Entities mentioned in this entry
Auto-extracted from the entry text. Hover any entity for context.
