Meriwether Lewis: December 12, 1803

I came to in the Mouth of a little River Called Wood River, about 2 oClock and imediately after I had landed the NW wind which had been blowing all day increased to a Storm which was accompanied by Hail & snow, & the wind continued to blow from the same point with violence. not soon after I had landed two Canoes of Potowautomi Indians came up on the other side and landed [They] formed their Camp and three of them in a small canoo came across when the waves was so high & wind blowery with [such] violence that I expected their canoo would certainly fill with water or turn over, but to my astonishment found on their landing that they were all Drunk and their canoo had not recived any water. The hunders which I had sent out to examine the Country in Deferent derections, returned with Turkeys & Opossoms and informed me the country was butifull and had great appearance of Gaim.

Source: Lewis’s 1803 journal, printed in Quaife, The Journals of Captain Meriwether Lewis and Sergeant John Ordway (Wisconsin Historical Society, 1916). Public domain.

Note: Lewis’s 1803 narrative ends this day. Quaife: no journal was kept during the five months at River Dubois.