3415 Entries
Journal Entries
Original journal entries from all six expedition journalists: Lewis, Clark, Floyd, Ordway, Gass, and Whitehouse. Sourced from the Thwaites Edition (1904-1905).
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Aug
26
1804
Exhausted Party Reports Lone Hill in Vast Prairie
The boat was delayed in the morning to butcher an elk Shannon had killed. Around 9 o'clock, a party returned exhausted and nearly out of water, reporting that…
Aug
26
1804
Searching the Spirit Mound; Buffalo Spotted Nearby
Around 10 a.m., Captains Lewis and Clark returned to camp with their party after exploring a hill in a handsome prairie, where they had searched unsuccessfully for the…
Aug
27
1804
Chalk Bluffs Passed; Search Party Sent for Shannon
Setting out under a gentle southeast breeze after Drouillard reported he couldn't find Shannon or the missing horses, the party sent Shields and J. Fields back to search…
Aug
27
1804
Encamped Opposite the White Chalk Bluff
On Monday, August 27th, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition was positioned along the starboard shore of the Missouri River, directly across from the lower point marking the…
Aug
27
1804
Chalk Bluff Passed; Reaching the River Jacques
The party set out at sunrise under a gentle southeast breeze after George Drouillard returned and two men were sent to hunt for the horses. They passed a…
Aug
27
1804
Maha Man Among Sioux at Jacques River
The party traveled past bluffs on the south side of the river and stopped for dinner at 2 o'clock near the mouth of the Sacque (Jacques) River. There…
Aug
28
1804
Shallow River Crossing; Both Captains Fall Ill
Under a stiff southerly wind, the expedition traveled past a willow island and sandbars on a wide, shallow stretch of river, noting a 70-80 foot white bluff on…
Aug
28
1804
Order Issued Designating Cooks for Each Crew
On this day, Captains Lewis and Clark issued an order regarding meal preparation for the expedition. Each of the two pirogue crews was directed to select one man…
Aug
28
1804
Four Men Sent in Pursuit of Deserter Reed
The morning was clear. A party of four men—George Drouillard, Reuben Fields, Bratton, and William Labiche—was sent to pursue Moses Reed, who had deserted, with their location noted…
Aug
28
1804
Young Indian Companion Departs; Pilot Boat Sinks
The expedition traveled with a fair southeast wind, stopping for breakfast at 8 a.m., when their young Indian companion left them to return to his camp near a…
Aug
29
1804
Seventy Yankton Sioux Arrive Across the River
Cloudy with rain overnight and into the morning. The men crafted a tow rope from elk skin while Clark worked on writing a speech. Colter was sent ahead…
Aug
29
1804
Storm Damage Repaired; Colter Sent for Shannon
A storm with wind and rain hit the camp from the northwest the previous night, leaving a cloudy, thundery morning. Colter was sent out with provisions to find…
Aug
29
1804
Rain and Thunder; Men Return from Indian Camp
Rain blew in from the northwest and continued through much of the night, with a cloudy, thundery morning following. The party stayed well fed on excellent catfish, including…
Aug
30
1804
Diplomatic Council with Yankton Sioux at Calumet Bluff
Near present-day Gavins Point, Nebraska, the expedition held a formal council with the Yankton Sioux (Nakota) at Calumet Bluff, marking one of the more successful diplomatic meetings of…
Aug
30
1804
Council, Medals, and Jaw Harps with Native Visitors
Heavy fog delayed travel on the river this morning. Around 9 a.m., Native visitors were ferried across in a pirogue. The captains held council, read a speech, named…
Aug
30
1804
Council with Indians; Five Men Named Chiefs
Around nine o'clock, a group of Indians crossed the river to the expedition's camp. Four musicians moved through the camp singing, after which a council was held. Captains…
Aug
31
1804
Yankton Sioux Chiefs Accept the American Message
On a fair Friday near the Yankton Sioux camp, the captains held a council where Chief Shake Hand and several other chiefs delivered speeches accepting the Americans' message,…
Aug
31
1804
Council and Treaty with Bois Brulé Band
The day began pleasantly, but the following morning brought rain as the expedition departed from Calumet Bluff. At that location, Captains Lewis and Clark held a council and…
Aug
31
1804
White Bear Claw Necklaces; Chief Sent to Washington
The expedition spent the day with a group of Native Americans, some wearing necklaces of white bear claws up to three inches long, and arranged for their old…
Sep
1
1804
Passing Calumet Bluff on the Missouri
The expedition set out under a gentle southern breeze after overnight rain, having returned a kettle left behind by Mr. Dorion. They passed Calumet Bluff, a 170-180 foot…
Sep
1
1804
Ancient Half-Moon Fortification on the South Bank
A heavy windstorm with rain struck the previous night, lasting about two hours. The party set out early under cloudy skies, with three men sent hunting; they killed…
Sep
1
1804
White Bear Cliff and Sulfurous Mineral Deposits Noted
The expedition retrieved a forgotten tin kettle for Dorion, returning it across the river along with two fish, then continued upstream under a light southwest breeze. They passed…
Sep
1
1804
Lightning at Dawn; Hunters Kill Four Swimming Elk
After two hours of lightning and rain, the party set out early along the north side of an island, with prairie land visible to the south. Three men…
Sep
2
1804
Four Fat Elk Killed in Cold Rainy Storm
The party set out early on a cold, rainy Sunday with hard northwest winds, thunder, and lightning, landing on the south side beneath a yellow clay bluff about…
Sep
2
1804
Beaver Sign Plentiful Past Chalk Bluff
On a cool, pleasant morning, the party set out at sunrise and made their way along the river. They passed a yellow bluff and noted many signs of…
Sep
2
1804
Hunters Kill Game After Overnight Storm
After a brief overnight wind and rain storm, the party set off early under cloudy skies, briefly sailing with a southeast wind before strong northwest winds forced them…
Sep
3
1804
Rising River; Solar Observation Below Plum Creek
On a very cold, clear morning with light northwest winds, the expedition set out at sunrise and proceeded along a wide, sandbar-filled river that was rising slightly. Below…
Sep
3
1804
Abundant Beaver Sign Along Timber-Scarce Banks
The expedition set off at sunrise under a westerly wind, passing Yellow Bluff where stones lay under the bank near the water, and rounding a large sandy point…
Sep
3
1804
Yellow Bluffs and Open Treeless Prairie Landscape
The expedition traveled past yellow bluffs and Plumb Creek on the north side of the river, noting a sharp leftward bend before the river curved gradually back to…
Sep
3
1804
Missouri River near Niobrara River — Joseph Whitehouse: September 3, 1804
Editorial note: no detailed primary-source journal entry survives for September 3, 1804 that is distinct from the surrounding days. The...
Sep
4
1804
Clark Surveys Landscape from Red Cedar Cliff
On a very cold day with southeasterly winds, the expedition set out early and passed the mouth of White Lime Creek and, about a mile and a half…
Sep
4
1804
Abandoned Indian Raft Near Rapid River's Mouth
The party set out early and made good progress under sail, finding wild plums along the way. They passed White Paint Creek and the mouth of the Big…
Sep
4
1804
Mast Breaks Under Strong Southerly Sail
The expedition set out early and stopped for breakfast at a small creek on the south side, gathering plums and hackberries. Strong southerly winds let them hoist sail…
Sep
4
1804
Paint Creek and White-Paint Creek Among Yellow Bluffs
The expedition traveled along the river, passing several notable landmarks on September 4, 1804. They first came to Paint Creek on the south side, about 30 yards wide,…
Sep
5
1804
Jury Mast Rigged; Niobrara River Confluence Reached
The expedition set out early under strong southerly winds and rigged a jury mast to sail. They passed a large island where the Poncar (Niobrara) River enters the…
Sep
5
1804
Antelope Tracks Noted; Four-Foot Snake Examined
On this day, the expedition spotted wild antelopes on a hill above the Glauber Salts Springs, but the animals fled before they could be observed clearly, leaving only…
Sep
5
1804
Beaver Dam Blocks Goat Creek's Mouth
On September 5, 1804, the expedition took a cedar mast on board and sent hunters out as they continued under sail. They passed Goat Creek on the north…
Sep
5
1804
Beaver Dam Forms Sizable Pond at Goat Creek
The expedition departed early under a strong south wind and passed a large island where the Field brothers and Drouillard hunted. They stopped for breakfast at Goat Creek,…
Sep
5
1804
Pania River Mouth and Goat Creek Antelope Sighting
On a clear, windy day the party traveled up the Missouri, passing a timbered island where three hunters disembarked. They noted yellow bluffs with springs on the north…
Sep
6
1804
Hard Headwind Forces Early Camp in Bitter Cold
A brief northwest storm at daybreak delayed the expedition's start, but the party pushed off afterward against a hard headwind on a very cold day. They passed an…
Sep
6
1804
Rich Hunt: Buffalo, Elk, Deer, Wolf, Turkeys
On a cloudy day, the expedition continued with several hunters out searching for game. Colter rejoined the party but had been unable to locate the missing George Shannon.…
Sep
6
1804
Towing Keelboat Past Ragged Yellow Cliffs
The expedition set off early but struggled against swift, shallow currents, repeatedly running aground on sandbars and unable to make progress with oars or poles. They crossed to…
Sep
7
1804
First Encounter with a Prairie Dog Colony
On September 7, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition came across their first black-tailed prairie dog colony in what is now Boyd County, Nebraska. The men observed a…
Sep
7
1804
Visiting the Eighty-Lodge Village of Buffalo-Hide Dressers
The party remained in camp while Captain Lewis and others visited the nearby Indian village of about 80 lodges, each housing roughly ten people, mostly women and children…
Sep
7
1804
Captains Examine Curious Round Naked Knob
The party set out very early with a northwest wind and stopped for breakfast at one of Colter's old camps, where jerky had been left. After passing a…
Sep
7
1804
Scaffold of Dried Meat Left by Lost Hunter
The expedition traveled past high prairie land with cottonwood on the low river bottoms. On the south side, they discovered a scaffold of neatly dried meat left by…
Sep
8
1804
Passing Troodo's Old Wintering House on the Pania
The expedition set out early under a gentle southeast breeze. After three miles they passed the Pania house, where a man named Troodo had wintered in 1796, with…
Sep
8
1804
Sixty Warriors Seize the Cable at Gunpoint
After unsuccessfully dragging the river to recover a lost anchor, the party prepared to depart around 9 a.m. with several chiefs aboard. As they tried to shove off,…
Sep
8
1804
Drouillard Returns with Elk, Deer, and Prairie Dog
Under a gentle southeast breeze, the party traveled up the Missouri, passing a small creek, an island, and an old trading house built in 1796 by Troodo. Drouillard…
Sep
8
1804
Wolves Devour Buffalo Kill and Steal Hunter's Hat
Clear weather and a southeast wind made for good travel as the party passed a dry creek bed. A hunter's earlier buffalo kill had been devoured by wolves,…
Sep
9
1804
Shallow Sandbars and Lewis Hunting Buffalo
The expedition departed at sunrise under a southeast wind, passing the island where they had camped along with three sandy, willow-covered islands. The river was shallow and sandbars…
Sep
9
1804
Bituminous Seep Discovered Beneath Blue Bluff
On September 9, 1804, Captain Clark made a notable observation along the larboard (left) shore of the river. Beneath a high bluff, he found a bituminous substance seeping…
Sep
9
1804
Buffalo Herds on Hillsides; Productive Hunting Day
The expedition got underway early and observed several herds of buffalo grazing on the hillsides along the south side of the river. Captain Clark went ashore on foot,…
Sep
9
1804
Clark Hunts Prairie Wolves Among Buffalo Herds
The expedition passed an island and saw numerous buffalo herds on the hills along the south side. After breakfasting opposite the island's upper end, the party heard prairie…
Sep
9
1804
Buffalo Herds on Hillsides; Hunters Bring Deer
The expedition traveled along the river with high bluffs on the south side and stopped for dinner at a small creek on the south side around 1 o'clock.…
Sep
10
1804
Petrified Backbone Found Near Cedar Island
On a cloudy Monday with a gentle southeast breeze, the party set out early and passed several small islands before reaching Cedar Island, a two-mile stretch covered in…
Sep
10
1804
Forty-Five-Foot Fish Backbone Found on South Bank
The expedition started early on a foggy morning and continued upriver. On the south bank, the party came across a striking pile of bones that appeared to belong…
Sep
10
1804
Petrified Forty-Five-Foot Fish Backbone at Sulphur Bluffs
The expedition set out early, passing high bluffs on the north side and timbered bottomland to the south. By midday they reached black sulphur bluffs on the south…
Sep
11
1804
Mapping the Great Prairie Dog Village
On a cloudy Tuesday, the expedition set out early along a wide, shallow, sandbar-filled river, with the boat running aground several times. They passed several islands and observed…
Sep
11
1804
Shannon Reunited After Sixteen Days Living on Grapes
The party set out early under clear skies with a favorable wind, passing a timbered island and high hills and prairie. They reunited with Shannon, who had been…
