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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Oct
29
1804
Grand Council with Mandan and Hidatsa Chiefs
On a fair but windy morning at the Mandan villages, the captains held a council with chiefs of the Mandan, Mahaha, and Hidatsa (Big Belly/Minnetaree) villages under a…
Oct
29
1804
Grand Council Opens with Cannon Fire at Mandan Villages
Leading men from the Mandan villages, the Watasoons, Sioux, and one representative from the Gros Ventres gathered for a council with the expedition. The meeting opened at 11…
Oct
29
1804
Grand Council with Mandan and Gros Ventre Nations
The captains held a council with chiefs and warriors of the Mandan, Gros Ventre, and Wattasoon nations, opening and closing the meeting with cannon fire. Captain Lewis delivered…
Oct
30
1804
Medal and Flag Presented to Big White
Many Mandan chiefs visited the expedition's camp. Two chiefs, including the principal man of the lower village, asked to hear the previous day's speech repeated, and a medal…
Oct
30
1804
Scouting an Island for Winter Quarters Site
On a clear and pleasant day, Captain Lewis led a party of expedition members along with one or two Indian guides about six miles up the river to…
Oct
30
1804
Clark Scouts Island for Winter Quarters Site
To give the Native Americans time to consider and respond to the previous day's council, the expedition paused formal talks. Around 10 a.m., Captain Clark and eight men…
Oct
31
1804
Black Cat Welcomes Peace Message at His Lodge
On a fine morning at the Mandan villages, Clark was invited by Black Cat (Posecopsahe), principal chief of the second Mandan village, to his lodge. After ceremonial seating…
Oct
31
1804
Clark Scouts Countryside for Winter Camp Location
With the river running low and winter approaching fast in a climate where the water often freezes over, the captains decided to make winter camp in the area.…
Oct
31
1804
Mandan Chief Presents Corn and Buffalo Robes
With the Indians still not having given a formal answer to the captains' proposals, Captain Clarke and several men traveled down to the village around noon. There, the…
Oct
31
1804
Mandan Chiefs Present Nine Bushels of Corn
Strong winds blew from the south, and the Native leaders had not yet responded to the captains' proposals from the previous day's council. Around noon, Captain Clark and…
Nov
1
1804
Big White Offers Corn and Arikara Peace
Chiefs from the lower Mandan village, including Big White (Sha-ha-ca), visited the captains and asked them to stop by their village for corn. They expressed willingness to make…
Nov
1
1804
Wind-Bound Camp Moves Seven Miles Downriver
Strong winds kept the expedition confined to their camp for most of the day. When the wind finally died down in the evening, the party was able to…
Nov
1
1804
Fort Mandan Built; Sioux Raid Reported by Mandans
Construction of Fort Mandan progressed during 14 days of pleasant weather as men built and finished their huts. A 15-day hunting trip down the river brought back 34…
Nov
1
1804
Searching Downriver for Winter Quarters
The party traveled downriver searching for a suitable location to establish their winter quarters. By nightfall they had covered nine miles and made camp in a bottomland thick…
Nov
1
1804
Downriver Reconnaissance for Winter Quarters Site
With cool northwest winds easing in the afternoon, the party set off downriver around 3 p.m. to scout a suitable site for winter quarters, though the shallow water…
Nov
2
1804
Timber and Charcoal Work at Fort Mandan
Construction continued on the expedition's winter quarters along the Missouri River. Six men were assigned to making charcoal while the rest cut timber and worked on the buildings.…
Nov
2
1804
Winter Quarters Site Chosen; Corn Traded at Mandan Village
The party scouted a wooded bottom downriver and selected a site for winter quarters near an old Indian camp in a grove of large cottonwoods. While Captain Lewis…
Nov
2
1804
Mandan Village Visited; Fort Mandan Construction Begins
The party visited the first village of the Mandans, who provided them with corn. Captain Clark and the remainder of the group moved a half mile downriver and…
Nov
2
1804
Fort Huts Completed; Sioux Attack Mandan Hunters
Over 14 days of pleasant weather, the men diligently built and finished their huts at the new fort. A hunting party sent downriver returned after 15 days with…
Nov
3
1804
Construction Begins at Fort Mandan
On a fine but windy Saturday, the Corps began constructing their winter cabins at Fort Mandan. Six men were sent downriver by pirogue to hunt, and the discharged…
Nov
3
1804
Fort Mandan Second Hut Line Foundation Laid
Construction of Fort Mandan continued, with the foundation laid for a second line of huts measuring 4 by 14 feet using large, heavy timber. A hunting party departed…
Nov
3
1804
Winter Quarters Take Shape as Angled Fort
Hunters set out by pirogue downriver, expecting to travel 30-40 miles to reach good hunting grounds. The party's winter quarters took shape: two rows of four huts each,…
Nov
4
1804
Charbonneau and Sacagawea Engaged as Interpreters
Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader living with the Hidatsa, approached the captains and offered his services as an interpreter, explaining he had just returned from a hunting…
Nov
4
1804
French Hands Discharged; Winter Quarters Construction Advances
Clear, pleasant weather allowed work on the winter quarters to continue. Several French hired hands were discharged, with one set to building a pirogue to descend the Missouri.…
Nov
4
1804
Sioux War Party Kills One, Wounds Two Hunters
While unrigging the boat, a sergeant accidentally dislocated his shoulder. Early that morning, an Indian was spotted across the river and brought over, reporting that a Sioux war…
Nov
5
1804
Mandans Drive One Hundred Antelope into Pen
Clark rose early to begin building the second row of huts, working with heavy cottonwood, elm, and small ash logs in their sandy location. Many Indians passed by…
Nov
5
1804
Raising Huts and Digging Latrine at Winter Camp
The crew began work early, raising another row of huts at their winter encampment and splitting puncheons to lay the lofts, which they planned to cover with earth…
Nov
5
1804
Passing the Pania River with Antelope Sighted
Under clear skies and steady winds, the expedition passed a long timbered island where three men disembarked to hunt. They observed yellow bluffs with springs on the north…
Nov
6
1804
Aurora Borealis Illuminates the Northern Sky
At Fort Mandan, the previous night the guard woke Clark to observe an aurora borealis, which shifted in light streaks and floating columns across the northern sky. The…
Nov
6
1804
Rain and Headwinds Among Sandbars
The expedition traveled along the river, passing an attractive bottom prairie on the north side capped by a cottonwood grove, while dark bluffs rose along the south bank.…
Nov
6
1804
French Interpreter Departs; Cold Weather Threatens Snow
The night was mostly clear, followed by a clear morning. Around 9 a.m. it clouded over and turned cold, looking likely to snow by 11 a.m. The French…
Nov
7
1804
Quiet Day of Hut Construction at Winter Camp
On this temperate but cloudy and foggy Wednesday, the expedition continued construction of their hut at the winter encampment. No other significant events or decisions were recorded for…
Nov
7
1804
Captains' Quarters Sealed with Tarpaulin and Mortar
The expedition party worked on finishing the captains' quarters at their winter encampment. They hewed down the inside of the room and laid a loft of hewn puncheons…
Nov
7
1804
Lost Hunter's Cached Meat Found on South Bank
The expedition traveled past high prairie land with cottonwood on the low bottom points. On the south side, they discovered a scaffold of neatly dried meat left behind…
Nov
8
1804
Hudson's Bay Company Men Expected at Camp
On a cloudy Thursday, the expedition's interpreter Jussome visited a nearby village and returned with news that three Englishmen from the Hudson's Bay Company had arrived and were…
Nov
8
1804
Cottonwood Timber Proves Difficult to Split for Planking
The party worked quickly to construct shelter before winter arrived. They tested cottonwood timber and initially found it split well, raising hopes that they could produce enough planks…
Nov
8
1804
Wolves Devour Hunter's Buffalo and Carry Off His Hat
Under clear skies with a southeast wind, the party traveled past a dry creek bed and high bluffs on the south side, with burnt prairie on the north.…
Nov
9
1804
Hard Frost and a Black-Tipped White Weasel
A very hard frost greeted the morning as the party continued constructing their winter cabins despite difficulties, working under cloudy skies with a northwest wind. Several Indians passed…
Nov
9
1804
Hunters Bag Deer While Buffalo Graze the Hills
The expedition traveled along the river with high bluffs on the south side, stopping at 1 o'clock for dinner at a small creek on the south bank. Hunters…
Nov
9
1804
Hunters Awaited; Native Visitors Arrive Daily
Construction of the winter quarters continued as usual through the morning. The party awaited the return of their hunters, as they were badly in need of fresh meat.…
Nov
10
1804
Chief Half Man Brings Buffalo and Crosses by Bullboat
The party rose early and continued construction of their fort. Several Indians visited, including a chief named Half Partia (Half Man), who brought a side of buffalo as…
Nov
10
1804
Petrified Fish Skeleton Found at Sulphur Bluffs
The party set out early, passing high bluffs on the north side and timbered bottomland on the south. At noon they reached black sulphur bluffs on the south…
Nov
10
1804
Mandan Visitors Bring Buffalo Meat; Huts Rising
Visitors from the Mandan village arrived by buffalo-hide canoe, bringing the expedition some fat buffalo meat. The men completed raising one line of their huts at the winter…
Nov
11
1804
Two Rocky Mountain Women Purchased as Slaves
On a cold Sunday at Fort Mandan, the men continued construction work on the fort, though two of them accidentally cut themselves with an ax. Large ducks were…
Nov
11
1804
Shoshone Woman Presents Four Buffalo Robes
The party spent the day chinking and roofing their huts at the winter camp. A Shoshone (Snake nation) woman, accompanied by the wife of one of the interpreters,…
Nov
11
1804
Lost Horse-Handler Returns After Sixteen Days
The party traveled past a timbered island with hills and prairies lining both sides of the river. Rain began at 1 o'clock and continued heavily through the day.…
Nov
12
1804
Big White's Wife Carries a Hundred Pounds of Meat
On a bitterly cold day with freezing temperatures and ice forming along the river, Big White, principal chief of the lower Mandan village, visited and brought about 100…
Nov
12
1804
Lower Mandan Chief Brings Meat to Winter Quarters
Frost set in overnight, with some freezing. The party continued building their winter quarters as usual. The chief of the lower Mandan village visited and brought buffalo meat,…
Nov
12
1804
Black Bluffs and Prairie; Clark Hunts Until Dark
The expedition passed black bluffs along the south bank and a timbered island, the only timber visible from the area, with the surrounding country consisting entirely of hills…
Nov
13
1804
Moving into Fort Mandan as River Ice Runs
On a snowy, cold day with ice beginning to run in the river, the party rose early and unloaded the boat before breakfast, storing supplies in a storehouse…
Nov
13
1804
Boat Icebound; Lewis Fetches Chimney Stones by Pirogue
With the boat stuck in river ice, the men unloaded its cargo into the unfinished storehouse to keep it from being swept away, then continued construction work. Captain…
Nov
13
1804
Headwinds and Rain; Hunters Fail to Return
The expedition set out early under cloudy skies with light rain and a headwind. Traveling along the river, they passed a creek and a long range of bluffs…
Nov
14
1804
Adoption Ceremony Keeps Indians from Camp
At Fort Mandan, the day was cloudy with thick ice running in the river, which had risen half an inch overnight, and some snow falling. Few Indians visited…
Nov
14
1804
French Trappers Arrive After Dark with Pirogue News
Around 3 p.m., the party spotted a canoe with two men coming up the river, suspected to be the French trappers who had set off downstream days earlier.…
Nov
14
1804
Dragging the Boat Through Shallows; Porcupine Alone
The party struggled upriver through shallow water, with all hands wading to drag the boat along. They stopped for breakfast at 8 a.m., when yesterday's hunters returned with…
Nov
15
1804
Drouillard Returns; Hunters Ordered Through the Ice
On a cloudy Thursday with thicker ice running in the river, George Drouillard and a French engagé arrived back at camp around 10 a.m. from the hunters' camp…
Nov
15
1804
Frenchman Dispatched with Tow Rope to Damaged Pirogue
A Frenchman returned with news that the pirogue was about eighteen miles downriver, loaded with meat, and that its bow had been damaged by ice. He was sent…
Nov
15
1804
Scouts Ascend the White River Twelve Miles
The expedition set out early, passing a creek on the south side and black bluffs on the north before reaching the mouth of the White River on the…
Nov
16
1804
Frost on the Trees; Huts Daubed with Mud
A heavy white frost coated the trees in ice under cloudy skies. The men moved into their still-unfinished huts and spent much of the day daubing them with…
Nov
16
1804
Extraordinary White Frost Coats Trees and Branches
A heavy, coarse white frost coated everything, including tree branches, throughout the day—thicker than any frost the writer had witnessed back in the States. The air remained dense…
