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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Jun
6
1805
Clark Returns Favoring the South Fork as True Missouri
On a cold, cloudy morning with a northeast wind and light rain, hunters from camp killed two buffalo, an elk, several deer, and antelope. Around 2 p.m. Captain…
Jun
6
1805
Deer Killed While Lewis's Party Remains Absent
The party killed some deer during the day. Around 1 o'clock they returned to the plains, which they continued across until reaching the point in the evening. Captain…
Jun
7
1805
Rain and Southwest Wind off the Mountains
Rain fell moderately through the night and continued throughout the day, with a southwest wind blowing off the mountains and the thermometer reading 40 degrees above zero. The…
Jun
7
1805
Lewis and Windsor Nearly Fall from Slippery Clay Bluffs
Cold rain and a hard northeast wind made for a miserable march down the river. The clay bluffs were dangerously slippery, and Lewis nearly fell ninety feet into…
Jun
7
1805
Rain Persists as Lewis's Party Remains Overdue
Heavy rain fell through much of the previous night and continued as a cloudy, wet morning set in. Some of the men set out hunting and managed to…
Jun
7
1805
Expected Party Member Fails to Return to Camp
A brief journal note indicating that someone expected to return to camp had not done so by the time of this entry. The fragment provides no additional context…
Jun
8
1805
Clark Grows Uneasy Awaiting Overdue Lewis
Rain fell through the night and into the morning until 10 a.m., when skies cleared. Clark grew uneasy because Lewis was overdue from his scouting trip. He had…
Jun
8
1805
Northern Fork Named Maria's River After Rain
After overnight rain, the morning cleared and the party broke camp at sunrise, continuing down the river bottoms through mud and past dangerous bluffs, while Lewis noted the…
Jun
8
1805
Lewis Returns; Snow-Capped Mountains Visible to the West
The day began cloudy and cold with a southwest wind, clearing to pleasant weather by 9 a.m., during which the men aired out the Indian trade goods. Snow-capped…
Jun
8
1805
Lewis Returns from Sixty-Mile Scout of North Fork
The weather cleared pleasantly by mid-morning after a cold spell that had blanketed camp in snow, and the Indian goods were aired out. Around 3 p.m., Captain Lewis…
Jun
8
1805
Claret South Fork Contrasts Milky North Branch
The South branch of the river turned a claret color overnight, contrasting sharply with the milky appearance of the other branch. Captain Lewis returned to camp around 4…
Jun
9
1805
Caching Supplies Before Ascending the South Fork
On a fair, windy Sunday, the captains decided to cache powder, lead, provisions, and tools and leave one pirogue behind before ascending the South fork, which they judged…
Jun
9
1805
Red Pirogue Cached; South Fork Judged True Missouri
At the Marias River junction, the captains decided to cache the large red pirogue and heavy supplies to lighten the boats and free up seven crewmen. After studying…
Jun
9
1805
Eight Men Haul Fat Buffalo; Cache Dug at Bluffs
The day began clear and pleasant. Two hunters killed a very fat buffalo, requiring eight men to haul in the meat. Other men were sent to the bluffs…
Jun
9
1805
Fat Buffalo Requires Eight Men to Haul; Cache Dug
At their camp near the river junction, the men aired out goods from the red pirogue while two hunters brought down an exceptionally fat buffalo, requiring eight men…
Jun
9
1805
Cache Dug; Large Pirogue and Stores Buried
The captains decided to leave the large pirogue and some of the stores and baggage at this location, and several men set to work digging a cache to…
Jun
10
1805
Baggage Cached and Pirogue Hidden at the Forks
On a fine, dry day at the forks, the expedition organized baggage and cached supplies—powder, lead, and an ax in the point, plus a larger cache of goods…
Jun
10
1805
Shields Repairs Air Gun During Drying of Stores
On a fair day at the Marias River junction, the party dried baggage while Shields—praised for his skill as a craftsman, hunter, and waterman—repaired Lewis's air gun. The…
Jun
10
1805
Caches Split Between Locations at the Forks
On a pleasant day at the forks of the river, the party prepared to lighten their load before pushing on. Some men braided a towing line for the…
Jun
10
1805
Red Pirogue Hidden; White Pirogue Outfitted for Travel
At the river forks, the men prepared for the next leg of the journey. They made a towing line for the white pirogue, cached a canister of powder…
Jun
10
1805
Cache Prepared at Maria's River Before Downpour
At the mouth of Maria's River, the party cached items by covering them with brush and began sorting their gear to decide what to leave behind. Around two…
Jun
11
1805
Final Caches of Powder, Provisions, and Skins Buried
On a fair, windy Tuesday, the party cached supplies for the return trip, burying a keg and two canisters of powder with lead in separate spots, along with…
Jun
11
1805
Lewis Ill; Elk Killed Near Rose River Branch
Recovering from illness, Lewis set out at 8 A.M. with a small party and traveled about nine miles to a point where Rose River, a branch of Maria's…
Jun
11
1805
Lewis Departs for South Snowy Mountain with Four Men
On a clear pleasant morning, Captain Lewis set out around 8 o'clock with George Drouillard, George Gibson, Joseph Fields, and Silas Goodrich toward the South Snowy Mountain. The…
Jun
11
1805
Lewis Scouts Southern Fork Toward Snowy Mountains
Captain Lewis set out with George Drouillard, George Gibson, Joseph Fields, and Silas Goodrich toward the snowy southern mountains to determine which fork was the true Missouri River.…
Jun
11
1805
Party Splits to Cache Baggage and Scout Westward
The party split duties on this day. A group set out westward toward the mountains they had spotted, while the rest stayed behind to bury baggage and goods…
Jun
12
1805
Sacagawea Dangerously Ill Among Rattlesnake Bluffs
On a clear, cool morning, the expedition set out at 8 a.m. with a southwest wind and made good progress against swift water. Clark moved Sacagawea, who was…
Jun
12
1805
Two Grizzlies Killed with Single Shots Each
Feeling recovered from illness, Lewis took more of his medicinal decoction and set out at sunrise, traveling across level plains southwest of the Missouri River. Around 10 a.m.…
Jun
12
1805
Departure from Point Deposit up the South Fork
After burying three forgotten traps, the party left Point Deposit around 7 a.m. on a clear morning and continued up the South Fork, which they still called the…
Jun
12
1805
Departing Point Deposit up the South Fork Missouri
The party retrieved three forgotten traps and departed Point Deposit, located 2,508 miles from the Missouri's mouth, around 7 a.m., continuing up the south fork they still called…
Jun
12
1805
Brush-Covered Cache and Storm at Maria's River
At the mouth of Maria's River, the party concealed a cache with brush and began sorting through their supplies to decide what could be left behind. Around two…
Jun
13
1805
Lewis Discovers the Great Falls of the Missouri
Lewis became the first non-Indigenous person to see the Great Falls of the Missouri, a sight that moved him to unusually poetic prose, wishing for the artistic skill…
Jun
13
1805
Naming Snowey River Near the Mountain-Drained Waters
On a pleasant morning, the party set out early and traveled 14 miles upriver, camping on the south side. They passed the mouth of a small, rapid, muddy…
Jun
13
1805
Muddy Tributary Named Snowey River from Mountain Source
The party set out early under heavy dew and traveled along the Missouri River, passing the mouth of a small, muddy, rapid river about 50 yards wide on…
Jun
13
1805
Clear Current Past Snow Creek and Timbered Islands
The party traveled 14 miles up the river under conditions that included dew the previous night. They passed Snow Creek, a large tributary entering from the south, and…
Jun
14
1805
Camp Plagued by Illness; Falls Heard in Distance
On a fine morning, the party struggled with illness in camp—the Indian woman (Sacagawea) was dangerously ill, two men had toothaches, others suffered from boils, and one had…
Jun
14
1805
Lewis Discovers Crooked Falls and the Great Cascade
Lewis sent Joseph Fields with a letter to Clark to scout a portage route while men dried buffalo meat at camp. Walking upriver to find the end of…
Jun
14
1805
Navigating Swift Water Past Bear and Deer Skins
On a pleasant morning, the party continued upriver after two sick men and one with a lame hand had spent the night ashore. They passed Captain Lewis's earlier…
Jun
14
1805
Two Bears Killed; Sick Men Press Upriver
The party set out with two men suffering sore hands and another ill. They passed a north-side bottom where Captain Lewis's group had camped, killed two bears and…
Jun
14
1805
Lewis's Note Leads Party Toward the Great Falls
On a pleasant day, the party traveling upriver passed a spot around 7 a.m. where Captain Lewis and his men had killed two bears and left a note…
Jun
15
1805
Men Haul Through Rapids as Falls Grow Louder
On a warm, fair Saturday, the expedition pushed up an increasingly rapid river, with the falls now audible in the distance. The men hauled boats and ropes through…
Jun
15
1805
Fishing at Great Falls; Rattlesnake Beside Lewis
Lewis spent the day camped near the Great Falls while his men retrieved and dried meat from Drouillard's hunt. He fished, catching numerous trout, and Goodrich landed trout…
Jun
15
1805
Strawberry Creek Named amid Swiftest Waters Yet
Under clear, pleasant skies turning very warm in the afternoon, the party set out at the usual hour and battled some of the swiftest water they had ever…
Jun
15
1805
Violent Rapids and Strawberry River Naming
The party set out at the usual hour and pushed through some of the most violent rapids they had encountered, passing high bluffs and cliffs on both sides…
Jun
15
1805
Rapid Water and Strawberries at Strawberry Creek
The party navigated some of the most rapid water they had ever taken a craft through. At noon they halted at the mouth of Strawberry Creek on the…
Jun
16
1805
Sulphur Spring Discovered Near the Two-Mile Cascade
On a cloudy, rainy Sunday with strong southwest winds, the party double-manned the pirogue and canoes to pass a rapid, then halted to scout a continuous two-mile cascade…
Jun
16
1805
Lewis Returns to Find Sacagawea Gravely Ill
Lewis rejoined the main party with about 600 pounds of dried meat and trout, finding Sacagawea seriously ill, which worried him both for her sake and because she…
Jun
16
1805
Lewis Returns After Scouting Five Separate Rapids
After overnight rain and wind, the morning was clear. The party hauled canoes and the pirogue past a rapid, then waited for Captain Lewis, catching small flat-scaled fish…
Jun
16
1805
Lewis Returns from Scouting; Canoes Hauled Over Rapid
After a clear morning following west winds the previous night, the men hauled canoes and the large pirogue over a rapid, pausing because another impassable rapid lay ahead.…
Jun
16
1805
Lewis Rejoins Party Above Major Rapid
The party hauled canoes up a mile-long rapid and then brought up the pirogue, pausing to scout another major rapid ahead. A messenger sent the previous night to…
Jun
17
1805
Clark Scouts Portage Route Across Rolling Prairie
On a fine, windy morning, Captain Lewis and the party unloaded the pirogue and began hauling cargo about a mile over a low hill to the creek, preparing…
Jun
17
1805
Cottonwood Truck Wheels Built for Canoe Portage
Captain Clark departed early with five men to survey the river and portage route around the Great Falls. Lewis set six men to building truck wheels for hauling…
Jun
17
1805
Wagon Building Begins for Great Falls Portage
On a cloudy day, the party worked on multiple tasks related to portaging around the Great Falls. Some men hauled canoes about 1.5 miles up a small river,…
Jun
17
1805
Wagon Building Begins for Great Falls Portage
The crew worked on hauling canoes up Portage Creek and began building small wagons to carry the canoes, goods, and baggage overland around the Great Falls. Captain Clark…
Jun
17
1805
Wagons Built for Great Falls Portage
The party worked on portaging around the Great Falls of the Missouri, moving canoes about a mile and a half up a small river and building small wagons…
Jun
18
1805
Clark Measures the Magnificent Forty-Seven-Foot Falls
Clark's party set out early and reached the second great cataract of the Missouri, a 47-foot-8-inch falls he considered one of the grandest sights in nature, measuring it…
Jun
18
1805
Cache Dug at Portage Camp; Iron Boat Inspected
At the portage camp, the crew hauled the pirogue ashore, hid it among willows, and began building a cache to store supplies. Goods, ammunition, and provisions were aired…
Jun
18
1805
White Pirogue Concealed; Cache Dug for Stored Baggage
On a fine, pleasant day with high westerly winds, the party hauled the white pirogue into a thicket below the bank and concealed it with bushes for safekeeping.…
Jun
18
1805
Pirogue Hidden and Cache Dug Before Great Falls Portage
The party prepared to portage around the Great Falls. They hid the large pirogue in bushes below camp, covering it with brush and dry wood for safekeeping. Three…
Jun
18
1805
Cache Dug; Hunters Return with Ten Deer
The party secured stored equipment and dug a cache to deposit additional baggage they could not carry forward. Around noon, two hunters returned having found no elk but…
