Fort Mandan, North Dakota — Patrick Gass: December 9, 1804
On December 9, 1804, the hunting party descended to a bottom where two men were guarding meat. They encountered buffalo that had wandered into the woods, killing ten buffalo and one deer. After dressing the animals, they loaded four horses with meat and sent part of the group back to the fort. Captain Lewis and the remaining men camped outdoors, using the buffalo hides for shelter and managing tolerable lodging for the night. The entry also includes a lengthy geographic note estimating the longitude of the Mandan villages and commenting on existing maps of the Missouri River.
down to the bottom where the two men were taking care of
the meat. We found some buffaloe had come into the woods,
and we killed ten of them and a deer. Having dressed them
we loaded four horses with meat and sent them with some
north, and longitude 101. 25. West. Now this is probably near the longitude of the
Mandan villages ; for as it appears by the above statement, and by other observations
of Captain Lewis nearer the mouth of the Missouri, that the course up the river is, for
a considerable distance, nearly due west, and afterwards nearly due north, the dif-
ference of longitude and latitude, between the mouth, of the Missouri and the point
where Mr. Thompson took his observations, may be added together, in estimating the
distance; and this will give about 8 1-2 degrees of latitude and 9 degrees of longitude,
making in the whole 17 1-2 degrees, which from the very meandering course of the
Missouri may be sufficient to include 1610 miles of it, the distance from the mouth
to the villages. In the map of North America included in the Atlas accompanying
Pinkerton’s Geography, published in 1804, this part of the Missouri appears pretty
accurately laid down; but in the map of Louisiana in the same set it is equally erro-
neous with any other.
60 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
of the party to the fort: Captain Lewis and the rest of us
encamped out, and had, tolerable lodging with the assistance
of the hides of the buffaloe we had killed.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
down to the bottom where the two men were taking care of the meat. We found that some buffalo had come into the woods, and we killed ten of them and a deer. After dressing them, we loaded four horses with meat and sent them, along with some of the party, to the fort.
[north, and longitude 101° 25' West. Now this is probably near the longitude of the Mandan villages; for as it appears from the above statement, and from other observations made by Captain Lewis nearer the mouth of the Missouri, the course up the river runs, for a considerable distance, nearly due west, and afterwards nearly due north. The difference of longitude and latitude between the mouth of the Missouri and the point where Mr. Thompson took his observations may be added together when estimating the distance; this gives about 8½ degrees of latitude and 9 degrees of longitude, making 17½ degrees in all. Given the very winding course of the Missouri, this may be enough to account for 1,610 miles of it, the distance from the mouth to the villages. In the map of North America included in the Atlas accompanying Pinkerton's Geography, published in 1804, this part of the Missouri appears to be laid down fairly accurately; but in the map of Louisiana in the same set, it is just as inaccurate as any other.]
Captain Lewis and the rest of us camped out, and had tolerable lodging with the help of the hides from the buffalo we had killed.
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