Seaman Catches Squirrels Swimming Across the Ohio
While traveling down the Ohio River, Lewis observed large numbers of gray squirrels swimming across the water in a mass migration. His Newfoundland dog, Seaman, repeatedly leaped from the boat into the river to catch and kill the swimming squirrels, retrieving them back to the boat. The dog caught enough to supplement the expedition's provisions, and Lewis found the fried squirrel meat to be pleasant fare. This early entry highlighted Seaman's strength, activity, and usefulness as a working member of the party rather than just a pet.
Lewis recorded one of the first of many journal entries about Seaman’s exploits on the expedition. While traveling down the Ohio River, they encountered large numbers of gray squirrels swimming across the river—a mass migration phenomenon well documented in the early American frontier. Lewis wrote that Seaman would leap from the boat into the water and catch the squirrels as they swam, bringing them back to the boat.
“My dog was of the newfoundland breed very active strong and docile, he would take the squirels in the water kill them and swimming bring them in the boat,” Lewis recorded. The dog caught so many that they provided a welcome addition to the expedition’s provisions. Lewis noted the squirrel meat was “a pleasant food” when fried.
This early demonstration of Seaman’s capabilities set the tone for the dog’s role throughout the expedition. He was not merely a pet but a working member of the party—a hunter, retriever, and companion who earned his place alongside the men of the Corps of Discovery.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Lewis recorded one of the first of many journal entries about Seaman's exploits on the expedition. While traveling down the Ohio River, they encountered large numbers of gray squirrels swimming across the river—a mass migration phenomenon well documented in the early American frontier. Lewis wrote that Seaman would leap from the boat into the water and catch the squirrels as they swam, bringing them back to the boat.
"My dog was of the Newfoundland breed, very active, strong, and docile. He would take the squirrels in the water, kill them, and swimming bring them into the boat," Lewis recorded. The dog caught so many that they provided a welcome addition to the expedition's provisions. Lewis noted the squirrel meat was "a pleasant food" when fried.
This early demonstration of Seaman's capabilities set the tone for the dog's role throughout the expedition. He was not merely a pet but a working member of the party—a hunter, retriever, and companion who earned his place alongside the men of the Corps of Discovery.
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
Entities mentioned in this entry
Auto-extracted from the entry text. Hover any entity for context.
