Historical Figure
Nathaniel Pryor
Nathaniel Hale Pryor was one of the original three sergeants selected for the Corps of Discovery, a cousin of Sergeant Charles Floyd. He led a squad throughout the expedition and was entrusted with critical independent missions, including an attempt to return a Mandan chief to his people after the expedition. Pryor later served in the War of 1812 and became an Indian agent and trader among the Osage in present-day Oklahoma, where he married an Osage woman and was adopted into the nation.
0 treaties
140 total items
139 mapped locations
Related Locations
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Planning (1801–1804)
Westward (1804–1805)
Fort Clatsop (1805–1806)
Return (1806)
Post (1806–1812)
Master expedition route
Note: the longest gap between tagged appearances is about 5 months (Nov 15, 1804 → Apr 8, 1805). Nathaniel Pryor may have been present in the corps during that span but is not named in the journals.
Journal Entries (140)
Meeting Trappers Dickson and Hancock from Illinois
Cruzatte Accidentally Shoots Lewis in Thicket
Bighorn Sheep Encountered on the Open Plains
Lewis Calls Volunteers for Marias River Exploration
Sweat Lodge Treatments; Canoe Built for Camp Fishing
Sweat Treatment Attempted on Bratton's Crippling Back Pain
Pryor and Collins Bring In Black Bear and Grizzly
Seeking a Canoe to Buy Above the Shoote Villages
Hunters Jerk Elk as Multinational Native Visitors Arrive
Pryor Explores Quicksand River; Hunters Report Rich Prairie
Drouillard Sent to Purchase a Canoe from Clatsops
Pryor Returns with Fish, Sturgeon, and Wapato
Old Clatsop Chief Visits; Pryor Trades Upriver
Hailstorm Nearly Kills Clark and Sacagawea During Portage
Swift Currents and Hunting Through Montana Mountains
Large Northern Tributary Named Along Dry-Creek Shore
Passing Mandan Villages into Hidatsa Country
Frenchman Dispatched with Tow Rope to Damaged Pirogue
Wild Grapes, Alum Stream, and Four Beaver Taken
All Hands Wade to Drag Boat Over Sandbars
Weeping Water Creek Passed; Clark Finds Abundance of Game
Iron Boat Fails After Grueling Great Falls Portage
Shannon Reunited After Sixteen Days Living on Grapes
Storm Damage Repaired; Colter Sent for Shannon
Chalk Bluff Passed; Reaching the River Jacques
Revisiting Pleasant Camp Near Corvus Creek
Violent Thunderstorm Snaps Cables, Scatters Two Canoes
Swivel Gun Presented to One Eye of the Minitaris
Pryor Arrives by Bull-Boat After Horse Theft
Fresh Moccasin Confirms Indians Stole the Horses
Twin Canoes Launched Down the Yellowstone
Decision to Lash Two Small Canoes Together
Half the Horses Missing; Indians Suspected
Hard Dry Plains Yield No Tracks of Stolen Horses
Rigging a Padded Saddle for Gibson's Leg Wound
Sacagawea Guides Party Toward Mountain Gap Road
Reuniting Horse and Canoe Parties at Madison River
Cold Southwest Winds Slow Progress on Jefferson
Canoes Cached; Hard Winds Hamper Missouri Departure
Canoes Launched Down Jefferson Through Beaverhead Valley
Nine Horses Missing; Shoshone Theft Suspected
Twelve Deer Killed; Expedition Split Planned
Final Plans Drawn for Dividing the Corps
Canoe Swept Away; Blankets and Goods Lost
Sunken Canoe Loses Blankets and Trade Goods
Hunters Dispatched; Sick Child Slightly Improved
Hohastillpilp Arrives; New Village Found with Provisions
Horse Butchered for Meat; Ordway Seeks Salmon
Hohastillpilp Offers Horses Freely for the Journey
Visiting Indians Share Deer; Sick Child Treated
Indians Help Chase Wounded Deer Across River
Pryor Scouts Downriver; Cliffs Block Route
Fair Day; Baggage Aired and Roots Dried in Sun
Drouillard's Strayed Horse Returned; Hohastillpilp Departs
Lost Horse Recovered; Sacagawea Gathers Fennel Roots
Rain Soaks Lewis's Chronometer; Pryor and Collins Return
Rain Drenches Camp; Lewis Repairs Pocket Watch with Bear Grease
Long Narrows Portage Completed; Four Horses Purchased
Drouillard's Four Deer; Romantic Mountain Scenery Observed
Sacagawea Joins Horse Trading Party Across River
Lewis Buys Canoe at Ye-pe-huh After Losing Pirogue
Last Pirogue Lost in Violent Rapid; Baggage Portaged
Replacement Canoe Purchased After Pirogue Lost in Rapids
Reunited with Pryor; Rocky Mountain Shores Traveled
Trading at Clah-lah-lar Village Above the Rapid
Knife and Elkskins Traded for Mountain Sheep Skin
Cloudy Skies Block Lunar Observations; Meat Redried
Poorly Dried Elk Meat Recovered and Redried
Starving Indians Scavenge Camp Near Sandy River
Clark Explores the Vast Multnomah River
Quicksand River Explored; Mount Hood Identified as Headwaters
Quicksand River Scouted; Mount Hood Identified as Headwaters
Comowool Honored with Certificate Amid Persistent Rain
Storms Delay Departure from Fort Clatsop
Lewis Reflects on Winter at Fort Clatsop
Coboway Receives Certificate of Friendly Conduct
Pirogues Prepared; Departure Imminent Before April Floods
Drouillard Bled for Side Pain on Eve of Departure
Rain Delays Caulking as Drouillard and Crew Fall Ill
Delashelwilt's Women Linger; Canoes Readied for Departure
Four Elk and Deer Returned; Lost Canoe Still Missing
Drouillard Sent to Clatsop Village to Buy Canoe
Bratton's Back Pain Eases with Treatment
Pryor Returns with Fish; Dogs Chewed Canoe Loose
Cathlahmah Dogs Set Pryor's Canoe Adrift
Bratton's Rheumatism Treated with Liniment and Flannel
Hunters Empty-Handed; Captains Plan Departure Strategy
Elk Gone to Mountains; Two Days of Spoiled Provisions
Cedar Hats Purchased; Drouillard Seeks Dogs
Gibson Arrives by Litter; Bratton Returns Ill
Clark Completes Map from Missouri to Pacific
Clark's Route Map Finished; Drouillard Catches Beaver
Gibson Carried by Litter Through Coastal Winds
Pryor Dispatched to Retrieve Ailing Gibson
Rescue Party Sent for Gibson at Salt Works
Five Elk Retrieved; Pryor's Party Returns to Fort
Five Elk Recovered; One Carcass Spoiled
Indians Steal Elk Meat; Pryor Returns Short-Handed
Indians Steal Drouillard's Elk; Ordway Sent to Retrieve Rest
Drewyer Returns Having Killed Seven Elk
Drewyer's Seven Elk Located Below Camp
Party Retrieves Elk; Prairie Elk in Better Condition
Pryor's Party Sent to Retrieve Drewyer's Seven Elk
Clark Finds Whale Skeleton Stripped by Tillamook
Clark's Party Climbs Headland with Whale Meat and Oil
Salvaging Boards from an Abandoned Indian House
Cabins Rising Amid Rain and Illness
Party Paddles to Lewis's Chosen Winter Quarters Site
First Elk Lifts Spirits as Clark Trades for Roots
Waves Block Clark from Joining Pryor's Meat Retrieval
Lewis Returns from Cape Disappointment Exploration
Damaged Canoe Repaired Stronger Than Before
Crossing Two Mountains on an Ancient Indian Path
Black Currants Praised; Potts's Creek Named
Tow Ropes and Poles Through Mountain Rapids
Canoe Building and Meat Drying on Windy Friday
High Winds Delay Departure of the Six Canoes
Ordway Sent Upriver to Find Canoe Timber
Pryor Dislocates Shoulder Retrieving Buffalo Meat
Portage Finished; Iron-Frame Boat Assembled in Three Hours
Iron-Frame Boat Work Begins at White Bear Islands
Hottest Day of Year; River Draft Completed
Hailstorm Interrupts Iron-Frame Boat Construction
Drying Stores and a Rare Cup of Coffee
Early Departure Hauling Supplies Toward Upper Canoe
Lewis Turns Back from North Fork; Clouds Block Observation
Northern Fork Named Maria's River After Rain
Two Scouting Parties Diverge at the River Fork
Pryor and Five Men Join Mandan Buffalo Hunt
Eighty Bushels of Corn Collected; Wife Threatened
Chalk Bluffs Passed; Search Party Sent for Shannon
Shallow River Crossing; Both Captains Fall Ill
Seventy Yankton Sioux Arrive Across the River
Expedition Hikes to the Mound of Little People
Bratton Swims Back to Retrieve Forgotten Gun
Reuniting with Ordway; Cook Assigned to Each Mess
Detachment Orders Appointing Provision Superintendents
Court-Martial of Collins and Hall for Stealing Whiskey
Rope Walk Camp: Oars and Towline Crafted
Detachment Orders Organize the Corps of Discovery
Cross-Narrator Analyses
AI-assisted scholarly analyses that cite or discuss Nathaniel Pryor — showing 6 of the most recent matches.
August 8, 1806
Bare Men, Bullboats, and a Wolf in the Night
On August 8, 1806, Lewis halts to repair canoes and clothe his ragged men while Clark receives Sergeant Pryor — horseless, wolf-bitten,…
July 23, 1806
Three Camps, One Day: Divergent Trails on the Marias and Yellowstone
On 23 July 1806, the divided Corps of Discovery produced four very different journal entries — Lewis scouting hostile country on the…
Figure: Crow (Apsáalooke)
The Crow (Apsáalooke) in the Lewis & Clark Journals: A Distant but Decisive Presence
Though Lewis and Clark never held a council with the Apsáalooke, the Crow nation shadowed the expedition's path across the northern plains…
Figure: Nathaniel Pryor
Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor: A Steady Hand of the Corps of Discovery
From squad leader at Camp Dubois to trusted lieutenant of small parties, Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor emerges from the journals as one of…
Figure: John Shields
John Shields: The Expedition’s Indispensable Artisan
Blacksmith, gunsmith, and woodworker John Shields proved one of the most practically valuable men of the Corps of Discovery — repairing arms,…
Figure: George Shannon
George Shannon: The Youngest Soldier of the Corps of Discovery
From a starving boy lost on the prairie to a trusted hunter and trader on the return journey, George Shannon's three-year apprenticeship…
From Heacock's Writings
1 mirrored articles by Robert Heacock that mention Nathaniel Pryor.
