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Historical Figure

Peter Weiser

Private Peter M. Weiser was a member of the Corps of Discovery from Pennsylvania. He proved a capable and reliable soldier throughout the expedition and was selected by Lewis for the advance party that made first contact with the Shoshone in August 1805. On the return journey, Weiser was part of Lewis's party exploring the Marias River. After the expedition, he became a fur trapper and trader, working for the Missouri Fur Company in the Snake River country of present-day Idaho, where the Weiser River was named in his honor.

0 treaties 39 total items 39 mapped locations

Biography

Peter Weiser was a private of German descent in the Corps of Discovery. He was a reliable soldier who participated in many of the expedition’s key events, including the salt-making detail at the coast and several diplomatic councils.

Weiser was part of the salt-making camp near present-day Seaside, Oregon, where men boiled seawater to produce salt during the winter at Fort Clatsop. This tedious but essential work produced enough salt to help preserve meat for the return journey.

After the expedition, Weiser joined the fur trade. The Weiser River in Idaho is named after him, as is the town of Weiser. He is believed to have been killed by Native Americans while trapping in Idaho around 1810-1812.

Related Locations

Pin color = 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 9 months (Aug 12, 1804 → May 20, 1805). Peter Weiser may have been present in the corps during that span but is not named in the journals.

Journal Entries (39)

Wiser Cuts His Leg; Wheels Repeatedly Fail

Twenty Horses Loaded as Shoshone Women Carry Remainder

Musselshell Mouth Passed; Frost and Ice Return

Violent Thunderstorm Snaps Cables, Scatters Two Canoes

Joyful Reunion with the Canoe Party

Wiser and Frazier Sent to Detain Nez Perce Guides

Racing to Prevent Nez Perce Guides from Departing

Three Nez Perce Guides Lead Party Back Eastward

Colter Rejoins; Native Guides Secured at Collins Creek

Coat Buttons Bartered for Three Bushels of Roots

Five Men Trade Across River; Ailing Nez Perce Visit Camp

Multicolored Bears Declared One Species Distinct from Black Bear

Crossing the Flathead River; Chiefs Arrive Ceremoniously

Chief Twice Cancels Bargains; Few Horses Obtained

Lean Elk Meat Abandoned; Collins Departs to Hunt

Gass Returns with Bear and Venison from Hunt

Planning Trade of Canoes for Horses to Cross Mountains

Drouillard Returns with Fat Sturgeon and Anchovies

Willard's Tomahawk Wound; Gibson Gravely Ill

Rescue Party Sent for Gibson at Salt Works

First Black Bear Spotted Near Fort Clatsop

Gibson Too Ill to Move at Salt Camp

Good Supper of Marrowbone After Elk Recovery

First Black Bear Spotted Since Arriving at Coast

Elk Meat Hauled In; Captains Dine on Marrowbone

Comowool Brings Whale Blubber from Tillamook Shore

Willard and Wiser Return with Salt and Whale Blubber

Salt Camp Established; Whale Blubber Gifted by Killamuck

Twelve Men Retrieve Elk; Otter Taken from Traps

Elk Retrieved While Willard and Wiser Remain Absent

Sun Briefly Appears; Shannon Sent to Check Salt Makers

New Year's Salute; Boiled Elk and Wappetoe for Dinner

Chimneys and Bunks Finished; Salt Makers Assigned

Hunters Dispatched; Salt Camp Established at the Shore

Lewis Returns from Cape Disappointment Exploration

Four Salmon Purchased for Hooks and Red Cloth

Twelve Pack Animals Acquired; Wiser Treated for Colic

Measuring an Eighteen-Mile River Bend at Noon

Detachment Orders Organize the Corps of Discovery

From Heacock's Writings

3 mirrored articles by Robert Heacock that mention Peter Weiser.

The Salt Works

Making salt from ocean water

John Newman

Private

January 3, 1806

An agreeable food

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