Pierre Cruzatte Archives - Lewis & Clark Research Database

Cruzatte Accidentally Shoots Lewis in Thicket

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:20 +0000

and procd on verry well we killed a buffaloe in the river, about
12 oClock Cap* Lewis halted at a bottom on S. Side to kill Some
Elk Peter Cruzatte a frenchman went out with Cap* Lewis
they Soon found a gangue of Elk in a thicket. Cap* Lewis killed
one and cruzatte killed two, and as he still kept fireing one of his
balls hit Cap* Lewis in his back side and the ball passed through
one Side of his buttock and the ball went out of the other Side
of the other buttock and lodged at his overalls which wounded
him bad. he instantly called to peter but Peter not answering he
Supposd it to be Indians and run to the canoes and ordered the
men to their armes. they were in readiness in a moment and Cap*
Lewis attempd to go back for battle but being faint the men pur-
swaded him not to go himself but the party run out found Cru-
zatte and he had Seen no Indians then peter knew that it must
have been him tho an exidant.2 we dressed the wound [and] pre-
pared a place for him to lay in the white perogue J° Fields killed
one Elk. we then took the best of the meat on board and proced
on about 4 P.M. we passd a Camp of Cap* Clark where we found
a note or line informing us that Serg* Pryor & party had joined
them here as the Indians had Stole all the horses & they came
the mouth of White Earth River. The White Earth is modern Little Muddy
River, in Williams County, N. Dak.
1 In McKenzie County, N. Dak., just above the mouth of Little Muddy
River.
2 Lewis was convinced that Cruzatte was immediately aware of having shot
him, and that he only pretended to have been ignorant of it. Both Gass and
Ordway appear to credit Cruzatte with entire ignorance of what he had done.
There are other interesting minor differences between the three narratives of
the accident.
388 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Aug. 12
down in leather canoes, they had left here to day day. we procd on
untill about Sunset and Camped on a Sand beach on Ld Side
high winds.

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Colter and Potts Run Canoes Down Rapids

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:18 +0000

Indn dog came about our Camp we gave him Some meat, the
portage river too high to waid but is falling fast. Colter & Potts
went at running the canoes down the rapids to the white perogue
near the carsh. the rest of us returned to willow Creek took on
the other large canoe and halted to asist the horses as the truck
wheels Sank in the mud nearly to the hub. Cruzatte killed a
buffaloe we took the best of the meat and returned with much
hard fatigue to the portage River and got the canoes and all the
baggage down to the white perogue and Camped having got the
carsh opened and all brought to the white perogue & all Safe &C.

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Mountain Sheep Skins Preserved for Eastern Transport

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:17 +0000

breakfast and proceeded on Collins and Colter skinned the 2
Mountn Sheep Saved the Skin and bones for our officers to take to
the States, the wind rose So high that Some of the canoes were
near being filled, about noon we arived at the head of the pine
Islands & rapids & halted at the creek above as the wind [was] too
high to pass these rapids with Safety. Cruzatte killed 2 big horn
animels and Colter killed a deer, towards evening the wind
abated a little So we passed down the rapids with Safety, at the
foot of the rockey mountains large gangs of the Ibex or big horn
anam Seen along the edges of sd Mountn8 Camped about 6 miles
below sd rapids1 at a bottom in groves of cotten timber.

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Reunited at Three Forks of the Missouri

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:16 +0000

went on a head, we set out as usal and proceeded on down
passd large timbred bottoms about 12 oClock we arived at our
last years Camp on 27 & 28 July little above the 3 forks joined
the rest of the party with the horses and had got here only one
hour before us. they had killed a deer and one antelope and had
wounded a white bear, we all proceeded to the 3 forks of Mis-
sourie crossed the men & baggage and Swam the horses to all
to the South Side of gallinlines [Gallatin] River where we dined
below the forks the canoe that was a hunting came up they
had killed two deer, we delayed about 2 hours Cap’ Clark &
party leaves us hear to cross over to the River Roshjone.2 So
we parted I and 9 more proceeded on down the river with the
canoes verry well, the wind a head so we halted little before
night. Collins killed 2 large fat bucks and P. Cruzatte killed a
deer & Colter killed a large beaver & good fur though the season
is over for them to have good fur in the Southern parts, the
Musquetoes more troublesome than ever we have seen them be-
fore, the hunters Saw large gangs of Elk in this valley.

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Collins and Cruzatte Fill the Larder with Game

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:16 +0000

and proceed on verry well overtook Collins who had killed three
deer about 9 A.M. we halted for breakfast & Collins killed a fat
buck & P. Cruzatte killed a goat or antelope, we proced on verry
well the currents are common & ripe. Colter killed a panther a
deer and a rattle Snake, in the evening we Camped in the moun-
tains. Collins killed 4 Elk. the Musquetoes verry troublesom
in deed.

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Brown Bear Shot; Bayonet Gigs for Salmon

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:13 +0000

out eairly a hunting, about 11 A. M. R. Fields came in had
killed a Brown bear about a mile down this glade. Several men
went at fishing fixed gigs of Bayonets & Indn gigs and fixed a dip
net &C. and killd and caught 7 Salmon trout towards evening
Labuche and Cruzatte came in had killed one deer & caught one
Salmon trout.

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Winds Halt Progress Near Village with Thirty Horses

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:02 +0000

Drewyer & the two Fields they had killed 4 deer, we then
departed and proceed on verry well passed Labuche River3 on
N. Side about noon the wind rose so high from the N. W. that
we came too at a village on the N. Side where we Saw 25 or 30
horses which are in tollarable good order, we bought a number
of dogs from the natives, they gave us such as they had to eat
which was pounded Salmon thistle roots & wild onions & other
kinds of roots all of which they had Sweeted & are Sweet, they
are makeing Shappalell &G but they had but little to eat at
this time but are Scattered along the River expecting the Salmon
Soon &C. Mount Hood appears near the River on the South
Side which is covd thick with Snow & very white the wind
high we delayed about 2 hours and proceed on passed several
small villages on the N. Side Scatered along the narrow bottoms
1 Drewyer and Reuben and Joseph Fields, who had been sent in advance to
Cruzatte’s River, April 11, with instructions to hunt until the main party should
come up. Cruzatte’s River of the explorers is modern Wind River, Skamania
County, Wash.
2 The camp was in Skamania County, Wash., about six miles above the
mouth of Wind River.
3 Modern Hood River, in Hood River County, Ore. It had been passed
on the outward journey, and named in honor of Labiche, Oct. 29, 1805.
342 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [April 15
near the River. Saw a number of horses at each village the
wind continued aft and high so we run fast. Camped at dark
at a village on the N. S.1

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Six Hunters Wound Formidable Brown Bear Twice

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:45:22 +0000

mocassons froze near the fire, a clear and pleasant morning,
we Set off at Sun rise, proceeded on passed the mouth of a creek
on N. S. passed black bluffs which make near the River on each
Side, high hills back from the river Some pitch pine on them.
Saw verry large gangs of buffaloe about 11 oClock we passed
the Mouth of a large creek on the s. s. called [blank in Ms.] we
212 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [May 14
proceeded on about 12 oC. it was verry warm or much warmer
than it has been before this Spring, we Saw Some banks of Snow
laying in the vallies at the N. S. of the hills, about one oClock
we halted to dine at a bottom on the s. s. Cap1 Clark killed a
buffaloe. about 3 oC. we proceeded on. Cap* Lewis and Cap*
Clark crossed the River where we Saw a large gang of buffaloe &
went on Shore ab1 4 oClock the men in the canoes Saw a large
brown bear on the hills on S. S. 6 men went out to kill it. they
fired at it and wounded it. it chased 2 of them into a canoe, and
another into the River and they Steady fireing at him. after
Shooting eight balls in his body Some of them through the lites
[lungs], he took the River and was near catching the Man he
chased in, but he went up against the Stream and the bear being
wounded could not git to him. one of the hunters Shot him in the
head which killed him dead, we got him to Shore with a canoe
and butchred him. we found him to be nearly the Same discrip-
tion of the first we killed only much larger, about 5 oClock the
white perogue of the Captains was Sailing a long, there came a
violent gust of wind from the N. W. which was to the contrary
to the course they were Sailing, it took the Sail and before they
had time to douse it it turned the perogue down on one Side So
that she filled with water, and would have turned over had it not
been for the oarning [awning] which prevented it with much a
diew they got the Sail in and got the [pirogue] to Shore and un-
loaded hir at a bottom where we camped on N. S.1 came 18|
miles this day one man wounded another b. bear.
1 Today’s camp was in Valley County about midway between Big Dry
Creek and Musselshell River. The distance between these streams as shown
on the M. R. C. map is 121 miles. Lewis and Clark’s reckoning made the distance
138 miles, and that of today’s camp above Big Dry Creek seventy-two miles.
Ordway’s narrative of the two chief events of the day is tame and perfunctory
in comparison with that of Lewis. A more stirring bear story would be difficult
to find, while the accident to the pirogue, threatening a far graver peril to the
expedition than the charge of the wounded grizzly, was accompanied by inci-
dents equally thrilling. The picture of the incompetent steersman, Charbon-
neau, “crying to his god for mercy”; of the cool and resolute bearing of Cruzatte,
threatening to shoot him instantly “if he did not lake hold of the rudder and do
his duty”; of heroic Sacajawea calmly reaching out for the articles from the boat
as they floated away, the while grim Death was reaching out after herself and
her infant son; finally the emotions of the leader as from a distance he help-
lessly gazed upon the impending tragedy, will not easily be forgotten by the
reader. No wonder, when all had ended happily, it was deemed “a proper
occasion to console ourselves and cheer the sperits of our men” with a dram of
ardent “sperits.”
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 213

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Flag Raised; Cruzatte Sent to Otoe Village

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:44:40 +0000

[Cruzatte] went to the Zottoas & Panies (45 miles to nations)
village to invite them to come to our Encampment to treat. We
hoisted the American Collours on the Bank the loading of the
Boat put out to air &. C. The Lat° at this place is 41d 3m 198 f
North, one of the hunters killed 2 Deers.

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Drouillard Reports Oto Village Abandoned

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:44:40 +0000

hunting. G. Drewyer & Peter [Cruzatte] Returned from the Zot-
toes village found no Indians it is Supposed by the Signs they
Saw that they were all out in the praries hunting buffelow. Collins
killed 2 Deer J° Fields killed 1 Turkey to day.

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