Sheheke Archives - Lewis & Clark Research Database

Meriwether Lewis’s Survey at Cumberland Gap

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:14:16 +0000

The expedition is usually said to have ended when the Corps of Discovery reached St. Louis on September 23, 1806 — but Lorna Hainesworth documents a little-known coda. Traveling east to brief President Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis went ahead of William Clark through the Cumberland Gap, the great pass where Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet. There, on November 23, 1806, local gentlemen asked him to determine whether Dr. Thomas Walker’s old line — by then the Kentucky–Tennessee boundary — actually lay where it was supposed to.

The paper reconstructs the return party (Sheheke, or Big White, and his family; the Pierre Chouteau–led Osage delegation; Clark’s man York; privates Labiche and Frazier; and sergeants Gass and Ordway), the post roads they followed, and the long history of the Gap from Walker’s 1750 sighting through Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road. It is a window onto Lewis the trained surveyor still at work, weeks after the journey west was over.

This summary is provided for reference on the Lewis and Clark Research archive; the full article by Lorna Hainesworth is available at the source link.

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The Corps in the War of 1812

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:14:16 +0000

The Corps of Discovery disbanded in 1806, but its members walked straight into the run-up to the War of 1812. Lorna Hainesworth gathers brief biographies of more than thirty expedition veterans and associates and traces what each did during the conflict. The sketches are organized into three groups: Corps military members (William Clark, John Colter, Patrick Gass, John Ordway, Nathaniel Pryor, George Shannon, William Bratton, Joseph Whitehouse, and others), Corps non-military figures (the Charbonneau family, Sacagawea, Jean Baptiste, and York), and associates ranging from Thomas Jefferson and Albert Gallatin to Pierre Chouteau, Manuel Lisa, Zebulon Pike, and William Henry Harrison.

Framing the sketches is a concise narrative of the war’s origins — from the embargo years through the treaties of 1815 — along with an appendix on the presidents involved. It is a useful group portrait of where the expedition’s people landed in the decade after the journey home.

This summary is provided for reference on the Lewis and Clark Research archive; the full compilation by Lorna Hainesworth is available at the source link.

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Fort Huts Completed; Sioux Attack Mandan Hunters

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:05 +0000

Began the works of the fort the weather continued pleasant
for 14 days during which time all the men at Camp Ocepied
thair time dilligenently in Building their huts and got them
Made comfertable in that time to live in.
Saterday 3%.
a party of hunters was Sent down the river with a peirogue
to Bring the meat whome [home] the[y] Remained 15 days,
and on the 18″ Ins‘ the[y] had good Success the[y] kill? 34
deers, 10 Elks and 5 Buffelows, in all the[y] had Upwards of
20 hundred W! Nothing Else happ™? Extraordinary Untill
the 30% Inst a messenger from the mandans came to the fort to
Inform Our Officers that a hunting party of theirs was Robed
by the Sues & Rees Indians, on the 27% last, of Eight horses
and their meat that the[y] had kill?, & Kill? One of their men
and wounded two Others.
1 At this point begins handwriting No. 2, and continues over five pages of the MS.,
comprising the entries from November 1 to December 2 inclusive.— Ep.
[ 69 ]
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _ [Dec.1
the[y] Apply! for Some Assistance from the fort which Cap™
Lewis & Clark Readly granted them. Twenty Men turnd
Out Volentary Under the Command of Cap™ Clark out of the
fort to goe to fight the Sues the Guard Seat us Across the
Missourie at Eleven Oclock at the fort the Cap™ form? his
men On the S. W. Side of the river Missourie and told them
off in Sections, from the right, and Sent out a Noncommis-
sione? Officer and a file of men on Each flank to Reconitere
the woods at the distance of neerly One hundred Y® from the
head of Company. After a march of 6 miles we Ariv® at the
first Village of mandans, with our two Interprators One of
the mandans & one of the Grosvauinties, thinking to be Reign?
fors! [reinforced] by a party of Each Nation With a Detach-
ment from the Watesoons Nation like-ways, as they and [the]
Groce Vaunties are Nigh Neighbours to the Mandans Nation
but after we Ariv? At the Village the Cheifs of Both Nations
Concluded not to goe to fight as the weather was Cold and the
Snow Upwards of 18 Inches Deep on the Ground, before
Spring Nixt.
The Cap & the party halted two hours at the Village
he told the Cheifs and Warieres of the Mandans that he and
his men was on the Ground Ready to Assist them And the[y]
Should See that Him and his Men Could fight. After Some
little Conversation with the Savages, we took our leave of them
and Started for the fort | we Cross‘ the river between the first
& Second Village On the Ise And came whome to the fort
Ariv! at dark the Evening was col’ Each Drank Some Good
Spirits After which Reviv’ Us Very Much And Retir# to Our
Rooms Each. .
December 1%
Nothing hapened Extraordinary Continued Picquiting in
the huts.
the Big white a Cheif of the mandans Came to Our fort in
the Morning to Inform Us that the Buffelow was Close to us
a Comeing in Capt®-Lewis and 15 Men turn? Out to Shoot
[ 70]
1804] WHITEHOUSE’S JOURNAL
them the[y] kill? 10, and the Indians Kill? 50 the two Cap-
tains Lewis & Clark took it in turn day about with a party
Each day to goe a hunting And had Great Success until the
15 inst that the Buffelow got neerly twenty miles off Cap™
Clark and his party Returned on the Morning of the 16% Ins‘
but Could find no game But two deer, the[y] Slept in the
woods all night Some Snow fell that made the Air warmir On
the Night of the 15% Inst.

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Big White Agrees to Journey to Washington

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:21 +0000

bers of the natives visited us and traded us good robes and mock-
asons. towards evening the Big White a head chief of the 1st
village of Mandans concluded to go down with us and Mr Jessom
and their wives and three children Mr Jessom two and the Big
White and one very handsom children one of Mr jessoms has
had a little Scooling at the N. W. Company.

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Colter Released to Trap with Dixon and Hancock

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:21 +0000

leave of our officers to go back with Mr Dixon a trapping, which
permission was granted him so our officers Settled with him and
fitted him out with powder lead and a great number of articles
which compleated him for a trapping voiage of two years which
they are determined to Stay untill they make a fortune, &C. &C.
we lashed together Some of our canoes and Colter Mr Dixon &
Handcock parted with us in their Small canoe2 the natives
visits us in great numbers, about 4 oC. P. M. dropped down to
the 1st village of Mandans where we took on board Mr Jessom his
1 The swivel was presented with “a good deel of ceremony” to Le Borgne,
or the One Eyed with a view to attaching him more strongly to the United
States government. In presenting the gun Clark told the chief “to remem-
ber,” when he fired it, “the words of his great father which we had given him,
this gun had announced the words of his great father to all the nations which we
had seen.”
2 “The example of this man shows how easily men may4 be weaned from
the habits of civilized life to the ruder but scarcely less fascinating manners
of the woods. This hunter has been now absent for many years from the
frontiers, and might naturally be presumed to have some anxiety, or some
curiosity at least, to return to his friends and his country; yet, just at the
moment when he is approaching the frontiers, he is tempted by a hunting
scheme to give up those delightful prospects, and go back without the least
reluctance to the solitude of the woods.” Biddle, III, 1182. Colter remained
on the upper Missouri, in the midst of perils and hardships, until the spring of
1810. He was the first white explorer of Yellowstone Park. For an account
of his adventurous career see Wheeler, I, 98-105, and Chittenden, American
Fur Trade, II, 713-23.
In addition to Colter Hie parly left behind at the Mandan villages, Charbon-
neau. Sacajawea, and their baby. The latter, “a butifull promising child”
of nineteen months, Clark offered to lake and rear. The parents were willing,
but the fact that the baby was Dot yel weaned led to the decision to keep him
with his mother for another year, when Charbonneau was to bring him to St.
Louis for Clark to rear “in such manner as I thought proper.” This arrange-1
ment was never carried out, however, and the youthful Charbonneau spent
his life among the savages.
1806] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 391
his wife and two children the big white the head chief of Sd vil-
lage his wife or one of his wives. I understand he has two wives,
he has only one child and takes that with him took their bag-
gage on board and the chief putting his arm round all the head
mens necks of his nation who Set on Shore and a number crying
and appeared Sorry to part with him he took his leave of them
however and we Set out and procd on the wind a head Campd
on S. S.1

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Clark Returns with Hunting Party; Horses Shod

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:45:09 +0000

men returned with the 3 horse loads of meat, the horses came by
way of the praries. the blacksmith employed in Shewing 3 of the
horses, So as we might send them down to the hunting camp on
the Ice for meat, the lower camp is about 50 mh from this place,
late in the evening Cap4 Clark returned with all the hunting
party they informed us that they had built pens & put the meat
up Safe from the wolves, they had fleced the Greater part of it
& picked the bones.
Wednsday 13th Feby 1805. 2 men sent 18 mh clown the River
to butcher an Elk which the hunters killed yesterday and to hunt,
Snow the later part of the day. the 2 men returned had dressed
the elk but killed nothing.
1 An interesting occurrence of this day was the birth of a son to Sacajawea.
“This little volunteer recruit,” says Coues, “joined the expedition, and was
brought back safe from the Pacific coast by one of the best of mothers.”
SHEHEKE, OR UK . WHITE
“rom McKenney and Hall’s Indian Tribes of North America
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 181

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Snowstorm Drives Hunters Back; Mandans Dine at Fort

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:45:00 +0000

Clark Set out with 14 men to Go down the River a hunting,
directly after it Set in to Snowing verry fast, a nomber of the
Mandans came to See us. 14 of them eat in my Room at one time,
the Big White dined with Cap* Lewis, towards evening Several of
the hunters came in & informed us that the Buffalow had left the
river, they Saw but 2 they had killed 2 Deer. Cap* Clark & 8
men camped in a Bottom of wood 8 or 10 m1 down the river from
our Fort.

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Big White Reports Buffalo; Lewis Leads Hunt

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:44:59 +0000

went out eairly a hunting about 9 o. C. the head chief of the
l3t vil1 of the Mandans called the Big White came to our Garri-
son in Great haste on horse back & Informed us that the Buffalow
were comming towards the River in large Gangs and that the
praries a little back was covered with Game. Cap* Lewis Imme-
diately Started with 12 men in order to hunt with the natives,
they had not been Gone long before we Saw Some buffalow in
cite ab° the Garrison near the bank of the River two of our men
& Several of the natives were Shooting at them, they Shot three
& run one off a Steep bank in to the River which we got out with
a chord, and hailed it down on the Ice to our landing as the
River Shut up last night the Ice had not Got Strong enofe to bear
the Buffalow out in the middle of the R. but we dragged sd buf°
down near Shore & dressed it. it was a cow with calf our In-
tepreters Squaws eat the calf, the 2 men who went out this morn-
1 The Assiniboine.
170 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Dec. 8
ing came in & Informed us that they had killed Six buffaloe out in
the prarie besides those 4 they had killed in pos* with the natives,
the horses were got up & Several men Sent with them out for the
meat, but they found that the Savvage had carried off 3 of them.
the 4 horses came in loaded with meat also the most of the men
they Said that the Savvages had killed upwards of 20 buffalow &
our men killed ab* 12 one of them very fat. Som of them cows
& Some calfs or yearlins. they Saw also large flocks of Goats in
the praries & could See the prarie black with buffaloe at a dis-
tance aiming to come into the bottoms on the River, the prarie
being covered with Snow and extreamly cold. 2 of our men Got
their feet frost Bitten & one Got his Ear frost bitten this day by
being exposed in the praries. a half Gill of Taffee gave to the
men by our officers this evening.1

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Frenchman Dispatched with Tow Rope to Damaged Pirogue

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:44:55 +0000

frenchman who went after them, he Informed us that the pearogue
was ab* 18 m1 below loaded with meat, the frenchman Sent back
to the pearogue with a kittle to put on2 the Bow of the pearogue
was cut with the Ice &.C.
1 Big White, or Sheheke, principal chief of the lower Mandan village. Clark’s
description of the visit carries a characteristic flavor of savage manners: “he
packd about 100lb of fine meet on his squar for us.” In addition to this load
the “squar” carried, seemingly, her child, for Clark further notes that some
small presents were made to it.
Sheheke and his squaw descended the Missouri with Lewis and Clark, upon
their return journey in 1806, to visit the President at Washington. In 1807 Ser-
geant Pryor was intrusted with the duty of escorting the chieftain to his Dakota
home. But the detachment of soldiers was attacked by the Arikara and com-
pelled to beat a retreat; not until 1809 was Sheheke returned to his village.
After all this trouble and exile a sad fate awaited him. The “extravagant tales”
which he told of the things he had seen on his excursion into civilization caused
his fellows to set him down as a trifler and braggart; “for,” writes Brackenridge,
“the Mandans treat with ridicule the idea of there being a greater or more
numerous people than themselves.” Early Western Travels, VI, 137.
2 “we sent by the man Tin, to put on the parts of the Perogue exposed to
the ice & a toe roape.” Clark.
166 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Nov. 16

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Fort Mandan Built; Sioux Raid Reported by Mandans

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:40:55 +0000

Began the works of the fort the weather continued pleasant
for 14 days during which time all the men at Camp Ocepied
thair time dilligenently in Building their huts and got them
Made comfertable in that time to live in.
Saterday 3^.
a party of hunters was Sent down the river with a peirogue
to Bring the meat whome [home] the[y] Remained 15 days,
and on the 18!!* Ins* the[y] had good Success the[y] kill!^ 34
deers, 10 Elks and 5 Buffelows, in all the[y] had Upwards of
20 hundred Wt Nothing Else happ”? Extraordinary Untill
the 30*^ Ins* a messenger from the mandans came to the fort to
Inform Our Officers that a hunting party of theirs was Robed
by the Sues & Rees Indians, on the 27* last, of Eight horses
and their meat that the[y] had kill?, & Kill? One of their men
and wounded two Others.
1 At this point begins handwriting No. a, and continues over five pages of the MS.,
comprising the entries from November i to December 2 inclusive. — Ed.
the[y] Apply? for Some Assistance from the fort which Cap^*”
Lewis & Clark Readly granted them. Twenty Men turnd
Out Volentary Under the Command of Cap!? Clark out of the
fort to goe to fight the Sues the Guard Seat us Across the
Missourie at Eleven Oclock at the fort the Cap*° form? his
men On the S. W. Side of the river Missourie and told them
off in Sections, from the right, and Sent out a Noncommis-
sioned Officer and a file of men on Each flank to Reconitere
the woods at the distance of neerly One hundred Yl’ from the
head of Company. After a march of 6 miles we Ariv? at the
first Village of mandans, with our two Interprators One of
the mandans & one of the Grosvauinties, thinking to be Reign?
fors? [reinforced] by a party of Each Nation With a Detach-
ment from the Watesoons Nation like-ways, as they and [the]
Groce Vaunties are Nigh Neighbours to the Mandans Nation
but after we Ariv? At the Village the Cheifs of Both Nations
Concluded not to goe to fight as the weather was Cold and the
Snow Upwards of i8 Inches Deep on the Ground, before
Spring Nixt.
The Cap*? & the party halted two hours at the Village
he told the Cheifs and Warieres of the Mandans that he and
his men was on the Ground Ready to Assist them And the[y]
Should See that Him and his Men Could fight. After Some
little Conversation with the Savages, we took our leave of them
and Started for the fort we Cross? the river between the first
& Second Village On the Ise And came whome to the fort
Ariv? at dark the Evening was col? Each Drank Some Good
Spirits After which Reviv? Us Very Much And Retir? to Our
Rooms Each.
December iff
Nothing hapened Extraordinary Continued Picquiting in
the huts.
a.
the Big white a Cheif of the mandans Came to Our fort in
the Morning to Inform Us that the Buffelow was Close to us
a Comeing in Capt? Lewis and 15 Men turn? Out to Shoot
[;o]
p
1804] WHITEHOUSE’S JOURNAL
them the[y] kill? 10, and the Indians Kill? 50 the two Cap-
tains Lewis & Clark took it in turn day about with a party
Each day to goe a hunting And had Great Success until the
15 inst that the Buffelow got neerly twenty miles off Cap!”
Clark and his party Returned on the Morning of the 16!^ Ins*
but Could find no game But two deer, the[y] Slept in the
woods all night Some Snow fell that made the Air warmir On
the Night of the 15?^ Inst.

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