Silas Goodrich
Private Silas Goodrich was the Corps of Discovery's most accomplished fisherman, consistently providing fresh fish to supplement the expedition's diet of game meat. Lewis frequently praised Goodrich's skill in his journal entries, noting the various species he caught including cutthroat trout, which were new to science. Goodrich caught fish at nearly every major waterway the expedition encountered, from the Missouri to the Columbia. His catches contributed to the expedition's important ichthyological discoveries and scientific documentation of western fish species.
Biography
Silas Goodrich was the expedition’s most accomplished fisherman, frequently catching fish that supplemented the party’s meat-heavy diet. Lewis praised his angling skills repeatedly in the journals.
Goodrich’s catches provided important scientific specimens as well as food. He was the first to catch cutthroat trout, sauger, and goldeye for the expedition’s collections. At the Great Falls of the Missouri, Goodrich caught trout “from sixteen to twenty three inches in length” that Lewis carefully described and measured.
After the expedition, Goodrich’s trail grows cold. He is believed to have contracted syphilis — a disease that afflicted several expedition members who had contact with Native women — and may have died from its effects within a few years of the journey’s end.
Related Locations
Note: the longest gap between tagged appearances is about 8 months (Oct 13, 1804 → Jun 5, 1805). Silas Goodrich may have been present in the corps during that span but is not named in the journals.
Journal Entries (39)
Wildlife (2)
Cross-Narrator Analyses
Analyses that cite or discuss Silas Goodrich — showing 3 of the most recent matches.
Silas Goodrich: The Expedition’s Fisherman
Enlistment and Mess AssignmentSilas Goodrich first appears in the expedition record on May 26, 1804, when Captain Meriwether Lewis issued his Detachment…
John Colter: The Hunter Who Walked Away From Home
Enlistment and First Mess AssignmentJohn Colter first appears in the official record on May 26, 1804, when Meriwether Lewis issued detachment orders…
William Bratton: Hunter, Saltmaker, and Patient of the Corps of Discovery
Enlistment and Place in the CorpsWilliam Bratton enters the expedition record on May 26, 1804, when Meriwether Lewis issued his Detachment Orders…
From the Heacock Memorial Archive
2 lewis-clark.org articles that mention Silas Goodrich, preserved here for Robert Heacock’s photography. The articles were written by that site’s contributing authors.
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