Mammal
Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Common Names
Timber Wolf, Grey Wolf
Habitat
Open plains, forests, and mountainous regions across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains
First Observed
1804-09-18
Observed At
Near present-day Gregory County, South Dakota, along the Missouri River
The gray wolf was one of the most commonly encountered predators throughout the expedition. Lewis and Clark noted wolves following bison herds across the Great Plains, and the animals were so abundant that the Corps often heard them howling at night. Wolf skins were an important trade commodity among the Plains tribes, exchanged for guns, powder, lead, and blankets.
Journal References
15 journal entries mention Gray Wolf
Jun
26
1804
Patrick Gass: June 26, 1804
...to a great distance. Our hunters killed 4 deer, and a young
wolf, and caught another alive. In the afternoon of the 29th
we again proceeded on our voyage, and encam...
Jul
7
1804
Missouri River near St. Joseph area — John Ordway: July 7, 1804
...ed it Ord-
way Creek.3 Some of the men in the Boat killed a wolf to day
they camped on the South Side of the Missouris, one man taken
sick (Frasier).
Jul
7
1804
Missouri River near St. Joseph area — Patrick Gass: July 7, 1804
...sed a high handsome prairie on the north side, and
killed a wolf and a large wood rat on the bank. The prin-
cipal difference between it and the common rat is, its ...
Jul
9
1804
Missouri River near St. Joseph area — John Ordway: July 9, 1804
... mouth of a small Creek on the South Side called
Monters or wolf Creek,1 passed a place on the South Side about
2 miles above the Creek where Several Frenchman camp...
Jul
9
1804
Missouri River near St. Joseph area — Patrick Gass: July 9, 1804
...l 12 o’clock. We passed a creek on the south
side, called Wolf creek. The man that was snake bitten is
become well. We encamped on the south side.
Jul
10
1804
Missouri River near St. Joseph area — John Ordway: July 10, 1804
...m with that of the one immedi-
ately following it.
2 Modern Wolf Creek; it rises in Brown County, Kans., and flows across
Doniphan County.
3 More properly, the west...
Jul
21
1804
Patrick Gass: July 21, 1804
...live three nations of
Indians, the Otos, Panis and Loos, or Wolf Indians. On the
south side there is also a creek, called Butterfly creek.
Sep
6
1804
Missouri River near Niobrara River — John Ordway: September 6, 1804
...the horses But had killed one Buffelow, one Elk, 3 Deer one wolf
5 Turkies & one Goose one Beaver also N. B. the Boat got
fast on the Sand bar the [word illegible] ...
Sep
8
1804
Prairie dog village near present-day Chamberlain — Patrick Gass: September 8, 1804
... the carcase and carried off
the hat. Here we found a white wolf dead, supposed to have
been killed in a contest for the buffaloe. We passed high
bluffs on the sout...
Sep
17
1804
Clark: September 17, 1804
...Coloured woolf Covered
with hair & corse fur, also a Small wolf with a large bushey tailSome
Goats of a Different Kind Seen to day,Great many Plumbs, rabits,
Por...
Sep
17
1804
Missouri River near White River — Patrick Gass: September 17, 1804
... long. One of our men caught a beaver, and killed
a prairie wolf.—- These are a small species of wolves, some-
thing larger than a fox, with long tails and short ...
Sep
18
1804
Clark: September 18, 1804
Septr. 18 I Killed a prarie wolf to day about the Sise of a Gray fox with
a bushey tail the head and ears like a Fox wolf, and bark...
Sep
18
1804
Missouri River near Big Bend — Patrick Gass: September 18, 1804
...and is a bird of prey. This day we killed eleven deer
and a wolf, and halted and encamped on the south side of the
river in order to jirk our meat.
Sep
19
1804
Missouri River near Big Bend — John Ordway: September 19, 1804
...point. Opposite it (on the east) are the mouths
of Crow and Wolf Creeks, and a mile or two above is the mouth of Campbell
Creek. These three streams constitute Ordw...
Sep
22
1804
Missouri River near Big Bend — Joseph Whitehouse: September 22, 1804
... with the horse. they had killed Several
deer and one white wolf. passed a creek & Is? of the 3 Sisters
proceeded on passed an old Indian Camp where we found
Some o...
