Insect
Mosquito
Culicidae (various species)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Common Names
Musquetoe, Musquito
Habitat
Wetlands, river bottoms, and standing water throughout the expedition route
First Observed
1804-07-21
Observed At
Along the Missouri River near present-day Council Bluffs, Iowa
Perhaps no creature tormented the Corps of Discovery more than the mosquito. Clark wrote that “mosquitors more troublesom last night than I ever Saw them,” and the journals contain numerous references to these pests under various spellings including “musquetoe” and “musquetoes.” Lewis’s Newfoundland dog Seaman was particularly tormented along the upper Missouri, howling in pain from the bites. Clark also noted with relief in September 1806 that “the mosquitoes are no longer troublesome on the river.”
Journal References
15 journal entries mention Mosquito
Jun
10
1804
Missouri River near Jefferson City area — Joseph Whitehouse: June 10, 1804
...lock Waited the
Arrival of the hunters there Suffer? by the Musquitoes on
the N. E. Side The Bigg Charrottoe is 100 Y* at the mouth.
The little comus in to it at the Di...
Jun
22
1804
Missouri River near Boonville area — John Ordway: June 22, 1804
...or "bier" was a covering used like its modern exemplar, the
mosquito bar, as a protection against mosquitoes. Later we find Lewis using
the term to designate the cord n...
Jul
22
1804
Clark: July 22, 1804
... opposit a Creek 9 ms.
above the Plate on the S. S. Called Mosquitos Creek Prarie on both Sides
of the river. Came too and formed a Camp on the S. S. above a Small Wi...
Jul
22
1804
Near Platte River, Council Bluffs area — John Ordway: July 22, 1804
...onth a mile above the mouth of the Platte.
3 Still known as Mosquito Creek. It (lows across Harrison and Pottawat-
tamie counties, Iowa, joining the Missouri near the s...
Jul
27
1804
Near Platte River, Council Bluffs area — John Ordway: July 27, 1804
...s,
which would place the camp a mile above the old mouth of Mosquito Creek and
fourteen miles below the Union Pacific Railway bridge across the Missouri at
Omaha.
2 On ...
Aug
7
1804
Clark: August 7, 1804
...a Storm of wind from the N.
W. which lasted 3/4 of an hour mosquitors more troublesom last night than
I ever Saw them, Set out late this morning wind N.
---
7th Augus...
Aug
7
1804
Missouri River near Soldier River — Patrick Gass: August 7, 1804
...s a continued prairie. We en-
camped on the north side. The musquetoes here are very
numerous and troublesome.
WV ednesday 8th. We embarked early, passed a small river
o...
Aug
12
1804
Missouri River near Little Sioux River — Patrick Gass: August 12, 1804
day light. The musquetoes last night were worse than I ever
experienced. We went round a bend, of eighteen miles, the
neck o...
Jun
28
1805
Great Falls Portage — Joseph Whitehouse: June 28, 1805
...to find the Snake nation, near that place.
Some cloudy. the Musquetoes verry troublesome. I cannot
keep them out of my face at this time. the current verry
rapid. we pro...
Jul
13
1805
Great Falls Portage — Patrick Gass: July 13, 1805
...former encampment, which we had called White-bear camp.
The musquitoes are very troublesome. This evening the
canoes were finished except the putting in some knees.
110...
Jul
15
1805
Seaman Suffers from Prickly Pear During the Great Falls Portage
...e dog was also suffering from the extreme heat and constant mosquitoes, which Lewis described as "almost insufferable." Despite these hardships, Seaman completed the po...
Jul
22
1805
Missouri River above Great Falls, Gates of the Mountains — Patrick Gass: July 22, 1805
... and an half and encamped on an island ;
where we found the musquitoes very bad. We saw to day
several banks of snow on a mountain west of us.
Jul
25
1805
Seaman Tormented by Mosquitoes on the Missouri
...scriptions of Seaman's suffering during the expedition. The mosquitoes along the upper Missouri were so thick and relentless that Seaman howled with pain throughout the...
Aug
11
1805
Jefferson/Beaverhead River near present-day Dillon — Joseph Whitehouse: August 11, 1805
...his day and Camped on a wet
bottom on the Star‘ Side. the Mosquitoes troublesome, &c.
Mar
14
1806
Fort Clatsop, winter quarters — Patrick Gass: March 14, 1806
...ich they eat
last night. While out to-day I saw a number of musquitoes
flying about. I also saw a great quantity of sheep-sorrel
growing in the woods of a very large si...
