This journal should be copied and given to students after they complete question #1.
Lewis and Clark
The Journals
(from the PBS Website www.pdb.org)
April 18, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I am confident that an excellent cloth may be made of the wool of the buffalo.
April 18, 1805
John Ordway
Saw a number of bald eagles in south branch bottom. One of them had a nest in a low tree. One of the men climbed up and got two eggs (all there was). The game is getting more plentiful every day.
April 20, 1805
John Ordway
We set off about seven o’clock. We found it cold poling. The air was chilly. The wind shortly rose again and blew so hard that the canoes were near filling. They took in considerable water. The sand blew off the sandbars and beaches so that we could hardly see. It was like a thick fog. It took us about two hours to come about two and one half miles. High squalls of wind and flights of round snow this day.
April 21, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Captain Clark killed a buffalo and four deer in the course of his walk today. The party with me killed three deer, two beaver, and four buffalo calves. The latter we found very delicious. I think it equal to any veal I ever tasted.
April 21, 1805
Patrick Gass
We saw a great number of elk, buffalo, and deer on both sides of the river. About twelve o’clock the wind again rose and was disagreeable, but we continued our voyage. Two of our hunters went out this afternoon and caught three young buffalo calves.
April 21, 1805
John Ordway
A hard white frost came last night and froze the water in the buckets setting near the fire.
April 22, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Walking on shore this evening I met with a buffalo calf which attached itself to me and continued to follow close at my heels until I embarked and left it. It appeared alarmed at my dog which was probably the cause of its so readily attaching itself to me.
April 22, 1805
John Ordway
Passed a high bluff and a handsome bottom and plains which was covered with buffalo and buffalo calves. Elk, deer, etc. and large gangs were on the opposite shore. I think that we saw at one view nearly one thousand animals. They are not today very wild for we could go within one hundred yards of them in open view of them before they would run off and then they would go but a short distance before they would stop and feed again. Saw a buffalo calf which had fallen down the bank and could not get up again. We helped it up the bank and it followed us a short distance. We have seen a great number of dead buffalo lying on each shore. We suppose that they were drowned in attempting to cross on the ice last fall before it became strong.
April 24, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
The wind blew so hard during the whole of this day that we were unable to move. Sore eyes are a common complaint among the party. I believe it originates from the immense quantities of sand which is driven by the wind from the sandbars or the river in such clouds that you are unable to discover the opposite bank of the river in many instances. So penetrating is this sand that we cannot keep any article free from it. In short, we are compelled to eat, drink, and breathe it very freely. My pocket watch is out of order. She will run only a few minutes without stopping. I can discover no radical defect in her works, and must therefore attribute it to the sand, with which, she seems plentifully charged, notwithstanding her cases are double and tight.
April 24, 1805
Patrick Gass
One of the men caught six young wolves and brought them in.
(High winds stop and delay them repeatedly on several days.)
April 24, 1805
John Ordway
The wind was high from the northwest so that we had to delay here all this day. We dried and aired some of the loading which had gotten wet yesterday. Several of the party went out hunting. They killed several buffalo, elk, deer, etc. One of them found several young wolf puppies and brought them to camp. The woods caught on fire.
June 04, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Great abundance of prickly pears which are extremely troublesome, as the thorns very readily pierce the foot through the moccasin. They are so numerous that it requires one half of the traveler’s attention to avoid them.
June 04, 1805
William Clark
We saw two white bear. One of them was nearly catching Joseph Field. Joseph Field could not fire, as his gun was wet. The bear was so near that it struck his foot. The bear got alarmed at our shot and yells and took to the river.
June 04, 1805
Patrick Gass
Captain Lewis with six men went up the north branch, to see if they could find any certain marks to determine whether that was the Missouri or not; and Captain Clark, myself, and four others went up the south branch for the same purpose with regard to that branch.
June 4, 1805
Joseph Whitehouse
Captain Lewis and six men set out to go up the right hand fork. Captain Clark and five more set out to go up the left hand fork. They intend to go about one day and a half walk up the rivers and see what discoveries they can make.
June 5, 1805
William Clark
Some little rain and snow last night. The mountains to our southeast covered with snow this morning. Three white bear approached our camp.
June 5, 1805
Patrick Gass
Some light showers of rain fell in the night, and the morning was cloudy. We set out along the plains again, and discovered the mountain south of us covered with snow that had fallen last night. When we had gone about eleven miles we saw a large mountain to the west of us also covered with snow.
June 06, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I now became well convinced that this branch of the Missouri had its direction too much to the north for our route to the Pacific.
July 24, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
We passed a remarkable bluff of a crimson colored earth. (Which our squaw told us the natives use for paint.) I fear every day that we shall meet with some considerable falls or obstruction in the river notwithstanding the information of the Indian woman to the contrary who assures us that the river continues much as we see it. I can scarcely form an idea of a river running to great extent through such a rough mountainous country without having its stream intercepted by some difficult and dangerous rapids or falls.
We saw many beaver and some otter today. The beaver dam up the small channels of the river. This animal, in that way, I believe to be very instrumental in adding to the number of islands with which we find the river crowded. We saw a large bear but could not get a shot at him.
I begin to think that our harvest of white puddings is at an end, at least until our return to the buffalo country. Our trio of pests still invades and obstructs us on all occasions; these are the mosquitoes, eye gnats, and prickly pears, equal to any three curses that ever poor Egypt labored under, except the Mohammedan yoke. The men complain of being much fatigued. Their labor is excessively great. I occasionally encourage them by assisting in the labor of navigating the canoes, and have learned to push a tolerable good pole in their phrase.