Lewis & Clark Expedition Leg 2
Lewis and Clark raced the calendar as the winter approached, and were anxious to make their destination before the waters of the Missouri froze. Four days after the first snow fall, they reached the Mandan Tribe. The Expedition prepared for its first winter by building huts and settling in with the Mandan Tribe in territory we know today as North Dakota.
October 31, 1804
William Clark
... the Grand Chief of the Mandans came Dressed in the Clothes we had given with his 2 small Suns, and requested to See the men Dance which they verry radily gratified him in, ...
November 4, 1804
William Clark
a Mr. Chaubonie (Charbonneau), interpeter for the Gross Ventre nation Came to See us, and informed that the came Down with Several Indians from a hunting expidition up the river, ... this man wished to hire as an interpiter, ...
November 20, 1804
We this day moved into our huts which are now completed. This place which we call Fort Mandan…
December 7, 1804
The Big White Grand Chief of the 1st Village, came and informed us that a large Drove of Buffalow was near and his people was waiting for us to join them in a chase. Capt. Lewis took 15 men & went out joined the Indians, who were at the time he got up, Killing the Buffalow on Horseback with arrows which they done with great dexterity. His party killed 10 Buffalow… The thermometer Stood this Morning at 1 d. below 0. Three men frost bit badly to day.
December 17, 1804
The weather to-day was colder than any we had yet experienced, the thermometer at sunrise being 45 degrees below 0, and about eight o'clock it fell to 74 degrees below the freezing point…
February 11, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
about five Oclock this evening one of the wives of Charbono was delivered of a fine boy. it is worthy of remark that this was the first child which this woman had boarn, and as is common in such cases her labour was tedious and the pain violent; Mr. Jessome informed me that he had freequently admininstered a small portion of the rattle of the rattle-snake, which he assured me had never failed to produce the desired effect, that of hastening the birth of the child; having the rattle of a snake by me I gave it to him and he administered two rings of it to the woman broken in small pieces with the fingers and added to a small quantity of water. Whether this medicine was truly the cause or not I shall not undertake to determine, but I was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before she brought forth perhaps this remedy may be worthy of future experiments, but I must confess that I want faith as to it's efficacy.
April 17, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
there were three beaver taken this morning by the party. the men prefer the flesh of this anamal, to that of any other which we have, or are able to procure at this moment. I eat very heartily of the beaver myself, and think it excellent; particularly the tale, and liver ...
April 29, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
(Meeting with two bear)
... the other after my firing on him pursued me seventy or eighty yards, but fortunately had been so badly wounded that he was unable to pursue so closely as to prevent my charging my gun; we again repeated our fir[e] and killed him. ... it is a much more furious and formidable anamal, and will frequently pursue the hunter when wounded. it is asstonishing to see the wounds they will bear before they can be put to death.
May 4, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I saw immence quantities of buffaloe in every direction, also some Elk deer and goats; having an abundance of meat on hand I passed them without firing on them; they are extreemly gentle the bull buffaloe particularly will scarcely give way to you. I passed several in the open plain within fifty paces, they viewed me for a moment as something novel and then very unconcernedly continued to feed.
May 5, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Capt. Clark and Drewyer killed the largest brown bear this evening which we have yet seen. it was a most tremendious looking anamal, and extreemly hard to kill notwithstanding he had five balls through his lungs… The party killed two Elk and a Buffaloe today, and my dog caught a goat...
May 9, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I begin to feel extreemly anxious to get in view of the rocky mountains.
May 24, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
The water standing in the vessels freized during the night 1/8 of an inch thick, ...
the air is so pure in this open country that moutains and other elivated objects appear much nearer than they really are; these mountains do not appear to be further than 15 M… these mountains are rockey and covered with some scattering pine.
June 3, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Those who have remained at camp today have been busily engaged in dressing skins for cloathing, notwithstanding that many of them have their feet so mangled and bruised with the stones and rough ground over which they passed barefoot, that they can scarcely walk or stand; at least it is with great pain they do either. for some days past they were unable to wear their mockersons; they have fallen off considerably, but notwithstanding the difficulties past, or those which seem now to mennace us, they still remain perfectly cheerfull.
June 9, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I felt myself very unwell this morning and took a portion of salts from which I feel much releif this evening. ... In the evening Cruzatte gave us some music on the violin and the men passed the evening in dancing singing &c and were extreemly cheerfull.
June 10, 1805
William Clark
Sahcahgagwea our Indian woman verry sick I blead her, ...
June 13, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water and advancing a little further I saw the spray arise… which soon began to make a roaring too tremendious to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri. ... to gaze on this sublimely grand specticle ... formes the grandest sight I ever beheld, ... from the reflection of the sun on the sprey or mist which arrises from these falls there is a beatifull rainbow produced which adds not a little to the beauty of this majestically grand senery.
... the grizly bear we have never yet seen.
My fare is really sumptuous this evening; buffaloe's humps, tongues and marrowbones, fine trout parched meal pepper and salt, and a good appetite; the last is not considered the least of the luxuries.
June 23, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
They [the men] are obliged to halt and rest frequently for a few minutes, at every halt these poor fellows tumble down and are so much fortiegued that many of them are asleep in an instant; in short their fatiegues are incredible; some are limping from the soreness of their feet, others faint and unable to stand for a few minutes, with heat and fatiegue, yet no one complains, all go with cheerfullness.
August 6, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
one of their canoes had just overset and all the baggage wet, the medecine box among other articles and several articles lost a shot pouch and horn with all the implements for one rifle lost and never recovered. ... on their arrival found that two other canoes had filled with water and wet their cargoes completely. Whitehouse had been thrown out of one of the canoes as she swing in a rapid current and the canoe had rubed him and pressed him to the bottom as she passed over him and had the water been 2 inches shallower must inevitably have crushed him to death.
October 31, 1804
William Clark
... the Grand Chief of the Mandans came Dressed in the Clothes we had given with his 2 small Suns, and requested to See the men Dance which they verry radily gratified him in, ...
November 4, 1804
William Clark
a Mr. Chaubonie (Charbonneau), interpeter for the Gross Ventre nation Came to See us, and informed that the came Down with Several Indians from a hunting expidition up the river, ... this man wished to hire as an interpiter, ...
November 20, 1804
We this day moved into our huts which are now completed. This place which we call Fort Mandan…
December 7, 1804
The Big White Grand Chief of the 1st Village, came and informed us that a large Drove of Buffalow was near and his people was waiting for us to join them in a chase. Capt. Lewis took 15 men & went out joined the Indians, who were at the time he got up, Killing the Buffalow on Horseback with arrows which they done with great dexterity. His party killed 10 Buffalow… The thermometer Stood this Morning at 1 d. below 0. Three men frost bit badly to day.
December 17, 1804
The weather to-day was colder than any we had yet experienced, the thermometer at sunrise being 45 degrees below 0, and about eight o'clock it fell to 74 degrees below the freezing point…
February 11, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
about five Oclock this evening one of the wives of Charbono was delivered of a fine boy. it is worthy of remark that this was the first child which this woman had boarn, and as is common in such cases her labour was tedious and the pain violent; Mr. Jessome informed me that he had freequently admininstered a small portion of the rattle of the rattle-snake, which he assured me had never failed to produce the desired effect, that of hastening the birth of the child; having the rattle of a snake by me I gave it to him and he administered two rings of it to the woman broken in small pieces with the fingers and added to a small quantity of water. Whether this medicine was truly the cause or not I shall not undertake to determine, but I was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before she brought forth perhaps this remedy may be worthy of future experiments, but I must confess that I want faith as to it's efficacy.
April 17, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
there were three beaver taken this morning by the party. the men prefer the flesh of this anamal, to that of any other which we have, or are able to procure at this moment. I eat very heartily of the beaver myself, and think it excellent; particularly the tale, and liver ...
April 29, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
(Meeting with two bear)
... the other after my firing on him pursued me seventy or eighty yards, but fortunately had been so badly wounded that he was unable to pursue so closely as to prevent my charging my gun; we again repeated our fir[e] and killed him. ... it is a much more furious and formidable anamal, and will frequently pursue the hunter when wounded. it is asstonishing to see the wounds they will bear before they can be put to death.
May 4, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I saw immence quantities of buffaloe in every direction, also some Elk deer and goats; having an abundance of meat on hand I passed them without firing on them; they are extreemly gentle the bull buffaloe particularly will scarcely give way to you. I passed several in the open plain within fifty paces, they viewed me for a moment as something novel and then very unconcernedly continued to feed.
May 5, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Capt. Clark and Drewyer killed the largest brown bear this evening which we have yet seen. it was a most tremendious looking anamal, and extreemly hard to kill notwithstanding he had five balls through his lungs… The party killed two Elk and a Buffaloe today, and my dog caught a goat...
May 9, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I begin to feel extreemly anxious to get in view of the rocky mountains.
May 24, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
The water standing in the vessels freized during the night 1/8 of an inch thick, ...
the air is so pure in this open country that moutains and other elivated objects appear much nearer than they really are; these mountains do not appear to be further than 15 M… these mountains are rockey and covered with some scattering pine.
June 3, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
Those who have remained at camp today have been busily engaged in dressing skins for cloathing, notwithstanding that many of them have their feet so mangled and bruised with the stones and rough ground over which they passed barefoot, that they can scarcely walk or stand; at least it is with great pain they do either. for some days past they were unable to wear their mockersons; they have fallen off considerably, but notwithstanding the difficulties past, or those which seem now to mennace us, they still remain perfectly cheerfull.
June 9, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
I felt myself very unwell this morning and took a portion of salts from which I feel much releif this evening. ... In the evening Cruzatte gave us some music on the violin and the men passed the evening in dancing singing &c and were extreemly cheerfull.
June 10, 1805
William Clark
Sahcahgagwea our Indian woman verry sick I blead her, ...
June 13, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
... my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water and advancing a little further I saw the spray arise… which soon began to make a roaring too tremendious to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri. ... to gaze on this sublimely grand specticle ... formes the grandest sight I ever beheld, ... from the reflection of the sun on the sprey or mist which arrises from these falls there is a beatifull rainbow produced which adds not a little to the beauty of this majestically grand senery.
... the grizly bear we have never yet seen.
My fare is really sumptuous this evening; buffaloe's humps, tongues and marrowbones, fine trout parched meal pepper and salt, and a good appetite; the last is not considered the least of the luxuries.
June 23, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
They [the men] are obliged to halt and rest frequently for a few minutes, at every halt these poor fellows tumble down and are so much fortiegued that many of them are asleep in an instant; in short their fatiegues are incredible; some are limping from the soreness of their feet, others faint and unable to stand for a few minutes, with heat and fatiegue, yet no one complains, all go with cheerfullness.
August 6, 1805
Meriwether Lewis
one of their canoes had just overset and all the baggage wet, the medecine box among other articles and several articles lost a shot pouch and horn with all the implements for one rifle lost and never recovered. ... on their arrival found that two other canoes had filled with water and wet their cargoes completely. Whitehouse had been thrown out of one of the canoes as she swing in a rapid current and the canoe had rubed him and pressed him to the bottom as she passed over him and had the water been 2 inches shallower must inevitably have crushed him to death.