Day-by-Day / February 11, 1804

February 11, 1804

The sugar maples run

As the day warms at Wood River across from the mouth of the Missouri, the sap in the sugar maple trees begins to run. On or near this date, the captains prepare the many questions about Native Americans they are to answer on their upcoming voyage.

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Maple tree with smaller branches

© 11 September 2006 by Derek Ramsey. Permission via the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

While at their winter camp at Wood River, the men made sugar. See Sugaring at River Dubois.

Questions for the Louisiana Indians

Inquiries relitive to the Indians of Louisiania.

1st. Physical History and Medicine

. . . .

What is their most general diet, manner of cooking, time and manner of eating; and how do they preserve their provisions?
What time do they generally consume in sleep?
What are their acute dis-eases?
Is rheumatism, Pluricy, or bilious fevers known among them? & does the latter ever terminate in a vomiting of black matter?
What are their chronic diseases—are palsy, apoplexy, Epilepsy, Madness, the goiture (or Swelled Neck) and the Venereal disease known among them?
—William Clark[1]Undated and unsigned list written in Clark’s hand. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, … Continue reading

Related: Questions for Indians | Estimate of the Eastern Indians | Native Nations

 

Weather Diary

Therm at sun symbol rise weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River
18 above 0 hail after cloudy S.E. 31 above 0 s.a.hf. [snow after hail fair?] S.E. rise 1 ft. 4 in.

Swans from the N. The sugar maple runs freely,
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “day of month 1804” column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

Related: Birds of the Expedition | Thermometers and Temperatures | Weather Observations

Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail

The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Plan a trip related to February 11, 1804:

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logo: Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail logo: National Park Service

Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois) is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site, near Hartford, Illinois, is managed as Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and is open to the public.

 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Undated and unsigned list written in Clark’s hand. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 157.
↑2 To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “day of month 1804” column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.

This page was funded in part by the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, U.S. National Park Service.

This site is provided as a public service by the
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Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:

Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).