At Wood River across from the mouth of the Missouri, the thermometer reaches 32° F., and large flocks of trumpeter swan are seen in the marshes. Near this date, the captains finalize their list of questions for Indians.
Trumpeter Swans
Cygnus buccinator
Photo © 2024 by Abigale Barton. Used by permission.
Weather Diary
Therm at rise
weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River 18 above 0 fair S.W. 32 above 0 fair W. 1 ft. 1 in. immence quantities of Swan, in the marra [marshes?]—.
—Meriwether Lewis[1]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.
Questions for the Louisiana Indians
Inquiries relitive to the Indians of Louisiania.
. . . .
2nd. Relative to Morrals
. . . .
Can the crime of Murder be paliated by precuniary Considerations?
Do they use any liquor or Substitute to premote intoxication, besides ardent spirits?
Are they much attached to spiritous liquors, and is intoxication deemed a Crime among them?
Have they any and what are the punishments of which their usuages admit of—for either Crimes.
—William Clark[2]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
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 15, 1804:
- Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois)
- Along the Mississippi (Inspiration Trip)
- Around St. Louis (Inspiration Trip)
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
| ↑1 | 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. |
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| ↑2 | 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), 158. |
