Day-by-Day / February 16, 1805

February 16, 1805

Scorched earth

Many miles south of Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, Lewis and his soldiers continue their pursuit of a Sioux war party. They come to an old Mandan village where two lodges have been set afire and their hunters’ cache of meat pillaged.

Snow Blind

by Yellowstone Public Radio[1]Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © … Continue reading

Smoking Lodges

We renewed our pursuit early, and had a cold morning. Having proceeded twelve miles we discovered fresh smoke arising at some old camps, where we had hid some meat before when Captain Clarke was down; and therefore advanced with caution.
Patrick Gass

 

Scorched Earth

we came to the lodges, where we found that they had left place 24 hours before that, & had Set 2 of the largest lodges on fire which caused the Smoak. I then Sounded the horn the other party came up, we found they had tore down the meat pen which our men had built & left 2 Elk in it. they took the meat all away, except a fiew small peaces of buffaloe meat which they left in the small lodge which they broiled.
John Ordway

Abandoned Moccasins

the Inds. who Commited the roberry of the 2 horses was So far a head that they could not be overtaken, they left a number of pars of Mockersons which, the Mandans knew to be Souix [Sioux] mockersons,—
William Clark

 

Weather Diary

State of the Ther. at sun symbol rise Weather Wind at sun symbol rise Thermt. at 4 oCk. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 oCk. P.M. River
2 [above 0] fair S. E 8 [above 0] fair W fall 1 in.

—William Clark[3]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at sun symbol rise” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

 

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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 16, 1805:

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Notes

Notes
1 Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © 2003 by Yellowstone Public Radio.
2 New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed February 22, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-c46b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.
3 To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at sun symbol rise” 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.