At Fort Mandan, Clark learns about the death of a very old Mandan man who is interned in a way that will return him to the “old village under ground.” To the south, Lewis‘s group hunts its way back towards the fort.
Frozen Missouri River
Below Garrison Dam, looking upstream, February 1949
Photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Return to the Old Village
I am informed of the Death of an old man whome I Saw in the Mandan Village. this man, informed me that he “was 120 winters old, he requested his grand Children to Dress him after Death & Set him on a Stone on a hill with his face towards his old Village or Down the river, that he might go Streight to his brother at their old village under ground
—William Clark
Hunting Their Way Back
proceeded on a Short distance & took on 3 deer which the hunters had killed and halled on the Ice. we came about 8 miles further which took us above the Mandans Island as we call it. we heard the hunters Shooting on the S. Side. we camped on the South Side the hunters came in had killed five Elk we packed in three of them and night came on so that the hunters could not find the other 2.
—John Ordway
Weather Diary
State of the Ther. at rise
Weather Wind at Thermt. at 4 oCk. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 oCk. P.M. River 2 [above 0] fair S. 22 [above 0] fair S —William Clark[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at
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 20, 1805:
Fort Mandan is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The North Dakota Department of Parks and Recreation manages a modern reconstruction and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center located at US Hwy 83 and ND Hwy 200A.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. A unit of the National Park System, the site is located at 564 County Road 37, one-half mile north of Stanton, North Dakota. It has exhibits, trails, and a visitor center.
Notes
| ↑1 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at rise” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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