Kristopher Townsend
From the Pacific Northwest Living Historians at Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Fort Clatsop.
Since 2016, Kristopher K. Townsend has been the webmaster and editor of this site, Discovering Lewis & Clark®. He has been actively photo-documenting the Lewis and Clark Trail since 1995. He attempts as closely as possible to re-create scenes as described in the journals including the same time of year, natural state, location, and weather. He has contributed numerous photos throughout the Discovering Lewis & Clark website.
Kris taught several years as a tenured instructor at Spokane Falls Community College. His courses included Internet programming and other information technology and computer science courses. During that time, he was also the series editor and an author of a popular college textbook series on Office Technology.
Shortly after the advent of the World Wide Web, he managed a web server featuring digital photos, digital video, and articles created by his Glenwood Heights Primary students. Topics included historical sites of Clark County (Washington State), wildflowers and birds of Clark County, and how-to videos for school’s physical education program.
Contributions to this Site
December 28, 1804
Nothing remarkable today
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the frost falls like snow and the snow blows into drifts. A few villagers visit, and Clark reports that there was “nothing remarkable to day”.
December 27, 1804
Smithing iron
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, the tree boughs are white with frost. Several Knife River villagers enjoy watching the blacksmiths forge iron, and some of the enlisted men lay a floor in the interpreters’ room.
December 26, 1804
The good old game
by Kristopher K. Townsend
A North West Company trader comes to Fort Mandan to hire Charbonneau as a translator. Clark learns that a Hidatsa attempt to retrieve stolen horses was somewhat successful, and Lewis plays backgammon.
December 25, 1804
Fort Mandan Christmas
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, the men wake the captains by firing their guns and cannon. They celebrate Christmas with special food and rum, and the men dance until 9 p.m. after which all is in “peace & quietness”.
December 24, 1804
Construction finished
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, construction is finished, and the blacksmith shop is set up in an empty room. Three visiting chiefs are given strips of sheep skin, and preparations are made to celebrate Christmas.
December 23, 1804
A Mandan treat
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, Knife River villagers bring squash, corn, and beans. The wife of Little Raven cooks a Mandan treat for the captains while the enlisted men must deal with ‘large crowds’ in their quarters.
December 22, 1804
Trading with Indians
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, visiting villagers trade corn, beans, and moccasins for old shirts and other small items. The captains also obtain two bighorn sheep horns.
December 21, 1804
Treating an abscess
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, Lewis drains an abscess from a child’s back and receives corn as payment. The jealous husband who tried to kill his wife the previous month returns.
December 20, 1804
The weather moderates
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the snow melts fast enabling the enlisted men to work on the fort’s pickets. Clark reports that nothing remarkable takes place on this day.
December 19, 1804
Raising pickets
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the weather warms, and the men work outside in one-hour shifts. The enlisted men continue erecting the fort’s picket fence while inside, Clark updates his maps.
December 18, 1804
Clark's Fort Mandan maps
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Three visiting fur traders leave Fort Mandan, and Clark updates his maps using the geographic information obtained from them. Due to the cold, guard duty is shortened, and a bison hunt is canceled.
December 17, 1804
North West Company intelligence
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Visiting North West Company clerk Hugh Heney gives the captains maps of the Missouri River between Fort Mandan and the Rocky Mountains. Mandan visitors report that a bison herd was scared away.
December 16, 1804
A letter from Chaboillez
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, traders Hugh Heney and François-Antoine Larocque bring a letter from the manager of Fort Assiniboine of the North West Company accompanied by George Budge of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
December 15, 1804
Tchung-kee
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Sgt. Ordway and two others visit two Mandan villages to trade for corn. They see men playing Tchung-kee—a game involving rolling a stone and sliding sticks across a large ice field.
December 14, 1804
The buffalo disappear
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Clark takes a hunting party eighteen miles outside Fort Mandan but the buffalo seem to have disappeared. At the fort, Lewis entertains Chief Sheheke (Big White) and Sgt. Ordway hosts fourteen Mandans.
December 13, 1804
Corn and beans
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, Sgt. Ordway sends two men to Mitutanka to trade for corn and beans. Pvt. Joseph Field kills two buffalo, and a trader from the North West Company comes to collect one of Charbonneau’s horses.
December 12, 1804
Fresh pronghorn
by Kristopher K. Townsend
An Awaxawi Hidatsa brings in fresh pronghorn meat, but the captains think it too cold to send hunters for more. Guard duty is shortened to one-hour shifts and Clark lines his gloves and hat with lynx fur.
December 11, 1804
Sun dogs
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, rings appear around the sun when its light hits ice crystals suspended in the air. Due to the cold, Clark orders all the hunters to return to the fort.
December 10, 1804
Frozen spirits
by Kristopher K. Townsend
The weather is so cold at Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages that Sgt. Gass reports that proof spirits freeze solid in just fifteen minutes. Blanket coats are distributed to the men.
December 9, 1804
Bringing in the harvest
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, Lewis takes a party out to hunt and bring in buffalo meat from previous hunts. Four horses and a dog sled loaded with meat return to the fort, and Lewis stays at the hunters’ camp.
December 8, 1804
Frostbitten hunters
by Kristopher K. Townsend
On a day that starts at 12 below zero, the buffalo hunters return to Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages with fresh meat and frostbite. Clark gives the weary hunters tafia—a low-grade rum.
December 7, 1804
Hunting buffalo
by Kristopher K. Townsend
A group of hunters joins with the Mandans, and Sgt. Gass is impressed with their buffalo hunting skills and well-trained horses. By day’s end, several suffer frostbite, and Clark issues half a gill of rum.
December 6, 1804
Frostbitten hunters
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, work is delayed due to the cold, and a Mandan man visits wearing only leggings and a buffalo robe. Clark and sixteen buffalo hunters have a good day, but several men are frostbitten.
December 5, 1804
The sentinel's walkway
by Kristopher K. Townsend
A platform atop the Fort Mandan meat house is completed enabling the guard to see beyond the fort’s walls. The captains are told that five North West Company traders will soon return to Fort Assiniboine.
December 4, 1804
Jusseaume's discontent
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, the main bastion is completed. Posecopsahe (Black Cat) and two chiefs visit, and Clark reports that interpreter René Jusseaume is assuming and discontented.
December 3, 1804
Squash and pemmican
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the father of a Mandan hunter recently killed by the Sioux and Arikaras brings summer squash and pemmican. Work on the fort’s pickets continues.
December 2, 1804
A Cheyenne delegation
by Kristopher K. Townsend
When four Cheyennes arrive at Fort Mandan, the captains give them a speech, tobacco, a flag, and demonstrations of many ‘curiosities’. They also give them a letter of warning for the Sioux and Arikaras.
December 1, 1804
Hudson's Bay Company visitor
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Trader George Henderson of the Hudson’s Bay Company visits Fort Mandan, and Sgt. Ordway describes their business at the Knife River villages. A delegation of Cheyennes and Arikaras arouse Mandan suspicion.
November 30, 1804
A military reprisal
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Responding to news of a deadly Sioux and Arikara attack on Mandan hunters about 25 miles from Fort Mandan, Clark leads a military force to Mitutanka to gather warriors and pursue the attackers.
November 29, 1804
Pryor's trick shoulder
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the river falls leaving the barge on dry land. In removing its rigging, Sgt. Pryor dislocates his shoulder, and four attempts must be made to place it.
November 28, 1804
Black Cat's medals
by Kristopher K. Townsend
On this snowy day at Fort Mandan, Posecopsahe—Black Cat—comes to see the American “Curiossities.” He is told to no longer accept peace medals or flags from trader François-Antoine Larocque.
November 27, 1804
Mandan deceptions
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Lewis returns to Fort Mandan with two Hidatsa chiefs, and the captains learn that the Mandans have been telling lies to the Hidatsas. Seven Canada-based traders arrive at the Knife River Villages.
November 26, 1804
Too cold for work
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the weather turns cold and work on the fort stalls. Lewis and several others remain at a Hidatsa village.
November 25, 1804
Hidatsa mix-up
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Lewis, interpreters Jusseaume and Charbonneau, and five men embark on a diplomatic mission to a Hidatsa village. Two Hidatsa chiefs—Black Moccasin and Rd Shield—come to Fort Mandan with similar intentions.
November 24, 1804
Covering the huts
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Work continues to cover the Fort Mandan cabins with boards. A thick nine-strand elk skin rope is made by braiding three smaller ropes into one, and the guard is reduced to one sergeant and three enlisted men.
November 23, 1804
Making rope
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, a rope works is set up. Several men twist strips of raw elk hide to make a large rope that will be used to haul the barge out of the nearly iced-over river. Several men have colds.
November 22, 1804
Domestic violence
by Kristopher K. Townsend
A Mandan man threatens to kill his wife for having slept with Sgt. Ordway. Clark orders the sergeant to give the man some trade goods. Twelve bushels of corn—still on the cob—is brought in.
November 21, 1804
Lining the chimneys
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the backs of four chimneys are lined with river rock, and the storerooms are organized. The river is clear of ice, and Clark reports spirits that are high.
November 20, 1804
Sioux threats
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, Charbonneau brings in a large load of meat and furs, and the captains move into their quarters. Three chiefs from Ruptáre bring news of a Sioux threat.
November 19, 1804
The hunters arrive
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, the meat and smoke houses are completed just in time to receive what Pvt. Whitehouse estimated as two thousand pounds of bison, deer, elk, and peltry. Several Mandans visit.
November 18, 1804
Blackcat visits
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, Black Cat’s wife brings as much corn as she can carry. Blackcat tells the captains that the Mandans have decided to continue with the Canada-based traders rather than St. Louis.
November 17, 1804
Indian medicine
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, elk meat finally arrives. The men work on the fort’s interior, and Lewis adds Canada columbine seeds to his plant collection. Arikara chief Too Né describes the seed’s traditional uses.
November 16, 1804
Moving into the huts
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, the morning brings thick frost. Fortunately, the enlisted men can move from their tents into unfinished cabins. The captains learn of a dispute between Assiniboines and their Hidatsa hosts.
November 15, 1804
Tin for the bow
by Kristopher K. Townsend
River ice delays the hunters’ efforts to return a pirogue loaded with fresh meat. Tin to protect the bow is sent to them. Work on Fort Mandan continues late into the night.
November 14, 1804
Missing hunters
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Few Knife River villagers visit Fort Mandan having participated the previous night in a “Serimoney of adoption” with the Assiniboines and Crees. Two French trappers return with a large catch of beavers.
November 13, 1804
Ice waters
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, the barge is threatened by ice, and Clark learns about the Assiniboine People. Lewis returns late after spending two hours in the river dragging a pirogue loaded with chimney stones.
November 12, 1804
Mandan history lesson
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Sheheke and his wife—likely Yellow Corn—visit the Fort Mandan construction site. She brings 100 pounds of meat, and he tells the Mandan creation story. He also describes the Hidatsa and Crow Nations.
November 11, 1804
Meeting Sacagawea
by Kristopher K. Townsend
The captains meet Sacagawea when Toussaint Charbonneau brings his two Shoshone wives and some buffalo robes. The enlisted men continue with the fort’s construction, and Lewis calculates latitude.
November 10, 1804
Hewing and guttering
by Kristopher K. Townsend
At Fort Mandan, cottonwood logs are shaped with axes and adzes so that they can be used to cover cabin roofs. A Mandan-Arikara man and his wife cross the river in a bull boat with a load of buffalo meat.
November 9, 1804
A long-tailed weasel
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Below the Knife River Villages in present North Dakota, construction continues. The captains obtain a white weasel pelt, and Clark describes how Mandan People feed and care for their horses.
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
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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.
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