Near present Williston, North Dakota, Lewis has his men repair the boats while he prepares a specimen of white milkwort. In the afternoon, rains begin, leather-making operations cease, and they move a few miles down the river.
Near Tobacco Garden, Clark waits for Lewis to arrive. The men dig for large Indian breadroot, and he works on his maps of the Yellowstone River.[1]For more on the captains’ strategy and various groups after leaving Travelers’ Rest, see Dividing Forces at Travelers’ Rest.
A New Species of Cherry
by Yellowstone Public Radio[2]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
White Milkwort
Polygala alba
6 June 2016, by Matt Lavin. Permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Lewis Repairs Boats
Repairing the Boats
I hastened the repairs which were necessary to the perogue and canoe which were compleated by 2 P. M.
—Meriwether Lewis
Halted by Rain
at 4 in the evening it clouded up and began to rain which puting a stop to the opperation of skindressing we had nothing further to detain us, I therefore directed the vessels to be loaded and at 5 P. M. got under way
—Meriwether Lewis
Little Muddy Camp
we decended this evening as low nearly as the entrance of white Earth river and encamped on the S. W. side. the musquetoes more than usually troublesome this evening
—Meriwether Lewis
White Milkwort Specimen
Polygala A kind of Seneca Snake root. On the Missouri R. Augst: 10th 1806.
—Meriwether Lewis[3]Polygala alba. Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 136r.
Detail from Clark’s map of 1814
To see labels, point to the map.
Clark Waits for Lewis
Maps of the Yellowstone
had the flesh of the elk hung on poles to dry, and Sent out the hunters. wind blew hard from the East all day. in the after part of the day it was [Nicholas Biddle: Cloudy] & a fiew drops of rain. I finished a Copy of my Sketches of the River Rochejhone.
—William Clark
Mule Deer and Pronghorn
Shields killed a black tail deer [mule deer] & an antilope [pronghorn]. the other hunters killed nothing. deer are very Scerce on this part of the river.
—William Clark
Harvesting Breadroot
the men dug great parcel of the root which the Nativs call Hankee and the engagees the white apple which they boiled and made use of with their meat. This is a large insipid root and very tasteless. the nativs use this root after it is dry and pounded in their Seup.
—William Clark
Weather Diaries
State of the weather at rise
Wind at State of the weather at 4 P. M. Wind at 4 P. M. fair N. E cloudy after rain N E a slight shower about 3 P. M. wind hard.
—Meriwether Lewis
State of the weather at Sun rise State of wind at Sunrise State of the weather at 4 P. M. Wind at 4 P. M. State of river fair E. cloudy E. fall ¾ in. found a Species of Cherry resembling the read Heart cherry of our country.
—William Clark[4]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted, some abbreviations have been spelled out, and the three river columns have been merged.
Notes
| ↑1 | For more on the captains’ strategy and various groups after leaving Travelers’ Rest, see Dividing Forces at Travelers’ Rest. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | 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. |
| ↑3 | Polygala alba. Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 136r. |
| ↑4 | To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted, some abbreviations have been spelled out, and the three river columns have been merged. |
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.
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
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
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).