Cpt. Lewis and his group hunt elk in the Sun River plains above the Great Falls of the Missouri. They also find grizzly bears, prickly pears, and mud. Sgt. Gass is sent ahead with the pack horses.
Cpt. Clark and his group paddle down the Beaverhead River from Fortunate Camp to Beaverhead Rock passing six camps from the previous year. Sgt. Pryor herds their horses.[1]For more on the captains’ strategy and various groups after leaving Travelers’ Rest, see Dividing Forces at Travelers’ Rest.
Digging Up the Cache
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
Lewis Hunts on the Plains
Two Kinds of Prickly Pear
Opuntia macrorhiza and Opuntia fragilis
Above left: At the Great Falls of the Missouri, 21 July 2011.
Above right: Near Travelers’ Rest, 9 September 2009.
© 2017 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Prickly Pears and Mud
great quantities of prickly pear of two kinds on the plains. the ground is renderd so miry by the rain which fell yesterday that it is excessively fatiegueing to the horses to travel.
—Meriwether Lewis
Skinning Elk
in the evening the wind set from the West and we fell in with a few elk of which R. Fields and myself killed 3 . . . . I retained frazer to assist in skining the Elk. we wer about this time joined by drewyer. a large brown bear swam the river near where we were and drewyer shot and killed it.
—Meriwether Lewis
Grizzly Chase
they informed us that they had seen a very large bear in the plains which had pursued Sergt. Gass and Thomson [Thompson] some distance but their horses enabled them to keep out of it’s reach. they were affraid to fire on the bear least their horses should throw them as they were unaccustomed to the gun.
—Meriwether Lewis
Clark Paddles Down the Beaverhead
Beaverhead River near 3000 Mile Camp
© 26 July 2011 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
A Frozen Morning
this morning everything was white with frost and the grass Stiff frozend. I had Some water exposed in a bason in which the ice was ¾ of an inch thick this morning.
—William Clark
Leaving Fortunate Camp
I had all the Canoes put into the water and every article which was intended to be Sent down put on board, and the horses collected and packed with what fiew articles I intend takeing with me to the River Rochejhone, and after brackfast we all Set out at the Same time
—William Clark
Through the Beaverhead Valley
proceeded on Down Jeffersons river on the East Side through Sarviss Vally and rattle snake mountain [Rattlesnake Cliffs] and into that butifull and extensive Vally open and fertile which we Call the beaver head Vally which is the Indian name in their language Har na Hap pap Chah . . . . I saw several large rattle Snakes in passing the rattle Snake Mountain they were fierce.
—William Clark
Six Old Camps
leaveing the horses to be taken down by Sergt. Pryor and 6 of the men of the party to accompany me to the river Rochejhone [Yellowstone] and directed Sergt. Pryor to proceed on moderately and if possible encamp with us every night. after dinner had my baggage put on board and Set out, and proceeded on . . . . the Canoes passed Six of my encampments assending . . . .
—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 after rain N W. fair W. rain ceased a little after dark.
—Meriwether Lewis
State of the weather at Sun rise Wind at Sun rise State of the weather at 4 P. M Wind at 4 P M. fair S. E. fair S W. white frost this morning. ice ¾ of an inch thick on Standing water. grass killd by the frost. river falling proceviable. a large white frost last night. the air extreemlly Cold. Ice ¾ of an inch thick on Standing water.
—William Clark[3]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted and some abbreviations have been spelled out.
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 | To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted and some abbreviations have been spelled out. |
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).