Shoshone Cove and Beaverhead River, MT Lewis has his first Shoshone encounter. He tries several methods to persuade the warrior to meet with him but is unsuccessful. The main party works the canoes up the Beaverhead River past 3000 Mile Island.
Waving the Red Blanket
From an interpretive sign by the U.S. Forest Service. Photo 2008 by Kristopher K. Townsend.
Lewis Signals an Indian[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
Lewis: A Shoshone Indian
First Shoshone Encounter
I discovered an [Lemhi Shoshone] Indian on horse back about two miles distance coming down the plain toward us . . . . his arms were a bow and quiver of arrows, and was mounted on an eligant horse without a saddle, and a small string which was attatched to the underjaw of the horse which answered as a bridle.
—Meriwether Lewis
Council Invitation
I mad him the signal of friendship known to the Indians of the Rocky mountains and those of the Missouri, which is by holding the mantle or robe in your hands at two corners and then throwing up in the air higher than the head bringing it to the earth as if in the act of spreading it, thus repeating three times. this signal of the robe has arrisen from a custom among all those nations of spreading a robe or skin for ther gests to set on when they are visited. this signal had not the desired effect
—Meriwether Lewis
Tab-ba-bone
whe I arrived within about 150 paces I again repepeated the word tab-ba-bone and held up the trinkits in my hands and striped up my shirt sleve to give him an opportunity of seeing the colour of my skin and advanced leasure towards him
—Meriwether Lewis
A Sudden Turn
he suddonly turned his hose about, gave him the whip leaped the creek and disapeared in the willow brush in an instant and with him vanished all my hopes of obtaining horses for the present.
—Meriwether Lewis
Recent Indian Signs
we pas several places where the Indians appeared to have been diging roots today and saw the fresh tracks of 8 or ten horses but they had been wandering about in such a confused manner that we not only lost the track of the hose which we had been pursuing but could make nothing of them. in the head of this valley we passed a large bog covered with tall grass and moss in which were a great number of springs of cold pure water
—Meriwether Lewis
Clark: Passing 3000 Mile Island
Beaverhead River Sunrise
© 22 July 2013 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Passing 3000-mile Island
a wet rainy morning. Several men out hunting. we Set out after breakfast and proceeded on about 3 miles come to a large prarie Island which three Thousand miles from wood River or from the Mouth of the Missourie. So we call it 3000 mile Island. we went up the L. Side of it and were oblidged to hall the canoes over Several Shole places.
—John Ordway
Small Islands and Bayous
passed Several Small Islands and a number of Bayoes on each Side and Encamped on the upper point of a large Island, our hunters killed three Deer, one antilope [pronghorn], and Tomahawked Several Orter to day killed one Beaver with a Setting pole.
—William Clark
Wide Valley
the valley continues 8 or 10 miles wide & all Smooth low prarie without timber. we Saw high Mountains a head some distance large Spots of Snow on them. we Came 14 miles this day and Camped on a wet bottom on Stard. Side.
—William Clark
Weather Diary
State of the Thermometer at rise
Weather at Wind at State of the Thermometer at 4 P.M. Weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. 58 [above 0] cloudy after rain &hail N E 70 [above 0] fair S W. heavy Dew last evening killed a long tailed grouse.
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column and spelled out some abbreviations.
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 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column 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.
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 Heritage Foundation
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).