At his canoe camp near present Ulm, Montana, Clark has the men hewing two new dugout canoes from cottonwood logs. The old canoes are sent back to Lewis who is at the upper portage camp above the Great Falls of the Missouri.
Most Hands Work on Canoes
by Yellowstone Public Radio[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
Black Fly
Provided by F. Christian Thompson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Hewing Two New Canoes
all hands at work at Day light Some at the Canoes, & others drying meat for our voyage— Dispatched W. Brattin [William Bratton] to the lower Camp for two axes which are necessary to carry on our work at this place &. Serjt. Pryors Sholder was put out of place yesterday Carrying Meat and is painfull to day.
—William Clark
Gass Moves to Canoe Camp
Myself and three of the men went up the river to assist Captain Clarke’s party. Having gone about 7 miles we found Captain Clarke’s party, who had cut down two trees and taken off logs for canoes, one 25 and the other 30 feet in length.
—Patrick Gass
Return to White Bear Islands
the canoes were detained by the wind untill 2 P. M. when they set out and arrived at this place so late that I thought it best to detain them untill morning.
—Meriwether Lewis
Mosquitoes and Eye Gnats
Musquetoes extreemly troublesome to me today nor is a large black knat less troublesome, which dose not sting, but attacks the eye in swarms and compells us to brush them off or have our eyes filled with them.
—Meriwether Lewis
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. State of the river 50 [above 0] fair S. W. 74 [above 0] fair S W. fallen ¼ in. wind violent all day.
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.
The Great Falls Portage is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. It includes Sulpher Spring (open to the public) and Lower Portage Camp site (private land), and the Upper Portage Camp Overlook.
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, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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).