June 12, 1805 - Discover Lewis & Clark

Contents

Clark takes the boats up the Missouri past black bluffs and rattlesnakes nearly reaching present Fort Benton. Sacagawea remains ill.

Lewis hikes over the plains in search of the Great Falls of the Missouri, and he sees the Rocky Mountain Front. He has an encounter with a grizzly bear, describes two types of cottonwood trees, and then goes fishing.

After the arrival of the barge in St. Louis, some of its many Native passengers return home and others prepare to leave for Washington City.

Clark Captains the Boats

Sacagawea Given Shade

The interpreters wife [Sacagawea] verry Sick So much So that I move her into the back part of our Covered part of the Perogue which is Cool, her own situation being a verry hot one in the bottom of the Perogue exposed to the Sun—
—William Clark

Blackish Bluffs near Fort Benton

Blackish Bluffs

the bluff are blackish Clay & Coal for about 80 feet. the earth above that for 30 or 40 feet is a brownish yellow, a number of bars of corse gravil and Stones of different Shape & Size &c.
—William Clark

Rattlesnakes

Several rattle Snakes has been Seen by the party to day one man took hold of one which was in a bunch of bushes as he was taking along the towing line, but luckley escaped being bit.
—John Ordway

Lewis Scouts Ahead

Grizzlies

here we met with two large bear, and killed them boath at the first fire, a circumstance which I beleive has never happend with the party in killing the brown bear before. we dressed the bear, breakfasted on a part of one of them and hung the meat and skins on the trees out of the reach of the wolves. I left a note on a stick near the river for Capt. Clark, informing him of my progress &c.—
—Meriwether Lewis

Rocky Mountain Views

we had a most beatifull and picturesk view of the Rocky mountains which wer perfectly covered with Snow and reaching from S. E. to the N. of N. W.— they appear to be formed of several ranges each succeeding range rising higher than the preceding one untill the most distant appear to loose their snowey tops in the clouds;
—Meriwether Lewis

Gone Fishing

This evening I ate very heartily and after pening the transactions of the day amused myself catching those white fish mentioned yesterday; they are here in great abundance I caught upwards of a douzen in a few minutes; they bit most freely at the melt of a deer which goodrich had brought with him for the purpose of fishing.
—Meriwether Lewis

Cottonwoods

The narrow leafed cottonwood differs only from the other in the shape of it’s leaf and greater thickness of it’s bark.
—Meriwether Lewis

Balsam Poplar

Populus balsamifera, var.

Black Cottonwood

Populus tricocarpa

Weather Diary

State of the thermometer at rise Weather Wind at rise State of the thermometer at 4 OC. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 OC. P. M. State of river

54 [above 0] fair S W 64 [above 0] fair after rain S. W.

—William Clark^[1]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.

State of the thermometer at rise	Weather	Wind at rise	State of the thermometer at 4 OC. P.M.	Weather	Wind at 4 OC. P. M.	State of river
54 [above 0]	fair	S W	64 [above 0]	fair after rain	S. W.

St. Louis Visitors

St Louis June the 12th 1805

Sir.——[William Henry Harrison]

In the Different counsels Which I had held with the chiefs of the Nations Sent here by capn. (Meriwether) Lewis I find Some of them already impatient to back as Soon as possible to their Village, the Mahau [Omaha] and Poncas expressed clearly theyr Wishes and have departed a few days after the counsel . . . .

The Ottoo, Missouris [Otoes and Missouria] and Some Sioux are also gone back to their nations but they have promised to come again here at the end of next September

There only remain here the great chiefs of the ottos and Missoury, the chief ricaras [Arikaras] and some Sioux, They Will Start very Soon and I Sent with them the two interpreters Who are appointed by Capn Lewis to go With the Indians to the federal city

I expect Soon the return of the interpreter Whom I have Sent to the Sikias [Sauks] and I have the greatest hope that this nation Will Send here Some of their chiefs and that peace and harmony Will continue betwen them and the U.S.

[Pierre Chouteau]^[2]Pierre Chouteau Letter Book, 60–61, Chouteau Collection, Box 6, Missouri Historical Society in “William Henry Harrison Papers and Documents, 1791–1864”, Indiana Historical Society, … Continue reading

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.

Plan a trip related to June 12, 1805:

Decision Point is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site is open to the public and managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Notes[+]

Notes
↑1	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.
↑2	Pierre Chouteau Letter Book, 60–61, Chouteau Collection, Box 6, Missouri Historical Society in “William Henry Harrison Papers and Documents, 1791–1864”, Indiana Historical Society, reel 2, pp. 215–16, images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/dc050/id/6743/rec/12 accessed 8 February 2026.