Day-by-Day / March 14, 1804

March 14, 1804

Native agriculture

Clark and Lewis are likely working in St. Louis while the enlisted men are at Wood River, Illinois under the charge of Sgt. Ordway. Perhaps Clark finalizes the questions about Native American agriculture.

Questions about Native Agriculture

Mandan Garden

Yellow squash, color ears of corn, beans, and sunflower seeds piled onto a table

Original black and white sketch by F. N. Wilson. Colorized by Kristopher Townsend.

While at the Knife River Villages the following winter, the captains had ample opportunity to describe the garden culture of the Mandans—at least what they saw—and ate—while the gardens lay fallow.
Related: “The Four Hidatsa Sisters” in Sunflowers

Inquiries relitive to the Indians of Louisiania.

. . . .

5th. Agriculture and Domestic economy

. . . .

Do they obtain by the Cultivation of the soil their principal mantainence?
What species of grain or pulse do they cultivate?
What are their implements of husbandry, and in what manner do they use them?
Have they any domestic anamals & what are they?
Do their men engage in agriculture or any other domestic employments.
—William Clark[1]Undated and unsigned list written in Clark’s hand. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, … Continue reading

Related: Estimate of the Eastern Indians | Questions for Indians | Indigenous Agriculture

 

Weather Diary

Therm at sun symbol rise weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River
12 above 0 fair N E 18 above 0 fair N E fall 4 ½ in.

—Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

Related: Thermometers and Temperatures | Weather Observations

 

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 March 14, 1804:

Logo: Lewis and Clark.travel
logo: Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail logo: National Park Service

Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois) is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site, near Hartford, Illinois, is managed as Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and is open to the public.

 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Undated and unsigned list written in Clark’s hand. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 159.
↑2 To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, 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
Logo: Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:

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).