At Wood River, Illinois, the day begins cold and snowy, but when the temperature rises to 48° F., the snow turns over to rain. Sometime during this period, Clark finalizes the questions about Native American “Agriculture and Domestic economy”.
Snowy Morning
Photo provided by Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, Hartford, Illinois. Used by permission.
Questions for the Louisiana Indians
Inquiries relitive to the Indians of Louisiania.
. . . .
5th. Agriculture and Domestic economy
. . . .
How do they prepare their culinary and other domistic utensils and what are they?
At what time do they usually relinquish their hunt and return to their village?
What are the esculent plants, and how do they prepare them.
What are those that are Commonly used by them?
In what form and of what materials are their Lodges, or Houses usially built.
Of what does the furniture of those lodges Consist, for the accommidation of the necessary avocations of human life eating Drinking & Sleeping.
What materials compose, and in what form do they erect their temporary tents.
Do more that [than] one family inhabit the same lodge and in such case, is the furniture of the lodge considered as the common property of the inhabitants of it.
—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
Weather Diary
Therm at rise
weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River 2 above 0 cloudy & snow N W 48 above 0 rain after snow N E rise 5 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.
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 15, 1804:
- Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois)
- Along the Mississippi (Inspiration Trip)
- Around St. Louis (Inspiration Trip)
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
| ↑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. |
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| ↑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. |
