Day-by-Day / May 18, 1805

May 18, 1805

Hills and headwinds

The men tow the boats against a headwind in the present-day Fort Peck Reservoir area of Eastern Montana. Clark kills four deer and notes that the men are using the hides to make leggings and moccasins.

First Rain This Spring

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

Headwinds

The wind blew hard this morning from the West. we were enabled to employ our toe line the greater part of the day and therefore proceeded on tolerably well. there are now but few sandbars, the river is narrow and current gentle.
Meriwether Lewis

Hills

proceeded on passed verry high rough hills, which look mountainous and make in to the River on each Side. the bottoms verry narrow, but little timber only Spots of pitch pine on Sd hills. the bottoms are generally covered with rose bushes & Rabbit berry bushes
John Ordway

Deer

I walked on Shore and killed four Deer, 2 common & 2 mule deer, one of which had 3 fauns, 2 others had 2 each, those deer are fat, & their Skins tolerable good, which are now in demand with us for clothes Such as Legins & Mockersons,
William Clark

 

Weather Diary

State of thermometer at sun symbol rise Weather Wind at sun symbol rise State of thermometer at 4 P. M. Weather Wind at 4 P. M. State of the river
58 a[bove 0] fair W 46 a[bove 0] cloudy after rain N. W. fall 1 inch

a good shower saw the wild rose in blume. the brown thrush or mocking bird has appeared.— had a good shower of rain today, it continued about 2 hours; this is the first shower that deserves the appellation of rain, which we have seen since we left Fort Mandan.— no thunder or lightning
—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.

Notes

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.

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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.