Day-by-Day / July 21, 1805

July 21, 1805

Progress slow and laborious

In the present Helena Valley, Clark’s group scouts ahead in search of Shoshones. His party’s feet are so bruised and cut they must come back to the river and wait for Lewis. The boats make fifteen miles up the Missouri and Seaman caches several geese.

Progress Slow and Laborious

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

Clark Waits for the Canoes

a fine morning our feet So brused and Cut that I deturmined to delay for the Canoes, & if possible kill Some meat by the time they arrived
William Clark

Against the Current

the current strong; we employed the toe rope principally, and also the pole as the river is not now so deep but reather wider and much more rapid our progress was therefore slow and laborious.
Meriwether Lewis

Seaman Hunts

we daily see great numbers of gees with their young . . . . my dog [Seaman] caught several today, as he frequently dose. the young ones are very fine, but the old gees are poor and unfit for uce.
—Meriwether Lewis

Broad Valley

towards evening when the river entered a beautifull and extensive plain country of about 10 or 12 miles wide which extended upwards further that the eye could reach this valley is bounded by two nearly parallel ranges of high mountains which have their summits partially covered with snow.
—Meriwether Lewis

 

Weather Diary

State of the thermometer at sun symbol rise Weather at sun symbol rise Wind at sun symbol rise State of the Thermometer at 4 P.M. Weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. State of the river
60 [above 0] fair N W 67 [above 0] fair N W fallen ½ in.

—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.