Around noon, the “corps of volunteers for North West Discovery” celebrates their St. Louis homecoming. Sgt. Ordway finishes his journal, and the captains work on letters to President Jefferson and Clark’s brother Jonathan telling of their findings.
Home from the Pacific: Triumphant Return to St. Louis
30″ x 25″ oil on canvas
© 2009 by Charles Fritz. Used by permission.
As the enlisted men salute the citizens, Seaman prepares to jump ship.
St. Louis Homecoming
about 12 oClock we arived in Site of St. Louis fired three Rounds as we approached the Town and landed oppocit the center of the Town, the people gathred on the Shore and Huzzared three cheers.
—John Ordway
Old Acquaintances
here I found my old acquaintance Majr. W. Christy who had Settled in this town in a public line as a Tavern Keeper. he furnished us with Store rooms for our baggage and we accepted of the invitation of Mr. Peter Choteau [Pierre Chouteau] took a room in his house
—William Clark
Sgt. Ordway’s Last Entry
drew out the canoes then the party all considerable much rejoiced that we have the Expedition Completed and now we look for boarding in Town and wait for our Settlement and then we entend to return to our native homes to See our parents once more as we have been So long from them.— finis.
—John Ordway
Lewis’s Specimens
St. Louis 23rd 1806.
Sir [Thomas Jefferson],
I have brought with me several skins of the Sea Otter, two skins of the native sheep of America, five skins and skelitons complete of the Bighorn or mountain ram, and a skin of the Mule deer beside the skins of several other quadrupeds and birds natives of the countries through which we have passed. I have also preserved a pretty extensive collection of plants, and collected nine other vocabularies.
MERIWETHER LEWIS. Capt.
1st. U.S. Regt. Infty.[1]Lewis to Jefferson. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 319-324.
Chief Sheheke’s Delegation
I have prevailed on the great Cheif of the Mandan nation to accompany me to Washington; he is now with my frind and colligue Capt. Clark at this place, in good health and sperits, very anxious to proceede.
MERIWETHER LEWIS. Capt.[2]Ibid.
All in Good Health
N.B. The whole of the party who accompanyed me from the Mandans have returned in good health, which is not, I assure you, to me one of the least pleasing considerations of the Voyage.
M. L.[3]Ibid.
Best Trans-Continental Route
St. Louis 23rd September 1806
Dear Brother
. . . .
In returning through those mountains we devided ourselves into several parties, digressing from the rout by which we went in order the more effectually to explore the Country and discover the most practicable rout which does exist across the Continent by way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, in this we were completely successfull and have therefore no hesitation in declaring that such as nature has permited it we have discovered the best rout which does exist across the continent of North America in that direction.
. . . . Yr. affecutate brother,
WM. CLARK[4]James J. Holmberg, ed. Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), 101–102.
Fur Trade Advantage
St. Louis 23rd September 1806
Dear Brother
. . . .
I consider this tract across the Continant of emence advantage to the fur trade, as all the furs collected in 9/10th. of the most valuable furr country in America may be conveyed to the mouth of the Columbia and Shipped from thence to East indias by the 1St. of august in each year. and will of course reach Canton earlier than the furrs which are annually exported from Montrall arrive in Great Britain—.
WM. CLARK[5]Holmberg, 101–106.
Weather Diary
State of the weather at Sun rise Course of the wind at Sun rise State of the weather at 4 oClock Course of wind at 4 P. M cloudy & rain N E cloudy after rain N E at St. Louis Several light Showers in the course of this day. we arrived at St Louis at 12 oClock.
—William Clark[6]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented and some abbreviations have been spelled out.
Jefferson’s Reply
Lewis’s letter of this day took 31 days to reach Thomas Jefferson who gave, in part, this reply:
Washington Oct. 26. 06
I recieved, my dear Sir, with unspeakable joy your letter of Sep. 23 announcing the return of yourself, Capt Clarke & your party in good health to St. Louis. the unknown scenes in which you were engaged, & the length of time without hearing of you had begun to be felt awfully.
tell my friend of Mandane also that I have already opened my arms to recieve him. perhaps, while in our neighborhood, it may be gratifying to him, & not otherwise to yourself to take a ride to Monticello and see in what manner I have arranged the tokens of friendship I have recieved from his country particularly as well as from other Indian friends: that I am in fact preparing a kind of Indian hall.
Th: Jefferson[7]Jackson, 350–51
Notes
| ↑1 | Lewis to Jefferson. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 319-324. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Ibid. |
| ↑3 | Ibid. |
| ↑4 | James J. Holmberg, ed. Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), 101–102. |
| ↑5 | Holmberg, 101–106. |
| ↑6 | To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented and some abbreviations have been spelled out. |
| ↑7 | Jackson, 350–51 |
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.
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.
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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).