In St. Louis, the expedition has ended, and in his concluding journal entry, Clark says that the captains have “commenced wrighting &c”. Later in Washington City, President Jefferson receives Lewis’s letter and gives the story to The National Intelligencer.
Redware Ink Well
© 2011 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Commenced Writing
a fine morning we commenced wrighting &c
—William Clark
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 fair S E fair S. E fair and worm
—William Clark[1]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented and some abbreviations have been spelled out.
Exploring Party Arrives
After receiving Lewis’s letter of 23 September 1803 in Washington City, Thomas Jefferson gives the ‘scoop’ to The National Intelligencer.
Monday, October 27 [1806]
It is, with the sincerest pleasure, that we announce to our fellow citizens, the arrival of CAPTAIN LEWIS, with his exploring party, at St. Lewis [St. Louis].
. . . . .
He found it two thousand five hundred and seventy-five miles from the mouth of the Missouri to the great falls of that river, thence by land passing the Rockey mountains to a navigable part of the Kooskooske [Clearwater River] three hundred and forty miles, of which two hundred would admit good road, and one hundred and forty miles over tremendous mountains which for sixty miles are covered with eternal snows.
. . . . .
Capt. Lewis expected to remain at St. Louis some days to settle with and discharge his men, and would then set out for Washington . . . . He is accompanied by the great Mandan chief [Sheheke]. . . .[2]The National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, 27 Oct. 1806, at “Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers,” Library of Congress, … Continue reading
Notes
| ↑1 | To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented and some abbreviations have been spelled out. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, 27 Oct. 1806, at “Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers,” Library of Congress, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045242/1806-10-27/ed-1/seq-3/ |
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.
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
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
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).