The captains make separate recommendations to locate a fort or trading post at the mouth of the Yellowstone River. By midday, the expedition enters present Montana and encamps near Snowden Bridge.
First Camp in Montana
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
Eligible Site
on the point of the high plain at the lower extremity of this lake I think would be the most eligible site for an establishment.
—Meriwether Lewis
Prairie Bluffs at Sunrise, near the Mouth of the Yellowstone River
1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.368.
Two Hunters Are Enough
altho’ game is very abundant and gentle, we only kill as much as is necessary for food. I believe that two good hunters could conveniently supply a regiment with provisions.
—Meriwether Lewis
Celestial Observations
Previous to our setting out this morning I made the following observations.
Point of observation No. 8.
Suns magnetic azimuth by Circumferentor N. 81° E.
h m s Time by chronometer A. M. 9 42 17 Altitude by Sextant 49 56 30 —Meriwether Lewis
Entering Montana
about 12 oC. the wind rose So high from the N. W. and the Sand flew So thick from the Sand bars that we halted about 1 oClock, to wait untill the wind abates, at a bottom of large scatering timber on the N. S. about 4 oClock the wind abated So that we proceeded on till dusk, and Camped at a bottom covered with Small timber
—Joseph Whitehouse
Other Sighting
Weather Diary
State of Thermometer at rise
Weather Wind at State of Thermometer at 4 P.M. Weather Wind at 4 P.M. State of the River 36 [above 0] fair S W 64 [above 0] fair N W fallen 2 in. wind very hard from 11 to 4 oClock
—William Clark and Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, clarified the “State of the River” information, and spelled out some abbreviations.
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, clarified the “State of the River” information, 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.
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).