At the Upper Lemhi Valley village, the large flag is hoisted, and Lewis presents three flags to Lemhi Shoshone chiefs. With the knowledge that they must cross the Bitterroots by horse, Lewis finds their price has risen. The day ends with singing and dancing.
Further down the Lemhi River, Clark’s group subsists on salmon while waiting for Lewis to arrive. His men constantly complain of their ‘wretched’ situation while the Shoshones appear content.
15-star Flag
© 2014 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Lewis: Flags, Horses, Dancing
Flag Ceremony
a beautiful pleasant morning we hoisted our large flag. Capt. Lewis Gave the head chief a flag also the 2 chief one they hoisted them on the levil near their lodges.
—Joseph Whitehouse
Rising Prices
Capt. Lewis bought 8 or 9 horses this day. the natives do not wish to part with any more of their horses without gitting a higher price for them. the most of those he has bought as yet was for about 3 or 4 dollars worth of marchandize at the first cost, but we will have to give a little more to git a fiew more horses
—John Ordway
Horse Trading
Capt. Lewis then began to trade with the natives for horses, after paying off the women who helped us over the divideing mount. Mr. Sharbono bought one horse for a red cloak.
—Joseph Whitehouse
Horse
Lewis and Clark Pass, © 20 July 2011 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Evening Dance
in the evening the natives [Lemhi Shoshones] had a war dance and danced with their guns those that had any but they had only three or 4 among them. they were verry merry but did not dance So regular as the Indians on the Missourie. their women Sang with them, but did not dance any they tell us that Some of their horses will dance but they have not brought them out yet.
—John Ordway
Clark: Contentment and Complaints
Salmon for Every Meal
one man killed a Small Sammon, and the Indians gave me another which afforded us a Sleight brackfast. an Indian brough in to the Camp 5 Sammon, two of which I purchased which afforded us a Supper.
—William Clark
Contrasting Attitudes
Those Pore people are here depending on what fish They Can Catch, without anything else to depend on; and appere Contented, my party hourly Complaining of their retched Situation
—William Clark
Weather Diary
State of the Thermometer at rise
Weather at Wind at State of the Thermometer at 4 P.M. Weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. 32 [above 0] fair S E 56 [above 0] fair S E hard frost white this morning. [Clark adds:] on the Columbian waters.
—Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column and spelled out some abbreviations.
Notes
| ↑1 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column 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).