While passing through the Big Bend of the Missouri—also known as the Grand Detour—the expedition nearly runs out of meat. They hear bison bellowing and stop to hunt. Lewis collects a plant specimen, but aggravates his gunshot wound.
Stopping At the Big Bend
Big Bend of the Missouri
Courtesy U.S. National Parks, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
Above: The Missouri flows from left to right and the narrowing arm of the Big Bend curves into the distance on the right.
we halted in the big bend and killed a fat buck elk near the river, which was very timely as our meat was entirely exhosted. at 2 P. M we again proceeded on down saw Several Buffalow Bulls on each Side of the river also Some deer of the Common kind.
—William Clark
Bellowing Buffalo
we herd the bellowing of the Buffalow [buffalo] Bulls in the lower Isld. of the Big bend below the Gouge which induced a belief that there was Some fat Cows, 5 men went out from the 2 Small Canoes which was a little a head, and killed two Cows one Bull and a Calf nether of them wer fat . . . . had the buffalow butched and brought in and divided
—William Clark
Lewis Relapses
My friend Capt Lewis hurt himself very much be takeing a longer walk on the Sand bar in my absence at the buffalow than he had Strength to undergo, which Caused him to remain very unwell all night.
—William Clark
Indigo Specimen
On the great bend of the Missouri. Augst. 27th 1806.
—Meriwether Lewis[1]Amorpha fruticosa. Moulton, ed. Herbarium, specimen 8.
Weather Diary
State of the weather at Sun rise State of wind at Sunrise State of the weather at 4 P. M. Wind at 4 P. M. State of river fair S. E. fair S. E fall 1 ¼ in. first Turkeys at Tylor River above the big bend
—William Clark[2]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted, some abbreviations have been spelled out, and the three river columns have been merged.
The Big Bend of the Missouri is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site is open to the public and managed by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks.
Notes
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).