At Council Bluff at present Fort Atkinson, Nebraska, everyone waits for the arrival of the Otoes. Instead of Indians, they are befriended by a young beaver and numerous mosquitoes.
North American Beaver
Castor Canadensis
Provided by Tom Smylie of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Tamed Beaver, Lost Horses
R[eubin Field] & Jo: Fields returned at 10 oClock the[y] Killed 3 Deer, and lost the horses, Cought a Small Beever which is already taim, Several men out hunting the horses without Sukcess,
—William Clark
Determining Latitude
Camp at Council Bluffs, Larboard shore.—
Observed Meridian Altd. of‘s L. L. with Octant by the back observtn. 51° 4’ 30
Latitude deduced from this obsertn. 41° 18′ 1.5″
—Meriwether Lewis
Evening Wrap-up
The Ottoes [ Otoes] not yet arrived, I complete the Copy of the Courses &c. &c . . . . The evening verry Cool, The Musqutors are yet troublesom.—
—William Clark
Fort Atkinson is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The Fort, the first site of a formal meeting between U.S. Government officials and a western Indian Tribe, is a National Historic Landmark open to the public as a Nebraska State Park.
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).