At Fort Mandan amongst the Knife River Villages, it rains, the river ice thins, and ducks and geese pass over. Lewis writes a letter to his mother, Lucy Marks.
No Journal Entry Today
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
Canada Geese
Created by John Benson. Permission granted under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Rain and Thinning Ice
rained Some at three oclock this morning. the Ice does not run So thick in the River as it did yesterday.
—John Ordway
Lewis Writes Home
Fort Mandan, 1609 miles above the
entrance of the Missouri, March 31st 1805.Dear Mother.
. . . .
[T]he ice in the Missouri has now nearly dissapea[red.] I shal set out on my voyage in the course of a few [days.] I can forsee no material obstruction to our progress, and feel the most perfect confidence that we shall reach [the Pa]cific Ocean this sum[mer.] For myself individually I [enjoy] better health than I [have] since I commenced my [voyage. The] party are now in [good] health and excellent sperits, [are at]tatched to the enterp[rise and] anxious to proceed; not a whisper of discontent or murmur is to be heared among them, but all act in unison, and with the most perfect harmony. With such men, I feel every confidence necessary to insure success.
. . . .
Give my love to my brothers and sisters, and all my neighbours and friends, and rest assured yourself of the most devoted filial affection of Yours,
MERIWETHER LEWIS[2]Lewis to Lucy Marks. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 222, 224–25.
Weather Diary
State of Ther. at rise
Weather wind at State of Thermt. at 4 OClock Weather at 4 Ock Wind at 4 OClock State of the River 35 [above 0] cloudy after rain S E 45 [above 0] cloudy S E rise 9 in. ducks and Gees passing ice abates in quantity
—Meriwether Lewis[3]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of Month 1805” column and spelled out some abbreviations.
Fort Mandan is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The North Dakota Department of Parks and Recreation manages a modern reconstruction and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center located at US Hwy 83 and ND Hwy 200A.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. A unit of the National Park System, the site is located at 564 County Road 37, one-half mile north of Stanton, North Dakota. It has exhibits, trails, and a visitor center.
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 | Lewis to Lucy Marks. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 222, 224–25. |
| ↑3 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of Month 1805” 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).