At the Nez Perce fishing camp on the Snake River, Sgt. Ordway wakes to find some of his salmon missing. He then begins the arduous journey back to Long Camp at present-day Kamiah, Idaho. There, Pvt. Willard brings the skin of a “cinnamon bear”, yet another color of grizzly bear. Confused, Lewis decides to follow the Nez Perce system that classifies them all as a single species. Attempts to cross the flooding Clearwater fail, and another of last year’s horses is found.
How Many Species?
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
Wapshilla Ridge
© 26 May 2013 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
John Ordway‘s detachment climbed this steep ridge eventually reaching Camas Prairie.
Ordway Heads Back
Some of the young Indians Stole Some of our fish and went away in the night . . . . we followed back the same road we went on . . . . to the village we left the day before yesterday. their the chief directed us another way whi[ch] he said was nearer & a better road and Sent 2 boys to show us the way to a village on the road. they took us over a verry bad hill down on to the Thommonama river again then left the river ascended a high long hill near the top of which is a large village we Camped near Sd. village as night came on.
—John Ordway
Failed River Crossing
the [Nez Perce] indians at the village learning their errand and not having a canoe, made an attempt esterday morning to pass the river to them on a raft with a parsel of roots and bread in order to trade with them; the indian raft struck a rock, upset and lost thir cargo; the river having fallen heir to both merchandize and roots, our traders returned with empty bags.
—Meriwether Lewis (recorded on 1 June 1806)
Another Horse Found
The Indians brought us another of our origional Stock of horses; there are only two absent now of those horses, and these the indians inform us that our shoshone guide [Toby] rode back when he returned. we have sixty five horses at this time, most of them in excellent order and fine strong active horses.—
—Meriwether Lewis
Classifying Grizzlies
I am disposed to adopt the Indian distinction with rispect to these bear and consider them two distinct speceis. the white and the grizzly of this neighbourhood are the same of those found on the upper portion of the Missouri where the other speceis are not, and that the uniform redish brown black &c of this neighbourhood are a speceis distinct from our black bear and from the black bear of the Pacific coast which I believe to be the same with those of the Atlantic coast, and that the common black bear do not exist here.
—Meriwether Lewis
Weather Diary
State of the Weather at rise
Wind at State of the Weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. State of the Kooskooskee cloudy after fair S E fair S E raised 1 ft. 1 in. within 3 Inches of its greatest hight on the 29th inst. and fell a little after which it rose again. The river rose 13 inches last night and continues to rise fast. from sunset on the 31st of May until sun rise on the 1st of June it rose Eighteen inches and is now as high as any marks of it’s having been for several years past. a heavy thunder cloud passed around us last evening about sunset. Some rain fell in the fore part of the night only.
—Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[2]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented, the river columns have been merged, and some abbreviations have been spelled out.
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 of this web page, the date column is not presented, the river columns have been merged, and some abbreviations have been spelled out. |
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.
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- 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).