The day at Fort Mandan is warm as everyone goes about their assigned duties. A letter is sent to trader Pierre-Antoine Tabeau who is with some Arikaras staying at an old Mandan village site, and Lewis writes a letter to President Jefferson describing the echinacea plant.
Nothing Extraordinary
clear and pleasant. the men at work making coal &.C. a light Squawl of Snow fell about 4 oClock this morning. nothing extroardinary.
—John Ordway
Passing Letters
one frenchman cross to join a Indian the two pass through by Land to the Ricaras with a Letter to Mr. Tabbow [Pierre-Antoine Tabeau]
—William Clark
Narrow-leaved Purple Coneflower
Echinacea angustifolia
Jennifer Jewett, Upper Souris Refuge, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Echinacea Plant
Fort Mandan March 5, 1805
This specimen of a plant common to the praries in this quarter was presented by Mr. Hugh heney a gentleman of rispectability and information who has resided many years among the natives of this country . . . . [H]e had used the root of this plant frequently with the most happy effect in cases of the bite of the mad wolf or dog and also for the bite of the rattle snake.
. . . .
I have herewith a few pound of this root, in order that experiments may be by some skilfull person under the direction of the pilosophical society of Philadelphia. I have the honor to be with much rispect Your Obt. Servt.
MERIWETHER LEWIS.[1]Lewis to Jefferson. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 220.
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 22 [above 0] fair E 40 [above 0] fair N W —Meriwether Lewis[2]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.
Plan a trip related to March 5, 1805:
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 | Lewis to Jefferson. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 220. |
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| ↑2 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of Month 1805” column and spelled out some abbreviations. |
