Fort Clatsop, OR Hunters report that the elk have vacated the area. The captains conceive a plan to leave Fort Clatsop early should they run out of provisions. Hunters find a large waterfall, today’s Youngs River Falls.
Youngs River Falls
© 1997 October by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Clatsop Traders
This morning we were visited by two parties of Clatsops. they brought some fish a hat and some skins for sale most of which we purchased. they returned to their village in the evening.
—Meriwether Lewis
Poor Hunting
late in the evening the Hunters returned from the Kil-haw-â nack-kle River which discharges itself into the head of the Bay. They had neither killed nor Seen any Elk. they informed us that the Elk had all gorn off to the mountains a considerable distance from us. this is unwelcom information and reather alarming. we have only two days provisions on hand and that nearly Spoiled.
—Meriwether Lewis
Contingency Plans
if we find that the Elk have left us, we have determined to ascend the river slowly and indeavour to procure subsistence on the way, consuming the Month of March in the woody country. earlyer than April we conceive it a folly to attempt the open plains where we know there is no fuel except a few small dry shrubs. we shall not leave our quarters at fort Clatsop untill the first of April, as we intended unless the want of subsistance compels us to that measure.
—Meriwether Lewis
Youngs River Falls
The hunters who were out last informed me that they discovered a very Considerable fall in the Kil-haw-â-nack-kle River on its main western fork at which place it falls abt. 100 feet from the Side of a mountain S. E. about 6 miles from Fort Clatsop and nearly 15 from its enterance into the bay by the Meanderings of this river
—William Clark
Weather Diary
Aspect of the weather at Rise
Wind at Aspect of weather at 4 O’Ck P. M. Wind at 4 OCk. P. M. cloudy after rain N. E. cloudy after rain S the air is considerably colder this morng but nothing like freizing.—
—Meriwether Lewis[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of the Month” column and spelled out some abbreviations.
Fort Clatsop 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 managed by the Lewis and Clark National and State Historic Parks.
Notes
| ↑1 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “Day of the Month” column and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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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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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).