February 6, 1805 - Discover Lewis & Clark

Contents

Fort Mandan, ND Several men from the Mandan village Mitutanka briefly visit the fort, and Lewis explains the exchange prices for iron and iron works. Clark’s group hunts near Square Butte Creek.

Fort Mandan Blacksmith Shop

by Michael Haynes

Square Butte Creek

3rd day
Camped on a Sand point near the mouth of a Creek on the S W. Side we Call hunting Creek
—William Clark (recorded on 13 February 1805)

Indian Visitors

visited by many of the natives among others the Big white, the Coal [Sho-ta-har-ro-ra] , big-man [Oh-he-nar], hairy horn and the black man, I smoked with them, after which they retired, a deportment not common, for they usually pester us with their good company the ballance of the day
—Meriwether Lewis

Blacksmiths, a Happy Resource

the blacksmith’s have proved a happy resoce to us in our present situation as I believe it would have been difficult to have devised any other method to have procured corn from the natives. the Indians are extravegantly fond of sheet iron of which they form arrow-points and manufacter into instruments for scraping and dressing their buffaloe robes—
—Meriwether Lewis

Cutting Up the Galley Stove

I permited the blacksmith to dispose of a part of a sheet-iron callaboos [Nicholas Biddle: camboose/Stove] which had been nearly birnt out on our passage up the river, and for each piece about four inches square he obtained from seven to eight gallons of corn from the natives who appeared extreemly pleased with the exchange—
—Meriwether Lewis

Fort Mandan Observations

Observed equal altitude of the with Sextant artifical horizon with water
I do not place great confidence in these observations, as the person who took the time was not much accustomed to the business. Capt. Clark was absent
—Meriwether Lewis

Weather Diary

State of the Ther. at rise Weather Wind at rise Thermt. at 4 oCk. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 oCk. P.M. River

4 [below 0] fair N W 12 [above 0] fair W raise ½ in.

—Meriwether Lewis^[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at rise” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

State of the Ther. at rise	Weather	Wind at rise	Thermt. at 4 oCk. P.M.	Weather	Wind at 4 oCk. P.M.	River
4 [below 0]	fair	N W	12 [above 0]	fair	W	raise ½ in.

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[+]

Notes
↑1	To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at rise” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

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