Lewis’s group attempts to raft down the Marias River convinced it is a tributary of the Missouri. Clark’s group follows the Teton River valley back to Decision Point. There, he tells the main group that he had explored the true Missouri River.
Lewis Convinced
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
Teton (Tanzey) River Bottom
© 28 June 2013 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Down the “Tanzey”
we Set out early & traveled down the little river which was imedeately in our Course on this river we killed 7 Deer for their Skins the bottoms of this little river [Teton River] is in everry respect except in extent like the large bottoms of the Missouri below the forks containing a great perpotion of a kind of Cotton wood with a leaf resembling a wild Cherry—. I also observed wind [wild] Tanzey on this little river in great quantities . . . .
—William Clark
Clark’s Decision
Capt. Clark and his party returned to Camp had been about 40 miles up the South fork & Capt. Clark thinks that it will be the best course for us to go.
Capt. Lewis and his party has not returned this evening. Capt. Clark revived the party with a Dram.
—John Ordway
Rafting the Marias
we now took dinner and embarcked with our plunder and five Elk‘s skins on the rafts but were soon convinced that this mode of navigation was hazerdous particularly with those rafts they being too small and slender. we wet a part of our baggage and were near loosing one of our guns; I therefore determined to abandon the rafts and return as we had come, by land.
—Meriwether Lewis
Lewis’s Uncomfortable Camp
we encamped a little below the entrance of the large dry Creek called Lark C. having traveled abut 25 mes. since noon. it continues to rain and we have no shelter, an uncomfortable nights rest is the natural consequence.—
—Meriwether Lewis
Weather Diary
State of the thermometer at rise
Weather Wind at State of the thermometer at 4 OC. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 OC. P. M. State of river 35 [above 0] cloudy after rain N. E. 42 [above 0] cloudy after rain N E. fallen 1 ½ in. rained hard the greater part of the day—
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.
Decision Point 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 open to the public and managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
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. |
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| ↑2 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, 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).