Below the mouth of Colter’s Creek—present Potlatch River—the expedition remains a day to dry wet items and repair the canoe damaged in yesterday’s accident. Lemhi Shoshone guides Toby and his son leave unexpectedly. The day ends with a dance.
In Washington City, President Jefferson describes several of Lewis’s specimens shipped from Fort Mandan and lists nine animals that he thinks are new to science.
Mouth of the Potlatch (Colters Creek)
© 13 October 2015 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
This perspective is from a boat near the middle of the Clearwater. The Potlatch River, called Colter’s or Colters Creek by the captains, flows under a railroad bridge and cuts a channel through the sand and rock bars shaped by the larger Clearwater River.
Cloudy Morning
The morning Cool as usial the greater part of the day proved to be Cloudy, which was unfavourable for drying our things &c. which got we[t] yesterday.
—William Clark
Canoe Repairs
In examoning our canoe found that by putting Knees & Strong peces pines to her Sides and bottom &c. She Could be made fit for Service in by the time the goods dried, Set 4 men to work at her, Serjt. Pryor & Gass, Jo Fields & Gibson, others to Collect rosin, at 1 oClock She was finished Stronger than ever.
—William Clark
Toby Leaves
at Dark we were informed that our old guide [Toby] & his Son had left us and had been Seen running up the river Several miles above, we Could not account for the Cause of his leaveing us at this time, without receiving his pay for the Services he had rendered us, or letting us know anything of his intention.
—William Clark
Fiddle and Dance
in the evening Some of our party fiddled and danced, which pleased the natives verry much.
—John Ordway
New to Science
Thomas Jefferson continues to examine the specimens shipped from Fort Mandan by way of the barge. He updates Charles Willson Peale regarding their shipment to Peale’s museum and classifies nine animals as new to science.
Washington Oct. 9. 05
Dear Sir
The new animals therefore for which we are already indebted to Capt. Lewis are
- 1. the Ovis Ammon. [bighorn sheep]
- 2. the black-tailed deer. [mule deer]
- 3. the Roe. [pronghorn]
- 4. the badger.
- 5. the marmotte. [prairie dog]
- 6. the red fox qu?
- 7. the white weasel qu?
- 8. the magpie.
- 9. the Prairie hen. [sharp-tailed grouse]
Th: Jefferson[1]Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 263. Jefferson’s original enumeration is … Continue reading
Weather Diary
Day of the month Wind State of the Weather 9th S W cloudy Note from the 7th to the 16th octr. we were decending Kooskooske [Clearwater] & Lewises [Snake] river
—William Clark[2]Some abbreviations have been spelled out.
Notes
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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).