July 15, 1806
Yellowstone arrival
Clark crosses present Bozeman Pass and arrives at the Yellowstone River. Lewis organizes things at camp above the Great Falls of the Missouri, and McNeal fends off a grizzly bear by clubbing it.
Search Results for: travelers rest
July 14, 1806
Sacagawea knows a way
At the Great Falls of the Missouri, Lewis has the wheels and iron-framed boat dug up. Clark mires in Gallatin River swamps before finding an old bison trace. Sgt. Ordway‘s group paddles to Yorks Islands.
July 13, 1806
Two groups become three
At the Falls of the Missouri, Lewis finds last year’s cache has flooded. At the headwaters of the Missouri, Sgt. Ordway takes the canoes down the Missouri, and Clark heads up the Gallatin River valley by horse.
July 12, 1806
Navigating rivers
At mouth of the Sun River, Lewis deals with missing horses. He then crosses the Missouri in bull boats. Clark continues down the Jefferson River where Pvt. Howard’s canoe crashes into a sweeper.
July 11, 1806
10,000 buffalo
At the mouth of the Sun River, Lewis and his group hunt among 10,000 bison and begin making two bull boats from their hides. Clark’s group paddles down the Beaverhead while Sgt. Pryor herds their horses.
July 10, 1806
Down familiar rivers
Lewis hunts on the Sun River plains and Clark paddles down the Beaverhead River. Lewis finds lots of prickly pears and mud, and Clark passes six camps from the previous year.
July 9, 1806
Feasting on buffalo
Lewis nears the Great Falls of the Missouri feasting on buffalo, the first since 16 July 1805. At Fortunate Camp, Clark’s group prepares the dugout canoes, and Sgt. Ordway arrives with the stray horses.
July 8, 1806
Happy returns
Clark’s group returns to Fortunate Camp and opens a cache of tobacco. Lewis passes Haystack Butte and returns to the Missouri River plains. Ordway‘s group returns stray horses in the Big Hole Valley.
July 7, 1806
Over mountain and dale
Lewis follows the Road to the Buffalo over the Rockies, and Seaman is bitten by a beaver. While Clark’s group crosses the Big Hole Valley, four of his men spend the day searching for lost horses.
July 6, 1806
Approaching the Rockies
In their separate groups, the captains approach the Rocky Mountains. Clark crosses the divide and camps in the Big Hole Valley. Lewis crosses a prairie of knobs and camps near Lincoln, Montana.
July 5, 1806
Crossing rivers and creeks
Lewis continues east on the Road to the Buffalo naming Werner’s and Seaman’s creeks. Clark’s group crosses the West Fork Bitterroot River wetting several items and later camps in present Ross’s Hole.
July 4, 1806
Dangerous roads
Lewis travels east on “Cokahlahishkit”—the Road to the Buffalo—along the Blackfoot River. Clark travels south up the Bitterroot River and celebrates the Fourth of July with a “Sumptious Dinner”.
July 3, 1806
Splitting up
Lewis heads north spending most of the day rafting baggage across present Clark Fork west of Missoula, Montana. Clark’s group heads south along the west side of the Bitterroot River.
July 2, 1806
Rest and torment
At Travelers’ Rest in present Lolo, Montana, the Nez Perce guides race their horses and have foot races. Pvts. McNeal and Goodrich suffer from syphilis, and mosquitoes torment everybody.
July 1, 1806
Plan to divide forces
The captains describe their plan to take different routes the Knife River villages. The Nez Perce guides agree to show Lewis the “Road to the Buffalo,” and he prepares several plant specimens.
June 30, 1806
Arriving at Travelers' Rest
The expedition travels thirty-one miles to return to their old camp, Travelers’ Rest. Along the way, Lewis’s horse falls. Clark is relieved to have the Bitterroot Mountains behind them.
June 26, 1806
Cache Mountain recovery
The travelers climb ‘Cache Mountain’ and recover the cargo left there on 17 June 1806. They continue to present-day Bald Mountain—their Greensward Camp—and are joined by another Nez Perce man.
June 14, 1806
Deciding to leave
At Weippe Prairie, the captains decide to risk the Bitterroot Mountain snow and order the men to start packing and gathering horses. Clark shudders with the expectation of great difficulties ahead.
June 4, 1806
Seeking guides and diplomats
Lewis fails to secure Nez Perce guides to accompany him to the Falls of the Missouri. Clark seeks Nez Perce guides to accompany him to the Yellowstone River and to parley with the Shoshones.
June 3, 1806
Early Bitterroot crossing
Long Camp, Kamiah, ID When the Nez Perce send an “express” to make an early Bitterroot crossing, the captains hope they too can now cross. The Indians inform them otherwise. They plan to move to the Weippe Prairie in one week.
This page was funded in part by the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, U.S. National Park Service.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
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).