Naming the Lolo: A Summary
A worthwhile study
by Joseph A. Mussulman
How did the Lolo get its name? Let us briefly retrace our steps to a succinct conclusion.
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Elk Point
Names
by Joseph A. Mussulman
In the vicinity of Elk Point, South Dakota, the captains found a variety of unfamiliar minerals, including what Clark believed were arsenic and cobalt. “Capt. Lewis in proveing the quality of those minerals was near poisoning himself by the fumes & taste.”
The Mineral Specimens
The three collections
by John W. Jengo
Although not nearly as celebrated as their botanical and zoological work, Lewis and Clark collected a multitude of mineralogical specimens throughout the expedition.
NE Nebraska Minerals
'Blue Earth,' 'Clift of White' and 'Burning Bluffs'
by John W. Jengo
The Missouri River exposed rock formations that were geologically diverse, distinctly colored, rich in mineral content, and in some places, dramatically distinguished by steaming and smoking hot earth that beckoned to be investigated.
Profile Portraiture
by Joseph A. Mussulman
In 1802 the British-born Philadelphian, John Isaac Hawkins (1772-1805)5, invented a new kind of copy machine, a pantograph with which a person could produce a miniature copy of his or her profile through direct contact. He called it a physiognotrace.
Salt-curing Meat
Preserving without refrigeration
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Salt served functions that were equally as important as dietary needs: drying meat—namely, and tanning hides for clothing and moccasins.
Plains Sign Language
The "common language"
by Robert R. Hunt
“our guide could not speake the language of these people but soon engaged them in conversation by signs or jesticulation, the common language of all the Aborigines of North America.” Lewis exaggerated the universality of sign language, which was mainly employed by tribes of the Great Plains.
Sgt. Floyd’s Burial
The artist's interpretation
by Michael Haynes
Two hundred years after the event, interpretive artist Michael Haynes explains how he created his painting “Hallowed Ground.”
Sgt. Floyd’s Memorials
Much Remembered
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Floyd’s grave became a conspicuous point and a historic shrine on the Lewis and Clark trail almost immediately after the expedition was over. The American artist George Catlin painted Floyd’s Bluff in 1832, with the original cedar marker still in place.
Floyd’s Monument by Air
"Much Lamented"
by Joseph A. Mussulman
On 20 August 1804, the Corps proceeded thirteen miles, while young Floyd quickly grew worse. A little past noon they landed, and presently Floyd said, “I am going away.”
Portable Inkwell
Their most important tool
by Joseph A. Mussulman
None of their tons of supplies, not even the guns, powder, and bullets with which they fed themselves, were ultimately as important as the pens, ink, and paper they carried, and protected from the elements.
Chief Blackbird
Late Omaha chief
by Joseph A. Mussulman
The two captains and ten of the enlisted men climbed the hill to visit the grave of one of the most notorious and controversial leaders of the Omaha Nation, whose name was Washinga Sahba—Blackbird.
La Liberté
Engagé and deserter
The captains sent La Liberté to invite chiefs to meet them farther north on the Missouri River for a council. The Frenchman rode one of the expedition’s two horses. And that was the last most of the men ever saw of La Liberté.
Indian Gifts
Almost one-third of the $2,160 Lewis spent on purchases by Israel Whelan went for Indian presents, not only to supply some of the Indians’ anticipated wants but also to showcase some of the more attractive goods they might learn to want.
Chinookan Woven Hats
by Mary Malloy
Today five hats at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (PMAE) at Harvard University have a provenance that potentially associates them with the Lewis and Clark expedition. These hats represent an extensive network of trade.
Chinookan Head Flattening
A most remarkable trait
by Joseph A. Mussulman, Kristopher K. Townsend
The most remarkable trait in the Clatsop Indian physiognomy, Lewis wrote on 19 March 1806, was the flatness and width of their foreheads, which they artificially created by compressing the heads of their infants, particularly girls, between two boards.
The Cooper’s Howel
From the early 15th to the end of the 19th century a cooper was a skilled craftsman who made casks or barrels of various descriptions. The word cooper originated in an old Dutch expression meaning cask.
Making Fire
Matches and magic
by Robert R. Hunt
How did the Indians, expedition cooks, and the hunters make fire? Several methods were used.
Willard’s Bad Day
And a dreadful hurricane
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Willard had to walk back 3 miles to get his tomahawk. On his way back, he dropped his rifle in the water, and he couldn’t find the weapon in the deep mud. On that same day, Clark took note of “much fallen timber, apparently the ravages of a dreadful haricane.”
Making Leather
by Joseph A. Mussulman
“The men of the garison are still busily employed in dessing Elk’s skins for cloathing.” Regrettably, Lewis was compelled to add that “they find great difficulty for the want of branes [brains].”
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).