December 10, 1803
St. Louis
The captains continue to work separately. Lewis gathers intelligence in St. Louis. Clark brings the enlisted men and boats up the Mississippi and encamps in Illinois.
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December 9, 1803
Cahokia connections
While in Cahokia, Lewis receives mail and newspapers sent to him by President Jefferson. In St. Louis, the Spanish Governor of Upper Louisiana updates his superiors about the nature of Lewis’s mission.
December 8, 1803
Spanish resistance
On this or the previous day, Lewis meets with Dehault Delassus, the Spanish Lt. Governor of Upper Louisiana, and all agree that the expedition should spend the winter near Cahokia.
December 5, 1803
Romantic cliffs, difficult rock
Lewis travels from Fort Kaskaskia to Cahokia by land. Meanwhile, Clark commandeers the boats up the Mississippi passing romantic cliffs and a difficult rock. He camps at the 1803 mouth of Fountain Creek.
December 4, 1803
Old Fort de Chartres
From Ste. Geneviéve, Clark takes the boats nineteen miles up the Mississippi. At old Fort de Chartres, he describes the changing river. Lewis orders $136 of goods from merchant William Morrison.
December 3, 1803
Leaving Fort Kaskaskia
In the late afternoon, Clark leaves Fort Kaskaskia with the boats, and they go three miles up the Mississippi. Lewis checks the accuracy of his chronometer by taking equal altitudes of the sun.
December 2, 1803
Kaskaskia observations
At Fort Kaskaskia in the Illinois Territory, Lewis follows President Jefferson’s instruction by taking celestial observations. In the Mississippi Territory, Thomas Rodney reports his arrival.
November 30, 1803
Spain cedes Louisiana
In New Orleans, Pierre-Clément de Laussat has a parade and signs papers that officially cede the Louisiana Province from Spain to France. In Illinois, Lewis and Clark work at Fort Kaskaskia..
November 29, 1803
Spanish obstruction
On or after this date at Fort Kaskaskia, the captains learn that the Spanish Governor of Upper Louisiana intends to block the expedition. They select more soldiers and make decisions about their next steps.
November 23, 1803
Louis Lorimier of Cape Girardeau
After arriving at Cape Girardeau, Lewis takes letters of introduction to Louis Lorimier, whose store was burned to the ground by William Clark’s brother—George Rogers Clark—in 1782.
November 22, 1803
The Tywappity settlements
Moving up the Mississippi, the expedition passes Tywappity Bottom—an American settlement on the Spanish side of the river. They meet two boats from Louisville also bound for Kaskaskia.
November 18, 1803
Clark's Fort Jefferson
The captains and eight men cross the Ohio to visit Fort Jefferson, established by William’s older brother, George Rogers Clark. They return to find that several enlisted men have left camp and are drunk.
November 16, 1803
Seaman not for sale
At the mouth of the Ohio, Lewis and Clark scout the western shore of the Mississippi River where a Shawnee man tries to buy Lewis’s dog, Seaman. In Washington City, President Jefferson plans more expeditions.
November 14, 1803
End of the Ohio
The expedition sets up a camp at the mouth of the Ohio. In Washington City, a report on Louisiana is presented to Congress with information about a mountain of rock salt and Spanish land grants.
November 10, 1803
Cumberland and Tennessee
On or near this date, the expedition passes the mouths of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. In 1803, islands made entering those tributaries of the Ohio difficult.
November 9, 1803
Cumberland River islands
On or near this date the expedition approaches the numerous islands above the Cumberland River. Fortescue Cuming and Thomas Rodney describe the islands and a Native family living in this area.
November 8, 1803
Tower Rock on the Ohio
On or near this date, the expedition passes Tower Rock near present Elizabethtown, Illinois—a tall rock facing the Ohio River, described by other travelers as having a “reddish colour”.
November 7, 1803
Cave-in-Rock hideaway
On or near this date, the expedition passes Cave-in-Rock—a hangout for the notorious Mason Gang. After a recent escape, the Mississippi Territorial Governor offers a $1,000 reward for their return.
November 6, 1803
The Saline River
On or near this date, the expedition passes the Saline River. In 1807, Fortescue Cuming would describe the river’s mouth and a salt works about 20 miles up the river.
November 5, 1803
Shawneetown, Illinois
On or near this date, the expedition passes Shawneetown. Ohio River traveler Fortescue Cuming would later describe the town. One week prior, Thomas Rodney found wrecked boats below the Wabash River.
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).