At Fort Mandan, two Mandan chiefs tell the captains that the Hidatsas are forming war parties. Sgt. Gass seeks helpers to move the new dugout canoes from his canoe camp to the river.
Tag: Little Raven
January 4, 1805
At Fort Mandan below the Knife River Villages, the weather warms enough to encourage hunters who kill a buffalo calf. Little Raven of Mitutanka visits and is given gifts, and the day ends cold and windy.
January 1, 1805
At Fort Mandan, New Year’s Day starts with rain and cannon fire. Several enlisted men are allowed to visit a nearby Mandan village, and Clark orders York to dance for them. The day ends snowy and cold.
December 23, 1804
At Fort Mandan, Knife River villagers bring squash, corn, and beans. The wife of Little Raven cooks a Mandan treat for the captains while the enlisted men must deal with ‘large crowds’ in their quarters.
November 3, 1804
The engagés are discharged, and Lepage and Jusseaume are hired from among the traders at the Knife River Villages. Fort Mandan’s foundation is completed, and a dram of whiskey revives the cold workers.
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.
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).