Near Bay City, IL As the expedition nears Fort Massac, they pass numerous islands above the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. One week ahead of Lewis and Clark, fellow traveler Thomas Rodney describes an Indian family living in this area.
Tag: Zadok Cramer
November 6, 1803
Saline River, IL On or near this date, the expedition passes the Saline River. If the captains had visited the salt works on that river, they would have likely traveled to it by land from Shawneetown on a previous day.
November 3, 1803
Henderson, KY On or near this date, the expedition passes Henderson. The site leaves an unfavorable impression on contemporary travelers as do the river hazards in the area.
October 30, 1803
Grandview, IN On or near this date, the expedition reaches the region where the hills recede, and the Ohio lowlands commence. One week earlier in this area, Thomas Rodney ran aground in a channel with only three inches of water.
October 9, 1803
Near Warsaw, KY On or near this date, Lewis leaves the landing below Big Bone Lick and proceeds towards Louisville and the Falls of the Ohio where William Clark is expecting him.
September 20, 1803
Near the Guyandotte River, WV On or near this day, Lewis passes present-day Guyan Creek and speeds through a narrow section of the Ohio River perhaps anchoring near an “ugly” riffle at the mouth of the Guyandotte River. In New Orleans, its future governor promises the citizens an “inheritance of Freedom.”
September 18, 1803
Letart Falls, OH-WV With a dry night and no morning fog, the expedition departs before sunrise. They safely pass a rapid near the present-day community of Letart Falls. Lewis writes his last known journal entry until 11 November 1803.
September 12, 1803
Belmont, WV To pass through a shallow spot in the Long Reach of the Ohio River, the men must cut a channel through the gravel. They anchor about nine miles upstream from Marietta, Ohio. Three days behind, Thomas Rodney reaches Wheeling.
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 Heritage Foundation
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).