Joan's Lewis & Clark Geek Page

Sunday 31st March 1805

[Ordway] . . . rained Some at three oclock this morning.    the Ice does not run So thick in the River as it did yesterday.

Hmmm. Exciting day today. This is the only entry for the day by any journalist, although there's good evidence that Clark didn't actually write the last week's worth of entries on a daily basis. He has them all off by a day, so what he recorded for yesterday's post he identified as being for today. That's really neither here nor there, and doesn't make a bit of difference to anything really. Shows you how much I'm stretching to find something to say about today! Anyway, less ice in the river means they're that much closer to departure.

[March 30, 1805]

[Clark] . . . Seven Gangs of Gees and Ducks pass up the river—    but a Small portion of ice floating down to day . . . but fiew Inds visit us to day   all the party in high Spirits    they pass but fiew nights without amuseing themselves danceing possessing perfect harmony and good understanding towards each other   Generally healthy except venerials complains which is verry Commion amongst the natives and the men Catch it from them

All are in apparent good humor at the prospect of getting on with the journey. I'm intrigued by the venereal disease claims of the captains. How many of the men came to the expedition already infected? How many diseases did they spread among native populations? The Mandan and Hidatsa with whom they wintered at Fort Mandan had plenty of exposure to white society from the French Canadian and British traders and trappers, so there's no question that the diseases had already been introduced to the tribes. The University of Nebraska Press just published a new companion book to the journals, Venereal Disease and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, by Thomas P. Lowry. Let's just get one more book for the collection! (The herbarium, vol. 12 of the journals, is probably sitting on my doorstep right now! Woohooo!)

[March 29, 1805]

[Clark] . . . I observed extrodanary dexterity of the Indians in jumping from one Cake of ice to another, for the purpose of Catching the buffalow as they float down    maney of the Cakes of ice which they pass over are not two feet Square. The Plains are on fire in view of the fort on both Sides of the River, it is Said to be common for the Indians to burn the Plains near their villages every Spring for the benifit of ther horse, and to induce the Buffalow to come near to them.

An ice jam up river has broken, and the river is running fairly free today. Clark notes that it 13 inches in the previous 24 hours. The Indians are collecting the buffalo carcasses referred to in yesterday's entry. The Plains tribes set prairie fires every spring to encourage the growth of grasses. These fires were apparently set close to the villages to provide close grazing for the horses, and to draw in buffalo for easier hunting.

[March 28, 1805]

[Clark] . . . all prepareing to Set out    but few Indians visit us to day    they are watching to catch the floating Buffalow which brake through the ice in Crossing,  those people are fond of those animals ta[i]nted and Catch great numbers every Spring

Buffalo carcasses were an important source of food for the upper Missouri tribes in early spring, according to Moulton. The buffalo would fall through the ice when trying to cross the river and drown. Apparently decomposition made the meat even more desirable. Yech.

27th of March Friday 1805

[Clark]  a windey Blustering Day . . . ice running the [river] Blocked up in view for the Space of 4 hours and gave way leaveing great quantity of ice on the Shallow Sand bars.    had all the canoes corked pitched & tirred [tarred] in and on the cracks and windshake which is universially in the Cotton wood

Windshakes are cracks in wood caused by the strain of strong winds on trees.

Tuesday March 26th

[Whitehouse]  This day we had moderate weather, and the Ice broke up, The Men were employed in conveying the Pettyaugers from where they were built, to the Fort, which they accomplish'd

Everyone's entries for the day are quite short and to the point. The ice is breaking, and every man is busy preparing for departure. Whitehouse's "pettyaugers" are the dugout canoes the men have been making for the last few weeks in preparation. They are sending on of larger boats back to St. Louis as soon as the river is navigable, and thus need the canoes to replace it.

25th of March Monday 1805

[Clark] . . . but fiew Inds visit us to day the Ice haveing broken up in Several places, The ice began to brake away this evening and was near distroying our Canoes as they wer decnding to the fort, river rose only 9 Inches to day    prepareing to Depart

Hot damn! We're about to hit the road again. Though with ice still on the river, that's a problem. As anxious as they were, and as I am, to get this show back on the road, we're a few weeks away still from departure. Along with waiting for the ice to break up completely, they have to get the new dugout canoes calked and readied. They also have to prepare all of the things they intend to send back to St. Louis, and then on to Washington. This includes one or two Indians, so those negotiations are also moving forward.

Sunday 24th March 1805

[Ordway] . . . 6 men Sent up to take the perogues down to the Fort, but they returned about noon without them as they were not corked nor made ready. . . . two men making cages for the Magpyes and the prarie hens which is to be Sent down the River

A detachment is to be sent back to St. Louis with copies of the journals and maps that the men have created thus far for Jefferson. In addition, they will send live specimens including four black-billed magpies (possibly the most obnoxious bird of the West), a prairie dog (for some reason left out by Ordway in this entry), and a sharp-tailed grouse. Only one magpie and the prairie dog survive the trip alive.

23d of March Satturday 1805

[Clark]  after Brackfast Mr. La Rocke and Mr. McKinsey and the Chiefs & men of the Minetarras leave us—    Soon after we were visited by a Brother of the Burnia [NB: of the Borgne  .  .  .   or one eyed chief of the Minitarees] who gave us a Vocabulary of his Language. . . .

The vocabulary probably would have been obtained through a circuitous round of translations from Minitaree to Mandan to French to English. So who knows if they got any of it right, and how much of it they recorded. I'd love to see the notes of that, though.

[March 22, 1805]

[Clark] . . . visited by Mrs. Lack [Larocque] McKinsey & the 2d Chief of the Bigbellies, the white wolf and many other Menataries, we gave a Medal Some Clothes and wampoms to the 2 Chief and Delivered a Speach, which they all appeared well pleased with    in The evening the men Danced. . . .

The regular dog and pony show of speeches, medal and gift presentations, and dancing for these new chiefs. Clark records in his field notes that it rained a few drops--the first rain since winter, and a sure sign of spring.