Lewis and Clark
Journal Summary 19: Dates July 3, 1806 - July 17, 1806
The following
is a summary of the journal entries made by Lewis and Clark.
Dates: July 3, 1806 - July 17, 1806
The Expedition
Divides and Explores Different Routes
July 3, 1806
The Expedition divided and Lewis and Clark went their separate
ways.
July 5, 1806
Clark found a route that
he’d been told about by the Indians. The route, if passable,
would be better that that which they followed on the outward
journey and save them 2 days.
July 7, 1806
In the morning Clark
discovered that 9 of his horses had disappeared. After several
searches, he thought that some Shoshone Indians may have
taken them, however he directed some of the men to continue
looking.
July
8, 1806
Lewis spotted the Shishequaw Mountain (Now known as the
Haystack Butte), and he and his group camped on the Missouri
Plains. Meanwhile Clark had arrived at their cache and inspected
the items left there. The largest canoe had a split and
a hole in it, however the rest of the equipment was in good
order although a little damp. The men that had remained
behind to look for the horses arrived at the camp having
found them. Sacagawea gave Clark a plant with edible roots.
The roots looked and tasted like carrots, but were a pale
yellow in color.
July
10, 1806
Clark set out with horses and canoes. His party made good
progress with the canoes being able to keep pace with the
horses. In a single day they passed six of the camps they’d
occupied on the way up the river. In contrast, Lewis’s party
were slowed by muddy ground from the constant rain that
they were encountering. Lewis came across a large herd of
buffalo and his hunters killed eleven for the meat and to
use their hides for canoe coverings and shelters.
July
11, 1806
Clark and his party were battered by strong cold winds which
hampered their progress, however that evening they reached
the point where, on 7th August, they’d left a canoe and
found it in good condition. They also found a bayonet that
had been left behind.
July
12, 1806
Meriwether Lewis sent out some men to search for some of
the horses that had disappeared. They managed to retrieve
10 of them. They then used their canoes to transport their
baggage and meat across the river before swimming the horses
across.
July 13, 1806
Lewis arrived at another
of their caches and found that water had damaged many of
the items as the river had risen so high. He managed to
dry out some of the items but many of the medicines had
been destroyed by an open phial of laudanum.
Meanwhile Clark divided his party and sent 10 of the men
to carry on down the river while he took the horses and
continued on land. Sacagawea, who had acted as a guide for
this part of the journey, recommended crossing through a
more southerly gap in the mountains. Following the suggested
route Clark’s group continued their journey.
July
16, 1806
Lewis arrived at the great falls (now known as Rainbow Falls
in Montana) which he estimated to have a drop of 47 feet.
July 17, 1806
Lewis's party arrived
in Blackfeet Indian territory. Knowing them to be dangerous,
Lewis began taking precautions to avoid contact with them.
On the same day, Clark passed an Indian fort made of bark
and logs. Sacagawea explained that the Indians used it to
defend themselves when they were under attack from other
Indians.
Next Journal
Summary
|