Clark establishes a camp at the beginning of the portage around the Great Falls of the Missouri. Lewis returns from his scouting trip and finds Sacagawea seriously ill. He gives her medicine and water from Sulpher Spring and plans the upcoming portage.
Lewis Treats Sacagawea
by Yellowstone Public Radio[1]Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © … Continue reading
Sulpher Spring
© 29 June 2013 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Lewis Treats Sacagawea
I reached the campfound the Indian woman [Sacagawea] extreemly ill and much reduced by her indisposition . . . . I found that two dozes of barks and opium which I had given her since my arrival had produced an alteration in her pulse for the better;
—Meriwether Lewis
Healing Waters?
one of the small canoes was left below this rappid in order to pass and repass the river for the purpose of hunting as well as to procure the water of the Sulpher spring, the virtues of which I now resolved to try on the Indian woman. I caused her to drink the mineral water altogether.
—Meriwether Lewis
Making Wagons
we scelected six men, and ordered them to look out some timber this evening, and early in the morning to set about making a parsel of truck wheels in order to convey our canoes and baggage over the portage.
—Meriwether Lewis
Leaving the White Pirogue
we determined to leave the white perogue at this place, and substitute the Iron boat, and also to make a further deposit of a part of our stores.
—Meriwether Lewis
The Portage Route
The 2 men despatched to examine the Portage gave an unfavourable account of the Countrey, reporting that the Creek & 2 deep reveens cut the Prarie in such a manner between the river and mountain as to render a portage in their oppinion for the Canoes impossible—
—William Clark
Weather Diary
State of the thermometer at rise
Weather Wind at State of the thermometer at 4 OC. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 OC. P. M. State of river 64 [above 0] cloudy after rain S W 58 [above 0] fair S W raised ½ in. Some rain last night
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.
The Great Falls Portage is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. It includes Sulpher Spring (open to the public), the Lower Portage camp site (on private land), and the Upper Portage Camp Overlook.
Notes
| ↑1 | Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © 2003 by Yellowstone Public Radio. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the river” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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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.
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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).