With favorable winds, the expedition makes 17½ miles up the Missouri stopping near the mouth of the Little Heart River in present North Dakota. Along the way, they encounter large herds of bison and elk, golden eagle nesting areas, and an abandoned Mandan village. Clark notes that the tributary streams are too brackish to drink.
52 Gangs of Buffalo
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
Elk, Pronghorn, and Buffalo
Painting created by Split Rock Studios, Sioux City, Iowa. Original in the collection of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation and photographed by Kristopher K. Townsend.
Gangs of Buffalo and Elk
I walked out on the Hills & observed Great numbers of Buffalow feedeing on both Sides of the river I counted 52 Gangues of Buffalow & 3 of Elk at one view
—William Clark
Abandoned Mandan Village
on a point of a hill 90 feet above the lower plane I observed the remains of an old village, which had been fortified, the [Arikara] Indian Chief [Too Né (Eagle Feather)] with us tels me, a party of Mandins lived there, Here first saw ruins of Mandan nation we proceeded on
—William Clark
Brackish Water
all the Streems falling from the hills or high lands So brackish that the water Can’t be Drank without effecting the person making use of it as Globesalts—
—William Clark
Golden Eagle Nests
the Indian Chief Say that the Callemet bird [golden eagle] live in the holes of those hills, the holes form by the water washing thro Some parts in its passage Down from the top—
—William Clark
Weather Diary
Thermot. at rise
Weather Wind at thermotr. at 4 P.M. Weather Wind at 4 oC P.M. 43 fair S E. 62 fair S no Mule deer seen above the dog river none at the recares
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “day of the month” column and spelled out some abbreviations.
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 “day of the month” column and spelled out some abbreviations. |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
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).