Men round up scattered horses, and the entire corps travels from Weippe Prairie to the Clearwater River. Several men are so sick they can barely ride. They set up camp on a small island.
Weippe Prairie Morning (view east)
© 11 October 2009 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Rounding Up Horses
we went to look for our horses but found them much Scatered and mixed among the Indian horses which were numerous.
—John Ordwaydespatched J. Colter back to hunt the horses lost in the mountains & bring up Some Shot left behind
—William Clark
China Island
Ordway’s Small Prairie Island
© 19 September 2009 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Above: The fishing island was across the river, center right. It is now part of the Clearwater River shore.
Moving to China Island
we Set out and proceeded on the day warm we had a good road mostly plain but no water. Some Scattering pine timber. towards evening we came down on a fork of Columbia River and followed it down Some distance then went on a small prarie Island and Camped. our hunters joined us had got 4 deer and two Sammon which they killed.
—John Ordway
Sick Men
Capt Lewis Scercely able to ride on a jentle horse which was furnishd by the Chief, Several men So unwell that they were Compelled to lie on the Side of the road for Some time others obliged to be put on horses. I gave rushes Pills [Rush’s bilious pills] to the Sick this evening.
—William Clark
Weather Diary
Weather at rise
Wind at Weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. fair after rain, thunder, & lightning S E fair after rain S E. a thunder cloud last evening. [Clark adds:] Capt Lewis & Several men Sick.
—Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column and spelled out some abbreviations.
Weippe Prairie is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. A 274-acre tract in the prairie is managed by the Nez Perce National Historic Park.
Notes
| ↑1 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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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).