Return to the Clearwater

The desire to return to St. Louis motivates the paddlers as they head up the Columbia River. Across from the Sandy River, they stop to hunt and dry meat. They explore the Willamette and Sandy hoping that one of them is the fabled river that comes from California.

Below Celilo Falls, they begin trading for horses and by the time they reach the Walla Walla River, they have enough horses to take the overland Travois Trail back to the Snake River. They then continue by horse up the Clearwater River.

At Kamiah in present Idaho, they establish a “Long Camp” among the Nez Perce to wait for mountain snows to melt. Sgt. Ordway takes a side trip to the Salmon and Snake rivers where some Nez Perce fishers are catching salmon.

After five weeks sharing with the Nez Perce, they head to the mountain trails that will take them to the land of the buffalo.

March 1806

1. Mar 23, 1806 – Leaving Ft. ClatsopLeni HollimanDuration: 2:50
2. Mar 24, 1806 – Giving Away the FortLeni HollimanDuration: 3:01
3. Mar 27, 1806 – The SkilutesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:03
4. Mar 28, 1806 – Repairing CanoesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:18
5. Mar 29, 1806 – Wild Chives and WapatoLeni HollimanDuration: 3:03
6. Mar 30, 1806 – An Unusual CustomLeni HollimanDuration: 3:17
7. Mar 31, 1806 – A Missing RiverLeni HollimanDuration: 3:13

April 1806

1. Apr 3, 1806 – Looking for a RiverLeni HollimanDuration: 3:04
2. Apr 4, 1806 – A Bear Brought InLeni HollimanDuration: 2:53
3. Apr 5, 1806 – More About the MultnomaLeni HollimanDuration: 3:11
4. Apr 6, 1806 – Beacon RockLeni HollimanDuration: 2:49
5. Apr 7, 1806 – Vital RepairLeni HollimanDuration: 2:55
6. Apr 10, 1806 – The Stolen TomahawkLeni HollimanDuration: 3:58
7. Apr 11, 1806 – Rain, Rain, RainLeni HollimanDuration: 3:46
8. Apr 12, 1806 – Losing a CanoeLeni HollimanDuration: 2:54
9. Apr 13, 1806 – Redistributing Men & SuppliesLeni HollimanDuration: 2:49
10. Apr 14, 1806 – The Missing HunterLeni HollimanDuration: 3:19
11. Apr 17, 1806 – Struggling to Buy HorsesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:08
12. Apr 18, 1806 – First RapidsLeni HollimanDuration: 3:18
13. Apr 19, 1806 – The Salmon are Coming!Leni HollimanDuration: 4:00
14. Apr 20, 1806 – Still Struggling to Buy HorsesLeni HollimanDuration: 2:56
15. Apr 21, 1806 – Lewis Strikes an IndianLeni HollimanDuration: 3:49
16. Apr 24, 1806 – Finally, A Few HorsesLeni HollimanDuration: 2:54
17. Apr 25, 1806 – A Village of 700 SoulsLeni HollimanDuration: 3:23
18. Apr 26, 1806 – A Crowded MarchLeni HollimanDuration: 2:53
19. Apr 27, 1806 – Charbonneau Looses a HorseLeni HollimanDuration: 3:54
20. Apr 28, 1806 – An Elegant Horse for Cpt. ClarkLeni HollimanDuration: 3:30

May 1806

1. May 1, 1806 – Which Road?Leni HollimanDuration: 3:35
2. May 2, 1806 – 17 Miles to Catch a HorseLeni HollimanDuration: 2:55
3. May 3, 1806 – North by North EastLeni HollimanDuration: 3:44
4. May 4, 1806 – A Cold Disagreeable MorningLeni HollimanDuration: 3:07
5. May 5, 1806 – A Horse for Eye WaterLeni HollimanDuration: 3:57
6. May 8, 1806 – Everybody is HungryLeni HollimanDuration: 3:48
7. May 9, 1806 – Horses and Saddles RetrievedLeni HollimanDuration: 3:53
8. May 10, 1806 – A Spring SnowstormLeni HollimanDuration: 3:29
9. May 11, 1806 – 1 Speech, 5 LanguagesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:54
10. May 12, 1806 – Cpt. Clark, the PhysicianLeni HollimanDuration: 3:26
11. May 15, 1806 – Making Camp ChopunishLeni HollimanDuration: 3:51
12. May 16, 1806 – Grizzly Bears AgainLeni HollimanDuration: 3:23
13. May 17, 1806 – Water for a BedLeni HollimanDuration: 3:26
14. May 18, 1806 – A Recipe for BearLeni HollimanDuration: 3:53
15. May 19, 1806 – Camp: a Sight for Sore EyesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:18
16. May 22, 1806 – Drying EverythingLeni HollimanDuration: 3:43
17. May 23, 1806 – Little Pomp IllLeni HollimanDuration: 3:33
18. May 24, 1806 – Bratton Still WeakLeni HollimanDuration: 3:56
19. May 25, 1806 – Sweating It OutLeni HollimanDuration: 3:39
20. May 26, 1806 – Horse MeatLeni HollimanDuration: 2:57
21. May 29, 1806 – Still WaitingLeni HollimanDuration: 3:26
22. May 30, 1806 – Two of the Men Lose a CanoeLeni HollimanDuration: 2:44
23. May 31, 1806 – How Many Species of Bear?Leni HollimanDuration: 3:37

June 1806

1. June 1, 1806 – Trading Goods & ServicesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:14
2. June 2, 1806 – Wretched Trip over the RockiesLeni HollimanDuration: 2:38
3. June 5, 1806 – GrassLeni HollimanDuration: 3:41
4. June 6, 1806 – No GuidesLeni HollimanDuration: 3:41
5. June 7, 1806 – Trading for StringLeni HollimanDuration: 2:48
6. June 8, 1806 – Nearly Ready to GoLeni HollimanDuration: 3:04
7. June 9, 1806 – Men 'Exalted'Leni HollimanDuration: 3:04

Originally aired by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial observance in 2004–2006, these 627 radio episodes parallel the expedition dates starting 14 May 1804 and ending 25 September 1806. They aired only on weekdays with four introductory vignettes and four episodes about events after the expedition. They are narrated by Hal Hansen, scripted by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson, and produced by Leni Holliman.