1804 - Up The Missouri

   March 9, 1804 - Three Flags Day Ceremony in St. Louis, Missouri. the official transfer

of the upper Louisiana Territory from Spain to France. After the ceremony Meriwether

Lewis stayed in St. Louis with Pierre Chouteau and his family.

   May 14, 1804 - Camp River Dubois, Illinois - The expedition began. Clark led the men

in three boats the 55-foot long keelboat and two pirogues of over 40 feet in length, one

painted red, the other white.

Wm. Clark wrote:

   May 16, 1804 - St. Charles, Missouri, was a town of 450 people in 1803. Pierre

Cruzatte and Francois Labiche, who were half-French and half-Omaha Indian, enlisted in

the Corps of Discovery.

   May 20, 1804 - St. Charles, Missouri - This day was a Sunday, and Clark sent 20 of the

men to the Catholic Church in St. Charles. Lewis rode overland from St. Louis to St.

Charles. May 21, 1804 The expedition set out at 3 p.m. from St. Charles, Missouri.

   May 31, 1804 - The expedition camped at the mouth of Deer Creek in Osage County,

Missouri. Lewis described the Eastern Wood Rat for science, and several plants; Clark

met with Big Track, a leader of the Osage Indians.

   June 23, 1804 - Clark camped on shore after rounding Jackass Bend in Ray County,

Missouri; the men camped on an island across from the later site of Fort Osage, built in

1808 under the supervision of Indian Agent William Clark.

   June 26-28, 1804 - Kansas City, Kansas - The men dried articles that had been soaked

by river water; 8 or 10 hunters were sent out, and saw the first buffalo of the journey.

   June 29, 1804 - Near modern Parkville, Missouri - Hugh Hall and John Collins were

court martialled for stealing whiskey. Collins was sentenced to 100 lashes, Hall to 50.

The keelboat almost struck an overhead branch as it violently turned in a rapid; if it had

hit the branch it might have been sunk. At 3:30 p.m., after establishing camp, the

punishment was carried out on Collins and Hall.

   July 4, 1804 - Near the site of modern Atchison, Kansas the expedition celebrated the

28th year of American Independence. Joseph Field was bitten by a snake. The bow gun

on the boat was fired and a gill of whiskey was issued to each man in celebration of

Independence Day.

   July 12, 1804 - Big Lake, near modern Fortescue, Missouri. The Captains stayed at this

camp to rest the men, and waited for a hunting party to return from the Big Nemaha River

in Nebraska. Clark went up the Nemaha about 3 miles and marveled at the prairie lands

he saw. He also noted the remains of a late prehistoric Oto village, and ate wild grapes.

At 1 p.m. the court martial of Alexander Willard was held. Willard had been caught

sleeping on guard duty, a capital crime; Willard was convicted, and sentenced to 100

lashes on his bare back, given nightly at sunset in amounts of 25 lashes for four

consecutive nights. The punishment commenced on this evening.

   July 20, 1804 - The expedition camped a little above Spring Creek, in Cass County,

Nebraska. Clark and Reubin Field explored along the Weeping Water Creek looking for

elk; they walked all day through the immense prairie. Clark killed a yellow wolf and

marveled at the general good health of the men.

   July 24, 1804 - For several days the Corps stayed at a site they called "Camp White

Catfish," within theborders of modern Lake Manawa State Park, Iowa. Clark copied a

map, while Lewis readied letters for President Jefferson; potentially they wanted to send

this material back eastward with a few of the men, but decided against it. Many of the

men were hunting, although game was scarce. Those who fished were more successful

and caught catfish, from which the name of the camp was derived.

   August 1, 1804 - At what the Corps of Discovery called the Council Bluff Site, today's

Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, Nebraska, they waited for Indian chiefs to arrive for

a council.

This was William Clark's 34th birthday, and he recorded,

   August 2, 1804 - Council Bluff site, Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, Nebraska -

At sunset, six Oto chiefs and their warriors, with a French interpreter, Mr. Faufong,

arrived; on the morning of August 3, Lewis and Clark gave out peace medals to the Oto

and Missouri chiefs.

   August 11, 1804 - The camp was at what is today Badger Lake, near Whiting, Iowa.

Lewis and Clark honored Black Bird, a chief of the Omaha Indians who died four years

earlier, by climbing to the top of his mound grave with ten men and planting a flag. They

stated in the journals that over 400 Indians, including Black Bird, had died of smallpox in

an epidemic four years previously.

   August 18, 1804 -near modern Homer, Nebraska - this was Capt. Lewis' 30th birthday.

The Captains parleyed with Oto chiefs. A court martial was held for Pvt. Moses B Reed,

who had deserted and was tracked down, captured and returned to camp. He was expelled

from the permanent party and ordered to return to St. Louis from the Mandan villages in

the spring - in addition, he had to run the gauntlet four times through. The Oto chiefs

thought this punishment harsh until Reed's great offense was explained to them. An evening meeting

was held with the Oto chiefs, followed by a dance which lasted until 11

p.m. An extra gill of whiskey was issued to each man.

   August 20, 1804 - Near modern Sioux City, Iowa- The only member of the Corps of

Discovery to die on the expedition, Sgt. Charles Floyd succumbed to what is now

believed to have been appendicitis. Even if the members of the expedition had known

what his malady was, there was nothing they could have done for him. Sgt. Floyd died on

either the Nebraska or the Iowa side of the river; his body was then taken upriver to the

first high bluffs at modern Sioux City, Iowa, for burial. The inroads of the Missouri River

washed away part of Floyd's grave and his remains were reburied in 1857 600 feet to the

southeast of the original site. In 1895 the grave was marked with a concrete slab, and in

1901 a 100 foot tall obelisk was erected over the spot.

Clark recorded:

The military funeral was conducted by Capt. Lewis.

   August 23, 1804 - One mile southeast of Vermillion, South Dakota. A wide variety of

Wildlife was sighted on this day; Joseph Field killed the expedition's first buffalo.

   August 25, 1804- Lewis, Clark, Ordway, Drouillard, Shields, Joseph Field, Colter,

Bratton, Labiche, E. Cann, Warfington, Fraser and York walked to Spirit Mound, seven

miles north of Vermillion, South Dakota, said by Indians to be a place of evil or

mischievous spirits.

   August 30, 1804-Calumet Bluff, at modern Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota -

A council was held with the Yankton Sioux at which Clark made a speech and

distributed presents and peace medals. The Yankton danced until late at night on the

Dakota side of the river.

   Sept. 7, 1804 - The camp was at "the Tower," four miles southeast of the

Nebraska/South Dakota border on the Nebraska side, near Niobara National Scenic

Riverway. The men investigated a prairie dog town and described it for science.

   Sept. 10, 1804 - The camp was on Pocahontas, or Towhead Island, now inundated by

Lake Francis Case. On Cedar Island Clark found the fossil remains of the backbone, teeth

and ribs of an ancient sea-dwelling creature called a plesiosaur, 45 feet long.

   Sept. 20, 1804 - The Corps was in Hughes County, South Dakota, in the Grand Detour

or Big Bend of the Missouri area. The men could walk easily across the narrow land

areas between the bends in the river.

Clark noted:

   Sept. 24, 1804 - Within the boundaries of modern Pierre, South Dakota, the Corps met

and had a confrontation with the Lakota or "Teton" Sioux. The following day the men

raised a flag and put up the sail awning for a council. The Lakota began to arrive about 11 a.m.;

after a ceremony much like those of the past few months with other Indian

tribes, the Lakota leaders feigned drunkenness and asked for more presents, declaring

they would not let the Corps go on without them. The Second Chief, called the Partisan,

threatened Clark, who drew his sword and called the men to arms. A potentially

disastrous confrontation was finally diffused when the Lakota backed down.

   October 8, 1804 - The campsite was in Corson County, South Dakota, between

Rampart and Cathead Creeks in an area now inundated by Lake Oahe. This was the so-

called Leavenworth Site of Arikara earth lodge villages. The first Arikara village was

called Rhtarahe, the second Waho-Erha. The Corps crossed the Grand River and Oak

Creek, passed the first village and set up camp. Lewis and three men, along with an

interpreter who lived in the area, Joseph Gravelines, went to the Arikara village. The

Arikaras were astonished by York - they had never seen a black man before.

   October 13, 1804 - Camped one mile below the North Dakota boundary near modern

Pollock, South Dakota. Pvt. John Newman was confined for mutinous talk, and court

martialed. His punishment was 75 lashes on his bare back and banishment from the

permanent party. Further, he was condemned to perform only menialtasks and no

soldierly duties like standing guard from this point onward.

   October 26, 1804 - Mitutanka, the first Mandan earth lodge village, near Stanton,

North Dakota - Lewis and Clark finally arrived at the Mandan villages - 1,600 at Knife

River miles by their estimate from Camp Dubois. There were two Mandan villages and

Villages three villages inhabited by the Hidatsa and Arahami tribes. These three groups

lived in close proximity and harmoniously, sometimes joining forces against their

principal enemy, the Sioux. They traded their agricultural products with other tribes in

the region. Lewis and Clark estimated that the population of the five villages, located

within an 8 x 2 mile rectangle, totaled 4,400. About 1,400 of these people were adult

males, 700 Mandans, 650 Hidatsas, and 50 Amahamis.

Clark recorded:

Lewis and Clark had already decided to stay for the winter with the friendly Mandan

and Hidatsa Indians, where food would be available. The Indian villages added a

measure of protection as well, and the explorers were interested in noting the customs of

these fascinating people.

   Nov. 2, 1804 - Near modern Stanton, North Dakota. One of Lewis and Clark's first

tasks was to survey the area to find a suitable spot for their winter camp. A place was

selected on the east, or north, bank of the Missouri about 6 air miles below the mouth of

the Knife River on a point of low ground sheltered by bluffs. It was directly opposite the

lower of the five Mandan villages. On November 3 the men set to work building Fort

Mandan. It apparently consisted of two rows of huts, or rooms. Each row contained four

units which were connected by a palisade The fort was not finished until Christmas Day,

but the men moved in before that because of the cold weather. The actual site of Fort

Mandan has been washed away and lies partially underwater, although the State of North

Dakota has built a replica about 10 miles downriver.

Clark recorded:

   Nov. 4, 1804 - Fort Mandan, North Dakota Toussaint Charbonneau was signed as an

interpreter for the coming journey, along with his Shoshoni wife, Sacagawea.

   Dec. 17, 1804 - Fort Mandan, North Dakota - The temperature was 43° below zero;

Mr. Hugh Heney of the Northwest Company made sketches for the captains of the

country between the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers, and a Mandan man made

sketches of the land to the west.

   Dec. 25, 1804 - Fort Mandan, North Dakota -

Sgt. Patrick Gass recorded that

    Three rations of brandy were served during the day, which was mainly spent in dancing.

Clark mentioned giving the men Taffia, which was a cheap form of rum made in the

West Indies:

        "I was awakened before Day by a discharge of 3 platoons from the Party and