The Lost Winter Diaries of Lewis & Clark

By Tracy Sayler
Prairie Grains Editor
tsayler@prairieagcomm.com

North Dakota tourism folks are quick to point out that when Lewis & Clark trekked across the western U.S. in 1804-1806, the Corps of Discovery spent more time along their magical mystery tour in North Dakota than any other state.

This was not exactly by choice; they got snowed in. 

Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their band of merry men departed St. Louis on the Missouri River on May 14, 1804, with a 55-ft keelboat and canoes.  The expedition comprised of two captains, three sergeants, one corporal, 31 privates, 10 French boatmen, two interpreters, one servant, and one dog, a Newfoundland named Seaman.

Their immense supply trove, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, included tents, medicine, clothes, food, tools, weapons, mosquito netting, fishing tackle, navigation equipment, the best available maps, research books, paper, ink, and goods to trade with indians, including 180 pairs of scissors, 2,800 fish hooks, and 4,600 sewing needles. Oh, and what trading expedition wouldn’t be complete without 100 gallons of whiskey?

They began building Fort Mandan (north of Bismarck in present day N.D.) in October, 1804, finishing it around Christmas Eve. In the nearby earth -lodge villages of the Mandans and Hidatsas, some 4,500 people were already living in the area – more than the population of St. Louis or even Washington, D.C. at the time.  The expedition left the following spring, returning through on the way back to St. Louis in 1806.

Congress originally appropriated $2,500 toward the Lewis & Clark expedition; final actual costs totaled over $40,000 (federal budget overruns even then). The expedition reached the Pacific Ocean on Nov. 7, 1805, and returned to St. Louis on Sept. 20, 1806.

Along the way, Lewis & Clark took notes – diaries or journals, as they were. Some newspapers are printing the daily journal entries, and some schools are using the entries for educational purposes.  Here are some entries it would have been fun to see leading up to and during their time in North Dakota:

Lewis, May 15, 1804: Just great, one day into this and I already got the trotskies. Musta been the kung pau shrimp before leaving St. Louis – hey, let’s see YOU embark on a big-time jerney like this without filling up the tank first, OK?  What’s a guy to do? Wouldn’t be good for a commander to pull the boats over every six miles just so I can run into the woods, then all the guys would be snickering. Must…be… strong…

Lewis, Aug. 8, 1804: Lost three hours backtracking to a bend in the river near some bullberry brush where Sgt Ordway sez he lost his ‘lucky’ coon skin cap and we just ‘had’ to go back and get it. Idiot.

Clark, Oct. 26, 1804: We’ve been in the north Dacotah territory a few days and the men are busy building our winter fort.  Our cabin was finished first (it’s good to be captain). Lewis and I came up with a signal to put empty boots outside the cabin door in case one of us is inside with a womin. Don’t expect to do this much since we don’t have no wimmen along in the corps. But theres’ nice looking wimmen in the nearby indian villages, so you never know…

Lewis, Nov. 3, 1804: Been here only a couple weeks and got a letter from Ye Olde Publishers Clearing House stating that I may already be a winner.  Right, like anyone ever wins those things.

Clark, Nov. 10, 1804: Met for the first time with the nearby indians to do some trading. Our dog Seaman tried to hump the chief’s leg, embarrassing…

Lewis, Dec. 24, 1804:  Christmas eve, and the temperature sez 29 degrees below zero.  A guy risks frostbite just going for wood, and the novelty of peeing in the snow has long gone away.

Lewis, Jan. 1, 1805: Some New Year’s day interaction with the local indian tribes today. We taught them how to play poker and they taught us several games of chance, the word they call these games is “kahseeno.” I can see kahseeno taking off some day. Lost a full month’s wages playing it today though.

Clark, Jan. 17, 1805: Whose bright idea was it to take this trail going north right before winter? We could have taken a southerly route and be sitting on a warm sunny beach sipping rum under palm trees right now, but noooo.

Lewis, Feb. 3, 1805: There have been complaints about the “disagreement” that some of the men have had after eating their rations of beenie weenies, particularly in such cramped quarters. So we traded away the remaining stock of beenie weenies to keep the peace and clear the air.

Lewis, Feb. 25, 1805:  Clark is bugging the heck out of me, passing the time in the evenings singing “99 bottles of bier on the wall.” Wouldn’t be so bad if we actually had some bier.

Clark, March 18, 1805: Still cold and snowy.  The natives say these winters keep the riff raff out, I believe them.  Everyone’s going stir crazy and now I know what Columbus must have felt like, as the long winter feels like sailing endlessly with no land in sight. To keep the men happy, good thing we brought along that 100 gallons of whiskey.

Lewis, April 7, 1805: Spring thaw – we made it! I am glad Sacagawea will accompany us for the rest of our jerney. Her talents never cease to amaze. Last night before we broke camp, she handed out t-shirts she made that say “I survived the Dacotah winter of 1805.”