April 6, 1805

"a fine day  visited by a number of mandans, we are informed of the arrival of the whole of the ricarra nation on the other side of the river near their old village.  we sent an interpreter to see with orders to return imediately and let us know if their Chiefs ment to go down to See their great father*"

great father* - Probably they were near the sites of the old Arikara villages in Oliver County, North Dakota, roughly opposite present day Washburn, North Dakota.  Gravelines was probably the interpreter sent across the river.

April 7, 1805 ~ Departing Fort Mandan

Captain Clark

"At 4 oClock P M, the boat, in which was 6 Soldiers 2 frenchmen & an Indian, all under the command of a corporal who has the charge of dispatches, and a Canoe with 2 french men, Set out down the river for St. Louis.
 At the same time we Seut out on our voyage up the river in 2 perogues and 6 canoes, …

Our party consisting of Sergt. Nathaniel Pryor, Sgt John Ordway, Sgt. Pat: Gass, William Bratten, John Colter, Joseph & Reubin Fields, John Shields, George Gibson, George Shannon, John Potts, John Collins, Jos: Whitehouse, Richard Windser, Alexander Willard, Hugh Hall, Silas Gutrich, Robert Frazure, Peter Crouzat, John Baptiest la page, Francis Labich, Hugh McNeal, William Werner, Thomas P. Howard, Peter Wiser, J.B. Thompson and my Servent york, George Drewyer … Shabonah and his Indian wife … one Mandan & Shabonahs infant."


Captain Lewis

"we are now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civillized man had never trodden; the good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessells contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves… I could but esteem this moment my (our) departure as among the most happy of my life"
 

April 8, 1805

" Set out early this morning, the wind blew hard against us from the N.W.  we therefore travled very slowly.  I walked on shore and visited the black cat, took leave of him after smoking a pipe as is their custom, and then proceeded on slowly by land about four miles where i wated the arrival of the party, at 12 Oclock they came up and infomred me that one of the small canoes was behind in distress.  Capt Clark returned found she had filed with water and all her loading wet.  we lost half a bag of bisquit, and about thirty pounds of powder by this accedent; the powder we regard as a serious loss, but we spread it to dry immediately and hope we shall still be enabled to restore the greater part of it.  we took dinner at this place and then proceed on to oure encampment, which was on the S. side opposite a high bluff*"

high bluff* - McLean County, North Dakota, a mile or so below the Garrison Dam.

April 9, 1805 (Encamped - now inundated by Garrison Reservoir, North Dakota, a few miles southwest of Garrison)

 " The Bluffs of the river which we passed today were upwards of a hundred feet high, formed of yellow clay and sand – many horizontal stratas of carbonated wood, having every appearance of pit coal* at a distance."

coal*  - This so-called coal near Fort Mandan was lignite, extensive beds of which exist in the region.

April 10, 1805 (Encamped just above the later site of Fort Berthold, North Dakota and now under Garrison Reservoir)

 " we overtook three french hunters who had set out a few days before us with a view of traping beaver; they had taken 12 since they left Fort Mandan. These people intend ascending with us as far as the mouth of the Yellow stone river and continue there hunt up that river."


April 11, 1805 ( Encamped a few miles below the mouth of the Little Missouri River.  The entire area is now inundated by Garrison Reservoir)

" saw large white cranes pass upriver – these are the largest bird of that genus common to the country through which the Missouri and Mississippi pass."