A list of articles about Seaman and an index of selected stories from the expedition journals
Articles
The Shoshones, like all other Indian people, had owned, bred, trained, used, and loved dogs from the dimmest days of their own origins. What was it, then, about this dog that thrilled them so? Lewis called it sagacity.
The original Newfoundland was smaller, the body more slender, forehead more arched, the muzzle sharper, and “nearly all of a totally black colour, excepting a bright rust coloured spot above each eye.”
What happened to this famous Newfoundland dog? Did he complete the expedition? Or did he perish somewhere along the Missouri River? Was he with Lewis when at Grinder’s Stand?
Twenty-eight and one-half miles upriver from their camp of 4 July 1806 the Indian road crossed a stream Lewis named after William Werner. At mile 31, they camped near the mouth of a stream the captain named after his dog, Seaman.
Seaman in the Journals
September 11, 1803
Hunting swimming squirrels
Friendly, WV The boats enter the Long Reach of the Ohio River. Lewis describes squirrels swimming across the river and has his dog, Seaman, captures several. When fried, Lewis finds them fat and tasty. Clark is at Louisville recruiting personnel.
November 16, 1803
Seaman not for sale
Mouth of the Ohio, IL The captains scout the western shore of the Mississippi where a Shawnee Indian tries to buy Lewis’s dog, Seaman. In Washington City, Thomas Jefferson defines the boundaries of Louisiana and plans more expeditions.
April 22, 1805
A frightened buffalo calf
Towing the boats in high winds, the expedition makes only eleven miles passing present Williston, North Dakota. A bison calf, perhaps afraid of Lewis’s dog Seaman, looks to Lewis for protection.
April 25, 1805
Lewis on the Yellowstone
Seaman disappears during the night but fortunately returns in the morning. Lewis and a small detachment then advance to the Yellowstone River while Clark commands the boats.
April 26, 1805
Yellowstone River celebration
Joseph Field scouts up the Yellowstone River while Lewis explores its mouth. Clark catches up with the boats, and all together again, they celebrate reaching the Yellowstone with a dram and dancing.
May 19, 1805
Seaman bitten
The men tow the boats up the Missouri stopping about seven miles below the Musselshell River at the bottom of present-day UL Bend in Eastern Montana. Lewis’s dog Seaman is bitten by a wounded beaver.
May 29, 1805
Bison terrorizes camp
When a bison runs amok, Lewis’s dog Seaman saves the day by diverting it away from camp. They pass “Judieths River” and camp above the “slaughter river” where numerous dead bison have washed ashore.
June 19, 1805
Sacagawea relapses
Below the Great Falls of the Missouri, the men prepare for the portage and Sacagawea relapses. At the White Bear Islands, Clark determines he will find the best route to haul the heavy dugout canoes.
June 27, 1805
Sightseeing at the falls
Ordway‘s group views the Falls of the Missouri and Giant Springs while the wagons are taken back to the lower end of the portage. Gass reports hail stones as large as seven inches.
July 15, 1805
Leaving the Falls of the Missouri
Above Ulm, MT After laboring since 2 June 1805, the expedition is finally leaving the Falls of the Missouri. They make about twenty-six river miles.
July 21, 1805
Clark waits for Lewis
Canyon Ferry Lake, MT Clark’s group scouts ahead in search of Shoshones, but his party’s feet are so bruised and cut they must come back to the river and wait for Lewis who struggles with the canoes to make fifteen miles.
July 26, 1805
Charbonneau nearly drowns
Three Forks of the Missouri, MT Clark and two others climb a mountain to survey the Jefferson River. While crossing that river, Clark saves Charbonneau from drowning. Miles below, Lewis and the main party work the boats past “Howard” Creek and suffer from barbed grass and prickly pears.
April 11, 1806
Seaman stolen
On this wet spring day at the Cascades of the Columbia, the men tow four dugout canoes through the “big Shoote.” Hostilities ensue when a few local Indians start stealing things—even Lewis’s dog Seaman.
May 23, 1806
New to science
At Long Camp in present-day Kamiah, Idaho, toddler Jean Baptiste’s health improves and Seaman pursues a wounded deer. Hunters bring in a Columbian ground squirrel and great grey owl, both new to science.
July 5, 1806
Seaman's Creek
Blackfoot River and Ross’ Hole, MT Lewis continues on the Road to the Buffalo crossing several creeks. He names one Werner’s Creek and another Seaman’s Creek. Clark’s group crosses the West Fork Bitterroot River wetting several items. After another ford, Clark camps where they met the Salish last fall.
July 7, 1806
Over Lewis and Clark Pass
Lewis and Clark Pass and Big Hole Valley, MT Lewis follows the Indian Road to the Buffalo cresting the Rocky Mountains. In the Big Hole Valley, Clark’s group spends most of the morning searching for their horses. Sgt. Ordway’s detachment finds five but fails to catch up to Clark.
July 15, 1806
Finding the Yellowstone
White Bear Islands and Yellowstone River, MT Clark crosses present-day Bozeman Pass and finds the Yellowstone River. Ordway makes good progress taking the canoes down the Missouri River. At the Falls of the Missouri, McNeal fends off a grizzly bear by clubbing it with his musket.