Day-by-Day / September 11, 1803

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.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

Fat squirrel looking at the camera

“SquirrelInKensingtonPark” by Andreas Tille – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Long Reach of the Ohio

entered the long reach, so called from the Ohio running in strait direction for 18 miles in this reach there are 5 Islands from three to 2 miles in length each—
—Meriwether Lewis

Related: Down the Ohio

Swimming Squirrels

observed a number of squirrels swiming the Ohio and universally passing from the W. to the East shore they appear to be making to the south . . . . I should reather suppose that it is climate which is their object as . . . walnuts and Hickory nuts the usual food of the squirrell appears in great abundance on either side of the river—
—Meriwether Lewis

Related: Eastern Gray Squirrel

Seaman the Hunter

I made my dog take as many each day as I had occation for, they wer fat and I thought them when fryed a pleasent food—
my dog was of the newfoundland breed very active strong and docile, he would take the squirel in the water kill them and swiming bring them in his mouth to the boat.
—Meriwether Lewis

Related: Lewis’s Dog, Seaman

Clark Writes Lewis

Near Louisville 11th Sept. 1803

Dr. Lewis

I have not had the pleasure of receiving a letter from you since the one dated the 3rd of last month. Have heard of you as late as the 23rd by Mr. Campbell who say your Boat at Pittsburgh not quite Complete. Connor has a very large assortment of goods on hand and cant accompany us . . . . As this man does not speake any of the languages to the Weste of the Mississippi, I do not think the falur in getting him is verry material. I still have apliciattions from young men to accompany us. Yrs. &c.
—William Clark[1]Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 123.

Related: The Personnel Plan | Ohio River Recruits

 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 123.

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.

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Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).