Day-by-Day / August 16, 1806

August 16, 1806

Parting gifts

Knife River Villages, ND Mandans gift more corn than the expedition boats can carry. As parting gifts, the swivel gun is given to Hidatsa Chief Le Borgne and the blacksmith tools to Charbonneau. Sheheke (Big White) agrees to go to Washington City.

A Reprimand and a Plea[1]Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © … Continue reading

Overloaded with Corn

Sent up Sergt. Pryor to the mandan village, for Some Corn which they offered to give us. he informed that they had more Corn collected for us than our Canoes Could Carry Six loads of which he brought down. I thanked the Chief for his kindness
William Clark

Gifting the Swivel Gun

I then a good deel of Ceremony made a preasent of the Swivel [gun] to the One Eye Chief and told him when he fired this gun to remember the words of his great father which we had given him. this gun had anounced the words of his great father to all the nations which we had Seen &c. &c.
—William Clark

Sheheke Will Go

[René Jusseaume] informed us soon after that the big white Chief would go if we would take his wife & Son & Jessoms wife & 2 children we wer obliged to agree to do
—William Clark

 

Gifting the Blacksmith Tools

The Commanding Officers gave discharges to the man [John Colter] who agreed to return with the hunters up the river, and the interpreter; who intends settling among these Indians, and to whom they gave the blacksmith’s tools; supposing they might be useful to the nation.
—Patrick Gass

 

Weather Diary

State of the weather at Sun rise State of wind at Sunrise State of the weather at 4 P. M. Wind at 4 P. M. State of river
fair N W fair N. W fall 3 ½ in.

Northern lights Seen last night which was in Streaks
—William Clark[2]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted, some abbreviations have been spelled out, and the three river columns have been merged.

 

Notes

Notes
1 Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © 2003 by Yellowstone Public Radio.
2 To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is omitted, some abbreviations have been spelled out, and the three river columns have been merged.

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.