Day-by-Day / August 17, 1806

August 17, 1806

An offer to raise Jean Baptiste

Hensler, ND The expedition heads down the Missouri River taking leave of the Hidatsas, Mandans, John Colter, and the Charbonneau family. Clark invites the latter to come to St. Louis and makes arrangements to raise Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.

Charbonneau Dismissed[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

Charbonneau’s Pay

Settled with Touisant Chabono [Toussaint Charbonneau] for his Services as an enterpreter the pric of a horse and Lodge purchased of him for public Service in all amounting to 500$ 33 1/3 cents.
William Clark

Colter Heads West

we left our encampment after takeing leave of Colter who also Set out up the river in Company with Messrs. Dickson & Handcock.
—William Clark

Leaving the Charbonneaus

we also took our leave of T. Chabono, his Snake Indian wife [Sacagawea] and their Son Child [Jean Baptiste Charbonneau] who had accompanied us on our rout to the pacific Ocean in the Capacity of interpreter and interpretes.
—William Clark

An Offer to Raise Jean Baptiste

I offered to take his little Son [Jean Baptiste Charbonneau] a butifull promising Child who is 19 months old to which they both himself & wife wer willing provided the Child had been weened. they observed that in one year the boy would be Sufficiently old to leave his mother & he would then take him to me if I would be so freindly as to raise the Child for him in Such a manner as I thought proper, to which I agreeed &c.—
—William Clark

Shehekes and Jusseaumes Come Aboard

he [Sheheke] Sent his bagage with his wife & Son, with the Interpreter Jessomme [Jusseaume] & his wife and 2 children to the Canoes provided for them. after Smoking one pipe, and distributing Some powder & lead which we had given him, he informed me that he was ready and we were accompd to the Canoes by all the village Maney of them Cried out aloud
—William Clark

Old Fort Mandan

we then Saluted them with a gun and Set out and proceeded on to Fort Mandan where I landed and went to view the old works the houses except one in the rear bastion was burnt by accident, Some pickets were Standing in front next to the river.
—William Clark

Related: Knife River Villages | Fort Mandan

 

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
cloudy S E cloudy S. E  

leave the Mandans.
—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.