Day-by-Day / December 18, 1804

December 18, 1804

Clark's Fort Mandan maps

Fort Mandan, ND Three visiting fur traders leave the fort, and Clark updates his maps using the geographic information obtained from them. Due to the cold, guard duty is shortened, and a buffalo hunt is canceled.

Shortened Guard Duty

verry cold last night So that the Sentinel had to be relieved everry half hour dureing all last night.
John Ordway

Updated Maps

the Tradors left us eairly this morning. we accomodatd them with a Sled which they draw by a horse their Robes & furs over to their Forts.
—John Ordway

I imploy my Self makeing a Small map of Connection &.
William Clark

Too Cold to Hunt

abt. 12 hunters Got ready eairly to hunt the buffalow. Some of them went out on the hills but found it So cold that they would not follow the Buffo in the praries So they returned to the Fort.
—John Ordway

Charbonneau’s Debt

Sent Jessomme [René Jusseaume] to the Main Chief of the mandans to know the Cause of his detaining or takeing a horse of Chabonoe our big belly interpeter, which we found was thro: the rascallity of one Lafrance a trader from the N W. Company, who told this Cheif that Chabonah owd. him a horse to go and take him he done So agreeable to an indian Custom— he gave up the horse
—William Clark

 

Weather Diary

Ther. at sun symbol rise Weather Wind at sun symbol rise Thert. at 4 P.M. Weather Wind at 4 P.M. River
32 below fair W 16 fair S W rise 1 in.

Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

Notes

Notes
1 W. Raymond Wood and Thomas D. Thiessen, Early Fur Trade on the Northern Plains: Canadian Traders among the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians, 1738–1818 (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985), 142.
2 To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.

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.