Day-by-Day / April 2, 1805

April 2, 1805

Preparing Clark's journals

Clark works all day and into the night preparing his journals so that they can be sent to Thomas Jefferson or whomever the new president might be. Mandan Chief Raven Man ends his extended stay at Fort Mandan and returns to his village, Ruptáre.

Preparing Journals

we are writeing and prepareing dispatches all day— I conclude to Send my journal to the President of the United States in its original State for his own perusial, untill I call for it or Some friend if I should not return, an this journal is from the 13th of May 1804 untill the 3rd of April 1805. wrote untill verry late at night
William Clark

Shipping Clark’s Field Notes

Dr. Sir. [Amos Stoddard?]

I must request the favour of you to send by some safe conveyance as early as possible a red box containing some specimens & papers of consequence[?] to my brother Genl. Jonathin Clark, of Kentuckey as Directed on the top of the Box. R. Worvinton [Richard Warfington] the Bearer of this is intrusted with duplicates & papers of considerable consequence . . . .
[—William Clark][1]Clark to [Amos Stoddard?]. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 226.

Shipping Clark’s Map

Fort Mandan in Lat. 47° 21′ 27″ N. Long. 101° 25′ W
April the 2nd 1805.

Dear Major [William Croghan]

. . . .

I must therefore take the liberty of refuring you to my brother to whome I have inclosed a Map and some sketches relative to the Indians . . . . Our information is altogether from Indians collected at different times and entitled to some credit . . . . please to present me most respectfully to my Sister Lucy & the family and accept the assurance of my sincere affections &c.

WM CLARK

I send my sister Croghan some seed of several Kinds of Grapes[2]Clark to William Croghan. Letters, 230.

Second Chief Raven Man Leaves

The 2d Chief of the 2d Mandan Village took a miff at our not attending to him perticelarely after being here about ten day and moved back to his village
—William Clark

 

Weather Diary

State of Thermometer at sun symbol rise Weather Wind at sun symbol rise State of Thermometer at 4 P.M. Weather Wind at 4 P.M. State of the River
28 [above 0] cloudy after rain N. W 38 [above 0] fair after clouds W. fallen 5 in.

rained hard and without intermission last night
—William Clark and Meriwether Lewis[3]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, clarified the “State of the River” information, and spelled out some abbreviations.

Notes

Notes
1 Clark to [Amos Stoddard?]. Donald Jackson, ed. Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 226.
2 Clark to William Croghan. Letters, 230.
3 To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, clarified the “State of the River” information, 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.