Day-by-Day / February 3, 1805

February 3, 1805

A new plan

Clark prepares a long hunting trip away from Fort Mandan and the Knife River Villages, and Lewis briefly resumes writing in his journal. In today’s entry, he describes a new plan to free the boats from the river ice.

All the Boats Stuck in Ice

by Yellowstone Public Radio[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

Iced-in Boats

the situation of our boat and perogues is now allarming, they are firmly inclosed in the Ice and almost covered with snow. . . . soon as we cut through the first strata of ice the water rushes up and rises as high as the upper surface of the ice and thus creates such a debth of water as 〈had〉 renders it impracticable to cut away the lower strata
Meriwether Lewis

A New Plan

we now determined as the dernier resort to prepare a parsel of Iron spikes and attatch them to the end of small poles of convenient length and endeavour by means of them to free the vessels from the ice. we have already prepared a large rope of Elk-skin and a windless by means of which we have no doubt of being able to draw the boat on the bank provided we can free from the ice.—
—Meriwether Lewis

 

Weather Diary

State of the Ther. at sun symbol rise Weather Wind at sun symbol rise Thermt. at 4 oCk. P.M. Weather Wind at 4 oCk. P.M. River
8 [below 0] fair S W 2 [above 0] fair W.  

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

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, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “State of the River at sun symbol rise” 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.