Day-by-Day / April 7, 1806

April 7, 1806

Regulating the firearms

The expedition spends another day at present Shepperds Dell at the lower end of the Columbia River Gorge to hunt and jerk meat. The enlisted men are ordered to practice shooting, and they adjust their gun sights. Lewis describes the mountain quail, new to science.

Rifle Repair

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

Jerking Meat

This morning Drewyer & the two Fields Set out agreeably to their orders of last evening, the remainder of the party employed in drying the flesh of the five Elk killed by Shannon yesterday.
William Clark

 

Regulating Arms

we made our men exercise themselves in shooting today and regulate their guns found several of them that had their sights moved by accedent, and others that wanted some little alterations all which were compleately rectifyed in the course of the day.
—Meriwether Lewis

Mountain Quail

Last evening Reubin Fields killed a bird of the quail kind it is reather larger than the quail or partridge as they are called in Virginia. it’s form is precisely that of our patridge tho’ it’s plumage differs in every part.
Meriwether Lewis

Watlala Visitors

we got the meat all dry towards evening and packed it up &C the Musquetoes trouble us a little &c— Drewyer returned with the Savages and killed 2 ducks this evening &c—
John Ordway

Weather Diary

State of weather at sun symbol rise Wind at sun symbol rise State of the weather at 4 P.M. Wind at 4 P.M. River
fair S W fair S W raised ½ in.

the air temperate, birds singing, the pizmire, flies, beetles, in motion.
—Meriwether Lewis[2]To assist the reader of this web page, the date column is not presented, the “State of the Columbia River” columns have been merged, and some abbreviations have been spelled out.

 

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 not presented, the “State of the Columbia River” columns have been merged, and some abbreviations have been spelled out.

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.