Day-by-Day / February 7, 1805

February 7, 1805

Securing the fort

At Fort Mandan, Lewis learns that one of the interpreters’ wives has been letting Indians through the gate during the night. Away from the Knife River Villages, Clark’s hunting party kills several deer and elk, and they work hard to process and pack the meat.

Locking the Gate at Night

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

Pleasant and Warm

pleasant & warm. the Savages continue comming to See us and to get blacksmiths work done &.C.—
John Ordway

Securing the Fort

The Sergt. of the guard reported that the Indian women (wives to our interpreters[)] were in the habit of unbaring the fort gate at any time of night and admitting their Indian visitors, I therefore directed a lock to be put to the gate and ordered that no Indian but those attatched to the garrison should be permitted to remain all night within the fort or admitted during the period which the gate had been previously ordered to be kept shut which was from sunset untill sunrise.—
Meriwether Lewis

Hunting the River Bottoms

4th Day
hunted the two bottoms near the Camp   Killed 9 Elk, 18 Deer, brought to camp all the meat fit to eate & had the bones taken out. every man ingaged either in hunting or Collecting & packing the meat to Camp
William Clark

 

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
18 [above 0] fair S E 29 cloudy S raise ½ in.

—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.