Journals of the
Lewis & Clark Expedition

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July 6, 1804
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July 6, 1804

[Clark] [1]

 

6th July Friday. We Set out early this morning & Proceeded on    (the river falls Slowly)    wind S. W)    passed a Sand bar in 1st bend to the right    (1) passed a Small Island at the S. pt.    a verry warm day    (worthy of remark that the water of this river or Some other Cause, I think that the most Probable throws out a greater preposn. of Swet than I could Suppose Could pass thro: the humane body    Those men that do not work at all will wet a Shirt in a Few minits & those who work, the Swet will run off in Streams)    opposit the 3rd point passed a Prarie on the S. S. Called Reeveys Prarie (fro a man of that name being Killed in it[)] [2]    opposit this Prarie the river is Confined in a verry narrow Space Crowded on S. S. by [emence?] Sands which were moveing and difficuelt to pass.    the Hunts. Sent in 3 Deer Jurked    on the 4th point of to day is a Small Island & a Sand bar 2 miles out in the river, this is Called the Grand Bend, or Grande de Tour, [3] I walked on this Sand bar    found it a light Sand intersperced with Small Pebbles of various Kinds, also pit Coal of an excellent quallity was lodged on the Sand, [4] We camped on the L. S. at a small creek [5]    a whiper will perched on the boat for a Short time, I gave his name to the Creek

Course Distance & refurenies July 6, 1804 [6]
N. 58° E.   1 Me. on the L. Side opposit a Sand bar in the river
North   3 ms. to a pt. on S. S. an Isd: (1) (N 45 E. thro the Chanel)
N. 10° W      ¼ on S. S. an Isd.
S. 76 E      ½ me. on S. S. to the head of the Island, a Pad Batteue
S. 60° E   1 ¾ ms. to a pt. on the L. S. (Willows)
N. 70° E   1 ½ Me. along a Sand bar on the L. S. opposit a Prarie (2)
N 50° W   1 me. on the L. P. Passed a bad Sand
West   3 ms. to a pt. on the S. S. a Small Island (3) & Sand bar
  12  
(N 6 4 E) [7]    
〈N. 40° E   2 Me. on the S. S.〉
〈N. 76° E   2 me. to pt. on L. S.〉
  12  

[Clark]

 

July 6th, Friday    We Set out early this morning, wind from the S. W. passed a large Sand bar in the 1st. bend to the right. (1) passed a Small Island at the S. point    opposit the 3rd point we passed a Prarie on the S. S. Called Reeveys Prarie    at this place the river is Confined in a verry narrow Channel Crouded by a Sand bar from the L. Point    This Sand bar from the L. Point, this Sand bar is verry bad, at the 4th Point from the S. S. is a verry extensive bar, at the Point of which is a Small willow Island    this is Called the Grand Detour 〈of〉 or Great bend [NB: great band is higher up] [8]

I walked on this Sand bar and found the Sand was light, with Collection of Small pebble, & some Pit Coal    I observe that the men Swet more than is Common from Some Cause, I think the Missouries water is the principal Cause    our hunters Sent in 3 Bucks today    The river Still fall a little

Course Distance & refferns. July 6th
N. 58° E   1 me. on L. S. opsd. a Sand bar
North   3 ms. a pt. on S. S. on Isd. (1)
N. 10° W.      ½ Me. on S. S.    psd. hd. of Isld. a Sand bar
S. 60° E   1 ¾ me. to a willow pt. on L. S.
N. 70° E   1 ½ Me. over a Sand bar L. S. op Prarie (2)
N. 50 W   1 ms. on the L. S.    pasd. a Sand bar
West   3 ms. to a pt. on S. S. a Sand & (3) Isd.
12

[Ordway]

 

Friday July 6th 1804, we Set out eairly this morning    proceeded on (the river falls Slowly) the weather is verry warm, Several day's, the Sweet pores off the men in Streams, opposite the 3d point we passed a handsome Prarie on the north side called Reeveys or St. Michele prarie, [9] from a man of that name being killed in it    we passed Round the Grand Bend which is 2 miles out in the River.    we Camped [10] on the South Side of the River    a whiper will perched on the Boat for a short time,

[Floyd]

 

Friday July 6th 1804    Set out    prossed under a Jentell Brees from the South west    the water wase So [s]trong that we Could Hardley 〈Sewe〉 Steem it, 〈passed a Creek〉    Came 12 miles    encampt at the mouth of a Creek on the South Side of the River Called Whipperwill Creek    it is 15 yards wide

[Gass]

 

Friday 6th.    We set out early this morning; had a fine day, and made a good day's voyage: and encamped on the south side at Whipperwell creek.

[Whitehouse]

 

Fridy 6    Got on Our way at the Usal hour at the Rock Prarie    the water was tolarably Good.    the land a little distance from the River Hilly prarie.    had Good Sailing    Roed 15 Miles    Campd. at a prarie Calld. the bald hills— [11]

Friday July 6th    This morning we started at the usual hour, from the Rock priari, the water was tolerable good, The land a little distance from the River was hilly Priaries.    We encamp'd at a Priari called the Bald hills.    We had good sailing this day the distance being 15 Miles—

1. Biddle placed the notation "July 5 to July 6 to" at the head of the reverse of this sheet of the Field Notes (document 28), above the July 6 entry. This July 6 entry is written over the following address, indicating that the sheet was earlier used as an envelope. The hand may be Lewis's. "Captn. William Clark    River Dubois [pr.?] Howard." (back)
2. In present Buchanan County, Missouri. Clark may be referring to an incident in 1795 in which Benito and Quenache de Rouin, traders returning from the Kansa village, were robbed and beaten but apparently not killed by Iowas. The two were left at the mouth of the Kansas River, but the site of the robbery is not known. Clark does not repeat the explanation of the name in his Codex A entry. Since Ordway gives the explanation in his journal, it is likely that he was copying from the Field Notes. Nasatir (BLC), 1:316, 318; MRC map 17. (back)
3. Perhaps the later St. Joseph Bend, at St. Joseph, Buchanan County. See below, n. 8, on the Grand Detour. MRC map 17. (back)
4. Weathered outcroppings of coal are soft; unweathered (or pit) coal from the part of a pit below the weathered zone is solid and firm. (back)
5. Coues identifies the stream as Peter's Creek, Doniphan County, Kansas. The extreme shifts in the Missouri over the years make it difficult to say whether the actual campsite was in present Kansas or Missouri, but the party was near present St. Joseph, Missouri. Coues (HLC), 1:40 n. 85; MRC map 17; MRM map 48. (back)
6. There are discrepancies between this course material and that in Codex A. (back)
7. These figures are written under the courses and distances for July 6. The courses and distances that are crossed out appear to be the first ones of the next day, July 7. (back)
8. Clark or Biddle corrected the original statement, perhaps after Clark saw the bend in the Missouri commonly called the Grand Detour, in South Dakota. See below, September 19, 1804, and Atlas map 22. Neither feature should be confused with the Great Bend of the Missouri in North Dakota, where the river shifts from an easterly to a southeasterly direction. (back)
9. In Buchanan County, Missouri; see additional information in notes at Clark's entry. (back)
10. Perhaps at Peter's Creek, Doniphan County, Kansas, near St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, on the opposite side. Clark called it Whip-poor-will Creek after the bird, Caprimulgus vociferus, that perched on their boat. (back)
11. Once again Whitehouse uses a place-name given by no one else. Here there may be some confusion with the "Bald-pated Prairie" on the Missouri–Iowa state line, which the party reached on July 16. The camp was perhaps at Peter's Creek, Doniphan County, Kansas, near St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, on the opposite side. (back)
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