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Lewis & Clark Expedition

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August 16, 1804
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August 16, 1804

[Clark] [1]

 

Ottoes returned to the Village 4th of August, the Panies the 15th of August.

Lake Daespere Mad Lake [Lake d'Esprit] the head of the Little Souix River

42    15    13  
42    12    10 —
        |  3     3  
           1   31  
42    13    41  
From the Mahars to the White River 80 Leagus  
to the Chion [Cheyenne] R. 150"  
to the Richarees [Arikara]— 250"  
then to the Mandins   10  
thence to the Wattesoons [2] 3— to Muneturs [3] 3

Louisiana 〈Lark [other words crossed out]〉

Fish Camp on a Sand bar 3 Ms. N. E of the Mahars Town
Aug. 16th 1804

a Verr cool morning    the winds as usial from the N W. Capt Lewis with [12?] men [4] went out to the Creek & Pond & Caught about 800 fine fish with a Bush Drag of the following kind i'e' 79 Pike, 8 Salmon, 1 Rock, 1 flat Back, 127 Buffalow & readHorse, 4 Bass & 490 Cat, with many Small & large Silver fish,— [5]    I had a mast made & fixed to day    The Party Sent to the Ottoes not yet arrived.    the wind Shifted around to the S E.    the night's are Cool & a Breeze rises after generally; Sometimes before night which Blows off the Musquitors cools the atmospere. [6]

28    49      [7?]    70    15      70
13    41   70   5
15      8   1050   350
      173   6

[Clark]

16th August Thursday 1804
 

Fishing Camp 3 ms. N. E. of the Mahars.    a verry cool morning the wind as usial from the N W.

Capt Lewis took 12 men & went to the Pond & Crek between Camp and the old Village and Cought upwards of 800 fine fish, 79 Pike, [WC: resembling Trout 8 fish resembg Salmon Trout] [7] 8 Salmon, 1 Rock, 1 flat Back, 127 Buffalow & red horse 4 Bass & 490 Catt. with many Small Silver fish [WC: & Scrimp]    I had a Mast made & fixed to the Boat to day, the Party Sent to the Ottoes not yet joined us—    the wind Shifted arround to the S. E.    everry evening a Breeze rises which blows off the Musquitors & Cools the atmispeire.

[Ordway]

 

Thursday 16th    a pleasant morning.    the party in high Spirits fiddleing & danceing last night. I was up all night on duty, the latter part of the night verry cold, for the month of august. Capt. Lewis & 12 of the party went out to the Mahar Creek a fishing    they returned in the afternoon with more than a barrell or in nombers 709.    167 of them pike, of a Tolrable Size, of excelent fish of different Sorts & Sizes.    one beaver caught to day, hoisted our mast &.C,—

[Floyd]

 

Thursday august 16th    Capt Lewis and 12 of his men went to the Creek a fishen    Caut 709 fish Differnt Coindes

[Whitehouse]

 

Thursday Augst. 16    Captn. Lewis went out the Nixt day with his party and Returned with 709 fish Neerly 200 pike fish [8] amongst them—

Thursday August 16th    This morning fine & clear, Captain Lewis went out with his party a fishing at the above pond, and towards Evening they returned having caught 709 fish of different kinds nearly 200 of which were pike.—

1. A collection of miscellaneous material probably written at various time is squeezed in above the August 16, 1804, entry in the Field Notes (document 43). Some of it clearly belongs to the period at the "Fishing Camp." (back)
2. The "Wattesoons," a group of many names, were the Awaxawi, a division of the Minitari, or Hidatsa, people (see October 27, 1804). (back)
3. The spelling of the original is by no means clear, but the location of this tribe relative to the Mandans and "Wattesoons" leaves no doubt that Clark meant some variation of "Minitari" (Hidatsa). (back)
4. Gass may have been with this party, though his reference is unclear. (back)
5. The "Rock" may be the white or rock bass, Morone chrysops. It is difficult to identify Clark's "flat Back." Criswell suggests it was sometimes a synomym for a sucker (family Catostomidae), but this does not seem likely; perhaps Pylodictis olivaris, flathead catfish. The silverfish may the same as those mentioned on August 15 or they may be minnows. Lee et al., 574, 742; Criswell, 39, 83. (back)
6. The figures below come immediately after the August 16 entry in the Field Notes. (back)
7. In Codex B, the first two words of the interlined passage and the words "8 Salmon" were later crossed out, perhaps by Biddle in 1810. (back)
8. Northern pike, Esox lucius. (back)
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