September 4, 1806
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

September 4, 1806

 

The Musquitors became troublesom early this morning    I rose at the usial hour found all the party as wet as rain could make them.    as we were in want of Some tobacco I purposed to Mr. Airs to furnish us with 4 Carrots for which we would Pay the amount to any Merchant of St. Louis he very readily agreed to furnish us with tobacco and gave to each man as much as it is necessary for them to use between this and St. Louis, an instance of Generossity for which every man of the party appears to acknowledge. Mr. Airs also insisted on our accepting a barrel of flour—we gave to this gentleman what Corn we Could Spear amounting to about 6 bushels, this Corn was well Calculated for his purpose as he was about to make his establishment and would have it in his power to hull the Corn & The flower was very acceptable to us.    we have yet a little flour part of what we carried up from the Illinois as high as Maria's river and buried it there untill our return &c.    at 8 A. M    we took our leave and Set out, and proceeded on very well, at 11 A. M. passed the Enterance of the big Sieoux River [1] which is low, and at meridian we came too at Floyds Bluff below the Enterance of Floyds river [2] and assended the hill, with Capt Lewis and Several men, found the grave had been opened by the nativs and left half Covered. [3]    we had this grave Completely filled up, and returned to the Canoes and proceeded on to the Sand bar on which we encamped from the 12th to the 20th of August 1804 [4] near the Mahar Village, [5] here we came to and derected every wet article put out to dry, all the bedding of the party and Skins being wet.    as it was late in the evening we deturmined to continue all night.    had issued to each man of the party a cup of flour.    we See no Species of Game on the river as usial except wild geese and pelicans. I observed near Sergt Floyds Grave a number of flurishing black walnut trees, [6] these are the first which I have seen decending the river.    a little before night Several Guns were heard below and in a direction towards the Mahar village which induced us to suspect that Mr. McClellin who we was informed was on his way up to trade with the Mahars had arived at the Creek below and that those reports of Guns was Some of his party out hunting.    every thing being dry we derected the Perogue & Canoes to be loaded and in readiness to Set out in the morning early. at dark the Musquetors became troublesom and continued So all night the party obtained but little Sleep—    we made 36 miles only to daye.

 

Thursday 4th Sept. 1806.    a fair morning, but the hard rain and Thunder continued the greater part of last night.    the Musquetoes troublesome. Mr. Herd Gave us a berril of flour although he had a boat Sunk and nearly all his provisions lost but they have a good hunter hired for that purpose a malattoe &C.    we gave them a quantity of corn which the Mandans gave us. Mr. Heard gave us Some tobacco &C &C    we Set out Soon after Sunrise and procd. on verry well    towards evening we arived at the Mahars village [7]    found that this nation were out a hunting but had fields of corn growing at the back part of the bottom where they formerly had a large village but were cut off in a great measure by the Small pox Some years ago. So we Camped [8] here and dryed our baggage which got wet last night, &C    the Musquetoes verry troublesome indeed.—

 

Thursday 4th.    There was a cloudy morning. We exchanged some corn with Mr. Aird for tobacco, which our party stood much in need of; and his party, having lost a boat load of provisions in their way up, wanted the corn. We then proceeded on till we came to our old camp near the Maha village, where we halted to dry our baggage, which got very wet last night, and remained all night. The natives are all out in the plains.

1. The Big Sioux River reaches the Missouri between Union County, South Dakota, and Woodbury County, Iowa, at Sioux City; the party first passed it on August 21, 1804. Atlas maps 16, 17; MRC map 28. (back)
2. Floyd River in Woodbury County, passed the day Sergeant Charles Floyd died and was buried at Sioux City, August 20, 1804. Atlas map 16; MRC map 27. (back)
3. In 1810 Clark told Biddle that a Sioux chief encamped near the gravesite had lost a son and had opened the grave and placed the son's body with Floyd's, "for the purpose of accompanying him to the other world believing the white man's future state was happier than that of the Savages." It is not clear whether the opening of the grave Clark refers to here was this second burial, or whether that was done some time after the party's return. Clark could easily have learned of a later disturbance of the site through his fur trade contacts. It raises the question of whether all the bones buried under the present Sergeant Floyd Monument at Sioux City actually belonged to the sergeant. Biddle Notes [ca. April 1810], Jackson (LLC), 2:541–42; Appleman (LC), 285–87. (back)
4. They camped here again, in either Woodbury County, or in Dakota County, Nebraska, but Clark is mistaken about the date they first came there, which was August 13, 1804. They called it the "Fishing Camp" (back)
5. The Omaha village noted on August 13, 1804, situated just north of Homer in Dakota County, Nebraska. Atlas map 16. (back)
6. Black walnut, Juglans nigra L., actually extends farther up the Missouri River than Clark allows. However, the walnut probably existed in sheltered ravines and would be noticed only well back from the Missouri floodplain and beyond Clark's view. Barkley, 38; Little (CIH), 134-E. (back)
7. The Omaha village they had visited on August 13, 1804, just north of Homer, Dakota County, Nebraska. (back)
8. In either Woodbury County, Iowa, or Dakota County, Nebraska. Ordway and Gass fail to mention that some of the party visited Floyd's grave this day and covered it again after it had been opened by some Indians. (back)