Again, this space provides a welcome opportunity to thank the many persons who helped to bring another volume to completion. Their aid, whether friendly advice, scholarly consultation, or financial assistance, made the task less demanding and the way more pleasant. Gladys Watkins Allen (Alton, Illinois), Emilie W. Betts (New York City), Samuel H. Douglas III (Whittier, California), William P. Sherman (Portland, Oregon), Nelson S. Weller (Piedmont, California), and Lyle S. Woodcock ( St. Louis, Missouri) provided financial support to aid the editing of this volume. Finanial aid also came from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency, and from the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, whose many members support this endeavor beyond their financial contributions.

A special friend of the project has died since publication of the last volume. Robert E. "Bob" Lange was a ceaseless laborer in the service of any cause connected with the Lewis and Clark expedition. He aided this project in countless ways; his unselfish assistance, ready encouragement, and great good will shall be sorely missed and never forgotten.

We again benefited from the expert service of librarians and archivists at repositories of the Lewis and Clark journals. Beth Carroll-Horrocks, Martin L. Levitt, Martha Harrison, Roy E. Goodman, Edward C. Carter II, and Randolph S. Klein, of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, and Duane R. Sneddeker and Bryan Stephen Thomas of the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, were helpful and gracious during our work at their institutions. Staff, office, and administrative help came from the Center for Great Plains Studies and the project itself at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. John R. Wunder, Lori L. Gourama, and Linda J. Ratcliffe of the Center, and Thomas W. Dunlay and Doris VanSchooten of the project performed valuable services.

The following scholars have been generous with their advice and assistance and have aided the project substantially in the areas of their expertise.

BOTANY: Margaret R. Bolick, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Steven J. Brunsfeld, University of Idaho; A. T. Harrison, Westminster College, Salt Lake City; and Kathleen Young, Lincoln. GEOLOGY: Robert N. Bergantino, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Butta. LINGUISTICS: American Indian linguistic data in the notes were collected by Raymond J. DeMallie, Indiana University, and were provided by the followwing individuals: Nez Perce. Haruo Aoki, University of California–Berkeley. Hidatsa. A. Wesley Jones, Mary College, Bismarck, North Dakota. ZOOLOGY: Frederick P. Baxendale, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Lewis T. Nielson, University of Utah (retired) (insects); Patricia Freeman, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (mammals, taxonomy); Anthony Joern, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (grasshoppers); and John D. Lynch, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (fish).

For the Montana segment of the return route, especially for the portion of Lewis's reconnaissance of the Marias River and Clark's survey of the Yellowstone, we again (as in volume 4) used a set of United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps (1° x 2°, 1:250,000) supplied by Robert N. Bergantino of Butte, Montana. Bergantino carefully plotted the expedition's route, camps, and points of observation on these maps. He also read and commented on our reference notes to Montana identifications and gave us the benefit of his keen knowledge of Lewis and Clark's trip through his state.

Of course, none of these persons deserves blame for errors or inadequacies in this volume.