The great Falls of the Missouri June 13, 1805

Finally! We have made it to the great falls of the Missouri river. I can only stare in awe of how amazing and beautiful they are...... I am extremely glad that the captains made the right decision at the fork and we are on our way to the Pacific ocean. The falls are such a sight i am not sure if i can describe them in my words but i will try. The falls roar from the top of the Missouri falling onto rocks with rapids in between every section of the river . We  still run into different types of grizzlies and other animals that can provide problems. One of the animals that has been extremely annoying are the beavers. They dam up the river with their wood and make it extremely hard to navigate around them.The Shoshones still elude us as we search for them to provide us with pack horses to help carry our equipment over the rocky mountains. Sacagawea is starting to remember the country that she grew up in and I am confident that she will lead us to the Shoshones. Above is a picture of the great falls of the Missouri.

Prickly Pears June 1805

Oh god the horrible pain of walking is almost unbearable. The heat the humidity and worst of all the prickly pears. Our moccasins are worthless and provide no protection from these horrible plants. At the end of the day men limp around camp pulling thorns out of their feet and dressing their wounds. It seems as if the prickly is good for nothing but causing pain to men and animals. While the captains headed up the forks of the rivers they put us to work crafting new moccasins with what leather that we had. To the left is a image of a prickly pear cactus.

The huge herds of buffalo June 3, 1805

Today as we were Heading through the northern plains of America we were amazed at the almost innumerable amounts of buffalo grazing on the grass in huge herds. As Captain Lewis said "the country in every direction around us was one vast plain in which innumerable amounts of buffalo were seen attended by their Shepperd's the wolves..." The buffalo can weigh up to twenty-four hundred pounds and are as long as thirteen feet long from nose to tail. The animals massive heads have two short black horns that curve upward covered with thick woolly hair. As we also found out buffalo are surprisingly easy to take down with a rifle. A hunter with a rifle could easily take down a grazing buffalo and skin and cook the meat for food. The plains native Americans showed us how to use every last part of the buffalo and how to make many delicacy's from the buffalo. The buffalo intestines could be cleaned and then used to make white pudding which Captain Lewis proclaimed "one of the greatest delicacy's in the forest." The buffalo also provided a bug repellent which would protect against the mosquito's and small flies, we burned buffalo dry dung to make smokes. To the left is a painting of some grazing buffalo. 

The fork in the River June 1805

Today as we sailed and trudged up the missouri we came to a fork in the gigantic river. On the northwest fork of the missouri it was dark, muddy, and turbulent. But the other fork that came from the southwest was wider and clearer. Which one was the real missouri? A large majority of the men agreed that the Northwest fork was the best choice for the expedition. Captain Lewis and Captain Clark both knowing that the decision would determine the fate of the expedition sent scouts up each fork and set up camp waiting for them to return. When the scouts returned with their reports the Captains still believed that southwest fork was the real missouri and went to check for themselves. Captain Lewis took a group of men up the Northwest fork and Captain Clark took a group of men up the southwest fork. Captain Clark had not gone far up before he was sure that the southwest fork was the Missouri. He told us that he had carved his name into a tree and headed back down to camp. We await the return of Captain Lewis and his group with his information. 

A new species called "Barking Squirrels" [ aka prarie dogs ]

Today As we were Heading up the Missouri we spotted what looked to be small animals almost like squirrels poking their heads out of holes dug into the ground. The entire Corps were fascinated by the behaviour of these animals and we immediately decided to try and capture one. But as we soon found out capturing them were no easy feat. Everyone in the corps started dumping water into the holes trying to Flush out the squirrel like things. After digging down about six feet we found that running a pole down that we had not dug even half way to the bottom. after almost 3 hours we finally flushed one out alive and caught it and put it into a cage to send back to President Jefferson. To the left is a picture of what we call Barking Squirrels. 

Seaman encounters a beaver

Today Seaman had a frighting and very close encounter with a beaver. He  jumped into the water to retrieve a wounded beaver and as he swam toward it it bit him. The bite severed an artery and he is not doing well. Captain Lewis Thinking quickly stopped the blood from pouring out of the wound. But even so Seaman lost a lot of blood. Captain Lewis is not letting him put weight on it so for now he is resting in our  dugout. Seaman has been a valuable companion and i cant believe that we had almost lost him. The beaver swam away before we could do anything and is still out there. The new animals are incredible and everyone in the corps are taking notes and drawing about them. Captain Clark and Captain Lewis frequently take notes about the land, temperature, humidity, and anything that could be of value for President Jefferson. Above are pictures of a beaver and of Captain Clark recording in his journal.

The Indian Dream Catcher

The Dream Catcher was quite an interesting item that all sorts of Indian tribes use. The dream catcher was first introduced by the  Ojibway tribe. The dream catcher is made of a wooden circle with  leather strips wove into it with different type of birds feathers hanging from it .They are wove in a pattern so that there is a circle in the middle. This circle is where the good dreams go to be stored to dream again in later time. The design is very intricate so that the bad dreams get caught in it also. But the bad dream get burned by the sun when the sun rises. I personally wish to buy one and am looking in my belongings for an item which i can trade for one. If u walk down and look at all of the native american huts you can see dream catchers hanging from doorways and windows.

Mandan Village and the new fort

Today we traveled into the Indian Village of the Mandans. The Mandan are a peaceful tribe who gather most of their food from farming. Their village's are some of the biggest trade sites in America. People from all over including English, French, other Native tribes, and all sorts of different people. We brought with us immense goods for trade with the Village and people were immediatly crowding around us. We needed some where to spend the winter and this place seemed to be the best bet for us. The kind Village cheif gave us permission to use the land on the other side of the river as our space to build a fort. The two captains decided to name the Fort Fort Mandan and ordered us to start working at once. I need to help gather wood.

Private Halls and Private Hollins

 I cant believe that i slept through this but last night two men from the corps, private Halls and private Hollins, both snuck extra glasses of whiskey. But not just one glass, they had three or four each and this is  a 6 day ration! They were so drunk that they began to sing and yell in the camp site  until they woke the captain and he shut them up. The next day they were severally punished and private Hollins got 100 lashes. Private Halls got lucky and got away with only 50. We tied them with rope to a tree and each man counted along. private Hollins lost consciousness after 52 lashes. Then they were taken to the river to have their wounds cleaned and dressed.The Privates were not even excused from their regular duties around the camp. Even the way that the captain diciplines the men may seem a little bit harsh, but one mistake could cause the entire expedition to fail and not be a success.

 To the left is a picture of what the captain uses to discipline the men.

Sergeant Floyd Bluff's Death R.I.P

Today we buried Sgt. Floyd Bluff. Capt. Clark said he was vomiting violently and suffering extreme pain. The different types of medication we gave him did not seem to work at all and the next day Sgt Floyd died a sorrow filled death. Sgt Floyd Bluff died August 20th 1804 and was buried on a hill overlooking the Missouri river. Captain Lewis read from the Bible and marked his grave. Captain Clark was blaming himself for the Death of Sgt. Floyd but there was nothing that we could do about it. We took a vote for a new Sergeant and moved on towards the Pacific ocean.

To the Left is and image of Sgt. Charles Floyd Bluff

Teton Sioux

^^^^^^

An Image of a Teton Sioux Cheif

Today had to be one of the scariest day's so far on our expedition. Today we were heading into the Teton Sioux territory. The Teton Sioux are notorious for killing travelers and demanding a huge amount of supplies. As we were heading up the river we were stopped  by 4 cheif's and 60 warriors. our men immediately got our rifles and were aware of the Teton Sioux with their bows strung and with arrows notched. Capt. Clark jumped off of the boat to meet the chiefs with him he brought immense gift's. The Teton Sioux wanted more and one of the chiefs went to grab one of the dugout canoes. and Clark step ed in front of him to stop him his hand on his sword ready to drive it through the heart of anyone daring to stop the expedition. One of the other cheifs stopped him and we cautiously continued up the river. Capt. Clark is calling my name. Till next time,

Clay Will

The captains dog and Packing

April 7 1804

Today we met the captains dog Seaman. He is a Playful dog and always looks at us funny. Sometimes I think that he can understand us. I only wish that we could understand him. I picked up some navigational charts for the General store, and also got all of my things ready. I have just started packing and already find myself missing home. I have packed my charts, compass, blanket, and my stuffed bear from when i was only a child. I am so excited to start this trip because of all of the new experiences and people that we will meet on our trip across america.