October 24, 1804
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

October 24, 1804

 

24th of October    Cloudy    Some little Snow    (my Rhumetism Continue, not So bad as the 2 last days,) a butufull Countrey on both Sides, bottoms covered with wood, we See no game to day, passed an old [village] of a Band of Me ne tarres Called Mah har ha where they lived 40 year ago on the L. S. [1]    Came too on an Island Caused by the river cutting through a narrow point 7 years ago, [2] on this Island we wer visited by the grand Chief of the mandans a 2d Chief and Some other, who wer Camped on the Island, those Chief met our Ricarra Chief with great Corduallity, & Smoked together    Cap Lewis Visited the Camps 5 Lodges, and pro-ceeded on & Camped near a 2d Camp of Mandans on the S. S. nearly opposit the old Ricara & Manden Village which the Ricarras abandaned in the year 1789 [3]

Course & Distanc &c.
N. 20° W 1 ½ m to a pt. on the S. S. [4]
N. 10° W. 2 m. to a pt. on the L. S. opsd. to new mandan Island—    Cut
point—
N. 34° [5] W. 2 m to S S.
N. 64° W 2 m to a point of high land on which the Mandans & after
them the Ricaras formrley lived.
 
Course Distance and reffurencs
N. 20° W. 1 mile to a pt. on the S. S.
N. 10 W. 2 miles to a pt. on the L. S.    at this place the river has laterly
Cut thro forming a large Island to the S. S. (1)
N. 35° W. 2 miles to an Object on the S. S.
N. 64° W. 2 miles to a point of high land on which the Mandins formerly
lived (2)
7

24th October Wednesday 1804

Set out early    a Cloudy day    Some little Snow in the morning    I am Something better of the Rhumutim in my neck—    a butifull Countrey on both Sides of the river. The bottoms Covd. with wood, we have Seen no game on the river to day a prof of the Indians hunting in the neighbourhod    (1) passed a Island on the S. S. made by the river Cutting through a point, by which the river is Shortened Several miles—    on this Isld. we Saw one of the Grand Chiefs of the Mandins, with five Lodges hunting, this Cheif met the Chief of the Ricares who accompanied us with great Cordiallity & Sermony    Smoked the pipe & Capt. Lewis with the Interpeter went with the Chiefs to his Lodges at 1 mile distant, after his return we admited the Grand Chief & his brother for a few minits on our boat.    proceeded on a Short distance and Camped on the S. S. below the old Village of the Mandins & ricares.—    Soon after our landg. 4 Mandins Came from a Camp above, the Ricares Chief went with them to their Camp,

 

Wednesday 24th Oct. Cloudy.    we Set off eairly.    proceeded on    passed a Bottom on N. S. covered with fine Timber Such as oak & large cottonwood &.C.    at 12 o.C. we halted at an Isl. on N. S. where we found a hunting camp of the Mandan Nation of Indians.    the chief we had on board Spoke to the chief of this party told them our business &.C.    they had Some handsome women with them.    at 2 oC. we proceeded on    passed the Isl where the River cut th[rough?] [paper worn, several words illegible] [6] which formerly used to be 10 miles Round by its cutting across forms the Isl. Camped on the N. S.    4 of the natives came to our Camp but did not remain with us but a Short time.

 

Wednesday 24th.    We set out early in a cloudy morning. At 9 it began to rain and continued to rain for an hour. At 12 we came to a hunting party of the Mandan nation of Indians, and remained with them untill 2 and then continued our voyage. There were three lodges of these Indians on an island, which has been cut off the Grand Bend, a short distance below the Mandan village. We encamped on the north side. Five of the Indians came to us, and our Indian [7] went over with them and returned in the morning.

 

Wednesday October 24th    This morning was Cloudy, we set off early as usual.    at 9 o'Clock A. M. it began to rain, we stopped the Boat and Pettyaugers for about one hour, and then proceeded on, at 12 oClock A. M., we came too, were a party of Indians belonging to the Mandan Nation were hunting, we halted about two hours with them, and then proceeded on our Voyage, 'till the Evening and Encamped on the North side of the River, where five Indians of the Mandan Natlon came to us.—

1. The only old village of this group of Indians on Atlas map 29 is the one mentioned in Codex C on October 23; the map clearly indicates that the twenty-third was the day they passed the site. The reference in Codex C, however, was clearly inserted later, placed by what Clark knew to be the correct date. MRC map 51. (back)
2. Indicated clearly on Atlas map 29, this cutoff left an "oxbow" lake, later called Painted Woods Lake, on the McLean County, North Dakota, side of the Missouri, just above present Sanger. MRC map 51; MRY 151. (back)
3. Perhaps two miles below present Washburn, McLean County. Atlas map 29 shows some six old villages in present Oliver County, below Hensler, some of them indicated as having been abandoned nine years, that is, since 1795. (back)
4. The distance is one mile in Codex C. (back)
5. This bearing is 35° in Codex C. (back)
6. The bottom of this page, and several pages following, are so badly curled and worn that some of the text is lost or illegible. (back)
7. The Arikara chief, Toone or Arketarnashar, who had accompanied them in hopes of making peace with the Mandans. See note to Clark's entry of October 9, 1804. (back)