 Article
From River Life, Volume 6, No 01, August 5, 2004
Up The River
With Lewis and Clark
Part 4, July 23, 1804-August 5, 1804
By Bill Markley
Camp White Catfish,
Monday, July 23, 1804. The Corps of Discovery had traveled ten miles
upriver of the Platte River and set up camp on the east bank of the
Missouri River. They planned to stay at this camp several days hoping to
make contact with the Oto and Pawnee Tribes. Meriwether Lewis and
William Cark sent Pierre Cruzatte and George Drouillard to find the
tribes and invite them to camp for a meeting. Cruzatte had been in the
area before and knew there was an Oto town eighteen miles up the Platte
River with a Pawnee town further beyond that.
Private Pierre Cruzatte
enlisted as an interpreter with the Corps of Discovery at St. Charles on
May 16, 1804. Cruzatte was half French and half Omaha. He had lost one
eye and was nearsighted in the remaining eye. He was a good fiddle
player and entertained the men with his music.
George Drouillard was the
son of a French-Canadian father and a Shawnee mother. He had met Lewis
in November 1803, and agreed to serve as an interpreter. He was good at
sign language and along with the Field brothers, he was one of the Corps
best hunters.
The Corps of Discovery
spent its time improving the camp, hunting, drying out gear and
supplies, and making new paddles, oars, and poles.
The wind blew hard out of
the south on July 24. Private Silas Goodrich, considered one of the
Corps best fishermen, caught a white catfish which may have been a
channel catfish. The hunters killed two deer and a turkey.
Cruzatte and Drouillard
returned to camp on July 25, they had traveled as far as the Oto town;
but did not find anyone. The Otos were off hunting buffalo. The Corps
hunters again killed two deer and a turkey.
July 26, the wind was
again blowing out of the south. Clark wrote that the winds blew clouds
of sand so hard that he could not write in his tent or on the boat. He
retreated to the woods where he was out of the wind, but had “Combat
with Musquitors.” The men caught and ate five beaver. One of the men had
a very large boil on his chest. Clark lanced the boil which discharged a
half pint of fluid.
At 1:30 p.m., on July 27,
the Corps of Discovery set out again on its upriver journey sailing with
a gentle breeze. After making camp, Clark and Rubin Field went on a walk
to examine manmade mounds that covered over two hundred acres. While on
their walk, they killed a deer. Clark wrote the “Misquiters” were the
size of houseflies and raged all night.
The next morning was “Dark
Smokey” and raining as the Corps continued upriver. While out hunting,
Drouillard found three elk hunters who belonged to the Missouri Tribe.
They gave Drouillard some elk meat and told him they lived with the Otos.
One of the hunters agreed to return to camp with Drouillard. The man
said he belonged to a camp of twenty lodges located four miles away.
Beyond that camp was a larger group who had a French trader living with
them.
Private Joseph Whitehouse
wrote, “we … proceeded on one Mile, when the boat struck a sand barr, on
her larbourd Side, and all hands were obliged to jump out in the Water
to prevent her from sinking.”
The Corps traveled twelve
miles upriver before making camp for the night.
On July 29, Lewis and
Clark sent the Missouri man back to his band with La Liberté, a French
engagé or workman. Lewis and Clark instructed La Liberté who was fluent
in Oto to invite the Missouris and Otos to the Corps’ camp which would
be located further upriver.
The Corps passed through
an area that must have been hit by a tornado. Trees, some with trunk
diameters of four feet, had been snapped off near the ground.
The next morning, they
discovered the white horse that Clark had found had died during the
night. The Corps continued upstream and camped about fifteen miles north
of present day Omaha, Nebraska. They would wait here for the Otos and
Missouris to join them. The men set up a flagpole, hoisted the American
flag, and called the place Camp Badger, but later changed the name to
Council Bluffs Camp.
The reason they at first
called it Camp Badger was that Joe Field had killed an eighteen-pound
badger. This was the first one most of the men had seen. Everyone who
kept a journal described it in great detail. They skinned and stuffed
the badger to send back to President Jefferson.
Sergeant Charles Floyd
wrote, “I am verry Sick and Has ben for Sometime but have Recoverd my
helth again.”
The men caught catfish and
killed geese and turkeys. They cleaned and inspected their weapons, and
even though they were still coming down with boils, they were in high
spirits. Joe and Rubin Field rode off hunting again, but did not return
that night.
On July 31, the Field
brothers returned—on foot. They had killed three deer; but the horses
had wandered off. Lewis and Clark sent men out to find the horses, but
with no luck. George Drouillard caught a small, tame beaver and kept it
for a pet.
The next day, Lewis and
Clark sent Drouillard and Private John Colter to find the horses. They
sent Private George Gibson back to Camp White Catfish to look for the
Otos, Missouris, and La Liberté. Gibson found no sign that anyone had
been to the camp.
At the end of the day,
Clark wrote, “The Indians not yet arrived we fear Something amiss with
our Messinger or them.”
Drouillard and Colter
returned on August 2, with the horses and an elk they had shot. They
found the horses twelve miles south of the Corps’ camp. At sunset, six
Oto and Missouri chiefs and their warriors arrived at the camp along
with the French trader, Faufon.
Clark wrote, “…Capt. Lewis
& myself met those Indians & informed them we were glad to See them, and
would Speak to them tomorrow, Sent them Som rosted meat Pork flour &
meal, in return they Sent us Water millions [watermelons].”
Even though the Otos and
Missouris appeared friendly, Lewis and Clark set out a strong guard for
the night.
August 3, the men set up
the mainsail as an awning for the meeting. The chiefs, warriors, and
Faufon arrived in camp. The sergeants paraded the soldiers. Lewis gave a
long speech about coming in friendship and about the change of
government to the United States. Lewis and Clark gave the chiefs
presents including peace medals that had the likeness of President
Jefferson. They smoked. The chiefs asked for a little whiskey, powder
and ball which Lewis and Clark gave them. The Otos and Missouris gave
the Corps more watermelons. The chiefs told Lewis and Clark that the
major chiefs of the Otos, Little Thief and Big Horse, were out hunting
buffalo. Each chief gave a speech stating they were pleased with the
change in government.
Lewis and Clark asked
about La Liberté. The chiefs said he had been to their town and had left
a day before they had. Clark was concerned La Liberté’s horse had given
out or that he was lost on the plains. The Otos and Missouris said they
would search for him.
Lewis fired his air gun
for their entertainment and then the Corps set sail and made camp five
miles further upriver. Private Moses Reed had left his knife behind at
the Council Bluffs Camp and asked for permission to go back and get it.
He was told he could go ahead and do that.
After an early morning
storm on August 4, the Corps continued upriver. They passed through a
mile stretch of river where the current was undercutting the bank, and
trees were falling into the river. They passed a deserted trading house
where Pierre Cruzatte and others had spent two years trading with the
local tribes. By nightfall, Reed had not caught up with the Corps.
August 5, the morning
started out with a strong wind from the northeast, clouds, and rain. The
men killed a large bull snake that was after some little birds; and
Lewis killed two least terns that he described in his journal in great
detail.
As they made camp that
night, La Liberté and Moses Reed were still missing. Everyone was
concerned for their safety. Had they run into trouble or had they
deserted?
Up The River With Lewis and Clark
Part 5, August 6, 1804-August 19, 1804
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