William Clark field notes 1803-1805

ArchivalResource

William Clark field notes, 1803-1805

William Clark field notes 1803-1805

http://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.field

The field notes consist of 69 sheets of paper of varying sizes and shapes on which William Clark wrote journal entries, drew maps, made lists, and calculated distances during the first sixteen months of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The entries date from December 13, 1803 to April 3, 1805, and record activities at Camp Dubois during the winter of 1803/1804, during the voyage up the Missouri from May to November, 1804, and to a lesser degree the winter at the Mandan villages in 1804/1805. Clark used his field notes to create his more formal journals, which were sent back down the river in the spring of 1805 when the expedition resumed its journey. The journal entries through November 1804 were made almost daily; during the winter of 1804/1805, the entries are fewer and farther apart and written on one sheet. Several sheets contain speeches, notes, lists, and descriptions rather than journal entries, including speeches and notes made by Clark at the council with the Oto Indians, and his calculations on the number of men and officers required to protect Indian trade. The

Total Boxes: 1 oversize box; Other Storage Formats: 1 broadside folder; Linear Feet: 3.0 linear ft.

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library