Posted on 07/04/2019 3:02:51 PM PDT by fugazi
The United States was a mere 28 years old by the time Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery were working their way up the Missouri River. In 1804, the men were nearing present-day Doniphan, Kansas. They spotted a stream on the Kansas side of the river, and as Clark writes: “as this Creek has no name, and this day is the 4th of July, we name this Independence us. [U.S.] Creek.”
That night, they camped at a spot which Clark called “one of the most butifull [beautiful] Plains, I ever Saw.” They would dub the area “Joe Fields Snake Prairie” due to the private being bit by a snake (possibly a rattlesnake) on this day. Capt. Lewis treated the bite with Peruvian bark, which contained quinine, and Fields recovers. The Americans celebrate their independence with a shot from the boat’s swivel gun and and extra ration of whiskey.
On July 4, 1805, the men had reached the Great Falls of the Missouri, in modern-day Montana — becoming the first Europeans to do so. Capt. Lewis wrote that “we are now about to enter on the most perilous and difficult part of our voyage.” They spent the day attempting to set up their portable iron-frame boat, and the men tried to figure out a mysterious noise that sounded to them exactly like artillery. This booming sound, which is actually a global phenomenon near mountains, remains a mystery to this date. To celebrate, the men finished off the last of the alcohol and danced to the fiddle until a storm cut the festivities off at 9 p.m..
On this day in 1806, the explorers were heading through western Montana and had split in two for their return journey; Lewis taking the Blackfoot River and Clark on the
(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...
They were already “Making America Great!”
I’m surprised they weren’t abducted by aliens. They’re everywhere the map borders get a little fuzzy.
Bookmark
If I had tagged along, I would have spotted some dragons just off the Pacific shoreline.
They celebrated with a suppressed. 50 cal
The standard ration of Whiskey on the expedition was called a “Gill”, about 4 fl. oz, unless they were using British Imperial units, which I suspect is the case. This is closer to 5 oz. Enough to get a buzz, for sure.
If you had tagged along with Lewis and Clark they probably would have left you for dead after you twisted your ankle the first time, 10 or 15 miles from the first settlement. You could probably make your own way back before nightfall. Probably.
These events all happened before our mighty lib overlords roamed the earth.
Like all things, libs will want to destroy and erase the L&C expedition on the basis it eventually brought destruction to the native lands.
“Journals of Lewis and Clark”...one of the best books I’ve read.
I’d also recommend ‘Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West’ by Stephen Ambrose. Great writing that brings you along their trek.
Ha! They shouldn’t have taxed us.
Thanks fugazi.
Could have texted U.S. instead...
“...becoming the first Europeans to do so.”
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Becoming the first AMERICANS of European descent to do so.
You give me way too much credit. I would have realized about 5 miles in that none of the boats have air conditioning and then Louis and Clark would have beat me back to base two years later because I got lost when they dropped me off. But I would still spread the rumor that there is dragons in the Pacific.
One of America’s greatest stories. I strongly believe the Almighty protected them, given the daily brushes with disaster. And Sacajawea saved their fannies more than once. The natives viewed them as peaceful because a woman was with them, she knew the country and people within her usual area, and she was incredibly resourceful and strong.
1804: Eastern Kansas
A year later at Great Falls, Montana
And I thought our road trips with two toddlers took a long time!
Many times in areas that Lewis & Clark had traveled. I like to get off of the highway and take back roads for hundreds of miles. A lot of that area still looks the same as Lewis & Clark would have found it.
Well - minus the grizzly bears. Although Washington State wants to re-introduce them!!??
I watched a documentary on their time traversing the great falls and meeting grizzly bears. The Native Americans warned them of the perils. They dismissed the tails at their peril.
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