Little Known Details of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

by Misty M. Beller

I'm excited to join the blogging team on the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog! My books are frontier westerns set in the Rocky Mountains during the 1800s, so I'll be sharing with you lots of fun historical details I learn through my research. I can't wait! 

My newest series follows much of the trail Lewis and Clark's expedition took across what would become Montana and into Idaho. I have to confess that I couldn't remember many details from when I learned about the expedition in school. As I began to research, I've been amazed at how fascinating their journey was. 

The expedition was known as the Corps of Discovery and consisted of 38 capable enlisted men, in addition to the leaders, Captains Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. I love what Captain Clark wrote in his journal on March 31, 1805: With such men, I feel every confidence necessary to insure success.

As I've read and re-read the journals of the captains and sergeants from those two adventurous years, I've been surprised by so many details. Here are a few of my favorite facts!

Only one person died throughout the entire journey
Sgt. Charles Floyd died of appendicitis on the westward trip in what is now Floyd’s Bluff, Iowa. Throughout the entire journey from St. Louis to the Oregon coast and back, over land no white man had ever trod, while meeting hundreds of Native American tribes, none of the party died through violent means. 

Sergeant Charles Floyd, photo by Benjamin Trott - images.metmuseum.org

Sometimes talks with the Native Americans had to go through five different interpretations

Lewis and Clark hired two interpreters to travel with them, but speaking with the natives still wasn't easy. In one council with a Salish tribe (Nez Perce), the conversation had to flow from English to French to Hidatsa to Shoshone to Salish. Then back. 

Salish Village. Courtesy Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images.

Finding a water route to the Pacific Ocean was only one of the goals of the expedition

They were also tasked by President Jefferson with establishing peaceful relations between Native American tribes and their "Great White Father" back in the States, as well as classifying the flora and fauna of the new lands now owned by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. 

Map showing lands that were part of the Louisiana Purchase in white. By William Morris. Wikimedia, Public Domain.

Those are just a few interesting tidbits I've learned, and I'll be sharing more in future posts. 

In the meantime, are you a history buff about the Lewis and Clark expedition? If so, share some facts we may not know! Or are you like I was, with only a vague memory of what the Corps of Discovery actually did? 

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Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Her latest release, Freedom in the Mountain Wind, is an epic journey along the path taken by the Lewis and Clark expedition—an epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, lives will never be the same.

For a limited time, you can get one of Misty's bestselling novels free here: https://www.subscribepage.com/s8n2o1

Dismal Nitch

With Nancy J. Farrier

Looking across the Columbia River from Oregon
toward Dismal Nitch, Washington

Imagine that you have been traveling for months. You are out of fresh food. The clothes you have with you are falling off your back. You have a deadline, and if you don’t make the rendezvous you won’t be able to resupply—or to fulfill your mission.

These conditions are what Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, along with their Corps of Discovery, experienced in November of 1805. They were dispatched in 1803 by President Jefferson and had traveled hundreds of miles through uncharted territory. By late 1805 they were on the lower Columbia River, on the last leg of their destination to reach the Pacific Ocean, trying their best to meet the last of the trading ships before the winter weather became too severe. If they met the ship in time, they could send their journals and collected items home to the President. They would also have the chance to resupply using the letter of credit President Jefferson had given them before they departed. They could charge enough food and clothing to last them until they could return back east.

Looking across the Columbia River

What they didn’t count on was the fierce winter storm that moved in before they could meet the ship. Lashing rains and high winds made continuing on too precarious. The only place close to them, a steep, forested area that had a series of coves and nitches, provided meager protection. As the weather worsened,

they took shelter just upriver from the modern day Dismal Nitch.

Dismal Nitch Rest Area

That night they were battered by the weather. Soaked and freezing, the next day they faced thunder, lightning and hail. Clark wrote of their experience, "As our situation became Seriously dangerous, we took the advantage of a low tide & moved our Camp around a point a Short distance to a Small wet bottom at the mouth of a Small Creek (Megler Creek), which we had observed when we first came to this cove…"

The storm continued to batter the small party. They became discouraged with their circumstances and the possibility they would find no relief. Finally, on November 10^th, Clark woke to calm weather. He describes their exodus in this way, "About 3 oClock the wind lulled and the river became calm, I had the canoes loaded in great haste and Set Out, from this dismal nitch where we have been confined for 6 days…"

Lewis and Clark, as we know, made it to the Pacific Ocean. Their journey is documented and they were hailed as some of the greatest of the early explorers. After they rendezvoused with the ship, only eleven of their men continued on with them to reach the ocean. Their forced stay at Dismal Nitch proved too disheartening for many of the party.

Bridge to Dismal Nitch

Today, there is a 4.1 mile bridge spanning the Columbia between Astoria, Oregon and the Dismal Nitch Rest Area on the Washington side of the river. The scenery is beautiful. Many people enjoy bird watching, hiking or observing the ships that run up and down the Columbia River. The Lewis and Clark National Park encompasses parts of both sides of the Columbia River.

Bridge Looking to Oregon Side

The day we came across the Dismal Nitch Rest Area, the weather was a bit dismal. Cold rain lashed the landscape, but didn’t detract from the beauty. However, we were in a car, protected from the elements. As I studied the story of Dismal Nitch, I thought about those men who spent days in miserable conditions. Their bravery and fortitude in the face of difficulty is to be commended.

Have you ever been discouraged by a trip going awry? Did you continue on? I recall a time when our five kids were pretty young and we went on a vacation only to have one thing after another go wrong. At one point, my husband and I stepped aside and considered giving up and going back home. We decided to continue on. I don’t recollect all the discouragements of that trip, but I do remember some of the delights. I’m very glad we didn’t give up.

Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children and one grandson. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Karen Ball of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.