Timeline of The Lewis and Clark Expedition - 1805

1805

• January 1 – The Corps of Discovery celebrates the New Year by "Two discharges of cannon and Musick-a fiddle, tambereen and a sounden horn."
• February 9 – Thomas Howard scaled the fort wall and an Indian followed his example. "Setting a pernicious example to the savages" 50 lashes-only trial at Fort Mandan and last on expedition. Lashes remitted by Lewis.
• February 11 – Sacagawea gives birth to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the youngest member of the expedition. Jean Baptiste is nicknamed "Pompy" by Clark. Lewis aided in the delivery of Sacagawea's baby, used rattle of rattlesnake to aid delivery.(Jessaume's idea).
• April 7 to April 25 – Fort Mandan to Yellowstone River.
• April 7 – The permanent party of the Corps of Discovery leaves Fort Mandan. The keelboat is sent down river. Left Fort Mandan in 6 canoes and 2 pirogues. Thomas Howard received a letter from his wife Natalia.
• April 25 – Reached Yellowstone River Roche Jaune-sent Joseph Field up river to find Yellowstone. He saw Big Horn Sheep and brought back horns. Lewis searched area thought it would be a good area for fort. Future forts were built, Fort Union and Fort Buford.
• May 14 – A sudden storm tips a pirogue (boat) and many items, such as supplies and the Corps' journals, spill over into the river. Sacagawea calmly recovers most of the items; Clark later credits her with quick thinking.
• April 25 to June 3 – Yellowstone River to Marias River.
• April 27 – Entered present day state of Montana.
• May 5 – Lewis and a hunter killed first grizzly bear.
• May 8 – Milk river. Called because of its milky white appearance. Natives called it "a river which scolds all others".
• June 3 to June 20 – Marias River to the Great Falls.
• June 3 – The mouth of the Marias River is reached. Camp Deposit is established. Cached blacksmith bellows and tools, bear skins, axes, auger, files, 2 kegs of parched corn, 2 kegs of pork, a keg of salt, chisels, tin cups, two rifles, beaver traps. 24 lb of powder in lead kegs in separate caches. Hid red pirogue. Indians did not tell them of this river. Unable to immediately determine which river is the Missouri, a scouting party is sent to explore each branch, North fork (Marias), South fork (Missouri). Sgt. Gass and 2 others go up south fork. Sgt. Pryor and 2 others go up north fork. Can't decide which river is Missouri. Clark, Gass, Shannon, York and Fields brothers go up south fork. Lewis, Drouillard, Shields, Windsor Pryor, Cruzatte, Lepage go up north fork. Most men in expedition believe north fork is the Missouri. Lewis and Clark believe south fork is Missouri and followed that fork.
• June 13 – Scouting ahead of the expedition, Lewis and four companions sight the Great Falls of the Missouri River, confirming that they were heading in the right direction. Lewis writes when he discovers the Great Falls of the Missouri. "When my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water and advancing a little further I saw the spray arrise above the plain like a column of smoke.....began to make a roaring too tremendous to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri."
• June 14 – Lewis takes off on an exploratory walk of the north side of the river. Lewis shoots a bison. While he is watching the bison die, a grizzly bear sneaks up on him and chases him into river.
• June 21 to July 2 – A portage of boats and equipment is made around the falls.
• June 27 – cached- desk, books, specimens of plants and minerals, 2 kegs of pork, 1/2 keg of flour, 2 blunderbusses, 1/2 keg of fixed ammo.,and other small articles.
• June – 18.4 miles Clark surveyed route. Clark was the first white man to see falls from south side of river. As Clark was surveying route he discovered a giant fountain (Giant Springs).
• June 22 to July 9 – Construction of iron framed boat used to replace pirogues. It was floated on July 9 but leaked after a rain storm. The boat failed and was dismantled and cached July 10.
• July 10 to July 15 – Established canoe camp to construct 2 new dugout canoes to replace failed iron frame boat.
• July 15 to August 8 – Great Falls to the Shoshone Indians. Left canoe camp with 8 vessels traveled through the Gates of the Mountains, to the Three Forks (the 3 rivers that make up the Missouri River, The Jefferson River, The Gallatin River and the Madison River). The expedition is 2464.4 miles from mouth of the Missouri River. They pass Beaverhead Rock.
• August 1 – Captain Clark's 35th birthday.
• August 11 – Captain Lewis sights first Indian, since Ft. Mandan.
• August 12 – Scouting separately from the main party, Lewis crosses the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass.
• August 13 – Lewis meets Cameahwait, leader of a band of Shoshone
• August 15 to August 17 – Lewis returns across Lemhi Pass with Cameahwait and sets up Camp Fortunate.
• August 17 – A council meets with the Shoshone, during which Sacagawea learns the fate of her family and reveals that Cameahwait is her brother. Lewis and Clark successfully negotiate for horses for passage over the Rocky Mountains. They buy 29 horses for packing or eating with uniforms, rifles, powder, balls, and a pistol. They also hire Shoshone guide Old Toby.
• August 18 – Captain Lewis's 31st birthday. In his journal, he scolds himself for being "indolent," or lazy, and vows to spend the rest of his life helping people.
• August 26 – Lewis and the main party cross the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass. They thereby leave the newly purchased United States territory into disputed Oregon Country.
• September 1 to October 6 – Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains.
• September 4 – Meet Flathead Indians at Ross's Hole bought 13 more horses.
• September 9 to September 11 - Camped at Traveler's Rest (Lolo, Montana), now a National Historic Landmark
• September 13 – Crossed Lolo Trail starving, ate horses, candles, and portable soup.
• October 6 to October 9 – Met Nez Perce Indians on Clearwater. Left horses, cached goods, built 5 dugout canoes for trip to ocean.
• October 9 to December 7 – Traveled down Clearwater River, Snake River and Columbia River to ocean.
• October 18 – Clark sees Mount Hood, which means they are now back in previously explored territory.
• October 25 to October 28 – Camped at the Rock Fort, and first met the Chinookan-speaking people of the lower Columbia.
• November 7 - Clark wrote in his journal, “Ocian in view! O! the joy.”
• November 20 – Encounter of the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River.
• November 24 – The Corps takes the matter of where to spend the winter to a vote. York, a slave, and Sacagawea, a woman, were allowed to vote. It was decided to camp on the south side of the Columbia River.
• December 7 to March 23, 1806 – Fort Clatsop sewed 338 pairs of moccasins.
• December 25 – Fort Clatsop, the Corps' winter residence, is completed.