Bill Speiden's Weekly Articles
Lewis and Clark This Week | March 28, 2005 | Back
By Bill Speiden, Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center
Article 17 of the series
The Corps of Discovery, ending its winter with the Mandan Indians in what is now North Dakota, prepared to send a keelboat back down the Missouri River to St. Louis. Most of the Corps were ready to push up the Missouri River in their multi-faceted quest, including finding something close to a Northwest Passage and/ or a transcontinental trade route; opening trade connections with the Indians; and learning about the continent west of the Mississippi River.
Dancing:
Evenings were often spent dancing as a break from the intense work of surviving on the high plains in winter. Private Pierre Cruzatte, a one-eyed Omaha Indian and Frenchman by birth, provided the fiddle music, while other Corps members played the harmonica, tambourine and Jew’s harp, providing a live band for the frolicking.
Syphilis:
The major health problem among the Corps members, towards the end of the winter, was venereal disease contracted from Indian women who shared their favors fairly freely with the explorers. Often this cohabitation was encouraged by the Indian husbands in the hope of gaining the good "medicine" or "spirit" of a Corps member who was considered a great hunter, craftsman, etc. The cure for syphilis was "Rush’s" pills, which contained mercury, the curative agent. A multi-purpose pill, Rush’s pills (named for Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Philidelphia doctor who trained Captain Lewis in medicine before the start of the expedition) were also a powerful purgative known to the Corps as "thunder clappers".
From the Lewis and Clark Journals week of March 28, 1805:
March 28, 1805: "The Ice run in the River all last night. A pleasant morning….The party employed fixing their pirogues oars and poles, So that we may be ready to Set out as Soon as the Ice is done running.-" Sergeant Ordway
March 29: "…the River fell 22 inches in 22 hours – we continue getting ready to Start up the River." Sergeant Ordway
March 30: "The Ice is passing in great quantities, river ran a little, The Plains are on fire on both Sides of the river it is common for the Indians to Set those plains on fire near their village for the advantage of early Grass for the hors [horses] & as an inducedment to the Buffalow to visit them-" Captain Clark
March 31: "…All the party in high Spirits… fiew nights pass without a Dance they are helth [healthy], except the venereal-which is common with the Indians and have been communicated to many of our party at this place- those favores being easy acquired. All Tranquille" Captain Clark
April 1, 1805: "we have Thunder lightning hail and rain to day the first rain of note sinc the 15 of October last, I had the Boat Perogus & Canoes put in the water, and expect to Set off the boat with dispatches in her will go 6 Americans 3 frenchmen and perhaps Several ricarra [Arikara] Chief…" Captain Clark
April 2: "…I conclude to Send my journal to the President of the United States in its original State for his own perusial, until I call for it or Some friend if I should not return, an this journal is from the 13 th of May 1804 until the 3 rd of April 1805…" Captain Clark
April 3: "…The articles which was to be Sent back to the United States in the Big Barge [keelboat] was packed and boxed up ready to go on board." Sergeant Ordway
Next week the Corps resumes its trek up the Missouri, while the keelboat with journals, maps, a scientific collection of the fauna and flora, a few live birds and a live prairie dog, starts downstream towards St. Louis.
Note: The Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center in Charlottesville has a full-scale keelboat in the Rivanna River; it has also embarked on a fundraising campaign to create a hands-on center for children of all ages to explore what Lewis and Clark discovered.