During the night at Wood River, the enlisted men make merry. In the morning, the river ices over, and Clark learns that a fight between Pvts. Werner and Potts was allowed by a corporal—likely John Robinson or Richard Warfington. Lewis continues in Cahokia and St. Louis.
A lake of whiskey in Louisiana is announced in the Connecticut Courant—a Federalist newspaper deriding the Louisiana Purchase.
Icy Mississippi River Bank
Photo provided by Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, Hartford, Illinois. Used by permission.
Icy Rivers
a Cold Clear morning, the river Covered with Ice from the Missouri, the Massissippi above frosed across
—William Clark
Unruly Soldiers
Worner [Werner] & Potts fight after Dark without my Knowledge & the Corpl. head of the mess left the hut & Suffered them to bruse themselves much, he has no authority, the other Part of the detachment verry merry at night
—William Clark
Fresh Beef and Tallow
purchase 12 lb Tallow for 6/—of Whitesides, who Sold the Beef to the Com; [commissary] at 3$ pr. Hw [hundredweight] Several Countrey people here to day—
—William Clark
A Lake of Whiskey?
The announcement of a mountain of pure rock salt (see November 14, 1803) encouraged a flurry of satirical attacks, mainly from Federalist newspapers.
“[There is] a considerable lake of pure Whiskey, which is said very nearly to resemble good old Irish Ussqebaugh. Should this rumour prove to be well founded, it is believed that most of our newly imported citizens will speedily remove to that country for the sake of securing the free navigation of those waters.[1]Connecticut Courant [Hartford], 7 December 1803 in Peter J. Kastor, The Great Acquisition: An Introduction to the Louisiana Purchase (Great Falls: Lewis and Clark Interpretive Foundation, 2003), … Continue reading
Weather Diary
Therm. at rise
weather wind Therm. at 4 oClock weather wind River 11 above 0 fair W W river Covered with ice out of the Missouries
—Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Plan a trip related to January 4, 1804:
- Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois)
- Old Cahokia Courthouse
- Along the Mississippi (Inspiration Trip)
- Around St. Louis (Inspiration Trip)
Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois) is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site, near Hartford, Illinois, is managed as Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and is open to the public.
Notes
| ↑1 | Connecticut Courant [Hartford], 7 December 1803 in Peter J. Kastor, The Great Acquisition: An Introduction to the Louisiana Purchase (Great Falls: Lewis and Clark Interpretive Foundation, 2003), 97–98. In another publication, Kastor gives the date as 4 January 1804 and 5 January 1804. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
