What The Corps Found
The untamed Missouri River of two hundred years ago was no easy paddle for the Corps of Discovery. They were not happy with their progress, referring often in their journals to their struggles with strong currents, strong winds and shallow water and, in fact, arrived in this part of the country seriously behind schedule. After many months slowly making their way up the river from St. Louis, the Corps of Discovery reached today's North Dakota border in October of 1804.
Close Encounter
Along the route from St. Louis, the Corps encountered many different tribes. Lewis and Clark's journals tell of peaceful encounters and a warm, if often puzzled, reception by tribal chiefs.
Not far into North Dakota however, came an encounter of a different kind. On the 25th of September, the Corps met a party of Teton Sioux braves to whom Lewis gave his standard speech and handed out some provisions, trinkets, and whiskey. Soon afterward, the chiefs went aboard the Corps' pirougue at Lewis' reluctant invitation and once aboard, attempted to hijack the boat's cargo of provisions and gifts. The corps raised their guns and the Teton their bows. Fortunately, the tense encounter did not escalate further and the Corps fled upstream. The following day, the corps encountered the main Teton village where they were honored with a pipe ceremony and feast. And so, the first dangerous encounter with native warriors passed without harm to the members of the corps.
Standing Rock
As the expedition traveled north along the Missouri, Lewis and Clark's journal tells of standing stones to which the local tribes attached much importance. Somewhere near today's community of Cannonball on the Standing Rock Reservation, Clark told this story in his journal:
"Passed a creek about 15 yards wide … Nearly opposite this
creek, a few miles from the river on the S.S. are two stones resembling
human persons and one resembling a dog, situated in the open prairie. To
those stones the Arikaras pay great reverence and make offerings whenever
they pass (information of the chief and interpreter.) Those people have
a curious tradition of those stones. One was a man in love, one a girl whose
parents would not let them marry. The man, as is customary, went off to
mourn. The female followed. The dog went to mourn with them. All turned
to stone gradually, commencing at the feet. Those people fed on grapes until
they turned, and the woman has a bunch of grapes yet in her hand. On the
river near the place those are said to be situated, we obtained a greater
quantity of fine grapes than I ever saw in one place."
- Captain Clark, 13 October 1804
Today, a traveler will still encounter standing stones along this stretch of the Missouri River.
Today, this part of the Missouri River is home of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
What the Corps Found