ST. CHARLES COUNTY HISTORY

Monday 21st May 1804.    Some rainy.    we took on board Some more provision bread &c.    about 4oClock P.M we Set out from this place.    fired our bow peace and gave three cheers, and proceeded on in good heart, about __miles and Camped on the North Side.    2 frenchman went back to the village.    two of our men Stayed at St. Charles in order to come on with the horses

Monday May 21st    This morning we had some Rain, part of this day was employed in taking in Provisions &ca.—    about 4oClock P.M. we took our departure from Saint Charles, a number of the Inhabitants had assembled to see us set off we fired our Swivel, from the Bow of our boat; and gave them three Cheers, which they returned; we then proceeded up the River about 3 Miles, and came to, on the North side of said River where we encamped.    We sent two of our hands back to Saint Charles , in Order to bring on two of our Men, that were left with horses at that place.    We found the current of the River very rapid, the Banks steep, & the bottom very miry.    The course of the River running due West from its mouth this place.    The country lying level, and very fertile.—

This is a journal entry (above) of Joseph Whitehouse (1775-?) served as a Private in the Lewis and Clark expedition, and is the author of one of the journals kept. He was a “skin dresser” which was a tailor, and made most of the clothing that the men wore on the expedition.

A portion of the map Lewis and Clark used (below) when they departed St. Charles on Monday, May 21, 1804. It was originally drawn in 1798 by Nicolas de Finiels and added to by James Mackay, James Evans, William Henry Harrison, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Map is from the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu (URL http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g4127m.ct000583 Library of Congress Control Number 2002621122

One of the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was an enslaved man named York (c 1770-c1815) who served as a manservant for William Clark for the entire expedition and afterwards. He also contributed to the expedition as a scout, hunter and negotiator with the Native Americans they encountered.