Timeline
Documenting Lewis and Clark – 1806, The Return Home
 July
22-25: Camp Disappointment
July 22
Meriwether Lewis: We set out early this morning as usual and proceeded up the river. . . .we arrived at a clump of large cottonwood trees in a beautifull and extensive bottom of the river about 10 miles below the foot of the rocky mountains where this river enters them; as I could see from hence very distinctly where the river entered the mountains and the bearing of this point being S of West I thought it unnecessary to proceed further and therefore encamped resolving to rest ourselves and horses a couple of days at this place and take the necessary observations. . . .I now have lost all hope of the waters of this river ever extending to N Latitude 50° though I still hope and think it more than probable that both white earth river and milk river extend as far north as latd. 50° . . . gam of every discription is extreemely wild which induces me to beleive that the indians are now, or have been lately in this neighbourhood.(Moulton, Vol. 8, p. 123)
July 23
Meriwether Lewis: Drewyer informed us that there was an Indian camp of eleven leather lodges which appeared to have been abandoned about 10 days, the poles only of the lodges remained. we are confident that these are the Minnetares of fort de prarie and suspect that they are probably at this time somewhere on the main branch of Maria's river on the borders of the buffaloe, under this impression I shall not strike that river on my return untill about the mouth of the North branch.(Moulton, Vol. 8, p. 125)
July 24
Meriwether Lewis: At 8 A.M. the sun made it's appearance for a few minutes and I took it's altitude but is shortly after clouded up again and continued to rain. I was therefore unable to complete the observations I wished to take at this place. I determined to remain another day in the hope of it's being fair.(Moulton, Vol. 8, p. 126)
July 25
Meriwether Lewis: . . . I remained in camp with R. Fields to avail myself of every opportunity to make my observations should any offer, but it continued to rain and I did not see the sun through the whole course of the day . . . I determined that if tomorrow continued cloudy to set out as I now begin to be apprehensive that I shall not reach the United States within this season unless I make every exertion in my power which I shall certainly not omit when once I leave this place which I shall do with much reluctance without having obtained the necessary data to establish it's longitude-as if the fates were against me my chronometer from some unknown cause stoped today, when I set her to going she went as usual.(Moulton, Vol. 8, p. 127)
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