Food had been of primary concern for the Corps of Discovery from the very beginning of their travels. The simple fact was they could not carry enough food with them for the entire trip, so they were forced to live on what the land produced. This is quite common in frontier or “uncivilized” regions. In fact, this was one of the thoughts Jefferson had when he called for men used to living on the frontier.
The term subsistence diet is used for this method of getting food. People eating this way eat very well sometimes and eat nothing at other times. Although it varies greatly, most of the time the amount of food is adequate. The other concept of subsistence eating is the people eat whatever is available at the time they are in an area. The Corps of Discovery had experienced most of the variations in availability and what foods were available by the time the two groups left Travelers Rest.
When the two groups left, they were primarily eating meat since very little of the plant foods are ripe by the first of July. However, they did have a small supply of roots to augment their diet.
Clark notes that for the first three days they traveled through the Bitterroot Valley retracing their 1805 route they ate adequately “dining and suping” [noon meal and evening meal] on venison [deer]. For the next two days no food is reported, but since they were also not talking about hunger or starvation, they probably ate sparingly from what meat they could carry with them. Because they were not stopping long enough to do any preservation, we can only guess.
While they were at Camp Fortunate recovering what had been cached there and drying their canoes, they report eating venison and antelope. They had time for hunters to go out far enough to find the game.
They left Camp Fortunate traveling down the Jefferson River to Three Forks. Clark makes references to game animals that are now close by; deer, antelope, bighorn and geese. All provide sources of food. The closer to the Three Forks the party gets the more plentiful and varied the food supply becomes.
Although Clark’s party found sufficient food it was limited from Travelers Rest to Camp Fortunate. From that camp to the Three Forks, it improved substantially. The closer to the Yellowstone River they got Clark’s journal entries show larger gangues of animals. As they turned and followed that river the numbers of animals changed from large to enormous.
On July 21 while at Canoe Camp Clark writes they “appear to be in the beginning of the buffalo country.” He continues his journal entry by listing the various animals and birds he sees. Then he concludes with “the wolves which are the constant attendants of the buffalo are in great numbers on the skirts of these large gangues which are seen in every direction.”
Then on the 24th he ends his journal entry for the day with, “for me to mention or give an estimate of the different species of wild animals on this river, particularly buffalo, elk, antelope and wolves would be increditable. I shall therefore be silent on the subject further. So, it is we have a great abundance of the best meat.
As Clark wrote on July 28, 1806, “set out this morning gliding down the smooth stream.” They “glided” for 73 miles that day.
Clark’s party continued their travels down the Yellowstone almost leisurely until they reached the Missouri River where they were to meet Lewis and his party. They were never in want of food because of the abundance the land of the Yellowstone produced.
The term subsistence diet is used for this method of getting food. People eating this way eat very well sometimes and eat nothing at other times. Although it varies greatly, most of the time the amount of food is adequate. The other concept of subsistence eating is the people eat whatever is available at the time they are in an area. The Corps of Discovery had experienced most of the variations in availability and what foods were available by the time the two groups left Travelers Rest.
When the two groups left, they were primarily eating meat since very little of the plant foods are ripe by the first of July. However, they did have a small supply of roots to augment their diet.
Clark notes that for the first three days they traveled through the Bitterroot Valley retracing their 1805 route they ate adequately “dining and suping” [noon meal and evening meal] on venison [deer]. For the next two days no food is reported, but since they were also not talking about hunger or starvation, they probably ate sparingly from what meat they could carry with them. Because they were not stopping long enough to do any preservation, we can only guess.
While they were at Camp Fortunate recovering what had been cached there and drying their canoes, they report eating venison and antelope. They had time for hunters to go out far enough to find the game.
They left Camp Fortunate traveling down the Jefferson River to Three Forks. Clark makes references to game animals that are now close by; deer, antelope, bighorn and geese. All provide sources of food. The closer to the Three Forks the party gets the more plentiful and varied the food supply becomes.
Although Clark’s party found sufficient food it was limited from Travelers Rest to Camp Fortunate. From that camp to the Three Forks, it improved substantially. The closer to the Yellowstone River they got Clark’s journal entries show larger gangues of animals. As they turned and followed that river the numbers of animals changed from large to enormous.
On July 21 while at Canoe Camp Clark writes they “appear to be in the beginning of the buffalo country.” He continues his journal entry by listing the various animals and birds he sees. Then he concludes with “the wolves which are the constant attendants of the buffalo are in great numbers on the skirts of these large gangues which are seen in every direction.”
Then on the 24th he ends his journal entry for the day with, “for me to mention or give an estimate of the different species of wild animals on this river, particularly buffalo, elk, antelope and wolves would be increditable. I shall therefore be silent on the subject further. So, it is we have a great abundance of the best meat.
As Clark wrote on July 28, 1806, “set out this morning gliding down the smooth stream.” They “glided” for 73 miles that day.
Clark’s party continued their travels down the Yellowstone almost leisurely until they reached the Missouri River where they were to meet Lewis and his party. They were never in want of food because of the abundance the land of the Yellowstone produced.
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