First Encounter with a Prairie Dog Village

The expedition encountered their first black-tailed prairie dog town near present-day Boyd County, Nebraska. The men spent considerable time trying to capture one of the animals alive — an effort that proved remarkably difficult.

“Discovered a Village of Small animals that burrow in the grown. The Village covers about 4 acres of Ground on a Gradual decent of a hill and Contains great numbers of holes on the top of which the animals Set erect.”

They eventually tried flooding the burrows with water, pouring in five barrels from the river before finally extracting a live specimen. This prairie dog was later sent back to President Jefferson and lived for a time in his study at the White House — one of the first live specimens of western wildlife to reach the East Coast.