John Ordway Archives - Lewis & Clark Research Database https://research.lewisandclarktrust.org/journalist/john-ordway/ A digital archive of treaties, documents, artwork, and 360° trail panoramas from the Corps of Discovery Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:34:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Sgt. Ordway Describes the Departure from Camp Dubois https://research.lewisandclarktrust.org/journal/sgt-ordway-describes-the-departure-from-camp-dubois/ Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:34:33 +0000 https://research.lewisandclarktrust.org/journal/sgt-ordway-describes-the-departure-from-camp-dubois/ Showery day. Capt. Clark Set out at 4 oClock P.M. for the western expedition. One Gun fired. Under a gentle breeze we went up the Missouri River. Several people from the country Saw us Start.

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]]> Sergeant John Ordway’s account of the expedition’s departure provides a complementary perspective to Clark’s more famous version. Ordway, who served as the senior sergeant, kept one of the most complete journals of the expedition.

“Capt. Clark Set out at 4 oClock P.M. for the western expedition. One Gun fired. Under a gentle breeze we went up the Missouri River.”

Ordway’s journal is notable for its consistency — he wrote every single day of the expedition, making his the only complete daily record of the journey. His practical, no-nonsense entries often fill gaps left by Lewis and Clark.

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]]> Ordway Records the First Encounter with Grizzly Bears https://research.lewisandclarktrust.org/journal/ordway-records-the-first-encounter-with-grizzly-bears/ Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:34:33 +0000 https://research.lewisandclarktrust.org/journal/ordway-records-the-first-encounter-with-grizzly-bears/ Capt Lewis and one of the hunters went out and killed a large white or grey Bear. It is the largest of the bear kind. Its talons were 4 inches and 3 eighths of an inch long. The men were much surprised at the Size of this animall.

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]]> The expedition’s first encounters with grizzly bears were genuinely terrifying experiences for men accustomed to the smaller black bears of the East. Ordway’s straightforward account captures the men’s astonishment.

“It is the largest of the bear kind. Its talons were 4 inches and 3 eighths of an inch long. The men were much surprised at the Size of this animall.”

Lewis would later write extensively about the grizzly, noting that it took multiple rifle balls to bring one down. The expedition’s encounters with grizzlies were among the most dramatic wildlife events of the journey, and Lewis’s detailed descriptions contributed to the first scientific documentation of the species.

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