Grizzly Bears | |
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On October 20, shortly after entering present day North Dakota, the expedition had their first encounter with a grizzly bear. Having heard of the strength and ferocity of these bears from the Indians, members of the expedition were curious to see and hunt one. They would get their opportunity and learn first-hand how difficult the bears were to kill.
Clark wrote:
"20th. of October Satturday 1804 - Great numbers of Buffalow Elk & Deer, Goats. our hunters killed 10 Deer & a Goat to day and wounded a white Bear, I saw several fresh tracks of those animals which is 3 times as large as a man track. In his diary on May 5, 1805 Lewis wrote of one encounter:
"a most tremendious looking anamal, and extreemly hard to kill notwithstanding he had five balls through his lungs and five others in various parts he swam more than half thedistance across the river to a sandbar & it was at least twenty minutes before he died; [he] made the most tremendous roaring from the moment he was shot." By a week later, Lewis wrote in his diary: "I find that the curiossity of our party is pretty well satisfyed with rispect to this anamal." |
Two of the six woodcuts in the first illustrated account of the Lewis & Clark expedition show bears.  April 29, 1805 - Capt. Lewis was chased before he killed the first grizzly bear taken by the expedition.
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