Lewis and Clark
The Lewis a nd Clark Expedition, officially the Corps of Discovery, was in what is now South Dakota from August 21 to October 14, 1804 and from August 21 to September 4, 1806.
While here they would make numerous discoveries of animals, plants, birds and fish previously unknown to science. Among these would be the prong horn antelope, which they called goats, and the prairie dog, which they called barking squirrels. Other new discoveries in South Dakota included the mule deer, coyote, great gray wolf, prairie rattlesnake, the northern jack rabbit, and a different kind of porcupine.
They also found the black billed magpie, which until then had been thought to exist only in Europe.
Here they would meet with a number of Indian tribes, handing out gifts and making speeches about the great white father in Washington. Although there were a few tense moments, there were no battles with the tribes they encountered in present-day South Dakota.
Pollock
Lewis and Clark arrived in this area on October 14, 1804. John Newman had been court-martialed for "mutinous expression" the day before. Nine members of the party found him guilty and sentenced him to 75 lashes on the bare back and to be "disbanded" from the party.
On October 14, the sentence
was carried out near here. Although Newman was allowed to stay with the party, he was deprived of all military gear and duties. He was assigned to a boat as a laborer to perform menial tasks (Lewis called them drudgeries) around the campsites.
An Arikara chief, who was accompanying the party to arrange a peace with the Mandans, was very alarmed at the punishment. He told Clark that making examples of those doing wrong was necessary, even by death; but that the Arikaras did not whip anyone, not even their children.
The weather was cold and rainy. Later in the day, the party traveled out of the area now known as South Dakota and into present day North Dakota.
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