Items sent to Jefferson from
Fort Mandan

When the Corps of Discovery left Fort Mandan in the spring of 1805, the commanders sent the 55-foot keelboat back to St. Louis with maps, journals, specimens and artifacts collected during their journey up the Missouri River. The material eventually made its way to President Jefferson, who kept some and distributed the rest to members of the scientific establishment. Eventually, much of it was lost, damaged or destroyed.
In his journal entry for April 3, 1805, William Clark compiled the following list of items sent back to Jefferson, conveying some idea of how seriously the expedition's leaders regarded their role as naturalists and ethnographers.

Box No. 1 contains the following articles i.e.
In packages No. 3 & 4 Male and female antelope, with their Skelitons.
No. 7 & 9 the horns of two mule or Black tailed deer. A Mandan bow an quiver of arrows - with some Recara's tobacco seed.
No. 11 a Martin skin, Containing the tail of a Mule Deer, a weasel and three Squirels from the Rockey mountains.
No. 12, The bones & Skeleton of a Small burrowing wolf of the Praries the skin being lost by accedent.
No. 99. The Skeliton of the white and Grey hare.

Box No. 2, Contains 4 Buffalow Robes, and a ear of Mandan Corn.
The large Trunk Contains a male & female Braro or burrowing dog of the Praire and the female's Skeliton.
a carrote of Ricaras Tobacco
a red fox Skin Containing a Magpie
No. 14 Minitarras Buffalow robe Containing Some articles of Indian dress.
No. 15 a mandan robe containing two burrowing Squirels, a white weasel and the Skin of a Loucrivia. Also
13 red fox Skins.
1 white Hare Skin &c.
4 horns of the mountain ram
1 Robe representing a battle between the Sioux & Ricaras aga the Minetares and Mandans.

In Box No. 3
Nos. 1 & 2 the Skins of the Male and female Antelope with their Skeletons. & the Skin of a Yellow Bear which I obtained from the Sioux.

No. 4 Box. Specimens of plants numbered from 1. To 67.
Specimens of Plants numbered from 1 to 60.
1 Earthen pot Such as the Mandans manufacture and use for culinary purposes.
1 Tin box containing insects mice &c.
a Specimine of the fur of the antilope.
A Specimon of a plant, and a parcel of its roots highly prized by the natives as an efficatious remidy in case of the bite of the rattle Snake or Mad Dog.

In a large Trunk
Skins of a male and female Braro, or burrowing Dog of the Prarie, with the Skeleton of the female.
1 Skin of the red fox containing a Magpie
2 Cased skins of the white hare.
1 Minitarra Buffalow robe Containing some articles of Indian Dress.
1 Mandan Buffalow robe Containing a dressed Lousirva Skin, and 2 cased Skins of the Burrowing Squirel of the Praries.
13 red fox Skins
4 Horns of the Mountain Ram, or big horn.
1 Buffalow robe painted by a mandan man representing a battle fought 8 years Since by the Sioux and Recaras against the mandans, me ni tarras & Ah wah har ways. (Mandans &c. on horseback

Cage No. 6.
Contains a liveing burrowing Squirel of the praries
Cage No. 7.
Contains 4 liveing Magpies
Cage No. 9.
Containing a living hen of the Prairie
A large pair of Elks horns containing by the frontal bone