Final Entry

Spring 1806

Dear Mr. Jefferson,

The journey was the Corps at its best. The journey was America at its best. The Corps is and will remain to be the greatest explorers America and possibly the world will ever know. We couldn't have made it without Camburgers lusciousness, Curtis' hunting skills, Chris and Heathers entertainment, Christina's positive attitude, Harrison's cooking, Michael's knowledge of plants and animals, Morgans motivating music, Sam's poetry, Sarah's fishing skills, Sophie's fashion and Captain Johns leadership. Every body in the group always agreed and got along fine. I thought of all the obstacles we went through. What we had to do to work around them. Everybody in the Corps had a special talent that helped us along the way.

Signed,

Joe Murillo

P.S. For my weekly labors, discoveries... for all my endeavors have brought to this journey, I believe I should be paid the grade of a B+.

Animal Discovery

 June 6, 1806

Today we discovered another flying animal.  We named it the Western Tanager.  This animal is unmistakable.  This animal has the brightest colors on any animal we have ever seen.  The Western Tanager has a brilliant red head, bright yellow body, with black back, wings, and tail.  The body is about 17 inches long.

Animal Discovery

July, 11 1805

We have not found an animal that is able to fly for a long time. Today we discovered a very fascinating eagle. We called it the Grey Eagle (it is now called the Golden Eagle). The Grey Eagle is much larger than any bird I have even seen. We were all stunned when we laid eyes on it. The Golden Eagle we killed was about 40 in tall. It's wingspan was about 90 inches long! The weight of this over sized bird was about 15 pounds. The plumage colours range from blackish-brown to dark brown with a golden-buff crown and nape (hence the name, Golden Eagle). The upper wings are lighter that the rest of the body.

Animal Discovery

December 2, 1805

Today we discovered an animal that was even bigger than the Grisely Bear. This animal is called the Elk. The Elk has very interesting features. The Elk has antlers just like a deer, but are much bigger. The antlers can be up to 4 feet long, making the whole Elk up to 9 feet tall! I spotted two Elks ramming their horns into each other, I guess that it means they are fighting or attracting a female. The Elks body is very large. Its fur can be a light brown, or a dark brown. The Elks shoulders, neck and their faces are a very dark brown color. The Elks face is dark brown. Its snout is about one foot long and its ear stick out and are also dark brown. THe Elks legs are somewhat thin and are dark brown.

Animal Discovery

June 14, 1805
Today we saw a very interesting animal. We named it the Wolverine. It has long, brown or black fur that is very thick. A long, brownish stripe across the back is sometimes visible. Wolverines have large claws and pads on their feet to help them move in deep snow. They are about 2-3 feet long.

Animal Discovery

May 16, 1805

Today we discovered another animal, we called it the Mountain Lion. The Mountain Lion is a very large cat. Its fur is mostly light brown or reddish- brown with black markings on its face. Mountain Lions have bright yellow eyes. The Mountain Lion that we killed probably weighed about 150 pounds. They also have razor sharp teeth that can rip apart any animal. The Mountain Lion that we killed was about 8 feet long (including the tail).

Animal Discovery

April 29, 1805

The biggest and strongest animal we have discovered on the trail was no doubt the Grisely Beare (Grizzly Bear). We had to shoot a Grisely Beare more than 10 times to kill it. It's fur can be various shades from tan to dark brown. We called it the Grisely Beare because of the white tips on their fur. It's claws can grow up to 4 inches! Their height can be from 4-8 feet tall! We mostly saw them on mountains and near the river. I guess that the weight of the one that we killed was about 500 pounds. These animals have razor sharp teeth and are carnivorous. These animals are also very fast at swimming.