"This morning at Daylight I went down the river with 4 men to look for a proper place to winter proceeded down the river three miles & found a place well supld with wood.  This place we have named Fort Mandan in honour of our Neighbors*."

Neighbors*- Clark found the site of Fort Mandan, about fourteen miles west of Washburn, McLean County, North Dakota.

"we commence building our Cabins*.   Engaged one man**.  Mr. Jessomme*** with his wife & children come down to live, as Interpter. The men were indulged with a Dram this evening."

Cabins*- Sergeant Gass, who being a carpenter probably had a major part in building the structure, describes Fort Mandan as a roughly triangular stockade, with two converging rows of huts and some sort of bastion ( platform at the rear of the fort where a sentry stood guard)  in the angle opposite the gate. 

one man** - Jean Baptiste Lepage took Newman's place  ( John Newman, of the permanent, was court-martialed for insubordination and sentenced to 75 lashes and denied status - to be returned to St. Louis and discharged from the Army. )

Mr. Jessomme*** - Rene’ Jessaume, hired as a Mandan interpreter.

"we continued to cut down trees and raise our houses. A french man by the name of Mr. Chaubonie*, who speaks the Big Belley language visit us , this man wished to hire as an interpiter ."

Mr. Chaubonie*-Touissant Charbonneau, who was to become one of the most famous members of the expedition because of Sacagawea, one of his Indian wives. He is hired as interpreter for the Minnetarees, whose language white men found very hard to learn.

" I rose verry early and commenced raising the 2 range Huts* the timber large and heavy, cottonwood & Elm som ash small, our situation sandy.  we are told by our interpeter that 4 Ossiniboin Indians** have arrived at the Camps of the Gross Venters & 50 Lodges are Comeing."

Huts*- Fort Mandan, the wintering-place of the expedition

 4 Ossiniboin Indians**  - By the time of Lewis and Clark the Assiniboines, like the Sioux and spoke a dialect of the Sioux language, were nomadic buffalo hunters, ranging north of the Missouri on both sides of the present United States - Canadian border, in northwestern Montana, northwest North Dakota, and southern Saskatchewan.  Their linguistic relationship with the Sioux did not preclude hostilities between the two.

"last night we were awoke by the Sergeant of the Guard to see a Northern light, which was light, but not red, and appeared to Darken and some times nearly obscured and open, many times appeared in light streaks, and at other times a great Space light & containing floating collomns which appeared to aproach each other & retreat leaveing the lighter space at no time of the Same apperence*."

no time of the Same apperence* - The aurora borealis

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