Lewis and Clark / Vermillion

Lewis and Clark, also, Vermillion. . , Lewis and Clark , The Lewis and 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 pronghorn 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., Vermillion , The expedition passed this spot on August 24, 1804, noting the mouth of the Vermillion River, which they called the Whitestone. On the return trip in 1806, they referred to it as the Redstone., On August 25, Lewis and Clark took 10 men north to visit Spirit Mound. On their map, it is entitled the Hill of Little Devils. The journals note they saw "none of these wicked little spirits; nor any place for them..." They lingered on the mound enchanted by the prairie view and herds of buffalo., Lewis and Clark were intrigued by the great numbers of birds above the mound, which the Indians attributed to some supernatural cause. However, Clark noted that the birds were attracted by plentiful insects in the area.