JOURNAL ENTRIES BY MERIWETHER LEWIS ON OVERNIGHT STAY IN 'CAPE JERADEAU'

Nov. 23, 1803

Landed at the cape and called on the Commandt and delivered the letters of introduction which I had for him, from Capt. Danl. Bisselle, and a Mr. Drewyer a nephew of the Commandt's. sent the boat to come too for the night at Old Cape Jeradeau which is a point of land on the Lard.. about 2 miles distant from the Commandt's. tho' this was the first place of his residence on his settleing himself in this country which he told me was about eight years since. On my arrival at the Comnds dwelling I was informed that he had gone out with his family to attend a Horse rase he himself being as I afterwards understood a party to the rase -- I persued him to the rase grown found him and delivered him my credentials, he treated me with such politeness in his way; the rase was just over before I reached the grown & the Comdt. was busied for some time in settling the disputes which had arrisen in consequence of odds being given among the by betters; the Comdts. horse lost the main rase, but won by six inches the by betts, the odds generally given against him in the by betts was 12 feet; the Comdt. lost four horses on the rase which had be valued at $200. this seane reminded me very much of their small raises in Kentucky among the uncivilized backwoodsmen, nor did the subsequence disorder which took place in consequence of the descision of the judges of the rase at all lessen the resembleance; one fellow contrary to the decsision of the judges wore he had won & was carrying off not only his own horse but that also of his competitor; but the other being the stoutest of the two dismounted him and took both horses in turn; it is not extrawdinary that these people should be disorderly. they are almost entirely emegrant from the fronteers of Kentuckey & Tennessee, and are the most dessolute and abandoned even among these people; they are men of desperate fortunes, but little to loose either character or property...

The Comdt. is Canadian by birth of French extraction; he was on(c)e a very considerable trader among the Shawnees & Delewares; About the year 1781 a party under the command of Genl. George Rogers Clark of Kentuckey burnt the Store of his man -- which stood at the mouth of a small creek a branch of the East branchy of the Great Miami of the Ohio which still beares the name of Lorimier, which has since become more remarkable as it forms one point in the boundary line between the N. Western tribes and the U.S. made with them at Geenevile by Genl. Wayne in the year 1795 -- the value of property Lorimier lost on this occasion is estimated at 20 thousand dollars, this broke him as a mercht. but he seems to have entirely recovered his losses, and is now a man of very considerable property; he is a man about 5 F 8 1 high, dark skin hair and (e)yes; he is remarkable for having once had a remarkable suit of hair; he was very cheerfull & I took occasion to mention this to him. ...he is about 60 years of age, and yet scarcely a grey hair in his head; which reaches now when cewed (the manner in which he dresses it) nearly as low as his knees, and it is proportionally thick. he appears to be yet quiet active... this man agreeably to the custom of many of the Canadian Traders has taken himself a wife from among the aborigines of the country. his wife is a Shawnee woman, from her complexion is half blooded only. she is a very desent woman and if we may judge from her present appearance has been very handsome when young.

... The Comdt. pressed me to stay to supper which I did, the lady of the family presided, and with much circumspection performed the honours of the table: supper being over which was really a comfortable and a desent one I bid the family an afectionate adieeu; the Comdt. had a couple of horses paraded, and one of his sons conducted me to Old Cape Jeradeau, the distance by the route we went was 3 miles. here I found my boat and people landed for the night. found Capt. Clark very unwell.

The district of Commandant Lorimiere estends from the grand bend of the Mississippi to Apple River without limitation back this settlement extends the distance of sixty miles W. from the river as far as the river St. Francis. West from Cape Jeredeau about 16 miles is a large settlement of duch descendants who have emigrated from the Altantic States; these people here preserve their uniform charracter, of (sober) temperate, laborious and honest people, they have erected two grist mills and a sawmill. The estimated distance by the french watermen to New Cape Jerd is 42 miles from the mouth of Ohio. the old cape is 2 miles dist.