White Catfish Camp

White Catfish Camp (1804, 1806) - A Lewis and Clark Expedition camp first established in 1804 near Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Named White Catfish Camp after a White Catfish that expedition member Silas Goodrich caught on the 24th of July 1804. Reoccupied overnight on the return trip in 1806. History Meriwether Lewis & William Clark established and arranged their camp on 22 Jul 1804, posting two sentinels for security. They planned to spend a few days to meet some of the local Chiefs and to let them know of the change of government and to present them with a flag and some small presents. The Otteaus Village was about 18 miles West of the Camp and two expedition members were sent to invite the Chiefs and principal men to the camp but no Otteaus were at the village. On the 24th of July 1804 expedition member Silas Goodrich caught a large white catfish and the camp was named for it. The Corps of Discovery departed White Catfish Camp on 27 Jul 1804. Return Trip Returned on 8 Sep 1806 and departed on 9 Sep 1806. Current Status Unknown. Location: Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Map point is approximate from description. Maps & Images Lat: 41.17673 Long: -95.84026 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' See Also: Lewis and Clark Expedition Lewis & Clark Camps Sources: The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 2005. U of Nebraska Press / U of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries-Electronic Text Center. Links: HMDB - about Whitefish Camp Visited: No