On this day in Lewis & Clark history...
Clark heads a large party to explore today's Spirit Mound. Instead of devils, they find swarms of flying ants and the birds that are feeding on them. They set fires in the prairies as a signal to any nearby Indians to come to council.
From the journals...
25th August Satturday 1804
from the top of this Mound we beheld a most butifull landscape; Numerous herds of buffalow were Seen feeding in various directions, the Plain to North N. W & N E extends without interuption as far as Can be Seen—
View from Spirit Mound

Saturday 25th
we...walked out to the hill of the little people... when we came near the hill we Saw a great flock of Birds flying about the top of it we ascended the hill found none of the little people ther
Spirit Mound

25th August Satturday 1804
The reagular form of this hill would in Some measure justify a belief that it owed its Orrigin to the hand of man; but as the earth and loos pebbles and other Substances of which it was Composed, bare an exact resemblance to the Steep Ground which border on the Creek in its neighbourhood we Concluded it was most probably the production of nature—
Spirit Mound

Augt. 25th Satturday 1804
here we got Great quantities of the best largest grapes I ever tasted, Some Blue Currents still on the bushes, and two kind of Plumbs, one the Common wild Plumb the other a large Yellow Plumb growing on a Small bush, this blumb is about double the Size of the Common and Deliscously flavoured—
Mexican plum, Prunus mexicana

Augt. 25th Satturday 1804
when I got on the top those Birds flw off. I discovered that they wer Cetechig a kind of flying ant which were in great numbers abought the top of this hill, those insects lit on our hats & necks, Several of them bit me verry Shart on the neck
Red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus

August the 25th
also saw on our return on the Creek that passes this mound about 2 M. distant S. a bird of heron kind as large as the Cormorant short tale long leggs of a colour on the back and wings deep copper brown with a shade of red. we could not kill it therefore I can not describe it more particularly.
American bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus
