Aurora Borealis at Fort Mandan, Nov. 5-6, 1804

North of Fairbanks, Alaska, March 2016.  Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management.

In the middle of the night of November 5-6, 1804, at Fort Mandan, the Captains were awakened by the sergeant of the guard to view the remarkable aurora borealis, a sight they would witness many times during the journey.

William Clark wrote the next morning, “last night late we wer awoke by the Sergeant of the Guard to See a nothern light, which was light, not red, and appeared to Darken and Some times nearly obscered and many times appeared in light Streeks, and at other times a great Space light & containing floating Collomns which appeared 〈to〉 opposite each other & retreat leaveing the lighter Space at no time of the Same appearance.”