Private John Collins: Lewis and Clark Expedition Member

This cabin once stood hear the confluence of Collin’s Creek and Skull Creek in the Clearwater National Forest.  According to the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Facebook page, it was removed in the late 1960s.

Photo: U.S. Forest Service

What we know about Private John Collins is very limited – he’s not mentioned very often in the journals and his life after the Corps is largely unknown.

He was born in Frederick County, Maryland, date unknown, and he was believed killed by the Arikara in present-day South Dakota on June 2, 1823. Most sources show that he married sometime after the Lewis and Clark Expedition (his wife’s name is not known), and his only child was named John M. Collins.

Collins’ army unit prior to joining the Corps of Discovery is also unknown, but since his name was added to the Corps’ muster roll on January 1, 1804, it’s possible he transferred from Captain Russell Bissell’s Company at Fort Kaskaskia.

A few journal entries mention him as a reliable hunter, within the top five of the Corps. But during the first few months of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, he appeared to have some challenges. At Camp River Dubois, he snatched a farmer’s butchered hog and claimed it was bear meat. William Clark simply labeled Collins as a “blackguard,” which was pronounced “blag-gerd,” described by Webster as “a person of foul language.” Not much later, he tapped a whiskey barrel and got drunk, resulting in the first court martial of the Expedition. He was found guilty and sentenced to 100 lashes on his bare back, which was carried out immediately. Later that day, he was back to rowing the keelboat’s oars.

In spite of a rough beginning, Collins seems to have shaped up, and he served the outfit well throughout the remainder of the voyage. His reputation improved and there are a few instances where Collins was given additional duties. In fact, Clark named a small creek in Idaho, Collin’s Creek, in his honor.