Turtles and the Lewis and Clark Expedition

NPS, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

While four large sea turtles (Green, Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley) can be found living off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, the men of the Corps seem to have not seen any of them during their visits to the Pacific shore. Nothing is mentioned by any of the journal writers.

The turtles that were mentioned in the journals included the spiney softshell turtle and the western painted turtle. It was in May 26, 1805 when Meriwether Lewis wrote, “…I passed a creek about 20 yds. wide near it's entrance it had a handsome little stream of runing water; in this creek I saw several softshelled Turtles…”

He would name this small stream Soft Shell Turtle Creek, which is today known as Little Bullwhacker Creek – it’s within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana.