John B. Thompson

Quick Facts

Significance:

Private on the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Place of Birth:

Unknown

Date of Birth:

Unknown

Place of Death:

Unknown

Date of Death:

By July 1815

Place of Burial:

Unknown

Cemetery Name:

Unknown

"The Creek below 35 yards wide I call Thompsons Creek after a valuable member of our party..." Clark, May 28th, 1805

John Thompson follows the overall trend of the Privates of the expedition: an exceedingly valuable member of which not much is written about.

Prior to the expedition he was a Private in the military, having enlisted on February 10th, 1799, as a laborer.

On the journey he would serve as a valued hunter, temporary cook, and possessed a keen observational skill.

On the Expedition

Having already been in the military, John Tompson made a quick and easy transition to life on the expedition. His skills were tested on all fronts and they found he was an excellent hunter. 

One of the first mentions of his skills was as early as January 19th, 1804, where Clark writes he assists in hunting 14 rabbits in a single day. It would hardly be his only mention however, as his name is written as being amongst the hunters throughout the entire journey. His time at Fort Clatsop is comprised mostly of hunting and creating jerky.

He was given a chance to prove his cooking skills on July 8th, 1804, when he was assigned to Sergeant Charles Floyd's squad as the cook. However, like many of the other men, his skills were found wanting and he was replaced on August 12th, 1804, by Peter Weiser.

On April 11th, 1806, Lewis writes the name Thompson with praise as he manages to catch a thief and stopped a valuable axe from being stolen.

His service to the expedition allowed the Captains to trust him even with smaller ventures, having been allowed to help guide native men and women who wanted to visit the expedition for medical supplies. As Clark writes on May 19th, 1806: " about 11 oClock 4 men and 8 Women Came to our Camp with Thompson who went to the Village very early this morning. those Men applyed for Eye water and the Women had a Variety of Complaints tho' the most general Complaint was the Rhumitism, pains in the back and the Sore eyes..."

After the Expedition

Not much was written of Thompson after the expedition ended. He received $166.66 for his service to the expedition but otherwise vanished into obscurity. There is theory they were involved with John McClellan's expedition of 1807.

Clark named a creek in Montana Thompson's Creek for his service, though it is now known as Birch Creek in Chouteau County.

He was listed as killed in 1825-1828, with record of his death in the newspaper back in July of 1815.
 

Resources:

Morris, Larry E. The Fate of the Corps. Yale University Press, 2004. Print.

Moulton, Gary. The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition: August 30, 1803 - August 2, 1804 . University of Nebraska Press, 1986. Print.

Moulton, Gary. Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. University of Nebraska Press. Web.

Further Reading:

Learn more about John B. Thompson at Lewis-Clark.org