The sleeping tent was usually cleared in this way before "turning in" at night, every opening of the canvas being afterwards closed.
Captain Lewis, on the thirteenth of July, followed Captain Clark up the river; crossing the stream to the north bank, with his six canoes and all his baggage, he overtook the other party on the same day and found them all engaged in boat-building.
"On his way he passed a very large Indian lodge, which was probably designed as a great council-house; but it differed in its construction from all that we had seen, lower down the Missouri or elsewhere.

The form of it was a circle two hundred and sixteen feet in circumference at the base; it was composed of sixteen large cottonwood poles about fifty feet long and at their thicker ends, which touched the ground, about the size of a man's body.

They were distributed at equal distances, except that one was omitted to the cast, probably for the entrance.

From the circumference of this circle the poles converged toward the centre, where they were united and secured by large withes of willow-brush.
There was no covering over this fabric, in the centre of which were the remains of a large fire, and around it the marks of about eighty leathern lodges.

He also saw a number of turtle-doves, and some pigeons, of which he shot one, differing in no respect from the wild pigeon of the United States.