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Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson wanted to explore the Pacific Northwest he felt it would be an exploration not only for science and knowledge but that it would serve the new country well. In 1803 Jefferson asked Congress for $2,500 for the trip with the final price tag was almost $40,000. He then asked Lewis Meriwether to lead the trip and Lewis asked William Clark to co-lead. -
St. Louis Missouri
Lewis and Clark started their Expedition at St. Louis Missouri and went 6 miles up the Missouri river the first day. The Missouri River is 2,540 miles in length, is the longest river in the United States going from St. Louis to the Gallatin River in southern Montana. -
Charles Floyd dies at age 22.
Charles Floyd was the first United States soldier to die just west of the Mississippi River in 1804. He died from a ruptured appendix at the age of 22. The best medical doctors at that time could not have saved him. His last words are to Lewis were “'I am going away”. -
Corps of Discovery starts Fort Mandan
They started to build a log fort called Fort Mandan on Nov. 3 1804. Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife Sacagawea joined the expedition as interpreters during the winter at Fort Mandan. Fort Mandan is Located on the banks of the Missouri River. -
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste was the son of Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. He was born at Fort Mandan in what is present day North Dakota. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was 55 days old when the Corps of Discovery (Corps) left Fort Mandan with him strapped to Sacagawea’s back. -
Corps of Discovery leaves Fort Mandan
Lewis and Clark Left Fort Madan after a very cold winter, the men planned to come back to the fort on their return trip. The winter was spent repairing equipment, trading and hunting buffalo. Lewis and Clark learned much about the country to the west from the Mandan Indians and their neighbors the Hidatsa. -
Seamen Lewis dog
''Some were curious last night we were all alarmed by a large buffalo bull, when he came near the tent, my dog saved us by causing him to change his course" -
Shoshone Tribe
The Shoshone Tribe was very poor because they had been run off the lands where they hunted buffalo. Lewis and his men were the first white people that the tribe had seen. The Shoshone Tribe told Lewis that there was not a water route to the Pacific that they would have to go over the Bitterroot Mountains -
Events in Present day Idaho
Sacajawea was a Shoshone Tribe member from the area that is presently called Idaho before she was capture by the Hidatsas Trib. Clark’s and his men came down the Rocky Mountains on to the prairie lands was the home of the Nez Perce Nation. The men were hungry and had no food after crossing the Rocky MT. they were given buffalo and berries by the Nez Perce. -
The Weather
Meriwether “Again we had a wet stormy day, so that the men were unable to proceed with the canoes”. Lewis had been out looking for a place to winter due to the weather and found a one 15 miles from our camp, on a large bay on the south side of the Columbia, The pacific coast weather was the wettest, with only had three days of sun in a month. -
Fort Clatsop the end of the trail
The Corps of Discovery started building Fort Clatsop on Dec 8th, with the 33 member of Lewis and Clark Expedition that were left, out of the 43 men who started. Fort Clatsop replica was destroyed in a fire in the fall of 2005; the replica was rebuilt during 2006 and was reopened to the public on Dec 9, 2006. -
Clatsop Indians
The Clatsop Indians helped Lewis and Clark’s Corps in the Northwest winter. They told Lewis and Clark where there was a good amount of elk on the south side of the Columbia
