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St. Louis, Missouri
The expedition takes off from Camp Dubois, "under a jentle brease," Clark writes.The Corps of Discovery set off in high hopes and great spirits. Meriweather Lewis is in St. Louis, and will join the group on the 21st of May. -
Lewis and Clark Fall Ill
Only a few weeks into the expedition, and some Corps members fall ill. "I am verry Sick all night … pane in Stomach & the bowels," Clark complains in his journal entry. On the very same day, Lewis writes, "for my own part I suffered a sever Indisposition for 10 or 12 days, sick feeble & emiciated.”" These were only the beginning of the troubles for the Corps of Discovery, and sickness was going to be a common one. -
The Death of Sergeant Charles Floyd
Sergeant Charles Floyd was one of the first men to join the Corps of Discovery. On July 31, Floyd wrote in his diary, "I am very sick and have been for sometime but have recovered my health again." However, his health later took a turn for the worse. His brief recovery may have been due to a bursting of an organ, which peritonitis would have followed. William Clark described Floyd's death as one "with a great deal of composure" So the Corps suffered their only casualty. -
Encounter With the Yankton Sioux
The Yankton Sioux were the first Native Americans that the Corps of Discovery encountered. One the Corps showed off their weaponry, the Yankton wanted to establish a trade with them. However, it never happened, and the Sioux were not happy, to say the least. -
Encounter with the Teton Sioux
Not long after their encounter with the Yankton Sioux, the Corps met another branch of Sioux: the Teton Sioux. This was a tension-filled encounter, with armed forces on both sides. The Teton's chief, Black Buffalo, wanted some tobacco, and they got it. This could have ended very badly if the Corps had not complied. -
The Stay at Fort Mandan
As the brisk days of fall drew to a close, the Corps of Discovery needed a place to stay for the winter. "This place we have named Fort Mandan," Lewis recorded, "in honour of our Neighbours"—their friends, the Mandan Indians. Apparently it was here that they met their most valued member: Sacagawea. She would prove to be a valuable asset to the Corps, and got them out of many tough situations. Everything seemed to be going great; but a harsh winter will soon befall them. -
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Fort Mandan
The Corps of Discovery needed a place to stay for the winter, so they built their own place. The Corps enlisted the help of the Mandan natives, and established peace with them. They also found two new Corps members: Sacagawea and Charbonneau. Charbonneau helped with translating between tribes, and Sacagawea helped with directions and solving conficts with tribes. -
Harsh Winter at Fort Mandan
During the winter stay at Fort Mandan, temperatures were once -40 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a Christmas miracle, so to say, that no one died during these harsh conditions. However, there was an upside to this: they got to discuss many things with the Mandan Indians. "the most friendly, well disposed Indians inhabiting the Missouri. . . . brave, humane and hospitable.", Lewis wrote in his journal. They made peace and exchanged many goods, thus everything seemingly worked out perfectly. -
The Birth of Jean Baptiste
Sacagawea was the wife of Charbonneau, who coincidentally was a translator. Lewis and Clark needed help while building Fort Mandan, and found it in the forms of Sacagawea and Charbonneau. On the 18th of Febuary, in the year 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to a son, and named him Jean Baptiste. He grew up to be somewhat of a celebrity, and was taken to Europe by his friend at age eighteen. Over there, he lived (for six years!) among royalty, and learned four new languages. This was later, though. -
Leaving Fort Mandan
"All good things must come to an end," as the saying goes. However, the Corps were very happy the weather was nice, and harsh no longer. Lewis said that his men were "in excellent health and sperits, zealously attached to the enterprise, and anxious to proceed; not a whisper of murmur or discontent to be heard among them [...] but all act in unison, and with the most perfect harmony." Thus the expedition continued, with good health and high hopes. -
Encounter With The Shoshone Tribe
In the territory that is now Idaho, the Corps of Discovery encountered a new group of Natives, who called themselves the Shoshones. They were suspicious of the Corps' actions, and were growing hostile. However, Sacagawea intervened, and found out that the chief was, in fact, her long-lost brother. They arranged to have a peaceful conversation later on, which I will discuss in the next event. -
Peaceful Trade With the Shoshone
After the somewhat wild encounter, the Corps of Discovery made peace with the Shoshone natives. They traded goods, such as food and clothing. They discussed about trading for horses, and eventually agreed. The Shoshone would get guns in return for the horses the Corps borrowed. The Shoshone were most concerned with securing the deal with the guns, and Lewis promised “whitemen would come to them with a number of guns and every other article necessary to their defence and comfort.” -
Horses from the Shoshone Tribe
The horses significantly impacted the Corps' expedition. Without them, they might not have made the treacherous journey across the large mountain range ahead of them. Not to mention Sacagawea, who pointed them in the direction they should go. All of these things provided so much for the Corps of Discovery. -
The Stay At Fort Clatsop
Near the mouth of the Colombia River, the Corps decided to create their stay for the winter. “At this place we had wintered," Lewis wrote in his journal. This winter was not going to be as cold as the previous "little Ice Age," but chilling enough that they needed to create a place to stay. So Fort Clatsop came into being. -
Leaving Fort Clatsop
Towards the end of their stay, the men became to grow uneasy and restless. They desperately wanted to return to the East, and feasting upon only elk had become intolerable. So they were not sorry at all to leave Fort Clatsop. I understand though, because if you were away from your home for two years, I would react similarly. -
Collection of the Western Thimbleberry
This is the event where a plant significantly impacted the expedition. Lewis discovered a thimbleberry, and found that it was edible, and quite delicious, at that! This impacted the expedition because they found a new source of food. Big things come in small packages. -
Lewis and Reuben Field Kill Blackfeet Warriors
Not one of the proudest moments of the expedition. What lead up to this was their discussion with the Blackfeet about giving guns to other tribes. The Blackfeet thought that giving guns to their rivals would result in a weakening of Blackfeet power. The Blackfeet attempted to steal the Corps' guns, and Lewis and Reuben Field each killed a Blackfeet warrior. This created hostility between the Blackfeet and Americans, and the Blackfeet (later on) went on to kill three former members of the Corps -
The Triumphant Return
At last! Home sweet home, the journey is at last finished, With a cost of only $40,000, and less than two and a half years, the Corps have returned home. It has been the most successful expedition (up to this day), in terms of accomplishing their goals, increasing their knowledge of plants, animals, and tribes, and finally stirring up curiousity about the West of the United States of America.
