-
Starting point: St. Louis, Missouri
The day that the Corps of Discovery is believed to have left was on May 21, however that was once everyone had joined up in St. Louis. Before they left on the 21, Clark and a his men had to meet Lewis in St. Louis. Clark left on May 14. As Clark says, Expedition sets off from Camp Dubois “under a jentle brease,” Clark writes. -
First death of expedition
The first death of the expedition occurred only three months after the expedition began. The only person to die in the Corps of Discovery was Sergeant Charles Floyd. Lewis and Clark buried him on top of a hill overlooking a stream that flowed into the Missouri river. They named the stream Floyd river and the hill he was buried on Floyd's Bluff. -
Expedition has peaceful trade
The Corps of Discovery held a peaceful trade with the Yankton Sioux nearly two weeks after Floyd had passed. While the expeditiion was there, a baby was born. When the baby was born, Lewis wrapped it in an American flag and held it up and said," An American!" -
Expedition has experience with the Teton Sioux
While passing through the Teton Sioux's land, the expedition had an encounter with them. While passing through their land, the Sioux demanded that the expedition gives them one of there boats as a toll for passing through their land. A fight nearly ensued, but gets defused by a chief named Black Buffalo. -
Fort Mandan is built
In what today is Bismarck , North Dakota, the expedition build their first fort for the winter. They built the fort across the river from the villages of the Mandan. At the time the villages had more people in the villages than St.Louis or Washington D.C with about 4,500 living there. -
The expedition got aided by Natives
A little bit after the expedition settled at Fort Mandan, they were aided when they had new members join the Corps of Discovery. Toussaint Charbonneau, a French Canadian fur trader living among the Hidatsas, as an interpreter Sacajawea join the expedition to help guide them to the Pacific. -
Sacajawea gives birth to a baby boy
Sacajawea gave birth to a boy on February 11, 1805. The boy was named Jean. Lewis assisted in the delivery by making a potion of sorts. It was made from crushing the rings of a rattlesnake into a fine powder. -
The expedition has an experience with Shoshone
The expedition came across a village of Shoshone peoples. The Shoshone were very generous and a friendly tribe. Lewis and Clark named the spot where the village was, "Camp Fortunate" -
Expedition has experience in Idaho
On the day of Lewis birthday, he and the rest of his crew were the first to reach the Continental Divide as Americans. And he was also granted horses from the Shoshone tribe. Lewis said in his journal,"I had as yet done but little, very little indeed." -
Expedition is influenced with an animal
This was just a couple of days of good fortune. The Shoshone were probably the most influential of all the tribes the expedition met. Since on this day the expedition with the help of Sacajawea got 29 horses! If the expedition didn't get these horses, it may have never made it over the Rocky's. -
Members of expedition get ill
Shortly after meeting the Nez Perce, many of the expedition members became ill. When the expedition first arrived, the Nez Perce had a choice, to invite the expedition in or to block them out. Taking a leap of faith, the Nez perce let them in. Many of the expedition became ill from overeating salmon and roots of from the tribes generosity. -
Weather profoundly influences the expedition
On November 7, 1805, Clark believed he spotted the pacific, and shouts,“Ocian in view! O! the joy.” As he writes in his journal spelling it wrong. But they had actually found eastern end of Gray’s Bay which is still 20 miles from the Pacific. Whether influenced this part of the expedition because some fierce Pacific storms made the expedition take shelter for nearly 3 weeks until they could proceed moving west. -
Fort Clatsop is built
Now that the expedition has reached the Pacific ocean, the expedition had to take a vote of whether or not they stay here for the winter or start heading back. This was the first time in history where a slave (York Clark's slave) was ever able to vote. And like so Sacajawea was also able to vote also a first time in history before women were able to vote. The expedition decided to stay, and they made Fort Clatsop and celebrated Christmas there! -
A tree's bark profoundly affected the expedition
The expedition had run out of whiskey earlier in the journey, and now after leaving Fort Clatsop, they ran out of tobacco. So a crab tree helped keep the crews spirits up by providing its bark.The crew used the bark instead of tobacco. -
Lewis shoots a Blackfoot warrior.
While heading back home and towards the Missouri, Lewis and his portion of the expedition stay a night with Blackfoot warriors that they saw. In the morning the group catches the Blackfoot trying to steal their supplies and horses, so Lewis shot one. He shot one of them in the stomach, and that Blackfoot member ended up dying. -
The expedition returns in St. Louis
The expedition returns in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. They were gone nearly two and a half years.John Ordway “Now, we intend to return to our native homes to see our parents once more, as we have been so long from them.” (Just thought that this needed to be on the end of the timeline even though its not required)
