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The Corps of Discovery departs Camp Wood near St. Louis
The beginning of their journey was met with little fanfare. According to John Orday's account of the group's departure,"Capt. Clark Set out at 3oClock P.M. for the Western expedition. one Gun fired. a nomber of Citizens see us start." The men's expectations for what they would find in the West are best summarized by Patrick Gass's journal entry: "The best authenticated accounts, informed us, that we were to pass through a country possessed by numerous, powerful, and warlike nations of savages." -
The Corps peacefully meets with and exchanges goods with Zottoe indians
The day after a number of natives entered their camp, the expedition met with the local chiefs. The Corps' leaders announced their intentions and the chiefs gave speeches of their own. Afterwards, the natives were given a cannister of powder and some whiskey. Clark noted that the area "appears to be a verry proper place for a Tradeing establishment & fortification." -
Sergeant Charles Floyd dies
He had just taken ill the previous day. Floyd was the groups first and only casuality. Nearby to where he was buried, they named a river and some bluffs in his honor. -
Expedition encounters a Sioux tribe
A group from the expedition returned with members of a nearby Sioux tribe. Over the next several days, they held council with them and discussed trade. Clark describes them as a "Stout bold looking people." -
The expedition comes across a village of praire dogs
Having never seen praire dogs before, the Corps immediately took an interest in capturing one. They eventually had to resort to pouring water down the holes to force one to the surface. Praire dogs were unknown to scientists at the time. -
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The Corps' stay at Fort Mandan
Construction on the fort began on Nov. 2, 1804. They would reside there until April 7, 1805. During their time at the fort, the Corps attempted to open diplomatic relations with the local natives and made preparations for the spring. It was here that they met French-Canadian trapper Tossaint Charbonneau and his wife Sacagawea. -
Temperatures dropped 12 degrees below zero
At this cold temperature, the members in the expedition began to suffer from frostbite. The previous day, at higher temperatures, 2 men recieved severe frostbite on their feet and another on his ear. Over the next week, temperatures continued to plummet. -
Sacagawea gives birth
The baby was delivered at 5 o'clock in the evening. To hasten the process, she was given a crushed rattle from a rattlesnake. In his journal, Lewis remarked about this unusual medecine, "perhaps this remedy may beworthy of future experiments, but I must confess that I want faith as to its efficacy." The other expedition members affectionately nicknamed the child Pomp. -
Sacagawea suffers from mysterious illness
She began to show signs of sickness this day. In an attempt to help her, Clark bled Sacagawea. She would stay ill for over a week. -
The expedition is plagued by prickly pears from the plant Opuntia
Both Lewis and Clark record the miseries of their men caused by these prickly pairs. "This evening the men repaired their mockersons, and put on double souls to protect their feet from the prickley pears," mentions Lewis. These and other nuisances left some "limping from the soreness of their feet." -
The expedition meets with a Shoshone tribe
In need of horses and other supplies, the Corps met with the Shoshone to trade with them. During this time, Sacagawea recognized the Shoshone chief to be her brother. From Clark's description of him as "a man of Influence", it is likely that this revelation was favourable for the expedition in their trading. -
The Corps begin their journey over the Bitterroot Mountains.
Their experience, in what is now Idaho, was not a pleasent one. During the Corps' 10 day trek in the Bitterroot range, they lost horses, suffered from the cold, and came close to starvation. So desperate were they for food, they killed and ate a couple of wild horses they found. The group's relief from finally crossing over is best expressed with Lewis's statement, "the pleasure I now felt in having tryumphed over the rockey Mountains." -
The expedition comes across a Nez Perce village
After their exhausting journey over the Bitterroot Mountains, a place to acquire supplies was a welcome sight. The Nez Perce treated them with hospitality and gave them much needed food and other goods. In addition, the natives agreed to keep their horses until the Corps returned. -
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The Corps' stay at Fort Clatsop
Construction on the fort began on December 9. Compared to their experience at Fort Mandan, the Corps' stay was miserable. The men suffered from a variety of ailments and their supplies was ruined by the frequent rain. In addition, the local natives were shrewd traders and, according to Clark, "ask generally double and tribble the value of what they have to Sell." Despite these hardships, the men weren't complaining at the end of their stay. "Our party lived as well, as could be expected." -
Construction of the expedition's winter quarters is completed
Well into winter, the Fort was finally finished. It made little difference to most of the men because they had already began using the structures while being built. However, Clark noted one change that could be implemented, "our Custom will be in future, to Shut the gates at Sun Set at which time all Indians must go out of the fort and not return into it untill next morning -
The Corps splits into two groups
The goal of the one headed by Lewis was to explore the Marias River. The other group, led by Clark continued on their original course across the Continental Divide. They would stay seperated for over a month. -
Two Blackfeet are killed in an attempted raid
The incident occured during the night when a number of Blackfeet warriors snuck past the watchmen. They attempted to sieze the guns in possession of Lewis's group. In the insuing fight, one native was stabbed to death and another was shot through the stomach. In fear of retaliation, Lewis and his men fled nearly a hundred miles on horseback before setting up camp again. -
The expedition reaches to St. Louis
After 2 and a half years in the wilderness, the Corps had finally returned. They fired a couple rounds and were met by a large group of people. In the couple of days they spent in St. Louis, the members of the expedition wrote letters to family and sorted through the samples collected during the expedition.
