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A letter from Tomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis
Washington D.C., June 20, 1803 To Meriwether Lewis Esquire, Captain of the first regiment of Infantry of the United States of America.The Object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river & such principal stream of it as by it's course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purpose of commerce. -
Camp River Dubois
In December 1803, William Clark established "Camp River Dubois" on the Wood River at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, north of St. Louis, Missouri and across the river in Illinois -
Special Ceremony
On March 9, 1804, Meriwether Lewis attended a special ceremony in St. Louis, during which the Upper Louisiana Territory was transferred to the United States. Now all the land from the Mississippi River to the tops of the Rocky Mountains officially belonged to the United States. Meriwether Lewis must have been proud to see the flag of his own country raised over St. Louis. -
The Expedition Begins
Two months later, on May 14, 1804, the expedition was ready to begin. William Clark and the Corps of Discovery left Camp River Dubois, and were joined by Meriwether Lewis in St. Charles, Missouri a week later. The outbound party numbered 45, and included 27 young, unmarried soldiers, the French-Indian interpreter Drouillard, York, and even Captain Lewis' Newfoundland dog, Seaman. An additional group of soldiers would travel only to the Mandan country for the first winter. Several French boatmen -
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The Expedition
The Corps of Discovery began their expedition in St. Louis and ended at the Pacific. It was over eight-thousand miles long and took two years, four months, and ten days to complete. ("Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail") -
Adventure
Travel up the Missouri River in 1804 was difficult and exhausting due to heat, injuries and insects as well as the troublesome river itself, with its strong current and many snags (big logs and trees floating in the river which could sink a boat). The expedition used Lewis' 55-foot long keelboat and two smaller boats called pirogues to carry their supplies and equipment. The boats used sails to move along, but in going upriver against a strong current, oars and long poles were used to push the b -
Indian Encounter
The men of the expedition had their first encounter with the Oto and Missouri tribes. The meeting went well, but they were aware that other tribes (the Sioux) would not be so accepting. -
Tragedy
During this phase of the journey the group had some discipline problems. Some of the men got drunk or misbehaved. They were punished harshly, and soon the problems stopped. The men began to work together as a team, and to like one another. One man they especially liked was Charles Floyd, one of the three sergeants. Suddenly, on August 20, 1804, Sgt. Floyd got sick and died. It is believed that he died of a burst appendix. He was only 22 years old. -
Yankton Sioux
When they reached Sioux territory at the end of August, they encountered the Yankton Sioux, who were a more peaceful tribe than the Teton Sioux who lived nearby. The Yankton Sioux were disappointed with the gifts they were given from the Americans and warned them that the Tetons would not react kindly if they were treated the same way. -
Confrontation with Native Americans
The Corps of Discovery have a confrontation with a tribe of Native Americans who are called the Teton Sioux. The leaders of this tribe demanded one of the American's boats as a toll to keep travelling farther upriver. ("Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail) -
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Harsh Winter
The Corps of Discovery suffered through a harsh winter with little food, extreme cold, and the constant threat of a Sioux attack. -
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Life with The Madan
Throughout many winter, and spring months, the men of the Corps of Discovery stayed with the Mandan Indians at Fort Mandan. These two groups of people lived in peace. The expeditition had to continue on their successful journey in order to locate the Northwest passage. However, their continuatoin led to many new obstacles in the unknown. As they headed up the Missouri River, they were faced with strong headwinds, strong currents, and horrible sandstorms -
Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea
A French Canadian fur trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau, becomes the Corps of Discovery intepreter so that they can have successful communication with the Indian tribes that they will eventually interact with. Toussaint Charbonneau's wife was Sacagawea who was very helpful to the crews exploration since she knew the "lay of the land" already. ("Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail") -
The path to the falls
With the help of the Natives, Lewis found the Great Falls, a sign that they were nearing the Rockies. The Falls were so huge that it took a month to sail around the entire thing.Citation: ("National Geographic")Picture citation:http://www.jimcarsonstudio.com/assets/artwork/orig/Lewis And Clark At The Great Falls.jpg -
Shoshone Assist
The group had to find the Shoshone tribe because they desperately needed horses to climb the Rockies. They found the tribe and traded many of their supplies to pay for the horses. The chief of the Shoshone tribe happened to be Sacagawea's brother. -
The Pacific
The Corps of Discovery reach the Pacific and spend the winter there in hopes that boats will come and that they will be able to set up some form of trading with the Native Americans. -
Journey Home
Lewis and Clark prepared to begin the return journey. Eager to go home, the Americans stole a boat from an Indian village. -
They Part
Lewis and Clark split up in order to explore more land. Both experienced small encounters with the natives. -
Reunion
Lewis and Clark were reunited after one of Clark's men accidentally shot Lewis, mistaking him for a deer. -
Home at last
Lewis and Clark made it home to St, Louis.
