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Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from Napolean Bonaparte. Jefferson wanted Meriwether Lewis to lead it, and he chose his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark to be co-captain
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The Corps of Discovery leaves St, Louis Missouri behind and begins the expedition
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The Corps of Discorver spent the 1804-1805 winter at Fort Mandan in North Dakota. They reached central North Dakota in October. Sacagewea joins the Corps at this time.
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In April 1805 the Corps of Discovery enter what is now Montana
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The Corps begins their long journey of crossing the Rockies
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The Corps of Discovery reaches the Pacific Ocean
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The Corps spends the winter of 1805-1806 at Fort Clatsop on the Oregon coast
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The Corps of Discovery begins their journey home back up the Columbia River to the East. They later divide when they reach the Bitterroot Valley; Clark to map the Yellowstone River and Lewis to head north to explore the Marias River.
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Lewis and Clark meet back up at the mouth of the Yellowstone River
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The Corps of Discovery makes it back home to St. Louis Missouri