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St. Louis
On May 14th, 1804 Lewis, Clark, and Co. departed St. Louis, MI on a four year mission to explore the Louissiana purchase. The expedition was funded by the U.S. government and was started by president Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wanted them to (1) catalog plant and animal life. (2) Find a water route from the columbia to Mississipi if it exists, and (3) Establish peaceful contact with any indian tribes they meet and prepare them for Americian traders. -
Animal help
Clarks dog, Seaman, was a newfoundland breed, an appropriate name for the Journey ahead. He was very helpful along the way and had his fair share of work and hardship. "A respectable looking Indian offered me three beverskins for my dog... there was no bargian."-clark. He fed, fetched for, and guarded the expedition. -
Casualty
Sgt. Floyd was the only preson to die on the expedition. He probably died of a ruptured appendix and the medicial science at the time was not advanced enought to treat him even with the best medicines and tools avalable. They named the hill and nearby creek where he was buried after him. Now there is a memorial there that looks similar to the washington memorial in D.C. -
Souix
"Sgt. Pryor... approached the Camp which was handsome and made of Buffalow Skins Painted different Colors, their tents were Cone shaped."-Clark This was their second encounter with the souix. They had previosly seen a scout, but when they shouted what they thought was "friend" in souix they actualy said "stranger", carrying a hostile connotation. Later on this date they met some women picking berries, and the next day they met with the chief. They had a friendly talk with the chief
who warned -
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Fort Mandan
During the winter of 1804-5 the corps. of discovery built a fort to winter in. They named it after the nearby native village of Mandan, who had shown them the surrounding land and provided them with food for the winter in excahnge for trade goods. The Mandan had two villages, and two chiefs, and were at war with the Arikaras tribe. When they left the fort, they were still at war even after several peace talks.
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/man.html -
Baby Born
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born on 11 of febuary 1805, and it so happens that as I write this it would be his 210th birthday. His mother was Sgagewea and his father was Toussaint Charbonneau. His name means John the Baptist in french and is a common french name. He is often shown on his mothers back in the indian version of baby backpack, because that is how she carried him most of the way. -
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In Idaho
Lewis and Clark arived in would eventually be known as idaho on Aug. 12th, 1805 after finding the headwaters of the Misouri river. Soon afterwards they met and befriended the Shoshone and Nez Perce tribes.
http://idahoptv.org/lc/echoes/idahoptv.org -
Shoshone Tribe
On aug. 13, 1804 clark came accros some starving women picking berries. Afterwards they led him to their chief, Cameahwait "One Who Never Walks". After exchanging gifts, and finding out that he was now an uncle, Cameahwait talked with the expedition leaders for a few days, and hired a guide to take the across what would become to be known as idaho. -
Native help
On the 20th of aug. 1805 the shoshone gave the corps. a guide to get them almost exactly from one end of what would become to be known the panhandle of idaho to the other end. His name was old toby, although he wasnt particualry old when they hired him. Toby was his nick name, his real name was Tosa-tive koo-be, meaning "furnished white white-man brains,"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Toby -
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Illness
"The men have lax and haviness of the stomach andrunning of the bowels. Some were so sick that they were liying on the side of the road."-clark They probably had dissentery from the new food that they had just purchased from the indians that day. It lasted for about a week before their digestive systems adapted to the new food.
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/medlc.htm -
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Bad wheather
For 8 days heavy rains and winds pleted the expedition, preventing them from moving. It ruined some of their food and the tides combined with the wind sunk one of their canoes. -
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Fort Clatsop
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Indian KIlled
On the 26th of july, 1806 the Corps. encountered the blackfoot indians along the two medicine river. At first they were friendly and peacefull, but when they heard that the expedition was supplying guns to tribes they were at war with, they tried to steal the guns during the night. Lewis and Reuben Field each killed an indian, and it was the only time during the expedition when indians were killed.
