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The Expedition Begins
On May 14, 1804, Lewis, Clark, and their crew left Saint Louis, Missouri, and they began their expedition into the great unknown that was the western United States. The men would be living in a large keelboat and two tiny pirogues for the entire trip (pbs.org). The keelboat was 55 feet long and 8 feet wide (pbs.org). The crew was facing a long, hard, but historic journey. Photo Credit: nps.gov Photo Credit: nps.gov -
Sergeant Charles Floyd Dies
On August 20, 1804, near (what is today) Sioux City, Iowa, Sergeant Charles Floyd died of (possibly) a burst appendix (pbs.org). He was the expedition's first and only casualty (pbs.org). He was also the "first United States soldier to die west of Mississippi" (pbs.org). Lewis and Clark declared the hilltop where they buried the sergeant to be called "Floyd's Bluff" and a stream located near his grave "Floyd's River" (pbs.org). Photo Credit: geocaching.com -
Experience with a Sioux Tribe
On August 30, 1804, the crew finally met the Sioux Indians. The atmosphere was filled with tension as they negotiated with Yankton Sioux, explaining what their journey was and why the indians needed to let them through. Eventually, the Yankton Sioux reached a conclusion to let the men through. The crew continued on their journey! Photo Credit: jamesayers.com -
Experience at Fort Mandan
On December 17, 1804, Clark wrote in his journal that the temperature at Fort Mandan was 45 degrees below zero (pbs.org). The crew was not accustomed to these cold temperatures that took place during the winter of 1804-1805. In January, 1805, several of the crew got frostbite, including an Indian boy (pbs.org). Lewis had to amputate the boy's toes (pbs.org). Lewis had to do this surgery "without anesthesia or a surgical saw" (pbs.org). It was a trial-filled winter. Photo Credit: history.nd.gov -
Sacagawea Gives Birth
On February 11, 1805, Sacagawea (a Shoshone indian who helped Lewis and Clark in the expedition) gave birth to a baby boy (pbs.org). She named him Jean Baptiste (pbs.org). Lewis aided Sacagawea in the birth by trying to make it go quicker "by crushing the rings of a rattlesnake’s rattle into powder" (pbs.org). Jean Baptiste was a very historic baby who accompanied Lewis and Clark with Sacagawea throughout much of the trip. Photo Credit: dountoothers.org -
Sacagawea Takes a Turn for the Worst
Sacagawea In Spring, 1805, just following the party leaving Fort Mandan, Sacagawea took a turn for the worst (historynet.com). Lewis was not only worried about her health, but also what would happen to the expedition if she died (historynet.com). She would be a huge advantage to Lewis and Clark when they negotiated with the Shoshone indians (historynet.com). Fortunately, Sacagawea recovered in July, 1805. Photo Credit: bluebook.state.or.us -
10,000 Buffalo are Spotted
On April 29, 1805, Lewis, Clark, and the rest of the men in the expedition were shocked at the sight of up to 10,000 buffalo (pbs.org). There were herds of buffalo practically everywhere the men looked. In fact, the men were consuming nine pounds of meat exclusively from buffalo every day (pbs.org). Photo Credit: waycoolhistory.com -
The Shoshone Trible Help the Men
With Sacagawea aiding them, Lewis and Clark were able to peacefully communicate with the Shoshone indians (pbs.org). They discovered that the chief of the tribe, Cameahwait, is actually Sacagawea's brother (pbs.org)! The interactions between the members of the expedition and the Shoshone indians were ones of friends. The indians were helpful, and there was peace between the two groups. Photo Credit: paintingmania.com -
A Peaceful Trade between the Men and the Shoshone Tribe
When Lewis found the Shoshone village, he attempted to negotiate for the indians' horses (pbs.org). He was aware that the men would need them in order to travel through the mountains (pbs.org). Once Sacagawea, Clark, and the other men showed up at the village, Sacagawea began translating, which made the communicating between the two groups much easier (pbs.org). Eventually, the indians said yes, and the explorers got 29 horses and one mule (pbs.org). Photo Credit: americaslibrary.gov -
The Nez Percé Aid the Strangers
In late September, 1805, the Nez Percé met the starving members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (pbs.org). After much thought, the indians decided to help the strangers (pbs.org). Later, the men became ill from eating a lot of salmon and camas roots (pbs.org). One of the chiefs, named Twist Hair, taught the men how to build canoes using fire and pine tree logs (pbs.org). Without the advice and help of these indians, the men may have never finished the journey. Photo Credit: waterplanet.ws -
The Expedition Reaches the Clearwater River
On October 7, 1805, close to (what is today) Orofino, ID, the crew reached the Clearwater River (pbs.org). They forced their newly-made canoes into the river, and continued on their journey (pbs.org). They, finally, for the very first time on their whole journey, had a river's current pushing them on, not pushing against them (pbs.org). Photo Credit: clearwatermuseum.org -
Christmas at Fort Clatsop
Lewis, Clark, and the crew spent Christmas 1805 in newly-made Fort Clatsop (pbs.org). In celebration of Christmas, Lewis and Clark gave handkerchiefs and what remained of the tobacco to the crew as presents (pbs.org). The men must have missed their wives, children, and relatives, and the Christmas tradition of giving gifts must have made them feel a little closer to home. Photo Credit: kenbrauner.com -
The Long, Dreary Rain
All but 12 of the days of Winter 1805-1806 were filled with a long, dreary rain (pbs.org). This caused the men of the expedition to long for home even more (pbs.org). Everybody was depressed as they watched the water droplets plip-plop on the muddy ground. “'Nothing worthy of notice' [in Lewis' journal] soon replaces 'we proceeded on' as the most common phrase used by the diarists" (pbs.org). Photo Credit: nps.gov -
Bark instead of Tobacco
Pictured is tobacco, which the men in the expedition ran out of (pbs.org). To ease their want for tobacco, the men used crab tree bark instead (pbs.org). The men had become desperate, but they found a solution to their problem. Photo Credit: lewisandclark.today -
Two Blackfeet are Murdered
On July 26, 1806, the men in the expedition camped with the Blackfeet (pbs.org). The following morning, the men saw two Blackfeet attempt to take their horses and guns (pbs.org). As a result, a fight began, and two Blackfeet were murdered. After the battle, "Lewis leaves [left] a peace medal around the neck of one of the corpses" (pbs.org). The men, on their horses, flee from the scene, and keep riding until they reach their fellow explorers (pbs.org). Photo Credit: nationalgeographic.com
