William clark

William Clark

By bennett_thompson_19

  • Born

    Born
    William Clark was born on this day. William Clark was born in Caroline County, Virginia. He was the ninth of ten children of John and Ann Rogers Clark. His parents were natives of King and Queen County, and were of English and possibly Scots ancestry.

  • Joins Militia

    Joins Militia
    Clark served as a militia against the Native Americans. A 19 year old William Clark joined a volunteer militia force under Major John Hardin. Clark was later commissioned by General Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, as a captain in the Clarksville, Indiana militia.

  • Invited to Lead Exploration

    Invited to Lead Exploration
    Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery, and named U.S. Army Captain Meriwether Lewis its leader, who in turn selected William Clark as second in command.

  • The Corps Meets for the First Time

    The Corps Meets for the First Time
    Lewis and Clark met near Louisville, Kentucky. At the Falls of the Ohio and before departing later in the month. Their goals were to explore the vast territory acquired by the Louisiana Purchase and to establish trade and U.S. sovereignty over the native peoples along the Missouri River

  • Clark Leaves to Explore West

    Clark Leaves to Explore West
    45 men, Lewis and Clark as the leaders, left in three boats left St. Louis, Missouri, heading west on the Missouri River.

  • The Corps Meet the Western Indians

    The Corps Meet the Western Indians
    First official council between representatives of United States and Western Indians occurs in north of present day Omaha. When the Corps of Discovery met with the small delegation of Oto and Missouri Indians. Lewis and Clark hand out peace medals, 15 star flags, and many gifts including parade men and new technology. This caused no fighting between the Americans and Indians.

  • Sacagawea is Hired to Inerpret

    Sacagawea is Hired to Inerpret
    Lewis and Clark hire French-Canadian fur-trader Toussaint Charbonneau and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, to act as interpreters on the journey ahead. The sight of a woman and her infant son would have been reassuring to some indigenous nations, and she played an important role in relations by talking to chiefs, easing tensions, and giving the impression of a peaceful mission.[

  • First time Woman and Slave Vote

    First time Woman and Slave Vote
    the party voted to move their camp to the south side of the Columbia River near modern Astoria, Oregon. Because Sacagawea, and Clark's slave York, were both allowed to participate in the vote, it may have been the first time in American history where a woman and a slave were allowed to vote.

  • Clark Sends Findings to Lincoln

    Clark Sends Findings to Lincoln
    Lewis and Clark send a shipment of artifacts and specimens to President Jefferson; the "Permanent Party" heads west.

  • Clark Returns Home

    Clark Returns Home
    Having found an easier route across the country, the men reach St. Louis nearly two and a half years after their journey began and are acclaimed as national heroes.

  • Death

    Death
    Clark died on this day in St. Louis. He was buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery

  • Honors

    Honors
    150th anniversary of the expedition's departure, Congressman Charles B. Hoeven of Iowa introduced a bill to the U.S. Congress authorizing the Lewis and Clark commemorative postage stamp. Along with Lewis and Clark, the Indian woman Sacagawea and husband Toussaint Charbonneau are also depicted.