The Expedition of Lewis and Clark

Lewis and Clark went on their journey to explore the western region of what is now known as

They slowly made their way up river with their crew spread out on three boats at the start of this expedition. On slow days they covered four miles and on a good day they covered up to twenty miles. On an average it was about ten miles covered a day. The two captains divided their duties. Clark stayed on the keelboat and managed the men, compass readings, and the distance traveled. Lewis went ashore with his dog almost every day to gather plants, take soil samples, and taking note of the good sites for future settlements. By June 26th, they had traveled forty-three days and four hundred miles. By July 21st, they had traveled six hundred forty miles. One of the first Indian tribes they encountered was the Oto Indian tribe. Instructions from President Jefferson were that they would make friends with the Indians. Lewis and Clark were very careful in advising them that their land now belonged to the United States. After leaving the Oto Indians, the

In May of 1804, two men set out on an important journey that would take them across the country and discover new land, but none of it would have been possible without the aid of one woman. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was planned by Thomas Jefferson, in order to explore the unknown in the newly purchased Louisiana Territory, and also to find a water route across the continent. Along the way the group of men met a quiet native, named Sacagawea, whose impact would later have a large effect on the success of their important journey.

On Lewis and Clark's return journey, Sacagawea had known her way around southwestern Montana very well, so she was able to lead the Lewis and Clark expedition through the best route for them, which was in between Missouri and Yellowstone. "Her knowledge of routes, her skills with the plants and wildlife, and her courage, common sense, and good humor contributed greatly to the journey's success“ (Benson 1360). Sacagawea joined William Clark and directed him through the best mountain routes, pointing out the safest paths, and finding edible berries & roots for food.

Traveling through many different states, Lewis and Clark experienced many types of harsh weather and storms. The cold winters caused many problems for the men. During the winter at Fort Mandan in North Dakota, temperatures would sometimes drop as low as negative 45 degrees, and many of the men suffered from frostbite. Once, Lewis had to amputate a boy’s toes because they were so badly frostbitten. The men couldn’t even go hunting without one of them coming back with frostbitten toes or fingers. (“The Lewis and Clark Expedition Meets Medical and Health Challenges as They go West”). They also had to take one hour watch shifts, because it was too cold to be outside for long periods of time (Schmidt 66). The cold weather was a challenge that the men found hard to overcome, but it was not the only one.

Both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were born in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lewis was born on August 18, 1774, while Clark, the older of the captains, was born in 1770 on August 1. They also both lived in the same area as Thomas Jefferson, a friend of both of their families who would later initiate the expedition, called the Corps of Discovery. Lewis and Clark met when Lewis was transferred into Clark’s army unit as an ensign officer, and Lewis worked as a secretary for Jefferson while

Thomas Jefferson decided to send his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to lead an expedition to explore the West. Lewis chose William Clark to go with him. They were to make careful studies on the geology, botany, and zoology of the region, and gather information on any natives they met. Also, they were to try to find the source of the Missouri River and seek evidence of British soldiers or forts in the area. They left St. Louis on May 14, 1804. They used a fifty-five-foot keelboat and two flat- bottomed dugouts, but when the Missouri River became shallow all the boats were abandoned. The group followed the Missouri, Snake, and Columbia rivers most of the way. At Fort Mandan a French fur trapper named Charbonneau and his wife Sacajawea joined

Throughout the winter Lewis and Clark maintained a strict military routine. A guard was constantly posted, and at sundown each day the fort was cleared of visitors and the gates locked for the night. Of the 106 days the explorers spent at the fort, it rained every day but 12, and the men suffered from colds, influenza, rheumatism, and other illnesses that the captains treated. Clothing rotted, and fleas infested the blankets and hides of the bedding to such a degree that a

Lewis and Clark expedition - In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began an exciting adventure. They led a group of American explorers on a long trip. There were no cars or airplanes back then. The men used boats and horses. They went through the land in which only the Indian tribes lived. They left from the mouth of the Missouri River. They went all the way to the Pacific Ocean and back. They were called the Corps of Discovery. Their journey was almost 8,000 miles long. It took them two years to make. Part of the trip was along the Missouri River in what is now South. lewis and clark help they got from The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. Shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, a select group of U.S.

Lewis and Clark explored tons of new lands, keeping careful and orderly maps and journals of everything they found. Many of the maps that Clark drew up are accurate to today. They explored more than 8000 miles in 2 and a half years. Lewis and Clark explored the proper, and improper ways to communicate with the indian chieftains and tribes which had positive and negative effects. One instance, there was a standoff with the Teton Sioux, almost resulted in a bloody breakout because the Chief wanted one of the supply boats for passage but eventually called off before anyone got hurt, meanwhile when the corps found the Shoshone, they had good relations and traded for many horses and received fresh

In the 1997 film ´Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery´ Ken Burns the director told the story of the most famous voyage in U.S history which was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. ALong with Lewis and Clark came trained soldiers, a slave known as, York and on the way came Sacagawea, the daughter of the Shoshone Tribe’s chief. Thomas Jefferson was very interested about the west and was very curious, Jefferson wanted to know about the land, plants, animals, and the Native Americans who lived there. It’s 1803 and the West is still unknown all people had back then was rumors and stories about the West. So, Jefferson chose Lewis and Clark to lead the expedition, the goal of their mission was to explore the Missouri River

As the winter months started to set in, they had to build winter quarters on the south side of the Columbia River. Surviving the harsh winter, on July 3, 1806, Lewis and Clark decided they should break into smaller groups in order to explore the unknown territory. Clark went down and explored the Yellowstone River and Lewis took a shortcut to Great Falls and the North along Maris River. Avoiding Indians for the majority of the trip, at the end of July 1806 Lewis encountered Blackfeet warriors but ended up camping with them. In the middle of the night, they caught the Blackfeet trying to steal their horses and guns, which resulted in the death of two Blackfeet.

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark sets out to explore the land to the West of the United States. President Jefferson had ordered them to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. They led 45 men on this journy. There group was called the Corps of Discovery. They traveled by foot and by boat. They visited lands that would later become 11 states. Lewis and Clark left from Illinois. They reaching the ocean in present day Washington state. Along the way, the two men kept jurnals. They wrote about the Native Americans they met. A Native American woman helped guide the men over the Rocky Mountains. Lewis and Clark described the new plants, animals, and insects they saw. They mapped the land. In three years, they traveled 8,000 miles. Their trip

The trip I went to was in May 1804. It began at St. Louis with Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Thomas Jefferson. It took us 2 years and 4 months to get back from the trip and we discovered 122 types of animals, 170 types of plants, and made 140 maps where we were at and there was none passageway from the northwest to even go across through.We found a clear spot to settle in and out to take a break off all of the adventurous trips.

As the winter months started to set in, they had to build winter quarters on the south side of the Columbia River. Surviving the harsh winter, on July 3, 1806, Lewis and Clark decided they should break into smaller groups in order to explore the unknown territory. Clark went down and explored the Yellowstone River and Lewis took a shortcut to Great Falls and the North along Maris River. Avoiding Indians for the majority of the trip, at the end of July 1806 Lewis encountered Blackfeet warriors but ended up camping with them. In the middle of the night, they caught the Blackfeet trying to steal their horses and guns, which resulted in the death of two Blackfeet.