Between 1804 and 1806 a group of some 40 U.S. soldiers and explorers traveled overland from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast and back. The leaders of the group were Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first U.S. overland expedition, and it provided a great deal of valuable information about the territory that it covered. BackgroundAs the 19th century began, Americans knew little about the western part of their continent. Traders and trappers said that the Missouri River flowed down from the Rocky Mountains, but no one knew how far away the source was, or how high or wide the mountains were. President Thomas Jefferson was hoping to find an easy passage over the mountains to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. He also wanted to learn more about the plants, animals, and people of the regions along the way. He put his private secretary Captain Meriwether Lewis in charge of an expedition of exploration. Lewis chose his army friend William Clark to share the leadership of what he called the Corps of Discovery. Both were experienced frontiersmen and military officers, and Lewis got last-minute training in biology, medicine, and the use of scientific instruments. The captains picked enlisted men who had hunting, fishing, boating, woodworking, metalworking, and other necessary skills. The expeditionOn May 14, 1804, the party started out from their training camp near St. Louis, where the Missouri meets the Mississippi River. They voyaged up the Missouri in three boats, into an area that had only recently become United States territory as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. On August 3 they had their first meeting with American Indians near present-day Council Bluffs, Iowa. By November they reached the area that later became North Dakota. They built a fort and spent a cold but comfortable winter among the friendly Mandan Sioux, an American Indian tribe. In the spring of 1805 one boat was sent back down river with messages for President Jefferson and specimens of plants and other natural objects. Sacagawea joins the partyMeanwhile, the permanent party was joined by a French-Canadian interpreter, his young Native American wife, and their infant son. The Indian woman, Sacagawea, knew which plants were good to eat. She also knew Indian languages, and her presence was a sign to other Indians of the group's peaceful intentions. Journey to the PacificAfter leaving the Mandan, the group continued up the Missouri. Eventually they came to the Three Forks, where three rivers join to form the Missouri. They named the rivers the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin, after the president and two members of his cabinet. They followed the Jefferson westward into the Rocky Mountains. In the Rockies they hoped to see the headwaters of the Columbia. Instead there were more mountains stretching endlessly into the distance. They were now in the country of the Shoshone, the people from whom Sacagawea had been kidnapped as a child. Luckily for the expedition, they met a band whose chief was her brother. He agreed to supply them with the horses and guide they needed for the crossing of the lofty Bitterroot Range. The group finally reached the mouth of the Columbia River on November 15, 1805. The explorers had traveled more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers) since they started up the Missouri. They built Fort Clatsop near the Pacific shore, south of present-day Astoria, Oregon. There they spent a rainy winter. The return tripThe return trip began on March 23, 1806. The expedition crossed the Rocky Mountains in June. The two leaders separated to learn more about the country. Clark headed for the Yellowstone River and followed it to the Missouri. Lewis went toward the northeast to explore a branch of the Missouri that he named the Marias River. Here the expedition had its only fight with Indians. Two Blackfeet were killed. The expedition itself lost only one man in the entire course of the journey, and he died from illness. The party reunited down river. At the Mandan villages they said farewell to Sacagawea and her family. Lewis and Clark reached St. Louis on September 23, 1806, and were welcomed as heroes. Everyone wanted to hear about the jagged-peaked mountains, roaring rapids, thundering buffalo herds, fierce grizzly bears, and warlike tribes of the West. SignificanceWith the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the United States made it clear to all that it intended to occupy and use its new territory to the fullest. Following Jefferson's instructions, Lewis and Clark brought back diaries and maps that contained much information. Americans got accurate information about the geography and native inhabitants of their western territory. In addition, many kinds of plants and animals were identified and described for the first time. |