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With winter approaching, the group built a camp, Fort Clatsop, in what is present-day Astoria, Oregon, for two reasons. Still, the party pushed further west until they reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805, seven months after they began their push west. Freezing temperatures and bad weather resulted in the expedition members suffering from frostbite, hunger, and exhaustion. This was the most arduous part of the journey. The remainder of the party pushed further west, crossing Montana and the Continental Divide via the Lemhi Pass, a two-mile pass in the Beaverhead Mountains on the present-day Montana-Idaho border. Louis, their keelboat stocked with maps and reports detailing their early findings. She was able to identify edible roots, plants, and berries, and herbs that could be used as medicine. Sacagawea provided much-needed translation services. Their contributions would prove invaluable. Sacagawea spoke Shoshone and Hidatsa, and Charbonneau spoke French and Hidatsa. Upon arrival in 1804, Lewis and Clark met Sacagawea and Charbonneau and immediately recognized their value. Lewis and Clark reached the settlement of the Hidatsa and Mandan, an affiliated tribe.

A few years later, she became the property of Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader who lived among the Indians. A member of the Shoshone tribe, she was kidnapped by the rival Hidatsa in 1800 when she was about 12 years old. One of the more notable events involved an Indian woman named Sacagawea. In the one violent conflict of the expedition, the Corp killed two Blackfeet warriors from the Pikani Nation who tried to steal rifles and horses.īut by in large, Native Americans and expedition members got along well and avoided hostilities. Another confrontation, this time over a perceived slight while presenting gifts, nearly started a battle before the Native Americans backed down. The Teton Sioux tried to demand a toll so the expedition’s boats could cross, but they were outgunned and backed down. The corps, short on food and nearly starving, received fish, berries, and buffalo meat from the Nez Perce.īut there were also conflicts. Historians believe the Nez Perce tribe may have saved the expedition members during the winter of 18. Some helped the group understand the geography and even provided food. The natives who knew the land proved to be a great help. In preparation, Lewis had collected items he could barter with the Native Americans. President Jefferson wanted a record of the tribes living in the new territory. He would be the only member of the corps to die during the expedition.Īlong the way, the corps came into contact with at least a dozen Indian tribes, which was part of their charge. One of the volunteers, Sergeant Charles Floyd, a 22-year-old corp member, died, apparently of appendicitis. Shortly into the journey, tragedy struck. The expedition began on May 14, 1804, snaking its way along the Missouri River at an average of 15 miles per day. Throughout 18, Lewis and Clark gathered supplies, recruited volunteers, and trained men at Camp DuBois outside of St. Jefferson selected his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to lead the expedition. In the same year the purchase took place, Jefferson won congressional approval to create the Corps of Discovery, which would map the uncharted land. Today, that’s about $334 million, which, for all of the land, would still be a bargain.īut now that the United States had all of this property, it needed to explore the region. In exchange, France received $15 million. In the largest land purchase in American history, the United States obtained 827,000 square miles of territory stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The military leader and future emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was worried about war with England and needed money to fund his military. The French failed to take control of a rebellion in one of its colonies in present-day Haiti. France laid claim to the territories but had a problem. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson engineered the Louisiana Purchase. I’m going to tell the tale of how the expedition began, who helped the duo during their travels, and the outcome of their expedition. Over a two-year period, Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, second lieutenant William Clark, embarked on an expedition to map America’s uncharted territory.

There is one word that usually comes to mind when you hear those names.