Lewis and Clark

Bad weather alone was enough trouble, sometimes it would be too foggy for the boats to travel or too cold to leave camp. Also, rain would cause the instruments to rust so Lewis had to constantly check them and oil them down again. Along the river were mass amounts of mosquitoes which Lewis said "gathered around my face so much so I could not see." Choppy waters would make boat travel difficult and while they made it, there was the constant fear of drowning or the boat capsizing. Hostile natives, disease (men drank from the rivers, and there was a shortage of fruit and vegetables), wild animals, mutiny from members of the expedition, and always the constant danger of falling into one of the rivers, breaking a leg, etc. Bad water would cause the men to suffer from terrible boils on their skin; Lewis would suffer from a bad case of the flu one winter and Clark suffered from a "rheumatism of the neck" which caused him pain for several days. For Clark, Lewis applied a "hot stone wrapped in flannel" to help ease his pain. At one point Lewis was accidentally shot in the left thigh by a near-blind member of the expedition, but managed to make it back safely. During the winter, the men suffered from frostbite, luckily leading to no necessary amputations, but the cold temperatures prevented them from leaving their forts to hunt. Also, several times the men had to keep constant guard on their supplies and natives would follow them and try to steal their horses.

Sacajawea (or Sacagawea) was born c. 1788. in an Agaidiku tribe of the Lemhi Shoshone in Idaho. In 1800, when she was about twelve, she and several other girls were kidnapped by a group of Hidatsa warriors during a battle. At about thirteen years of age, Sacagawea was taken as a wife by Toussaint Charbonneau, a French trapper living in the village, who had also taken another young Shoshone named Otter Woman as a wife. Lewis and Clark would winter at the present site of Bismarck, North Dakota, where they met her. Sacagawea was 16 or 17 when she and her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, joined the Lewis and Clark party on November 4, 1804. She became invaluable as a guide in the region of her birth, near the Three Forks of the Missouri, and as a interpreter between the expedition and her tribe when the expedition reached that area. She would give birth during the expedition to Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau on February 11, 1805, whom Clark later raised and educated. She also quieted the fears of other Native Americans, for no war party traveled with a woman and a small baby. She was with the Corps of Discovery until they arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. She was with the Corps of Discovery until they arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. After the expedition, William Clark offered Toussaint and Sacajawea a place in St. Louis and a proper education for Jean-Baptiste (at a time where there was no opportunity for Native Americans to receive an education). Toussaint then took a job with the Missouri Fur Company, and stayed at Fort Manuel Lisa in present-day North Dakota. Evidence suggests that Sacagawea died at the fort in 1812. Some Native American oral traditions relate that rather than dying in 1812, Sacagawea left her husband Toussaint Charbonneau, crossed the Great Plains and married into a Comanche tribe, then returned to the Shoshone in Wyoming where she died in 1884. After her death, Toussaint signed over complete custody of his son Jean-Baptiste and his daughter Lisette over to William Clark.

He's a writer and a magician!

Much of Sacagawea's life is shrouded in mystery. The only documented part of her life was when she went on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Additionally, she was kidnapped by Hidatsas at an early age, so even if some parts of her life were known through her own memory, she may not have remembered before that. When she found her Shoshone tribe on the Expedition, her parents were probably both dead because it had been so long. Sacagawea's father's name is most likely unknown.

Contrary to popular belief, the expedition DID NOT begin in St. Louis, Missouri. The first entry in the Lewis and Clark Expedition Journals state that the journey began in Pittsburgh, PA on August 31, 1804. Lewis, who had been assigned by Jefferson sailed down the Ohio River with supplies towards St. Louis. William Clark would offer to join Lewis on the expedition weeks later on October 13, 1804 at Camp Dubois (in present-day Indiana). They then named their team the "Corps of Discovery." From there, they sailed down the Ohio River towards St. Louis. Meriwether Lewis had spent the time prior to their departure in St. Louis gathering information from mountain men returning from the west. They then departed St. Louis in May 1804 heading up the Missouri River.

William's Goal was to find an all-water route to the pacific ocean. Do not use an in between find and all

Thomas Jefferson had dreamed of exploring the West for at least 20 years before he even became President. In 1783 he had even asked Clark's brother, George, to take on the challenge. The Louisiana Purchase would later alter the character of the planned expedition from an exploration of French territory to a first glimpse of lands that, in the view of many contemporaries, were essential to maintaining the agrarian, republican character of the nation. The Louisiana Territory had been a land purchase transaction by the United States of America of 828,800 square miles of the French territory "Louisiane" in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000), a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana Territory. After finally purchasing the Louisiana Territory, and two weeks before inauguration day Jefferson asked Lewis to go on the journey. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-06) In January of 1803, Jefferson requested $2500 from Congress to pay for the costs of the trip. Thomas Jefferson then commissioned Capt. Meriwether Lewis (his presidential aide) to explore the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. This territory is what is now the northwest United States. Before Lewis met up with Clark, he began the expedition on August 30, 1803 in Pittsburgh PA. Lt. William Clark would offer to join Lewis on the expedition weeks later on October 13, 1803 at Camp Dubois (in present-day Indiana). They then named their team the "Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery." At the time, Lewis was 29 years old and Clark was 33. From there, they sailed down the Ohio River towards St. Louis. The party of nearly 30 --including Lewis and Clark, three sergeants, 22 enlisted men, volunteers, interpreters, and Clark's slave -- departed St. Louis in May 1804 heading up the Missouri River. They would spend their first winter at Fort Mandan at the present site of Bismarck, North Dakota. It took about 3 weeks to build Fort Mandan, which they named for the local natives, and they settled in on Nov. 27, 1804. There, they acquired a guide and translator, the Shoshone woman Sacagawea. In spring 1805, they continued to the headwaters of the Missouri River, struggled across the Continental Divide, and headed west along the Salmon, Snake, and Columbia rivers to the Pacific. They returned to St. Louis the following year. If you don't believe that the expedition really began in Pittsburgh instead of St. Louis, please refer to the Related Link, which will lead you to the first entry of the Lewis and Clark Journals. After the expedition, the two would lead completely different lives. Lewis, a troubled individual, was not suited for the bureaucratic life and found himself deep amongst petty and jealous administrators. On the way to Washington to clear his name, he stopped at Fort Pickering at the Chickasaw Bluffs. Those there described him as mentally distressed. Three weeks later, he was found in his rooms with two gunshot wounds at a roadside inn at Grinder's Stand, Hohenwald, Tennessee. He died the next morning on October 11, 1809, of two gunshot wounds. Some say that they were self-inflicted, others say it was murder. Jefferson -- for as long as he'd known the man -- admitted that he had suffered from "hypochondriac afflictions." Clark would serve as governor of the Missouri Territory and he continued to lead Native American affairs for 30 years, enjoying a high reputation as an authority on the West. Many hunters, adventurers and explorers would visit him in St. Louis for advice. He died at age 69 on September 1, 1838, while at the home of his son, Meriwhether Lewis Clark. For more detailed information concerning this issue, click on the Related Links section below.

Sacajawea (or Sacagawea) was a Shoshone Indian woman who travelled with Lewis and Clark on their expedition (1804-1806) through what is now the northwest United States. Sacajawea (or Sacagawea) was born c. 1788. in an Agaidiku tribe of the Lemhi Shoshone in Idaho. In 1800, when she was about twelve, she and several other girls were kidnapped by a group of Hidatsa warriors during a battle. At about thirteen years of age, Sacagawea was taken as a wife by Toussaint Charbonneau, a French trapper living in the village, who had also taken another young Shoshone named Otter Woman as a wife. Lewis and Clark would winter at the present site of Bismarck, North Dakota, where they met her. Sacagawea was 16 or 17 when she and her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, joined the Lewis and Clark party on November 4, 1804. She became invaluable as a guide in the region of her birth, near the Three Forks of the Missouri, and as a interpreter between the expedition and her tribe when the expedition reached that area. She would give birth during the expedition to Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau on February 11, 1805, whom Clark later raised and educated. She also quieted the fears of other Native Americans, for no war party traveled with a woman and a small baby. She was with the Corps of Discovery until they arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. She was with the Corps of Discovery until they arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. After the expedition, William Clark offered Toussaint and Sacajawea a place in St. Louis and a proper education for Jean-Baptiste (at a time where there was no opportunity for Native Americans to receive an education). Toussaint then took a job with the Missouri Fur Company, and stayed at Fort Manuel Lisa in present-day North Dakota. Evidence suggests that Sacagawea died at the fort in 1812. Some Native American oral traditions relate that rather than dying in 1812, Sacagawea left her husband Toussaint Charbonneau, crossed the Great Plains and married into a Comanche tribe, then returned to the Shoshone in Wyoming where she died in 1884. After her death, Toussaint signed over complete custody of his son Jean-Baptiste and his daughter Lisette over to William Clark.

Thomas Jefferson had dreamed of exploring the West for at least 20 years before he even became President. In 1783 he had even asked William Clark's brother, George, to take on the challenge. The Louisiana Purchase would later alter the character of the planned expedition from an exploration of French territory to a first glimpse of lands that, in the view of many contemporaries, were essential to maintaining the agrarian, republican character of the nation. The Louisiana Territory had been a land purchase transaction by the United States of America of 828,800 square miles of the French territory "Louisiane" in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000), a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana Territory. After finally purchasing the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson had requested $2500 from Congress to pay for the costs of the trip. However that money was used to provide for medicine, gifts for the Native Americans and camp equipment. Jefferson as well as those in the American Philosophical Society would provide minor donations of books, maps, and scientific equipment. To pay for supplies obtained from trading posts along the way Lewis and Clark used a government issued IOU. They also did a lot of bartering, especially with Native Americans.

i know one place they stayed at was fort clatsop in oregon

underground squirrels, plus they make a whistling noise.

She act as translator and guide.

The expedition's goal as stated by President Jefferson was "to explore the Missouri River, & such principal stream of it as, by its course & communication with the water of the Pacific ocean may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." In addition, the expedition was to learn more about the Northwest's natural resources, inhabitants, and possibilities for settlement. Lewis' and Clark's journals of the expedition describe the natural resources and native peoples of the West and contain information on many scientific matters. Over the two year journey, the expedition had made more discoveries of landscapes, rivers, native cultures, zoology, and botany of North America than any scientific expedition. Their results/contributions were many and lasting. One of the most significant contributions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a better perception of the geography of the Northwest and the production of the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark prepared approximately 140 maps. One important result of the Lewis and Clark expedition was that it enabled the United States to lay claim to the Oregon region. This claim helped make possible the great pioneer movement that settled the West in the mid-1800's. A second achievement of the expedition was a better understanding of the country's natural resources. During the journey, the expedition documented over 122 species of animals and approximately 178 plants. The expedition even sent a caged prairie dog, which had never been seen before in the East, to President Jefferson as a gift. Another achievement of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was that it established friendly relations with some of the Native American tribes. For the most part, encounters between the three dozen Indian tribes and the expedition were successful. They collected a variety of Indian goods and gathered information on Indian languages and culture.

List of Supplies (In their original text) Follow the related link to the actual documents from the National Archives. Mathematical Instruments Hadley's Quadrant Mariner's Compass & 2 pole chain Set of plotting instruments Thermometers Cheap portable microscope Pocket compass Brass scale (1ft in length) Magnetic needles in small straight silver or brass cases opening on the side with hinges Instrument for measuring made of tape with feet and inches marked on it Hydrometers Theodolite Set of planespheres Artificial Horizons Patent log Papers of ink powder Metal pens of brass and silver Set of small slates & pencils Creyons [not in the sense that we know, and that's how they spell it] Sealing wax one bundle 1 Miller's edition of Lineus in 2 Vol Books, Maps, Charts, Blank Vocabularies, Writing paper 1 Pair large brass money scales with two sets of weights Arms & Accoutrements 15 Rifles 15 Powder Horns & pouches complete 15 Pairs of Bullet Moulds 15 d. of Wipers or Gun worms 15 Ball screws 24 Pipe Tomahawks 24 Large knives Extra parts of locks & tools for repairing items 15 Gun slings 500 Best flints 200 lbs. Best rifle powder 400 lbs. Lead Clothing 15 3 pt. Blankets 15 Match Coats with Hoods & belts 15 Woolen Overalls 15 Rifle Frocks of waterproof Cloth if possible 30 Pairs of socks or half stockings 20 Fatigue frocks or hunting shirts 30 Shirts of strong linen 30 yds. Common flannel Camp Equipage 6 Copper kettles (1 of 5 gallons, 1 of 3, 2 of 2, & 2 of 1) 35 Falling axes 4 Drawing knives, short & strong 2 Augers of the patent kind 1 Small permanent Vice 1 Hand vice 36 Gimblets assorted 24 Files 12 Chisels 10 Nails 2 Steel plate hand saws 2 Vials of Phosphorous 1 container of phosphorous made of allum & sugar 4 Groce fishing hooks assorted 12 Bunches of drum line 2 Foot adzes 12 Bunches of small cord 2 Pick axes 3 Coils of rope 2 Spades 12 Bunches of small fishing line assorted 1 lb. Turkey or Oil stone 1 Iron mill for grinding corn 20 yds. of oil linen for wrapping & securing articles 10 yds of thicker quality for covering and lining boxes 40 yds of strong cloth to form two half faced Tents or Shelters 4 Tin blowing trumpets 2 Hand or spiral sping Steelyards 20 yds strong Oznaburgs 24 Iron spoons 24 Pint tin cups (without handles) 30 Steels for striking or making fire 100 Flints 2 Frows 6 Saddlers large needles 6 Large awls Mosquito curtains 2 Patent chamber lamps & wicks 15 Oil cloth bags for securing provision 1 Sea grass hammock Provisions and Means of Subsistence 150 lbs. Portable soup 3 Bushels of allum or rock salt Spices assorted 6 Kegs of 5 gallons each making 30 gallons of rectified spirits 6 Kegs bound with iron hoops Native American Presents 5 lbs. White Wampum 5 lbs. White glass beads mostly small 20 lbs. Red beads assorted 5 lbs. of Yellow or Orange beads assorted 30 Calico shirts 12 Pieces of East India muslin handkerchiefs sprtiped or check'd with brilliant colors 12 Red silk handkerchiefs 144 Small sheap looking glasses 100 Burning glasses 4 Vials of Phosphorous 288 Steels for striking fire 144 Small cheap scissors 20 Pair large scissors 12 Groce needles assorted. 1 to 8 Common points. 12 Groce assorted with points for sewing leather. 288 Common brass thimbles 10 lbs. Sewing thread assorted 24 Hanks sewing silk 8 lbs. Red lead 2 lbs. Vermillion 288 Knives small such as are generally used for the Indian trade, with fox'd blades & handles inlaid with brass 36 Large knives 36 Pipe tomahawks 12 lbs. Brass wire assorted 12 lbs. Iron wire, generally large 6 Belts of narrow ribbons colours assorted 50 lbs. Spun tobacco 20 Small falling axes to be obtained in Tennessee 40 Fish giggs such as the Indians use with a single barbed point - at Harper's Ferry 3 Groce fishing hooks assorted 3 Groce Mockerson awls assorted 50 lbs. Powder secured in a keg covered with oil cloth 24 Belts of worsted feiret or gartering colours brilliant and assorted 15 Sheets of copper cut into strips of an inch in wideth & a foot long 20 Sheets of tin 12 lbs. Strips of sheet iron 1 inch wide and 1 foot long 1 Piece of red cloth second quality 1 Nest of 8 or 9 small copper kettles 100 Block-tin rings cheap kind ornamented with colored glass or mock-stone 2 Groces of brass curtain rings & sufficiently large for the finger 1 Groce cast iron combs 24 Blankets 12 Arm bands silver 12 Wrist bands 36 Ear trinkets 6 Groce drops of silver 4 dozen rings for fingers 4 Groces broaches of silver 12 Small medals Means of Transportation 1 Keeled boat light strong at least 60 feet in length her burthen equal to 8 tons 1 Iron frame of canoe 40 feet long 1 Large Wooden canoe 12 Spikes for setting poles 4 Boat hooks & points complete 2 Chains and pad-locks for confining the boat & canoes 52 Pirogues (open boats) Square sail (also called a broad sail) 35 Oars 2 Horses Medicine 15 lbs. of Best powder's bark 10 lbs. Epsom or Glauber Salts 4 oz. Calomel 12 oz. Opium 1.5 oz. Tartar emetic 8 oz. Borax 4 oz. Powdered Ipecacuana 8 oz. Powder Jalap 8 oz. Powdered Rhubarb 6 Best lancets 2 oz. White vitriol 4 oz. Lacteaum Saturni 4 Pewter Penis syringes 1 Flour of Sulphur 3 Clyster pipes 4 oz. Turlingtons Balsam 2 lbs. Yellow Bascilium 2 Sticks of Symple Diachylon 1 lb. Blistering Ointments 2 lbs. Nitre 2 lbs. Coperas Books, Maps Barton's Elements of Botany Antoine Simon Le Page du Pratz's History of Louisiana Richard Kirwan's Elements of Mineralogy A Practical Introduction to Spherics and Nautical Astronomy The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris Afour-volume dictionary Atwo-volume edition of Linnaeus (the founder of the Latin classification of plants) Tables for finding longitude and latitude Map of the Great Bend of the Missouri River

Lewis and Clark learned that not all native Americans are not mean.

Before Lewis met up with Clark, he began the expedition on August 30, 1803 in Pittsburgh PA. Lt. William Clark would offer to join Lewis on the expedition weeks later on at Camp Dubois (in present-day Indiana). From there, they sailed down the Ohio River towards St. Louis. And being that the expedition began in Pittsburgh, states they passed through would include: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, then Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. So they traveled through 6 states before reaching Missouri, and then 9 more states after that. If you don't believe me that the expedition began in Pittsburgh and NOT St. Louis, then follow the related link to the Louis and Clark Journals' first entry. As we all know, the common American history textbook likes to smudge the details.

President Thomas Jefferson.

interests are going on journeys, expeditions, working in teams, taking care of children,

The only man known to have died during the Lewis and Clark Expedition was Sergeant Charles Floyd. Sergeant Floyd was born in Kentucky and was one of the first men to enlist in the expedition, on August 1, 1803. On July 31, 1804, Floyd writes in his journal, "I am verry Sick and Has ben for Somtime but have Recovered my helth again." On August 19, Clark reported Floyd's condition, "Sergeant Floyd is taken verry bad all at onc with Beliose Chorlick. we attempt to relieve him without Success as yet, he gets wordse and we are muc alarmed at his Situation, all attention to him." On August 20, 1804, he died from what is generally thought to have been a ruptured appendix. He is buried at Floyd's Bluff near Sioux City, Iowa. Clark writes about the funeral, "we Buried him to the top of a high round hill over looking the river & Countrey for a great distance Situated just below a Small river without a name & cal Floyds River, the Bluff Sergts Floyds Bluff - we buried him with all the honors of War, and fixed a Ceeder post at his head with his name title & Day of month and year. Capt Lewis read the funeral Service over him he had at All times given us proofs of his impartiality Sincurity to ourselves and good will to Serve his Countrey..."

The expedition's goal as stated by President Jefferson was "to explore the Missouri River, & such principal stream of it as, by its course & communication with the water of the Pacific ocean may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." In addition, the expedition was to learn more about the Northwest's natural resources, inhabitants, and possibilities for settlement, Jefferson's instruction to Lewis were: "Beginning at the mouth of the Missouri, you will take observations of latitude and longitude at all remarkable points on the river, & especially at the mouths of rivers, at rapids, at islands & other places & objects distinguished by such natural marks & characters of a durable kind, as that they may with certainty be recognized hereafter....The variations of the compass too, in different places should be noticed." (considering the Native Americans) "...You will therefore endeavor to make yourself acquainted, as far as diligent pursuit of your journey shall admit with the names of the nations & their numbers, the extent & limits of their possessions; their relations with other tribes or nations; their language, traditions, monuments, their ordinary occupations in agriculture, fishing, hunting, war, arts & the implements for these, their food, clothing, & domestic accommodations, the diseases prevalent among them, & the remedies they use, moral and physical circumstance which distinguish them from the tribes they know, particularities in their laws, customs & dispositions, and articles of commerce they may need or furnish & to what extent." "Other objects worthy of notice will be the soil & face of the country, it's growth & vegetable productions, especially those not of the US; the animals of the country generally & especially those not known in the US; the remains & accounts of any which may be deemed rare or extinct; the mineral productions of every kind, but more particularly metals, limestone, pit coal & saltpetre, salines & mineral waters, noting the temperature of the last & such circumstances as may indicate their character; volcanic appearances; climate as characterized by the thermometer, by the proportion of rainy, cloudy & clear days, by lightening, hail, snow, ice, by the access & recess of frost, by the winds, prevailing at different seasons & the dates at which particular plants put forth or lose their flower or leaf, times of appearance of particular birds, reptiles or insects."

Answer: The expedition's goal as stated by President Jefferson was "to explore the Missouri River, & such principal stream of it as, by its course & communication with the water of the Pacific ocean may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." In addition, the expedition was to learn more about the Northwest's natural resources, inhabitants, and possibilities for settlement. Lewis' and Clark's journals of the expedition describe the natural resources and native peoples of the West and contain information on many scientific matters. Over the two year journey, the expedition had made more discoveries of landscapes, rivers, native cultures, zoology, and botany of North America than any scientific expedition. Their results/contributions were many and lasting. One of the most significant contributions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a better perception of the geography of the Northwest and the production of the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark prepared approximately 140 maps. One important result of the Lewis and Clark expedition was that it enabled the United States to lay claim to the Oregon region. This claim helped make possible the great pioneer movement that settled the West in the mid-1800's. A second achievement of the expedition was a better understanding of the country's natural resources. During the journey, the expedition documented over 122 species of animals and approximately 178 plants. The expedition even sent a caged prairie dog, which had never been seen before in the East, to President Jefferson as a gift. Another achievement of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was that it established friendly relations with some of the Native American tribes. For the most part, encounters between the three dozen Indian tribes and the expedition were successful. They collected a variety of Indian goods and gathered information on Indian languages and culture.

Sacagawea was born in 1788 so if she were still alive today she would be 222 years old.

Yes they did, they explored the lower west from the east coast until they reached the Pacific Ocean.

Black Buffalo

his name was Toussaint Charbonneau.