Timeline Assignment- Lewis- Mukund Kuntimad

Timeline created by Mukund Kuntimad in Biography

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Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
08/21/1770	Clark is Born	William Clark is born in Caroline County, Virginia
08/18/1774	Lewis is Born	Merriwether Lewis is born in Locust Hill, Albemarle County, Virginia. The lewis home is very close to the Jefferson's Monticello home.
04/19/1775	Battles of Lexington and Concord	William Lewis, Meriwether Lewis's father supports the fight for independence seeing it as the best way to end taxes, regulations and restrictions imposed by the British Governor of Virginia. Meriwether Lewis is still an infant. William Lewis also volunteers in a local militia and later joins the Continental Army.
07/04/1776	Adoption of the Declaration of Independence	Jefferson authors the Declaration of Independence, and the delegates of the congress adopt it and sign it.
11/17/1779	William Lewis, Meriwether Lewis's father dies	William Lewis slips from his horse and falls into the swollen icy waters of the Rivanna River while returning to his unit after leave. He catches pneumonia and dies.
05/13/1780	Lucy Meriwether marries Captain John Marks	Lewis's mother, Lucy Meriwether, marries her second husband, Captain John Marks, who also served in the Continental Army.After Americans win the Revolutionary War in 1783, Marks brings his wife and children to the Broad river valley of Northern Georgia where Lewis studies hunting trapping and natural science in the trackless forests. He learns to survive in the wilderness, studies plants and animals, and also learns to handle himself in dangerous situations.
04/15/1783	Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris	The Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolution. USA boundary encompasses lands east of the Mississippi River up to the Great Lakes in the north, and down to Georgia in the south.
05/11/1792	Robert Gray discovers the Columbia River	American ship captain, Robert Gray, discovers and names the Columbia River.
07/20/1793	Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific	Scotsman, Alexander Mackenzie, reaches the Pacific, crosses Canada by land, and becomes the first whte man to cross the Northern Rocky Mountains.
08/20/1794	Lewis joins the Virginia Militia	Lewis volunteers for the Virginia Militia and helps squash the Whiskey Rebellion.
05/01/1795	Lewis joins the US Army	Lewis joins the US Army and is assigned to the second Legion and the command of General anthony Wayne at Geenville , Ohio. He is eventually transfered to Clark's Chosen Rifle Company.
07/04/1796	Clark retires from the US Army	Clark retires from the US Army at age 26 due to poor health, and returns to Mulberry Hill Plantation near Louisville.
10/01/1800	Third Treaty of San Ildefonso is signed	France gains the Louisiana Territory from Spain because of the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso.
03/04/1801	Thomas Jefferson becomes the Third President of the USA	Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third dpresident of the United States; he invites Lewis to serve as his personal secretary. President Jefferson does not hire Lewis just for secretarial duties He believes that Lewis is the man to lead the expedition to the west successfully.
04/01/1801	Lewis is employed as Jefferson's Personal Secretary	Lewis reports to Washington D.C. and bigins working as President Thomas Jefferson's secretary. Lewis ably carries out assignments and earns the trust of President Jefferson.
01/18/1803	Jefferson asks Congress to secretly fund the Western Expedition	Jefferson delivers a secret message to congress to approve money for an exploration of the territory west of the Mississippi River, as far as the Pacific Ocean. The secrecy is important because the lands intended to be crossed is foreign territory and the news of the planned expedition will lead to diplomatic and military conflict.
02/28/1803	Congress approves and funds Jefferson's Western Expedition	Congress approves Jefferson's proposal for an exploration of territories west of the Mississippi River, as far as the Pacific Ocean, and agrees to spend $2,500 for supplies.
05/02/1803	Louisiana Purchase	Napoleon sells the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15,000,000- about 3 cents an acre. He wants to keep Great Britain, France's great rival, from siezing the French claim in the New World.
06/19/1803	Clark joins Lewis in the Expedition	Lewis asks Clark to go on the Expedition with him, as Clark is a skilled map maker and boatsman. Clark is also experienced in dealing with tribes in the Northwest, and is a frontier doctor to boot.
06/20/1803	Jefferson announces Westward Expedition	President Jefferson ask Lewis and Clark officially to lead an exploration to the west in search of the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.
07/15/1803	Lewis reaches Pittsburgh, his settng of point	Lewis reaches Pittsburgh, and writes a letter to inform Jefferson of his progress after inspecting a 55 foot keelboat designed by him. After finding that the the keelboat is not water ready , he writes to Clark and asks him to recruit worthy hunters, translators, and guides for the expedition.
07/17/1803	Clark accepts to join Lewis cheerfully	Clark recieves Leiws' letter, and imediately agrees to meet Lewis that summer at the Falls of the Ohio.
07/17/1803	Clark receives Lewis's letter	Clark receives Lewis's letter requesting him to jointhe expedition as a co-commander with caption's commission and equal pay aas Lewis
08/31/1803	Lewis and his men set sail	Lewis and his men load supplies on to the boat, and set off down the Ohio River, and head to the Mississippi River with a smaller pirogue (keelboat) trailing behind.
10/15/1803	Lewis meets Clark at Falls of the Ohio	The boats carrying Lewis and his men reach the Falls of the Ohio, where Clark is waiting with several volunteers. They check supplies, review volunteers, and reject more that 100 men, and eventually settle on just nine men.
10/26/1803	Lewis and Clark sail off together	Lewis, with Clark, sets off in their three boats downriver, along with Clark's slave, York.
11/11/1803	Lewis hires George Drouillard	The Expedition stops for a few days at Fort Massac, where Lewis, with Clark, hires a hunter and a scout named George Drouillard. He serves as an intepereter, as he knows Indian sign language, French, and English.
12/08/1803	Lewis and Clark camp for the winter at Camp Wood	Lewis and Clark reach St. Louis, and build their winter camp, Camp Wood,(also known as Camp Dubois) because the Spanish Governer, Carlos Delassus, refuses to allow them to pass to the west bank of the Mississippi River, as per the instructions from the Spanish Government. The Corps wait here until spring for a formal ceremony, which officially transfers Louisiana to the United States.
05/14/1804	Lewis rides ahead, and Clark sails to meet him	Clark sets off across the Mississippi River, and into the Missouri River, to St, Charles, to meet Lewis and his party, who had ridden there ahead. The captains hire Pierre Crucaztte and Francois Labiche to serve as translators and guides along the route.
05/21/1804	Expedition sets off from St. Charles	The Expedition leaves St. Charles with three boats pointing into the powerful current of the Missouri River. The Corps of Discovery travels over three miles upstream with the men straining at the oars.
08/03/1804	Council with the Oto	The Expedition encounters the first American Indians, the Oto. Lewis invites Oto Chiefs to council, raises the American Flag, parades his men, and exchange gifts and tokens on behalf of the US Government. Through the interpretors, Lewis tells the Oto that they are now ruled by the US, and should live in peace with all white men. He also threatens dire consequences if they do not cooperate. Lewis is certain that he has made an ally for the United States.
08/17/1804	Court Martial of Moses Reed	Lewis and Clark court martial Moses Reed, and drum him out of the Expedition, as he is guilty of deserting the camp with his rifle. They demote him to one of the pirogues, and order him to stay behind, as the Expedition builds its winter camp.
08/19/1804	First casualty in the Expedition	Segeant Floyd suffers a sudden, mysterious, and violent illness (probably a ruptured appendix). Neither Lewis nor Clark have any medicine to heal Floyd, who dies two days later. They bury him and elect Patrick Gass to replace him as a sergeant and squad leader. Floyd is the first United States soldier to die west of the Mississippi River.
08/30/1804	Naming of Yankton Official Chiefs	The Yankton, like most American Indian tribes, do not elect permanent leaders. Lewis and Clark name five Yankton Official Chiefs, thus making it easy for the United States to negotiate with the different tribes.
09/23/1804	Lewis encounters the unfriendly Teton Sioux, and the Prarie Dogs	The Corps of Discovery encounter the unfriendly Teton Sioux, who refuse to allow them to pass.Lewis eases the tense situation with a further gift of tobacco and a Sioux Leader, Black Buffalo, talks to his people into letting the Expedition pass. The Expedition see the Prairie Dogs for the first time.
11/03/1804	Lewis and Clark set up winter camp, Fort Mandan	Lewis and the Corps build their winter camp, Fort Mandan, near the Indian Villages of Mandan and Hidatsa, along the upper Missouri River.
11/04/1804	Lewis hires Charbonneau and Sacagawea	Lewis and Clark hire a French Canadian interpretor named Tousssaint Charbonneau, and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, to join the Corps of Discovery. Sacagawea helps Lewis buy horses from the Shoshone to use in crossing the Rocky Mountains.
12/02/1804	Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims himself as the Emperor of the French.	Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims himself as Emperor of the French.
02/11/1805	Lewis delivers Jean- Baptiste	Lewis puts his doctoring tlents to use and helps Sacagawea deliver her son, Jean- Baptiste, with the help of the rattle of the rattlesnake he has with him. He breaks the rattle, put in some water, and gives it to Sacagawea to drink. He writes in his journal that within ten minutes, she delivers her baby. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, names his new son as Jean-Baptiste. Clark gives the youngest member of the Corps a nickname of his own, Pomp.
04/07/1805	Lewis ships his specimens to Jefferson	The Corps leave Camp Mandan and continue up the Missouri River. Lewis sends his specimens, carefully packed in a keelboat, with some crew, back downstream to St. Louis. Although Jefferson had asked Lewis to send his journals back, he decides not to, as he does not want to lose the single most valuable item he carries, should anything happen to Corporal Warfington's crew and the keelboat.
04/29/1805	Lewis encounters grizzly bears	The Corps encounter grizzly bears after passing the mouth of the Yellowstone River. Although Lewis and Clark think that they are not formidable or dangerous to skillful riflemen, they are proven wrong. The large animals are very hard to kill. The Corps kill their first grizzly bear with Clark, and Lewis writes that the party is avoiding grizzlies whenever possible.
05/26/1805	Lewis sights the Rocky Mountains	Lewis and the Corps sight the distant Rocky Mountains at last. This is the first sighting of the mountains by White Americans. Lewis observes that the river runs faster and shallower, and that the plains are giving way to gently rolling hills and steep bluffs.
06/02/1805	Lewis reaches the fork of the Marias River	Watching for signs of the great waterfall, desribed by the Hidatsa Tribe, Lewis leads the Corps into a puzzling fork at the Marias River.
06/12/1805	Lewis discovers The Great Falls of the Missouri River, and names The Gates of the Mountains	Lewis walks ahead of the boats, and discovers the Great Falls of the Missouri River.He realizes that the river narrows further with steep cliffs replacing the sloping banks. Lewis names these sheer stone walls as The Gates of the Mountains.
06/13/1805	Lewis and the Corps portage around The Great Falls of Missouri	The falls are a major obstacle to the progress of the Corps, so Lewis decides to portage (carry boats) around them. Lewis also decides to leave two pirogues behind, and bury the equipment not neccesary for retrieval on the way back home. The Corps portage for a whole month across the difficult landscape. Lewis writes that he has serious doubts about whether they will make it through the Rockies, reach the Pacific, and then be able to reach Mandan Village before winter sets in.
06/27/1805	Lewis names the three forks that feed the Missouri River	Lewis and the Corps reach the spot where Sacagawea was captured as a teenager, and notices three forks, that feed the Missouri River.Lewis and Clark name these river forks as Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin, after the President, Secretary of State, and Treasury Secretary respectively.
07/30/1805	Lewis discovers the source of the Missouri River	Lewis leads some of the Corps men up the Jefferson River, expecting to make a short portage over the Continental Divide and discovers the source of the Missouri River.
08/12/1805	Lewis reaches the Continental Divide	Lewis and Clark reach the Continental Divide, and the first shipment of specimens Lewis shipped earlier reaches Washington D.C.
08/30/1805	Lewis leads the Corps across the tortuous trench	Lewis and Clark lead the Corps across the worst strech of the entire expedition with 30 horses. Although they expect a five day march to the Columbia River, it takes twice as long to cross the tortuous trench.
09/22/1805	Lewis descends the Bitterroot Mountains along the Lolo trail	Lewis and the Corps cross the Bitterroot Mountains along the Lolo trail and descend down the west side of the Bitteroot Mountains.
10/07/1805	Lewis reaches the Clear Water River	Lewis and Clark lead the Corps to the Clear Water River, on the other side of the Bitterroot Mountins. Lewis decides to use boats for the rest of the trip.
10/16/1805	Lewis spots the Columbia River	Lewis and Clark, with their Corps, reach the Columbia River, and survive the treacherous streches of the river with the swirling rapids, much to the local Indians' surprise. Lewis spots obvious signs left by other white men, who have come before them, from the west coast.The Native Americans there wore clothing got from sailors, and used English swear words.
11/07/1805	Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean	Lewis and Clark paddle into a huge bay, where the Columbia River enters the Pacific Ocean.
11/15/1805	The Corps arrive at the Pacific Ocean	The Corps of Discovery arrive at the Pacific Ocean about a week after Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean. Clark surprisingly and accurately calculates that they have travelled 4,118 miles in all.
11/24/1805	Lewis polls Corps for a winter campsite	Lewis takes votes among the Corps to decide on the location of the winter camp.
12/07/1805	Lewis constructs Fort Clatsop	Lewis leads the Corps in the construction of a winter camp called Fort Clatsop, near present day Astoria, Oregon. He names the fort after the Clatsop Tribe. Although the men were prepared to return home by sea, unfortunately, no ships from any country sails into the mouth of the Columbia River that winter.
12/25/1805	Lewis and the Corps move into Fort Clatsop	Lewis & the Corps complete the construction of Fort Clatsop, & move in for the winter. The Expedition, that evening, prepares a meal of boiled elk, roots, & fish. The available meat sustains them only until spring. Rain & humidity make their life miserable, as they cannot keep their campfires burning, or their clothes dry. While at camp they repair equipment, boil seawater for salt, hunt food,& make elk skin moccasins for the return trip. Clark draws detailed maps of their journey westward.
03/23/1806	Expedition begins heading back to St.Louis	Lewis posts a sign that lists the names of the members of the Expedition, and announces that the US has reached the Pacific Coast by way of the Rockies, and has claimed the Pacific Northwest.
06/15/1806	Lewis sets out from Camp Weippe Prairie	Lewis leads his men from Weippe Prairie Camp, to cross the snowbound, slippery trails on high mountain passes, with 66 horses carrying their supplies.
06/17/1806	Lewis orders the first retreat of the whole Expedition	Lewis and Clark order their Expedition to retreat. This is the first and the last retreat of the entire Expedition. They wait at Hungry Creek and send a detatchment back to Nez Perce to find guides.
06/24/1806	Lewis sets off to Travelers Rest in the Bitterroot Valley	Lewis leads the Corps across successfully this time, as the melting snowbanks from Hungry Creek has made a passage to Travelers Rest in the Bitterroot Valley, where the Expedition halts for two days.
07/03/1806	Lewis and Clark divide the Expedition at Travelers Rest	Lewis and Clark decide to divide the Expedition at Travelers Rest to recross the Continental Divide. Lewis leads a party of nine men, without Nez Perce's guides. Leaving a squad of six men, to wait for Sergeant Ordway at Great Falls, he continues on with Drouillard, Joseph Field, and Reubin Field.
07/26/1806	Lewis meets with a party of eight Blackfeet	Spotting a small part of eight Blackfeet near the Two Medicine River, Lewis decides to advance and meet them, instead of fleeing away from them.
07/27/1806	Lewis kills Blackfeet at the Two Medicine River	A fight ensues between Lewis' Corps and the Blackfeet tribe, during which, Lewis kills two of the Blackfeet, and pushes downriver to meet Clark.
08/11/1806	Lewis shot in the rump	Lewis escapes narrowly from being killed by an Indian in a skirmish. However, he is shot in the rump by one of his men in a hunting accident. A Corps member mistakes him for an elk and shoots him. Fortunately, the wound is not life threatining, just embarassing.
08/12/1806	Lewis reunites with Clark at the Yellowstone Valley	Lewis reunites with Clark at the mouth of the Yellowstone River, and learns that Sergeant Pryor's party lost their horses to Crow Tribe. Lewis is disappointed as he wanted to trade the horses at the Mandan Villages in exchange for presents for the Sioux. His plan of inviting the Sioux Chiefs to a council with President Jefferson in Washington D.C., ends due to the theft of the horses.
08/14/1806	Lewis decides to take Seheke, a Mandan Chief, to visit Jefferson in Washongton D.C.	Lewis and Clark lead the Corps, and arrive at the Mandan and Hidatsa Villages. Lewis releases John Colter from the Corps as he wants to return up the Missouri River with two fur- trappers. Toussaint Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and young Pomp remain at Mandan Villages. Lewis decides to take Sheheke (Big White), a Mandan Chief, to visit Jefferson in Washington D.C.
09/23/1806	Successful return of Lewis and Clark in St. Louis	Lewis and Clark ride up to the dock of St. Louis, a little over 28 months after casting off from Camp Wood. Lewis writes a letter to Jefferson after he takes room in the home of Pierre Chouteau, a wealthy fur- trader. He tells Jefferson that the Northwest Passage does not exist, and the trails followed by him and Clark will never serve as a transcontinental shipping route.
09/26/1806	Clark's last official entry in the journal	William Clark makes the last entry in the captains' official journals,.... "A fine morning we commenced wrighting &c."
12/28/1806	Lewis is hailed a hero	Lewis reaches Washington D.C. where he is proclaimed a hero for his daring exploits. President and Congress award a grant of 1600 acres of land to Lewis and Clark. Privates and Sergeants receive double pay and 300 acres of land.
03/09/1807	Lewis appointed Governor of Louisana Territory	Jefferson appoints Lewis as the new Governor of the Louisana Territory and Congress approves the appointement. Clark serves as Superintendent for Indian affairs and Brigadier General of Louisiana militia.
05/18/1807	Jefferson orders Big White to be escorted back home	Pryor, Pierre Chouteau, and Big White set out up the Missouri River with 14 soldiers and 22 traders to return Big White, the Mandan Chief to his home after Big White's meeting with President Jefferson in Washington D.C.
07/14/1807	Lewis writes the prospectus for his journal	Fearing that Patrick Gass, one of the Sergeants in the Westward Expedition would publish his journal first, Lewis engages a Philidalphea publisher, John Conrad, to bring out Lewis' journal. He asks Dr. Benjamin Barten, a famous naturalist and philosopher to edit his journal. Lewis himself writes the prospectus, or advertisement for his journal.
11/23/1807	Inventor Rober Fulton launches his steamboat, the Clermont.	Inventor Rober Fulton launches his steamboat, the Clermont. Clermont is the first commercially successful steamboat both designed and built by Robert Fulton.
01/05/1808	Lewis attends William Clark's wedding	William Clark marries Julia Hancock and Meriwether Lewis attends their wedding.
03/08/1808	Lewis returns to St.Louis	Lewis arrives to his post in St.Louis exactly one year after Congress had approved his appointment as Governor of the Louisiana Territory.
08/02/1808	Lewis submits a petition to establish a lodge in St. Louis	Lewis and several of his acquaintances submit a petition to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and request a dispensation to establish a lodge in St. Louis
09/16/1808	Lewis is nominated and recommended to serve as the first master of the proposed lodge.	Lewis is nominated and recommended to serve as the first Master of Lodge No. 111 in St. Louis, Missouri
11/23/1808	Lewis starts the Missouri Fur Compnay	Lewis along with fur merchants in St.Louis starts Missouri Fur Company. Lewis participates as a secret partner because he wants to avoid the scandal that would arise if he profits from his actions as the Governor of Louisiana Territory.The company's first task is to return Big White to Mandan.
02/24/1809	Lewis draws up a contract with Missouri Fur Company	Lewis draws up a contract on behalf of US with the Missouri Fur Company to return Big White to Mandan and also to trap fur. The government promises to pay them 7000 dollars for this mission.
05/18/1809	Chouteau departs to St.Louis	Lewis appoints Pierre Chouteau to lead the expedtion as he feels confident in his ability and believes that he will sucessfully take Big White to Mandan. Feeling certain that the US government would honor his debts, Lewis signs notes to pay for additional supplies of gifts and gunpowder.
08/18/1809	William Eustis cuts off funding for Missouri Fur Company	William Eustis, the Secretary of War under President Madison's administration, communicates to Lewis that the war department would not cover additional drafts because the President Jefferson's government was liable for only 7000 dollars as stated in the contract with the Missouri Fur Company.
09/04/1809	Lewis sets off to Washington DC and attempts suicide	Facing financial ruin, Lewis sets out to Washington DC with his servant John Pernier. Lewis attempts to commit suicide on the boat, but, Russell the commander of Fort Pickering takes Lewis off the boat and keeps a close watch on him.
10/09/1809	Lewis continues his trip to Washington DC over land	Lewis and Pernier set out on Natchez trace which crosses the forests and mountains of Tennessee. As two of their horses strayed, Neely stays behind to find them and says that he would catch up with Lewis at the next inn.
10/10/1809	Lewis checks in at the Grinder's Stand	Lewiis stops for the night at a lonely inn called Grinder's Stand. Lewis spends several hours pacing the room muttering to himself. Fearing that Lewis is a deranged man, Mrs.Grinder locks herself in her own cabin.
10/11/1809	Lewis commits suicide at Grinder's Stand	In the middle of the night Mrs.Grinder hears two shots from visitors cabin. The wounded Lewis crawls to her cabin begging for water. Mrs Grinder refuses to open the door as she fears that Lewis is a deranged man.Lewis has gun shot wounds in his chest and the head. Lewis crawls back to his cabin. Periner finds Lewis slashing himself with a razor at dawn. 35 year old Captain Meriwether Lewis dies just after sunrise. Historrians still debate whether it was suicide or murder.
10/18/1809	Neely informs Jefferson of Lewis' death	James Neely writes to Jefferson and informs him of Lewis' death one week after the suicide.
10/28/1809	Clark reads about Lewis' death in a Kentucky Newspaper	Clark reads about Lewis' death in a Kentucky Newspapar on his way to Washington D.C. over land. Clark was to meet Lewis at Washingtion D.C. to protest the President Madison's government decision to cut off grants and funds to the Missouri Fur Company, owned by Lewis and Clark.
06/04/1812	Clark becomes the first governor of Missouri Territory	Congress organizes the Missouri Territory and appoints Clark as Missouri's first Territorial Governor.
03/23/1814	History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark is published	Bradford and Inskeep Firm publishes the History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark.
04/25/1822	In Africa, Libiera is founded as a colony for freed slaves.	In Africa, Libiera is founded as a colony for freed slaves.
04/13/1823	The Ninth Symphony is completed by Beethoven	The German composer, Ludwig von Beethoven, completes composing his Ninth Symphony.
09/01/1838	Clark dies in St. Louis	Clark, at the age of 68, dies in St.Louis, Missouri.