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The Journey Begins
Lewis and Clark began expedition by making their way up the MIssouri aboard a 55 foot long keelboat. Clark spent most of his time aboard the keelboat maping out their way and Lewis was usually on shore studying what he found. By the end of their travels they traveled more than 600 miles. -
Standoff with the Teton Sioux
Jefferson hoped for a peacful and friendly reltions with the Sioux and he was dissapointed. As the indians became threning, the explorers drew on them but before anyone could casue any damage both sides pulled back. The explorers went up the river with a potential threat following. -
Into Grizzly Country
As the explorers travelled on westward, they were soon met with grizzly country, which the indians warned them about. Lewis was unimpressed and chose not to listen because he knew the indians only had bows and arrows, so they were not a threat to him and his men beacause they were equiped with rifles. Lewis later changed his mind after he was charged by one and almost killed. -
A Fork in the River
When the explorers came upon a fork in the river and the captains believed that the southern branch was MIssouri, and that would lead them to the rockies. The rest of the men did not agree with this idea. Because Lewis and Clark could not afford to make the wrong choice, they send out search parties in both directions. -
Around the Great Falls
On this day Lewis became the first white man to see the great falls of the Missouri river. There were more than the indians had said, so they went on for a twelve mile stretch, longer than he expected. When Lewis rejoined clark they set out on the portage, the hardest task they had to go through. -
Toward The Continental Divide
Once the explorers were able to get across the continental divide they could ride westward. They were going to need horses though to accomplish this task and to get horses they would need to fix the Shoshone tribe. They were starting to get concerned because they have not met up with anyone from the tribe despite what the Hidatsa has said. -
Winter on the Pacific
Lewis and Clark decided to make a camp south of the Columbia. They spent their time making moccasins and buckskin clothing, storing food, and working on journals an maps. The captains were very anxious to meet one of the trading ships that came frequently to the mouth of the Columbia. One ship traded with the Indians and Lewis and Clark were unaware and the ship left before they could trade -
Among the Ne Perce
They explorers arrived back at Nez Perce territory practically out of food. They had to wait until the weather improved before they could try to cross the snow covered bitterroots. During the wait Lewis busied himself with nature studied while clark treated sick members of the tribe. By early June the explorers were equipped with horses they were off, even though the tribe said that no american could make it -
Riding the Missouri
One of clark's group members shot what he thought was an elk, but was actually a buckskin clad Lewis instead. The shot went through his left thigh and was not fatal. The two groups reunited and carried on the current of the Missouri river homeward. -
Giving up for dead, hailed as heroes
The expedition was travelling 80 miles a day at the end of their journey. On the way they met traders who had informed Lewis and clark that they had been given up for dead. Two years, four months, and ten days after they had left they had finally arrived at at louis to 1,000 people greeting them with gunfire and salutes.