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The Journey Begins
Lewis and Clark and nearly fifty other men started Westward up the Missouri River in late May of 1804 in a 55 foot keelboat and two smaller boats. Lewis spent his time making maps in the keelboat, while Clark studied the varying wildlife of the land. By the end of July in the same year, and almost 600 miles up the Missouri River, they still had not met a single Native American. -
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
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Standoff With the Teton Sioux
When the men came upon the Teton Sioux tribe, they were greeted with gifts. However, one of the chiefs of the tribe demanded a boat to allow the expedition to carry on. Lewis drew his sword, but both sides refrianed from violence and Lewis and Clark continued up the Missouri River. However, winter was coming. -
Racing Against Winter's Approach
Lewis and Clark came upon the Madan tribe just days after the firts snowfall of the winter. They teamed up with the Madan tribe to build a fort to protect from the Sioux tribe. It got very cold and Lewis and Clark were quickly running out of food. -
Winter Among the Mandan
The fifty men spent their first winter on their expedition with the Mandan tribe. They were taught the land of the western world by the tribe. They spent the winter hunting buffalo, trading with the Indians, and repairing equipment. The Missouri River turned from ice to water in the spring, and Lewis and Clark carried on. -
Into Grizzly Country
In the spring of 1805, Lewis and Clark were finally headed west toward the Pacific Ocean. They were warned about grizzly bears by the Indian tribes, but they underestimated them. On April 29, they came upon a pair of grizzly bears. They wounded one, but the second chased Lewis about 80 yards before they were able to kill it. -
Toward the Continental Divide
Lewis and Clark approached the mountains, and they would need to get from the Missouri River to the Columbia River. However, they would not be able to travel by foot. They needed horses, and the only way they could get horses was through the Shoshone Tribe, which they had not encountered yet. -
Among the Shoshone
The expedition finally found the Shoshone tribe in early August. Using Sacagawea as a translator, Lewis and Clark negotiated with the tribe. However, it was very costly for Lewis and Clark, and most of the horses were in bad shape. -
"Ocian in View!"
The expediton quickly reached the Snake River and then shortly after the Columbia River in October of 1805. Clark thought he had seen the Pacific Ocean, and he wrote "Ocian in view!" in his journal. However, it was only the Columbia River, and they were still twenty miles away from the Pacific Ocean. -
Readying for the Return
After spending several days on the Pacific, Lewis and Clark, along with their men, were ready to back home. However, getting home would not be easy. There was still a lot of snow on the mountains, but if they waited too long, the Missouri River could have frozen over. They began their journey back home with five canoes. -
Returning to the Mandans
Lewis and Clark said goodbye to a few of the members of their expedition, including Sacagawea and some other Native Americans. On August 17, 1806, Lewis and Clark left the Mandan villages and headed home. About two weeks later, members of the Sioux tribe threatened Lewis and Clark by lining up on the banks of the Missouri River. However, Lewis and Clark stayed in the middle of the river, did not get attacked, and would soon return home.