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The self-christened "Corps of Discovery" leaves from St. Louis, Missouri, traveling westward up the Missouri River with a 41 man crew. -
Sergeant Charles Floyd dies near Sioux City, Iowa. He was the first, and only, death of the crew in the entire expedition. -
The group meets the Teton Sioux in what is now Pierre, South Dakota, and narrowly avoids a skirmish. -
The corps meet Sacagawea, a French-Canadian interpreter who understands who can translate Hidatsa. She turns out to be invaluable making peace, finding food, and helping navigate. -
Greatly using Sacagawea's help through her navigating abilities, the corps reach the tribe, who gears them and prepares them for the trip going forward. -
Even with all the help they received from Shoshone, the corps fell into tough times in the mountains, freezing and starving. When they finally made it into a peaceful village, they fell sick and were incapacitated for a few days. This was, by far, the most grueling part of their exploration. -
The corps finally reached the Pacific Ocean, having gone from the east coast to the west coast of modern day United States. -
The corps spent a month with the Nez Perce tribe waiting for the snow to melt, taking a long needed rest from traveling, playing games and music. -
The corps arrived back in St. Louis, greeted as heroes.