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The Corps of Discovery at St. Louis, Missouri
The Corps of Discovery started their journey at St. Louis, Missouri. To be specific, they were staying up river from there at Camp Wood / Camp Dubois. During the winter, the corps of discovery had been staying here making preperations while winter passed. On May the 14th, 1804, they set out.
Image from http://www.campdubois.com/html/winter_camp.html -
Sickness amongst the Corps
On July the 7th, 1804, York was reported to be sick by Clark. It should be noted that York certainly was not the only member of the expedition to fall ill. In the time spent at Fort Clatsop, York was said to be sick three times, ignoring the several other men who developed various illnesses during that time. Sacagawea even fell to critical condition at one point.
Image from https://sites.google.com/a/worcesteracademy.org/lewis-and-clark-project---d-period/group-2---difficulties/alyssa---illness -
The loss of Sergent Floyd
On the 20th of August, 1804, "Sergent Floyd died with a great deal of composure..." - William Clark
Experts suspect that Sergent Floyd succumbed to a burst appendix. The area in which he was put to rest was named after him, according to William Clark. To be specific, these areas are known as Floyd's Bluff and Floyd's River.
Image from http://lewisandclark.today/1804_8/19.html -
An encounter with the Sioux
On August the 30th, 1804, Lewis and Clark held a conference with the Yankton Sioux. The Yanktons were quite eager to trade, and were hospitable. This is in stark contrast to the militaristic Teton Sioux. The Teton Sioux were much more agressive, and several incidents with them almost ignited into a fight.
Image from http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/tet.html -
Trading with the Natives
The Corps of Discovery traded with Native American tribes several times throughout their travels. One example of this would be the trade held between the Mandan tribe and the Corps during their stay. Other tribes the Corps of Discovery did buisness with included the Shoshone and the Clatsop.
Image from http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/man.html -
Fort Mandan
With fall taking root, and winter on a fast approach, Lewis and Clark arrived at the Mandan's territory. It was here with the help of the peaceful Mandans that they held out for the winter. They built a fort across from one of the villages, who they would frequently trade with for food. When winter gave away to spring, the Corps of Discovery said their farewells and set off. Image from http://history.nd.gov/exhibits/lewisclark/ftmandan.html -
Sacagawea's Baby
On this date, Sacagawea gives birth to a baby boy. After being given some medicine in the form of powerdered rattlesnake rattles, Sacagawea names the boy Jean Baptiste. To quote the journals, "about five oclock this evening one of the wives of Charbono was delivered of a fine boy." -Meriwether Lewis.
Image from http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/archive/1805.html -
Grizzly Encounter
On April the 29th, 1805, Lewis and another member of the Corps of Discovery bag a Grizzly Bear. As time went on, it became clear that the Grizzly Bears were truly a force to be reackoned with as the Natives said. As Patrick Gass points out, "They are longer than the common black bear, and have much larger feet and talons." Later on, Lewis announced that "the curiosity of our party is pretty well satisfied with respect to this animal." Image from http://lewisandclark.today/1805_4/29.html -
Weather Influence
On May the 14th, 1805, strong winds practically sunk the boat the Corps of Discovery were using. This almost lost them several notes if it were not for Sacagawea. Another time, a flash flood created by the rain almost swept away several Corps of Discovery members, including Clark. Image from http://www.thinglink.com/scene/631887849427304450 -
Shoshone Indian Encounter
On August the 13th, 1805, the Corps of Discovery were progressing to the Rocky Mountains. However, they faced a serious problem: the very nature of the Rocky Mountains prevented further access via water. They required a way to navigate the dangerous mountains by land. Fortunately, the Shoshone Native Americans were willing to provide horses. Despite the poverty they found themselves in, they treated the Corps of Discovery as guests. Image from http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/sho.html -
Shoshone and Nez Perce Natives Assist the Corps through the Rockys
The Shoshone tribe greatly assist Lewis and Clark along with the rest of the Corps of Discovery. By providing horses, they enabled them to successfully continue west. Upon arriving on the other side of the Rockys, they encountered the Nez Perce. The Nez Perce, despite going through tough times like the Shoshone, were happy to assist the group in re-stocking and re-grouping. Image from https://franceshunter.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/tab-ba-bone-meriwether-lewis-meets-the-shoshone/ -
Important Plants
Several Plants were quite important to the Corps of Discovery, especially since one of their instructions was to record new organisms for science. Camas was one of the more important plants to the Corps, however. Often times the Corps of Discovery would include the Camas root in their diet, making it even more significant than the others. Image from http://travellogs.us/Plants/Camas/Camas%20Flowers%20Roots.htm -
A brief rest in Idaho
As winter drew near once again, the Corps of Discovery had successfully traversed the Rocky Mountains. However, supplies were running rather low. Luckily for the Corps of Discovery, the Nez Perce Natives were glad to lend their assiatance. Aided by the Nez Perce, the Corps of Discovery set out for the Pacific after a few days worth of preperation. Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce_people -
Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop was named after the nearby Native American tribe, the Clatsops. This establishment was where the Corps of Discovery spent their winter. The Clatsops were very helpful towards the Corps. For example, they often informed them of opportunities for food when the expedition ran low on food. Image from http://lewisandclark.today/1805_12/30.html -
The first and last battle
On July the 27th, 1806, Lewis' group encountered a group of Blackfoot Indians. While seeming peaceful if suspicious at first, the Blackfoot were later caught attempting to abscond with the horses and weaponry that morning. A fight broke out, and two members of the Blackfoot party were slain. Image from http://lewisandclark.today/1806_7/27.html
