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Clark and some men set off from their starting pint of St. Louis. They later meet with Lewis to makea total of around two dozen men. They depart in boats. It is "a Cloudy morning fixing for a Start."
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They tell the Indians how they ought to behave and tell them about the United States. They show off some of their technology, including an air gun that astonishes them. They claim that they have a new "great father" in the east. They repeat this procedure with all the Indian people they meet with later.
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Sergeant Floyd dies from what historians now believe is a ruptured appendix. They name a small river and hill in his honor. He is the first US soldier to die west of the MIssissippi,. Before his death he says to Clark, "I am going away. I want you to write me a letter-"
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They meet with the Yankton Sioux. A baby is born. Lewis wraps the boy up in an American flag and pronounces him "an American."
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They meet with the Teton Sioux. At first the Tetons see them as enemies, but their chief brings the situation down to a more friendly level.
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During this time the member of the expedition stay with the Teton Sioux. There are great ceremonies involving dances and songs. Because many of these ceremonies take place at night, Clark notes that "I am verry unwell I think for the want of Sleep."
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During this time the members of the expedition stay with the Teton Sioux. There are great ceremonies involving dances, songs, and smoking. Because many of these ceremonies take place at night, Clark notes that "I am verry unwell I think for the want of Sleep"
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The expedition adds two new members. One is a native woman called Sacagawea. The other is man called Charbonneau.
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The men hunt down a grizzly bear, previously an unknown species to Americans. Initially, Lewis believes accounts of the bears' ferocity were exaggerated. They spend the followng days being chased by more. Lewis writes that the "curiosity of our party is pretty well satisfied with respect to this animal."
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The members of the expedition meet with the Shoshone to trade. They try to get the all-important horses they need to cross the mountains. The chief of the village happens to be Sacagawea's brother.
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The members of the expedition meet with the Nez Perce people of Idaho. They get sick from eating too much salmon and camas fruit. One of the Indians shows them how to make new canoes.
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The members of the expedition meet with the Nez Perce people of Idaho. They get sick from eating too much salmon and camas root. One of the Indians shows them how to make new canoes.
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Near what will later become Orofino, Idaho, the men push their canoes into Clearwater River. This is the first time they have gone with a river's current since St. Louis. Clark's boat springs a leak while he is in it.
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They celebrate Christmas at Fort Clatsop. The officers give gifts of hankerchiefs, whiskey , and tobacco. There is an entire continent between them and home.
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The constant rain in the month of Januray dampens the men's moods and amplifies feelings of homesickness. There are only 12 days in the month on which it does not rain. Tones of the diaries are more negative.
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The constant rain in the month of January dampens the men's moods and amplifies feelings of homesickness. There are only 12 days in the month on which it does not rain. The tones of the diaries change and are more negative.
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The men ran out of whisky several months ago. Now they run out of tobacco. They "use crab-tree bark as a substitute."
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They meet with the Blackfoot Indians. Later they find Blackfoot warriors stealing their horses. In the ensuing fight, two indians die. This is the only occasion where members of the expedition kill Indians.
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The men reutrn to St. Louis. The people had assumed they were dead after their absence of more than two years. There is much public excitement. They are the first Americans ever known to see the west coast.
