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St. Louis, Missouri
The Corps of Discovery sets off down the Missouri River to begin the big expedition to map and discover the west coast. They are led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They had 43 poeple, and one dog, from all around the nation. According to Patrick Gass,"part of the regular troops of the United States, and part engaged for this particular enterprize." They had a large keelboat that was 55 feet long and 8 feet wide to carry their cargo and two smaller boats. -
Expedition member becomes ill
Near Sioux City, Sergeant Charles Floyd becomes violently ill. It is believed that he was sick with a ruptured appendix. He only lasts one day before he passes away. According to Patrick Gass,"This day sergeant Floyd became very sick and remained so all night." -
First expedition casualty
Near what is now Sioux City, Iowa the Corps of Discovery experiences it's first casualty. Sergeant Charles Floyd dies from a ruptured appendix. He became the first soldier to die on the west side of the Mississippi River. As written in the journals,"We buried him on the top of the bluff 1/2 Mile below a Small river to which we Gave his name, he was buried with the Honors of War..." -
Yankton, South Dakota
The Corps of Discovery makes their first contact with the Sioux Indians. They present the indians with many gifts and appointed five of them as chiefs. As Patrick Gass describes,"At dark Captain Lewis gave them a grained deer skin to stretch over a half keg for a drum." When the drum was finished the Siouxs made a bonfire and started playing their instruments. The warriors and young men danced a war dance. After that the corps and Sioux sleep together peacefully. -
Fort Mandan
They discover a settlement of Mandan and Hidatsa Indians.They decide to build a fort and stay there for the winter. William Clark writes,"a Mr. Chaubonie (Charbonneau), interpeter for the Gross Ventre nation Came to See us... this man wished to hire as an interpiter." They hire Mr. Charbonneau, a French Canadian fur trapper, and his wife Sacagawea as interpreters for when they run into the Shoshone at the end of the Missouri River. -
Fort Mandan
Sacagawea has a baby. She names him Jean Baptiste. Since it was her first baby she went into a hard labor. To help her Meriwether Lewis gives the doctor the rattle of a rattlesnake, which supposedly helps get the baby out faster. As Meriwether Lewis wrote in the journal,"Whether this medicine was truly the cause or not I shall not undertake to determine, but I was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before she brought forth." -
The Great Falls of the Missouri
The expedition arrives at the waterfalls and realizes that they will have to carry their boats and cargo 18 and a half miles in order to get around the waterfalls. They create makeshift carts, bury some of their cargo and begin moving their cargo. The Corps of Discovery planned for this to take a half day, but the weather had other plans. Intense heat and hail storms delayed the corps by almost a month. Lewis Meriwether writes,"the prickly pears were extreemly troublesome to us..." -
Camp Fortunate
Named by Lewis after having a peaceful negotiation with a native tribe. After reaching the peak of a ridge the expedition is dissapointed when they see more mountains. After seeing this Lewis realizes that they will need horses. He finds a village nearby and manages to get 29 horses, with the help of Sacagawea, who is actually the chief's sister. Lewis writes,"the sperits of the men were now much elated at the prospect of geting horses." -
Shoshone Indians
After discovering a Shoshone village the entire group is invited into the village. As usual Lewis anc Clark presented there gifts. According to William Clark, "every thing appeared to astonish those people. the appearance of the men, their arms, the Canoes, the Clothing my black Servent & the Segassity of Capt Lewis's Dog." Clark agrees to go out the next day to see if it will be possible to build canoes to get through the mountains. After they all gather around and smoke with the chiefs. -
Entering Montana
The Corps of Discovery enters Montana only to discover that there are tens of thousands of buffalo and elk and other animals in their path. There were so many buffalo that according to John Ordway,"that some of the party clubbed them out of the way." As well as running into buffalo they also run into some grizzly bears, which cause them some trouble because they are so fierce and hard to kill. -
Weippe, Idaho
After getting lost in the mountains and on the brink of starving the Corps of Discovery arrive in Weippe, Idaho. The nearby Nez Perce decide to help them out and feed them salmon and camas roots. Patrick Gass writes,"The Indians belonging to this band, received us kindly, appeared pleased to see us, and gave us such provisions as they had." If the Nez Perce had not befriended them the expedition would have been finished. -
Weippe, Idaho
After giving them salmon and cammas roots one of the chiefs show them how to make new canoes out of pine trees. They start by burning the inside of the tree, and then they simply shape it. They also learn how to carve out paddles. Clark writes in the journal,"our axes are Small & badly calculated to build Canoes of the large Pine." -
Fort Clatsop
After reaching, what the men consider "the end of the world", Paciific Ocean, the corps decides to build Fort Clatsop to survive the winter. The corps is finished building before Christmas. For presents the captains hand out handkerchiefs and the very last of the tobacco. Patrick Gass writes,"At daybreak all the men paraded and fired a round of small arms, wishing the Commanding Officers a merry Christmas." Everyone is excited at the prospect of returning back home. -
Camping with Blackfeet Indians
On their way back to the Missouri part of the expedition, as they had split up to see more, run into a group of Blackfeet Indians. They camp together wary of each other. In the morning the members of the corps find the indians attempting to steal their guns and horses. In the fight that follows two of the Blackfeet Indians are killed. The group leaves peace medals around the neck of one of the corpses so that, as said by Meriwither Lewis,"that they might be informed who we were." -
Corps of Discovery returns to St.Louis
After being gone for two and a half years the entire expedition is welcomed back as heroes. As written by Patrick Gass,"we arrived on the 23rd and were received with great kindness and marks of friendship by the inhabitants,..." As the corps travels to Washington D.C. balls and galas are held at every city they go through. They are all rewarded very handsomely. They each got double pay and were given 320 acres of land. The captains got 1600 acres!
