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August 1, 1770, Ladysmith, Virginia, VA
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Clark grew up in a large brood and was the ninth of 10 siblings.
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Although he didn't have much formal schooling, his older brothers helped him with his studies.
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Clark entered the military at the age of 19. He became friends with Meriwether Lewis while the two served together in the U.S. Army in 1795.
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In 1803, Clark received a letter from his old friend Lewis, inviting him to share command of an expedition of the lands west of the Mississippi River.
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While spending their first winter near a native Mandan village, they invited Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian, and her husband Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian trader, to join the expedition as interpreters.
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Clark took a group with him to explore the Yellowstone River. During this part of the journey, he named a rock formation after Sacagawea's son, calling it Pompy's Tower.
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Clark also received an appointment as the agent for Indian affairs in the West and became a brigadier general of the militia.
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Clark married Julia Hancock in 1808.
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The next year, he served as governor of the Missouri Territory, a position he held for seven years.
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Once the territory became a state in 1820, Clark ran for governor but lost the election.
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Clark died on September 1, 1838, in St. Louis, Missouri.
