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After the expedition, Clark remained a well-respected man with a successful life. He traveled to St. Louis to be take up duties as an Indian agent for the Territory of Upper Louisiana with York alongside. Unfortunately for Lewis, he committed suicide in 1809 with a pistol. His family has always had a history of what is believed to be manic-depression (bipolar disorder), and he had been a victim of deep depression since his youth. He was often drunk and the source of allegations of using government funds, which lead to a deep depression. Sacagawea and her family considered moving to St. Louis, but she had died before that. She died of typhus, a bacteria which is infected by fleas, a few years after Lewis’s death and Clark became the guardian of the children.

This expedition is important to the United States as it was the first-ever recorded overland journey from the Mississippi River to the Pacific and back. The Lewis and Clark expedition gave significant geographic and scientific knowledge about the west, aided the expansion of the fur trade, and strengthened the U.S. claims to the Pacific. The maps Clark provided were the best there were in the 1840s. The journey brought back knowledge on unmapped land, rivers, and mountains; there was also information on Native American tribes and new plants and animals. Future explorers were inspired by this expedition and used the knowledge they brought back to further explore the western part of the continent. No other US expedition has been remembered like Lewis and Clark's was. Stamps, monuments, and trails have had numerous places named after the journey.

Kids should continue to learn about this expedition as it has led us to where we are today. Without the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the history of the United States would've been different. This land may have still belonged to another country and we would have no knowledge like this on it. We should know the history of our own nation and the events we have experienced. This journey serves as a map and a guide for life on the American roads.

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The Corps of Discovery make it past what they thought was the Pacific Ocean but was really the edge of Gray's Bay. It was 20 miles inward from the Pacific Ocean. The waves and strong winds made the canoes nearly useless. With the help of local Clatsop Indians and their ocean-going canoes, the Corps were able to make it past the estuary and to the Pacific Ocean.

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The Corps of Discovery start to head back home and stop for a while at Nez Perce again. They did not take the advice of the Natives to cross the Bitterroot Mountains before the snow melted. During March and June, the Corps had the most enjoyable time with the Nez Perce Indians. They had foot races and played boyhood games with the Natives, as well as staying up late to dance and hang out around the fire. They even lit fir trees on fire to bring fair weather for the rest of the expedition trip.

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12. Bitterroot Mountains and Splitting - July 3, 1806

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12. Bitterroot Mountains and Splitting - July 3, 1806

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With the help of the Nez Perce Indians, the Corps are able to cross the Bitterroot Mountains with little effort. The next day, the Corps split into 4 groups to go separate ways. Lewis leads one group up the Marias River, part of the Louisiana Territory. Clark leads a group to explore the Yellowstone River. They plan to meet up at Fort Mandan without communication.

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Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho was a challenge even with horses and guides. It was the hardest and most life-threatening part of the expedition. The snow was already very high even though it was mid-September. This caused the Corps to get lost, horses slipping, and the members starting to starve. After 11 days, they make their way out of the forest half-dead and are taken in by the Nex Perce Indians. The Indians debated whether to kill them or not (Sacagawea part of the Shoshone people, their enemies), but are stopped by a woman named Watkueis who lived among white men. The Corps were housed by the Nez Perce and found themselves sick from overeating.

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Lewis and his group feeing from the Blackfeet Indians

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Lewis and his group feared that the Blackfeet Indians would chase after him because of the death of the young Brave, and because of this they nearly did not get any rest. They were on their horses for almost 24 hours straight. They rode toward the mouth of the Maria and down the Missouri River to get to Fort Mandan as soon as possible. Lewis's group fled a total of 81 miles and finally stopped to rest at 2 AM.

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The Corps of Discovery, Lewis and Clark, and Natives Americans together.

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16. Corps of Discovery as Heroes - September 23, 1806

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16. Corps of Discovery as Heroes - September 23, 1806

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Lewis and Clark arrive at St. Louis with the Corps of Discovery weeks after leaving Fort Mandan. There, the tired explorers are treated as heroes after arriving. They were awarded double pay and public land by Congress. Lewis and Clark received  1,600 acres (650 hectares), and the rest of the members received 320 acres (130 hectares).

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Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site, Washburn, ND, USA

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15. Reunited and Separated - Autumn, 1806

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15. Reunited and Separated - Autumn, 1806

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Lewis -after fleeing for 81 miles- and Clark -after exploring the Yellowstone River for 80 miles- finally reunite at Fort Mandan after a month. At Fort Mandan, the Corps of Discovery say their goodbyes to Janey, Clark's nickname for Sacagawea, and the Mandan and Hidatsa. Following the goodbyes, the Corps made their way back to St. Louis.

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Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Blackfeet, MT, USA

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During Lewis's return trip and his journey to explore the Marias River, his group was met by a group of Blackfeet warriors in Montana. When Lewis caught a warrior stealing their guns and horses, he shot a young Blackfoot Indian. This resulted in the only native death of the whole journey.

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This location is part of Clark's journey to explore 80 miles of the Yellowstone River while heading back to Fort Mandan.

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On Clark's journey back, near modern-day Billings, Montana, he carves his name and the date into a sandstone outcropping. He named this Pompy's Tower (before it was changed to Pompy's Pillar by Nicholas Biddle) after Sacagawea's son (birthed during the expedition), Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who is nicknamed Pomp. Today, this is the only physical evidence of Lewis and Clark's expedition that still remains.

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The Corps and the Natives needed horses in order to make it across the Rocky Mountains before the winter. Sacagawea wasn't guiding the expedition, but using her past memories to find the right path toward the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea at the age of 12, used to live with the Shoshone before she was kidnaped by the Hidatsa. She is able to recognize the point of a high plain and says that they would find her people on that river. When they reach the Shoshone, Sacagawea reunites with her brother, Cameahwait, the now Shoshone chief. Lewis and Clark now have the horses that they needed.

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In order to reach the Pacific Ocean fast and safely, the Corps followed the guide of the Indians and the white traders. However, they were unprepared for the huge challenge waiting for them in the Missouri River. The one true fork is the real Missouri River, and it is identified by a series of waterfalls upstream. Going with the right fork, they found the Great Falls. They soon realized that the Great Falls would take more than a day to pass. They created wagons from fallen trees and dragged their equipment and canoes over 18 miles of horrible terrain. This was probably the longest part of their expedition, which took a month and a half.

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Lewis and Clark (Camp River Dubois) State Historic Site, Lewis and Clark Trail, Hartford, IL, USA

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Camp Dubois, located outside of St. Louis, Missouri, is where the Corps of Discovery embarked in a 55-foot keelboat to begin their journey up the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. The Corps of Discovery included 41 men: volunteers, soldiers, Lewis and Clark, and one African American slave (Patrick Gass, a carpenter from Pennsylvania). The slave wrote about the expected dangers but also the ensured success.

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4. Tested by the Sioux Indians: September - October 1804 

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4. Tested by the Sioux Indians: September - October 1804 

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While traveling, the land was occupied by the Native Americans and they met 50 Native American tribes. Lewis and Clark encouraged the Sioux Tribe, they did a Scalp Dance and Clark offered them gifts and soon made a "Peace and Friendship" peace pipe.

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On August 20th of 1804, 3 months after the start of the journey, Sergeant Charles Floyd was the first and only death of the Corps during the entire two-year expedition. He was the youngest man of the expedition. Near Sioux City, Iowa, Floyd died of a suspected ruptured appendix, or in other words, the appendix burst and was followed by fatal peritonitis. This could’ve happened because of the sickness that he had but had recovered a bit from.

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Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site, Washburn, ND, USA

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Sacagawea and her son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau

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5. Fort Mandan and Natives: November 11, 1804

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5. Fort Mandan and Natives: November 11, 1804

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With the winter arriving, the Corps of Discovery settled in Fort Mandan in North Dakota. There, they were housed by the Handan and Hidatsa Indians. They also meet Sacagawea, a pregnant wife of Toussaint Charbonneau, who was hired as an interpreter by Lewis and Clark. Sacagawea helped with guiding the expedition, showing native tribes that they came in peace, and also with the health of the Corps.

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92343 Fort Clatsop Road, Astoria, Oregon, USA

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10. Pacific Ocean & Fort Clatsop - November 24, 1805

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10. Pacific Ocean & Fort Clatsop - November 24, 1805

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After making it past Gray's Bay, they had finally reached the Pacific Ocean. There, they had to decide where to build Fort Clatsop, their home for the future 5 months. They did a tally of votes to decide. This event contained 2 historical votes: one from York, the African American slave, and one from Sacagawea, an Indian woman. They decided on a place where there are lots of Potas. The weather at Fort Clatsop was horrible. It rained all days except for 12 from December to March. They were ready to start their journey back as soon as possible.

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Lewis and Clark (Camp River Dubois) State Historic Site, Lewis and Clark Trail, Hartford, IL, USA

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From left to right: William Clark, Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis

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Before the Louisiana Purchase doubled the United State’s territory, Thomas Jefferson got the approval from Congress to send a team of explorers to find a good and passable route to the Pacific Ocean. His goal was to explore the Louisiana Purchase, acquire New Orleans from the French, and the land beyond the Rocky Mountains. Jefferson told his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis to lead the “Corps of Discovery,” and called his friend, William Clark, to be his equal in command.

“...If therefore there is anything… in this enterprise, which would induce you to participate with me in it’s fatiegues, it’s dangers and it’s honors, believe me there is no man on earth with whom I should feel equal pleasure in sharing them as with yourself... ” - Lewis’s letter to Clark

"... which I recived with much pleasure—The enterprise &a. is Such as I have long anticipated and am much pleased With—and as my Situation in life will admit of my absence the length of time necessary to accomplish Such an undertakeing I will chearfully join you in an ‘official Charrector’ as mentioned in your letter, and partake of the dangers, difficulties, and fatigues, and I anticipate the honors & rewards of the result of Such an enterprise, Should we be successful in accomplishing it. This is an under takeing fraited with many difeculties, but My friend I do assure you that no man lives Whith Whome I would perfur to under take Such a Trip &c. as your Self, and I shall arrange My Matters as well as I can against your Arrival here..."
- Clark's return letter to Lewis