Thomas Jefferson established the Corps of Discovery, a branch of the Army specifically made to investigate the territory, and put Meriwether Lewis in charge of it, who then asked William Clark to help him lead. Lewis was a soldier in the U.S. Army and Jefferson’s personal secretary from 1801 to 1803, and was later appointed as Governor of the Louisiana Territory four years later.[2] Clark was Lewis’ close friend from the Army and an avid frontiersman.

     
William Clark started recruiting men to join the Corps of Discovery at Camp River Dubois, north of St. Louis, Missouri and was able to gather a total of approximately 50 people. They packed up their supplies, left Camp Dubois on May 14, 1804, and met up with Meriwether Lewis at St. Charles Missouri. Ready to set off on their expedition, they follow the Missouri River for as long as possible until they reach the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide.[3]

     
Travel conditions during the first few months were very rough; the amount of insects made traveling and working almost impossible for the group, as both Lewis and Clark explain in their journals. The torment from gnats, prickly pears, and especially mosquitoes were “equal to any three curses that ever poor Egypt laiboured under.” Biers, small coffin-shaped boxes, and large fires were frequently used by members of the expedition to keep some of the insects off of their bodies.[4] The Missouri River also has a strong current, which made their supply boats more difficult to control.

     
Most Native American tribes the Corps of Discovery encountered during their travels were friendly, but some were not. At one point, when the Corps tried to cross through Sioux-controlled land, native warriors attempted to hijack William Clark’s canoe. However, the expedition group was armed with weapons and prepared to fight. The Sioux chief, Black Buffalo, eventually calmed the situation down.[5] This incident shows the tense relations between certain native tribes and the Corps. The United States Mint made “Indian Peace Medals” for the Corps to distribute to different tribes to promote peace and allow passage through their land.[6]

     
In the winter of 1804, the group created a campsite called Fort Mandan to settle down into for the winter. The name “Fort Mandan” was based on the friendly Mandan Indians living in the area. The construction of the fort started on November 2, 1804, and was completed on November 27 with sleeping quarters and 16-foot pickets surrounding the fort to protect the group against potential hostile Indian attacks.[7] While some men of the Corps were still building the fort, some men were also busy trying to recruit people to join the expedition. One of the men they recruit is a French explorer named Toussaint Charbonneau, particularly because of his Indian language translating abilities. The two Shoshone women with him also join. One of the women is seventeen-year-old Sacagawea, who will become an important asset later in the group’s journey.[8]

After the winter was over, the group continued to follow the Missouri River until they reached the Great Falls on June 13, 1805. Being unable to cross the Falls safely, they instead took an 18-mile detour on the plains around it.[9] Progress was very slow and difficult as Lewis recorded in his journal: “At every halt these poor fellow tumble down and are so much fortiegued that many of them are asleep in an instant. In short their fatiegues are incredible.”Just over a month later, they managed to get around the Falls, and the Corps continued on their journey to the Rocky Mountains.

After a few more weeks of traveling, the group comes to a rock formation now named Beaverhead Rock. Sacagawea recognizes it as the place where her Shoshone tribe had lived before. The Corps searches for her tribe and eventually finds them on August 12th, 1805, deciding to camp with them for a few days. Being able to understand their language, Sacagawea is able to explain to the Shoshones about the Corps’ intentions of reaching the Pacific Ocean. They exchanged information about the surrounding land with Lewis and gave them the necessary supplies to continue on their quest Westward.[10]

The Corps leaves Beaverhead Rock and continues along the Columbia River for another month until they decide to stop and camp in a rock-surrounded piece of land near the mouth of Mill Creek. This campsite was chosen because of the abundant fish in the nearby Mill Creek and the site’s natural rock defenses against Indian attacks. They spent three nights there to rest, hunt for food and to repair their boats and tools.[11]

Finally, after a year-and-a-half of travel, the Lewis and Clark expedition reaches Chinook Point in Washington on November 15, 1805. Once the heavy rainfall subsides, they are able to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time and complete the task Thomas Jefferson sent them out to accomplish. They set up a campsite at Fort Clatsop near Chinook Point and stay until the winter season passes, then start their trek back to St. Louis, Missouri in March of 1806, completing their round-trip journey in October.[12] 

Although the Corps of Discovery didn’t find a direct waterway to the Pacific Ocean, they successfully came into contact with many new Indian tribes, identified new plant and animal species, and created new maps of the Louisiana Territory. Only one unfortunate man died throughout the entire three years. Through perseverance, the expedition greatly improved the knowledge of the Louisiana Territory for future explorers.

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[1] Douglas Perry, “Lewis and Clark Expedition,” The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, last modified September 7, 2016,  https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/lewis-clark.
[2] “Meriwether Lewis and William Clark,” The Library of Congress, accessed November 30, 2016, http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/lewisandclark/aa_lewisandclark_subj.html.
[3] “Corps of Discovery,” National Park Service, accessed November 30, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/corps-of-discovery.htm.
[4] Joseph Mussulman, “Measures of Torment,” Discovering Lewis and Clark, last modified July, 2011, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/3130.
[5] James Ronda, “The Teton Confrontation,” The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, last modified 1984, http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/?_xmlsrc=lc.ronda.01.02.xml&_xslsrc=LCstyles.xsl.
[6] Joseph Mussulman, “Jefferson Peace Medals,” Discovering Lewis and Clark, accessed November 30, 2016, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/350.
[7] Joseph Mussulman, “Fort Mandan Winter,” Discovering Lewis and Clark, last modified July, 2011, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/1463.
[8] Joseph Mussulman, “Sacagawea Meets Lewis and Clark,” Discovering Lewis and Clark, last modified July, 2011, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/964.
[9] “Great Falls Portage,” Lewis and Clark Expedition, accessed November 30, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/gre.htm.
[10] “Beaverhead Rock - Lewis and Clark Expedition,” Lewis and Clark Expedition, accessed November 30, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/bea.htm.
[11] “Rock Fort Campsite,” Lewis and Clark Expedition, accessed November 30, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/roc.htm.
[12] “Chinook Point,” Lewis and Clark Expedition, accessed November 30, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/chi.htm.