Clark also has learned how to build forts and draw maps.  This will be very good for our group because he will be able to provide shelter when we need it.  He will also be a major benefit to the group because he will be able to document the areas on maps.  He will let us know in the future where people can and can’t settle.  Clark will help to gather information about the physical features of the land.  Clark will become really helpful because he is a strong man and also a cartographer which means that he will be able to display new information that we find with maps that he makes.

If you are to ask people they would label Private Shields as either a blacksmith, gunsmith, or a general mechanic.  This is also another reason that he will be a really important part of this trip.  He will be an essential part of this team if he has a little bit of all of these things in him.  Being a blacksmith would mean that he could make and repair things in iron by his own hands.  Being a gunsmith would mean that he could use and fix guns and weapons like guns if there was an issue.  Lastly, being a general mechanic would mean that he could fix pretty much any problem that we would have with mechanics.  This will bring a huge benefit to the team to know that we have a person that is resourceful and can help fix things if they end up breaking.

Another thing about Sacagawea is that she is an Indian.  You usually seem to look more peaceful to the Indians if you have an Indian travelling with you.  This is what had persuaded the Indians to believe that Americans were peaceful, because they had one of their own.  Sacagawea was able to get the Americans things because of her cultural background.  Some Indians had concluded that she was actually taken from their tribe when she was little, so they let the Americans have horses to continue their travels on.  So all in all, Sacagawea would be a great person to have on the trip.  Also, she would most likely know the land if we were to head West.

There are so many unique things about biscuitroot that probably would have been really interesting and confusing for Lewis and Clark when they discovered it.  The first thing was probably all of the leaves, flowers, and budding that was coming out of the plant.  They were very appealing, making the plant really separate itself from other plants that Lewis and Clark would’ve seen.  Another really confusing thing would have probably been the unique roots that the biscuitroot plants have.  Their roots would be bigger than any other plant that Lewis and Clark would’ve discovered, because their roots were meant for eating.  The most confusing part about the whole plant was probably that the roots where the things that you were supposed to eat, and not the leaves and flowers.  It is a very unique thing that the biscuitroot possess and I think that it is pretty nifty.

Bearberries were probably physically appealing to Lewis and Clark.  This would be because of the nice, bright green and round leaves that they had, as well as the plump-looking red fruit that would hanging from branches.  They probably would have approached the fruit with a sort of caution and suspicion though, because they were bright red and very plump.  It is noted that when Lewis had first tried to identify this plant, he had documented it and identified it wrongly.  He had identified the plant as “saccacommis”.  This term is actually the plain were you can find bearberries, but not actually a bearberry itself.  This plant has proved to be a harder one to identify since it is edible but still toxic at the same time.  In conclusion, I feel like Lewis and Clark were cautious around this sort of fruit because of its really bright red color.  (Red can be a sign of hell, which can hint towards to terms of “evil” or “bad”.)

When Lewis and Clark had found the beavers, they were kind of excited at the sight.  They knew that beavers had been previously used for fur trade, but they didn’t know exactly where the beavers were located.  When they found them in the Columbia River, the different opportunities opened up for the Americans.  They knew that they could bring in fur trade from these beavers.  The Natives had traded with the Americans, trading furs for guns, ammunition, liquor, and different sorts of blankets.  After finding these beavers, Lewis had felt really lucky.  On July 29th, he had sent Colter and Collins out to go hunt animals.  They hunt a couple times of animals, including a total of 31 beavers.  Lewis was thinking that the beaver skins would be taken back to St. Louis to be traded or sold among others.

Lewis and Clark were very interested in the species of prairie dogs when they had found them.  They had noticed that prairie dogs weren’t ever introduced to them before this trip.  They were interested because the animals seemed to be a mix of a rodent and a squirrel.  They had actually classified this species as the “burrowing squirrel of the prairies".  The further that they would get into their discoveries, the more interests and curiosity would peak.  Some of these little creatures had even caused controversy between the Americans.  To capture these prairie dogs they had spent most of one day fetching and pouring around five barrels of water down one of their entrance holes.  They finally evicted their homes and were caught.  Several were even shot.  These rodents had brought in new discoveries, some food, and some money (from their skins) for Lewis and Clark.

This relationship was nowhere similar to the relation the Tetons had with Lewis and Clark.  First, the Americans decided to greet them like they would usually meet Indians, but it didn't do much to impress the Tetons because they saw the Americans as their competitors for the control of trade.  Tensions had slowly started to increase on either side, until finally the chief, chief Black Buffalo had intervened and brought things back to a more diplomatic level.  However, there ended up being so many conflicts between the Americans and the Tetons that Lewis and Clark decided to end their visit.  There was no communication between the Corps of Discovery or the Sioux, so there were several misunderstandings happening at both sides.  Another argument had spikes between the Sioux and the expeditions that was nearly escalated into a blown out fight, but before anything could happen, Lewis and Clark decided to continue upriver.