On ApLewis and Clark sent the keelboat back to St. They recruited an interpreter named Toussaint Charbonneau, who brought along his Shoshoni Indian wife, Sacagawea, and her newborn baby boy, Jean Baptiste. By October the Corps of Discovery reached the Mandan and Hidatsa villages, where they built "Fort Mandan" (near present-day Washburn, North Dakota), and spent the winter of 1804-1805.ĭuring the winter Lewis and Clark made copious notes in their journals, drew maps, and learned of the geography that lay ahead from American Indians in the area of the camp. The explorers gave peace medals to the most important chiefs of each tribe. Relations with Native Americans were generally good, and councils were held with the Otos and Missouris. Buried near modern-day Sioux City, Iowa, it is believed that Floyd died of a burst appendix. During this phase of the journey the group suffered the only casualty of the expedition, Sgt. The expedition used a specially built keelboat and two smaller boats, called pirogues, to carry their supplies and equipment, averaging 15 miles per day. Travel up the Missouri River was difficult and exhausting due to heat, injuries, insects, and the troublesome river itself, with its strong current and many snags. An additional group of men, engagés, would travel only to the Mandan country for the first winter, and these included six soldiers and several French boatmen. The party numbered over 45, and included 27 young, unmarried soldiers, a French-Indian interpreter, and Clark's Black slave York. On William Clark and the Corps of Discovery left Camp River Dubois, and were joined by Meriwether Lewis in St. Louis, conferring with traders about the Upper Missouri regions and obtaining maps made by earlier explorers. While there he recruited and trained men, while Lewis spent time in St. In December 1803 William Clark established "Camp River Dubois" at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, north of St. Jefferson envisioned the nation's eventual expansion to the Pacific, and wanted to strengthen the American claim to the northwest Columbia Basin. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 had doubled the size of the nation, but a good share of the territory the expedition would explore was unmapped. Lewis and Clark were instructed to observe and record the entire range of natural history and ethnology of the areas they explored, and note possible resources which would support future settlement. Jefferson provided the best supplies, clothing, firearms, equipment and rations then available. The expedition was meant to prepare the way for the extension of the American fur trade and to advance geographical knowledge. Jefferson's final instructions to Lewis reflect the broad range of the President's interests. The indigenous Native Americans were already very familiar with these "discoveries." Even though an easy water route across the continent was not found, these accomplishments make the Lewis and Clark Expedition one of the most successful explorations of all time. The geography, flora, fauna and other natural phenomena they documented resulted in an enormous body of scientific information that was new to the western world. The people they encountered represented dozens of unique cultures, and enabled the successful completion of their mission. The beauty they discovered was beyond their wildest expectations. These were the final instructions given to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark before they embarked upon their journey into the Louisiana Purchase.
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