Lewis and Clark
The Expedition to Explore the West
The Journey
After the acquisition of land from the Louisiana Purchase, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were sent on an expedition by Thomas Jefferson. They were commissioned by Jefferson in 1803. The main goal of the expedition was to find a route to the Pacific Ocean for trade. Another goal was to catalog certain plants and animal species. Along the way, the men were helped by a young Indian woman named Sacajawea. The crew only experienced one fatality, Sergeant Charles Floyd died of natural causes. The journey took about 2 years. During their trip, Lewis and Clark's canoe tipped over and Sacajawea managed to save their precious travel journals. Lewis and Clark's crew referred to themselves as the Corps of Discovery. They had an overall beneficial relationship with Indian tribes that helped them along their way and guided them through unfamiliar situations.
Route
This is the route taken by Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark
Sacajawea
Sacajawea guiding Lewis and Clark
Resources
http://www.nps.gov/lecl/index.htm This website gave me dates and a purpose for the expedition.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/resources_timeline_1803.html This website provided dates for events.
http://lewis-clark.org/ This helped to give specific details about the journey.
Sacajawea
Sacajawea was the wife of Toussaint Charbonneau. She lived in North Dakota and was part of the Lemhi Shoshone tribe. She proved to be incredibly helpful to the expedition with her extensive knowledge of the land, and her help with Natives.