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Lewis and Clark William Clark and Meriwether Lewis were American explorers. They are famous for their exploration of the American frontier. Their expedition was the first American trip into the western United States. President Thomas Jefferson organized the expedition after the Louisiana Purchase. The group of explorers was officially called the Corps of Discovery. They traveled west along the Missouri River near St. Louis, Missouri and crossed the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide consists of the Rocky Mountains and other peaks in the western U.S. Eventually, the Corps reached the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. The expedition lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. Guiding Purpose The main purpose of the trip was to map, explore, and create an American presence in the western half of the continent. Lewis and Clark were also asked to find a route across the wilderness to the West Coast. President Jefferson thought this expedition was very important. The United States had recently bought a large piece of western land from the French. Also, the idea of Manifest Destiny was becoming more popular in the eastern United States. Jefferson wanted reliable information about the unknown land. This information would make settling the land much safer and easier. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was the key to this knowledge. Native American Interaction As they made their way across the continent, the Corps came across several Native American tribes. Some of these encounters were not friendly. The Lakota (Sioux) and the Partisan tribes were the most unfriendly. However, most of the group’s meetings with Native Americans were peaceful. If it were not for the help of the Native Americans, the Lewis and Clark Expedition probably would have failed. One Shoshone woman named Sacagawea gave Lewis and Clark very helpful advice along their journey. Sacagawea and her husband joined the expedition in the early months of 1805. From that point forward, the two served as guides and translators for the Corps. After the group crossed the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountains, they reached the Pacific Ocean for the first time on November 7, 1805. The group then spent the winter near the Columbia River before starting the journey back to St. Louis in March of 1806. Camping Out On their journey, the Corps set up several forts. The group camped at these forts for weeks or even months at a time. These forts included Fort Mandan in North Dakota and Fort Clatsop in Oregon. In addition to mapping out the land and adding an American presence in the West, Lewis and Clark also made observations about the land. They looked closely at the wildlife, weather, and natives of the western land. They carried leather journals where they wrote about their trip and what they saw. They documented over 200 new plant and animal species and over 72 Native American Tribes. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was one of the most significant westward trips in American history. The Corps of Discovery were the first Americans to cross the Continental Divide, see Yellowstone, and reach the Pacific Ocean. More importantly, they provided detailed maps and descriptions of these regions. They succeeded in reaching the Pacific Ocean and 55 ©The Sweetest Thing 920 538 WESTWARD EXPANSION #2 writing about their travels. The information that they brought back with them was important to the U.S.’s efforts to settle the West.
