Was an early exploration of the vast wilderness of what is now the Northwestern United States. The United States government sponsored, and U.S Army officers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark served as co-leaders. The Lewis and Clark expedition began near St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1804 and returned there in September 1806. Historians often refer to the explorers as the Corps of Discovery. Lewis called them the Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery. In time, the group became known simply as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Expedition traveled a total about 8000 miles (12800 kilometers). Starting from a camp near St. Louis, the group journeyed up to Missouri River, across the Rocky Mountains and down the Columbia and other rivers to the Pacific coast. The explorers returned to St. Louis with maps of their routes and surrounding areas; specimen and descriptions of plants, animals and mineral resources; and information about American Indian cultures. The expedition’s success enabled the United States to claim Oregon region, which included what are now the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was a remarkable achievement by z band of brave, determined, and skillful explorers. The group crossed half the continent of North America, travelling through a largely unknown wilderness on foot, on horseback and by boat. They faced scorching and freezing weather, swift river currents, rugged mountain trials and dangerous animals. At times, they suffered from hunger and exhaustion. But the group returned safely home with a wealth of information. The expedition’s journey ranks as one of greatest adventure stories in United States History.
Important Dates in the Lewis and Clark Expedition:-
| 1803: | January 18 |
President Thomas Jefferson asked congress finance the expedition to explorer western part of North America. Congress quickly approved the request.
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| May 2 | U. S Representatives signed a treaty with finance to purchase the Louisiana territory. | |
June 19
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Captain Meriwether Lewis Jefferson’s choice to lead the expedition. Asked William Clark to serve as co-leader.
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| August 31 | Lewis launched the expedition’s boat down the Ohio River from Pittsburg Pennsylvania. | |
| October 15 |
Lewis and Clark met in Clarksville, Indiana where Clark recruited men for the trip.
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| December 13 |
The Expedition established winter quarters at Camp Dubois, near St. Louis, Missouri.
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| 1804: | May 4 | The expedition set out from Camp Dubois and headed to Missouri River. |
| August 20 | Sergeant Charles Floyd became the expedition’s only member to die on the journey. | |
| October 24 | The Group began to build Fort Mandan in present-day North Dakota for its winter camp. | |
| November 4 | Lewis and Clark hired the French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau and his Shoshone Indian wife Sacagawea to interpret Indian languages. | |
| 1805 | April 7 | The journey resumed up the Missouri River |
| June 13 | The group reached the Great falls of Missouri River and soon began an 18 miles (29-kilometres) overland trip around the waterfalls | |
| September 11 | The expedition entered the Lolo trail of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains. The party spent 11 days crossing the Mountains under severe Conditions. | |
| November 18 | Members of the expedition reached the Pacific Coasts. | |
| December 7 | The expedition began to build Fort Clatsop in present-day Oregon for its winter quarters. | |
1806
| March 23 | The homeward journey started |
| July 3 | The expedition split into two groups to find a shortcut home and to explorer more of the Louisiana territory. | |
| July 27 | Lewis’s group killed two Blackfeet Indians who tried to steal guns and horses in what was the only the bloodshed on the entire trip. | |
| August 12 | The two groups of the explorers reunited on the Missouri River near the mouth of the Yellow stone River. | |
| September 23 | The expedition arrived back in St. Louis. |
