Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Western Coast of the United States of America had never been properly or officially explored and charted before the 1800s. Thomas Jefferson, had advocated the expansion of the United States towards the west. Upon the purchase of Louisiana from France, the Congress approved President Thomas Jefferson's plan to organize an expedition into the north-western wilderness of the United States, which was still an unexplored region. The aim of this expedition was to chart the territory along the Missouri river. Jefferson wanted to establish a water route along the river towards the Pacific Ocean.

"The objective of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal streams of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado, or any other river may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across the continent, for the purposes of commerce", as written by President Thomas Jefferson to Captain Meriwether Lewis in a letter dated June 20, 1803. The objectives of the expedition can be listed as follows.

• To explore the river basin of Missouri
• Map the territory around the river basin
• Try to establish a route along the rivers that can be used for commercial purposes
• Map the total explored territory between the river basins of the Yellowstone river and the Columbia river

Members of the Corps Discovery

The expedition was named 'The Corps of Discovery'. The Corps of Discovery consisted of 30 members of military background who were serving in the United States Army.

Captains

• Meriwether Lewis
• William Clark

Sergeants

• Charles Floyd
• Patric Gass
• John Ordway
• Nathaniel Pryor

Privates

• William Bratton
• John Collins
• John Colter
• Pierre Cruzatte
• Joseph Field
• Reuben Field
• Robert Frazer
• George Gibson
• Silas Goodrich
• Hugh Hall
• Thomas Proctor Howard
• Francis LaBiche
• Jean Baptiste LePage
• Hugh McNeal
• John Potts
• George Shannon
• John Shields
• John B. Thompson
• Peter M. Weiser
• William Werner
• Joseph Whitehouse
• Alexander Hamilton
• Willard
• Richard Windsor

Civil Members

• Toussaint
• Charbonneau
• George Drouillard
• Sacagawea
• Jean Baptiste
• York
• Charbonneau
• Baptiste Deschamps
• Pierre Dorion

In addition to these members, a Newfoundland dog named Seaman was also a part of the expedition.

Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

The finalization of the Louisiana purchase was brought about on the 4th of July, 1803. Hence the exploration by the Corps of Discovery, was to be officially on the soil of the United States of America. The expedition was preplanned by President Thomas Jefferson. On 18th of January of the same year, he proposed the plan of the expedition before the Congress, through a secret message. The Congress sanctioned a fund of $2,500 for the journey. In the spring of 1803, Meriwether Lewis was appointed as the leader of the expedition. He began to receive his training in Philadelphia. The report of a successful purchase of Louisiana was communicated to the United States on 4th of July 1803. In summer, Lewis supervised the construction of the keel-boat, recruited all the other members of the expedition and selected William Clark as his partner. The first winter camp, Camp Wood was established on the banks of river Wood, near Illinois.

The actual journey of the Corps of Discovery began on May 14, 1804. The first meeting with the local American Indians, was held on the 30th of August,1804 with the Yankton Sioux tribe. There was an interaction with the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes in their journey westwards. On the 4th of November 1804, Canadian fur trader, Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife Sacagawea joined the expedition as interpreters. The winter of 1804 was spent in the Fort Mandan, which was built and used as winter quarters.

On April 7th, the following year, a shipment of the collected facts and samples was gifted to President George Washington. On the 1st of June that year, the expedition reached a point where the Missouri river forked. After a thirteen-day journey from the unmarked fork, Lewis reached the massive falls of Missouri. The five enormous cascades were named as 'the Great Falls of Missouri'. On the 11th September of 1805, the Corps of Discovery began the crossing of the Rock mountains which lasted till the 23rd of September. The expedition reached the Pacific coast on the 24th of November.

The return journey from the western coast of the Pacific ocean began on the 23rd of March, 1806 and ended on September 23rd, the same year when the Corps of Discovery reached St. Louis.

Accomplishments

During the course of the expedition, the members of Corps of Discovery maintained many personal journals, that proved very helpful for later expeditions in the region. The expedition mapped the unknown regions of the Northwest and made about 140 maps. The exact span and height of the Rocky mountains was also estimated by the expedition. It was believed that the span of the Rocky mountains was rather short and it would take only one day to cross them. However, the expedition took 11 days to cross the Rocky mountains.

As the expedition was of a scientific nature, it also made many natural studies. During the course of the expedition, over 100 species of animals and 176 new plants were discovered. The most interesting discovery was that of the prairie dog which was gifted to President Jefferson by the members of the expedition.

Over the journey, the members also established very good relations with the Amerindians that proved helpful in the later years. Sacagawea, who acted as an interpreter, in fact belonged to a tribe by the name 'Shoshone'. Due to her presence, hostile tribes never posed any resistance, but instead, warmly welcomed them. Lewis and Clark did not fully accomplish the task of setting up a channel of communication through the rivers, but they discovered a vast portion of the unexplored regions of the United States.

Writer James Ronda once penned, "Lewis and Clerk matter today because they act as a benchmark by which we can measure change and continuity in everything from the environment to relations between people."