Expert Group – Lewis and Clark
Geographic Region-Middle to Western United States
In 1803 president Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 15 million dollars. This
area was a huge piece of land that stretched west from present day New Orleans to the border of Idaho and north
to Canada. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the now famous expedition of the Corps of Discovery on a
two year adventure over the Rocky Mountains, through various rivers on their successful attempt to reach the
Pacific Ocean. The expedition launched on May 14, 1804 from St. Louis along the Missouri River. In their
travels, the party also used the Marias River, the Columbia River, and the Yellowstone River.
Purpose
The government sent explorers to explore unknown wilderness in what is now the United States. President
Jefferson appointed his assistant, Meriwether Lewis, to head the expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase.
Little was know of the massive land purchased and the main goal of the explorers was to find the elusive
Northwest Passage, a waterway that would link the east and west coast of North America. People hoped a river
joined the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Lewis knew what a large task he was charged, and wrote to his friend and
fellow officer, William Clark, asking him to aid him on the scientific expedition. They were told to report all they
saw: botany, geology, terrain, wildlife, and Native American tribes.
Accomplishments
Lewis and Clark completed the first successful overland expedition undertaken by the United States to the Pacific
coast and back. They traveled 8,000 miles in two years providing information that would later be vital to the
Westward Expansion of the United States. In their journals, they reported approximately 176 new types of plants,
over 100 new kinds of animals, and about 40 different Native American tribes. Due to their expedition, trappers
and later settlers began moving into the new territory. New states were added with borders drawn based upon
rivers and landmarks noted in Lewis and Clark maps. During their travels two forts were built, Fort Mandan in
present day North Dakota and Fort Clatsop in Oregon. They provided a major contribution to mapping the North
American continent with almost 140 maps drawn by the time they returned.
Obstacles
Considering many people were surprised when the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to Washington, D.C. in
1806, there were clearly obstacles the explorers had to overcome. Many people had assumed the party lost or
dead. The explorers in the Corps of Discovery faced challenges and dangers of an unknown landscape. For
instance, the Missouri River, where they began, plagued the travelers with shallow muddy waters that made for
slow progress. They used poles to push the boats along. They expected the Rocky Mountains to be a single
mountain and instead found tall peaks as far as the eye could see. Keeping food in supply, surviving harsh
weather, and finding ways to travel unknown land ahead at every turn were some of the biggest challenges.
Sacajawea, a Native American woman hired while the group was at Fort Mandan, was key in overcoming
obstacles. She served as guide and interpreter and her presence made it possible for the group to increase their
food supply and communicate with Native American tribes along the way and secure needed supplies, such as
horses.
Technology
Lewis and Clark hired over 30 men to join them in exploring the new land. They traveled in boats and dugout
canoes. Other modes of transportation included horseback and, of course, travel by foot. The men recorded their
findings in journals and drew maps by hand. Americans knew little of the land as this was before the
computerized age and satellite images of earth. Their personal observations were recorded the old fashioned way
with paper and pen.
Biographical Information
Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774. He grew up to be an army officer. Settlers were fighting the Native
Americans in the Ohio River Valley over land. He assisted Thomas Jefferson, who appointed him to lead the
expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. He died in 1809 from gunshot wounds. Historians are uncertain
how he was shot. Clark was also born in Virginia in the year 1770 and spent four years in the army where he met
Lewis. It was this friendship that led Lewis to invite Clark on the expedition. After the expedition Clark spent his
life working to protect Indians and make peaceful relations between the American settlers and the Native
Americans already inhabiting the land. Toussaint Charbonneau (Sacajawea’s husband) was hired as an interpreter