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Monday, May 21
Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, and Pomp
By Sharon Fabian
President Jefferson chose Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead an
expedition. Captain Lewis chose Lieutenant William Clark to help
him lead the expedition. Along the way they recruited other European
Americans, traders or trappers, and also Native American Indians to
take part in the expedition. The most famous of these was the
Shoshone Indian teenager, Sacagawea. Sacagawea had a baby just
before the expedition began, and the baby, named Jean Baptiste, made
the journey too. Jean Baptiste was nicknamed Pomp.
The main purpose of the expedition was to find a water route across
the continent to the Pacific Ocean. This was not a new idea; others
had tried before to find shorter routes across America to the Pacific.
Earlier expeditions had often involved fierce and violent battles with
the Native Americans. Also earlier expeditions were often a way to
search for riches, and often these treasures were just stolen from their
owners. Lewis and Clark's expedition was a little different. In fact,
another purpose of their expedition was to establish friendly
relationships and set up trade with Indian nations. Taking Sacagawea
along turned out to make a big difference too.
Lewis and Clark began their expedition in 1804 with a winter camp at
St. Charles, near St. Louis, Missouri. There they got their supplies
ready as they waited for their boats to be completed. Their second
winter they camped at Fort Mandan, home of the Mandan Indians.
This is where Sacagawea joined the expedition. They traveled through
the Louisiana Purchase, which had belonged to France, and through
the Great Plains. One of the explorers described the Great Plains as
being flat as far as the eye could see, without a single tree. In the
West, there was wildlife everywhere they looked: deer, elk, buffalo,
antelopes, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, wolves, coyotes, eagles,
geese, and more.
They followed the Missouri River as far as they could, but by the
time they arrived in Montana, they realized that if they wanted to
reach the Pacific Ocean, they would have to make part of their
journey over land. The steep Rocky Mountains loomed ahead of them.
Sacagawea helped make the expedition a success in many ways. She
served as a guide, or "pilot" as Clark said, through Shoshone territory.
She acted as a translator between the European Americans and the
Shoshones. She was able to talk Shoshone Indians into trading horses,
and also found out from them the best route over the Rocky
Mountains. She also was able to identify edible plants to keep the
explorers fed.
They finally made it to the West Coast and stopped to camp at Fort
Clatsop, named after the local Clatsop Indians. There Sacagawea,
baby Pomp, Lewis, Clark, and the rest of the explorers got to see the
Pacific Ocean for the first time. They also got their first look at a
whale!
It has been nearly 200 years since Lewis and Clark set out to explore
the North American continent. To celebrate the anniversary, many
parks and museums are having special Lewis and Clark events.
Sacagawea and Pomp are featured on the golden dollar coin.
Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, and Pomp
Questions
1. ______ was chosen by President Jefferson to lead the
expedition.
A. Sacagawea
B. Meriwether Lewis
C. William Clark
D. Pomp
2. ______ was an Indian guide and translator.
A. Meriwether Lewis
B. Sacagawea
C. William Clark
D. Pomp
3. ______ was a nickname for Jean Baptiste.
A. Meriwether Lewis
B. Pomp
C. Sacagawea
D. William Clark
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Monday, May 21
4. The main purpose of the expedition was to ______.
A. find the Missouri River
B. establish friendly relationships and trade with the Indians
C. find a water route across the continent
D. discover the Rocky Mountains
5. Lewis and Clark did accomplish the main purpose of their
expedition.
A. false
B. true
6. Another purpose of the expedition was ______.
A. find the Missouri River
B. find a water route across the continent
C. discover the Rocky Mountains
D. establish friendly relationships and trade with the Indians
7. The explorers followed the ______ River.
A. Mississippi
B. Missouri
C. Potomac
D. St. Lawrence
8. Sacagawea helped to make the expedition successful because
she could ______.
A. translate
B. find food
C. negotiate trades
D. all of the above