Lewis And Clark Expedition

In the early 1800’s President Thomas Jefferson requested money from Congress to explore the trans-Mississippi west, however this expedition was intended to explore land which would become part of the United States through the Louisiana purchase. This plan for exploration included Jefferson’s secretary, Meriwether Lewis. Lewis selected William Clark to be his co-captain throughout the trip. Jefferson’s main goals were to have the new lands’ fit his commercial and military needs. He hoped that a northwest passage would be found to make an easier access to the Pacific Ocean. The group that were sent to explore these new lands were known as The Corps of Discovery. They needed to collect new plants and animals, record the longitude and latitude of new geographical places they encounter, and record any new rivers, indian tribes, and any

Louis in the summer of 1804. The group went northwest on the Missouri River to Fort Mandan, a trading post, to set up camp for the winter. During the spring of 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition continued to travel up the Missouri to present day Montana, following the Jefferson River. This route led them to the Shoshone Indians, who helped them with finding resources for their journey. Two people who helped Lewis and Clark were a woman named Sacagawea and a man named Touissant Charbonneau. These two people acted as interpreters and helped get horses for the expedition. Along the way, Lewis kept journals and collected samples of every unknown plant and animal they encountered. The Corps of Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805. On the way back in 1806, Lewis and Clark split up to explore new territories and look for a faster way home. Once returning home, Lewis was awarded with money for his courageous efforts and was named governor of the Louisiana Territory. Also, Lewis tried to publish his journals that him and Clark wrote during the