The Lewis and Clark Expedition from 1804 to 1806 was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and establish trade routes. Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expedition traveled up the Missouri River, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and reached the Pacific Ocean, collecting scientific data and establishing diplomatic relations with Native American tribes along the way. Their journals provided valuable information to President Jefferson about the new western lands and fulfilled the goal of finding a practical route across the continent.

1. The Lewis and ClarkThe Lewis and Clark
ExpeditionExpedition
Submitted as partial credit toSubmitted as partial credit to
Mr. Haskvitz on May 20Mr. Haskvitz on May 20thth
, 2005, 2005
by Lucy Kouby Lucy Kou

2. 2
President Thomas
Jefferson . . .
 Jefferson wanted to know more about
the mysterious lands, west of the
Mississippi.
 Jefferson persuaded congress, before
the Louisiana purchase was complete, to
sponsor an expedition as a scientific
venture.
 Jefferson instructed explorers to find a
route across the Rocky Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean.
 Explorers were to learn about Native
Americans who lived in the new territory,
and treat them in a friendly manner.
 Explorers were to collect plant and
animal specimens and chart the
geography of the region.
 Jefferson chose two leaders, Lewis and
Clark . . .

3. 3
Merither Lewis . . .
● Merither Lewis
● 1774 – 1809
● Joined US army in 1794
● 1801- became private secretary
to President Thomas Jefferson
● Under Jefferson's direction,
Lewis planned an exploration of
a route west to the Pacific coast
of North America.
● Lewis invited William Clark to
join his expedition…
 William Clark

4. 4
William Clark…
● William Clark
● 1770-1838
● Brother of Revolutionary
War hero, George Clark
● Ex-army lieutenant
● Invited on expedition by
Merither Lewis
● After expedition, Clark
became the Superintendent
of Indian Affairs

5. 5
Beginning the Expedition . . .
 President Jefferson’s command :
 “Washington D.C., June 20, 1803 To Meriwether Lewis
Esquire, Captain of the first regiment of Infantry of the
United States of America.
The Object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river
& such principal stream of it as by it's course and
communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean,
whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river
may offer the most direct & practicable water
communication across this continent for the purpose of
commerce. “

6. 6
Preparing for the Expedition…
 Before taking the long journey, Lewis and Clark
studied for safety during the expedition
 Lewis and Clark took many courses such as
 Celestial Observation
 Medicine
 Botany
 Zoology
 Lewis and Clark studied history to learn from others
 Studied maps and journals of traders and trappers
 Studied geography as far as the Missouri River and North
Dakota

7. 7
…… and nowand now
The ExpeditionThe Expedition
beginsbegins……

8. 8
The Expedition…
 Lewis and Clark did not begin the expedition together
 Lewis:
 Lewis left Washington on July 5, 1803. he rode a boat from
Pittsburg pensylvania to the Ohio River
 His boat was a 55-foot keelboat, specially designed by him
 Lewis and Clark reunited in Louisville, Kentucky.

9. 9
The Expedition
 From Kentucky, they had separated again.
 Lewis left on horseback to St. Louis.
 Lewis made friends, gathered supplies, and obtained more
information in the city.
 Clark and the crew took the keelboat up the
Mississippi River, and set up winter quarters on the
Wood River, in Illinois.
 In mid-May, 42 men and their commanders left for the
Pacific ocean in the keelboat and 2 smaller crafts called
“pirogues”.

10. 10
Journal Entry of William Clark
(He could not spell accurately)
 “Council Bluffs, August 3, 1804
After Brackfast we Collected those Indians under an
orning of our Main Sail, in presence of our Party paraded
& Delivered a long Speech to them expressive of our
journey the wirkes of our Government, Some advice to
them and Directions how They were to Conduct
themselves....
Those Chiefs all Delivered a Speech acknowledgeing
Their approbation to the Speech and promissing to
prosue the advice & Derictions given them that they wer
happy to find that they had fathers which might be
depended on &c.
We gave them a Cannister of Powder and a Bottle of
whiskey and delivered a few presents to the whole after
giveing a Br: Cth: [breech cloth] Some Paint guartering
& a Meadele1 to those we made Cheifs after Capt Lewis's
Shooting the air gun a feiw Shots (which astonished
those nativs) we Set out and proceeded on five miles...&
Camped....The Misquitors excessively troublesom this
evening.”

11. 11
Throughout the Expedition . . .Throughout the Expedition . . .

12. 12
Meeting the Indians
 Throughout the journey, Lewis and Clark met many tribes of
Indians.
For example:
 Oto Tribe (Modern Iowa)
 Missouri Tribe (modern Iowa)
 Yankton Sioux (modern Iowa)
 Teton Sioux (modern Dakota)
 Arikaras (modern North Dakota)
 Hidatsas (mouth of Knife River, North Dakota)
 Mandans (mouth of Knife River, North Dakota)

13. 13
Winter with the Mandans…
 Late October of 1804, Lewis and Clark settled with the Mandans
for the winter.
 During their stay, they consolidated information they had
gathered
 They participated in ceremonial dances and festivities
 The Winter was sometimes more than 40 degrees below 0

14. 14
The New Interpreter . . .
 On november 4, a trader named Toussaint Charbonneau offered the
captains his service as an interpreter
 His only asset was to bring along his wife, Sacagawea.
 Sacagawea was good to bring along.
• Clark acknowledged Sacagawea “great service”
• she was always on the lookout for edible plants
• she also translated in her native Shoshoni tongue.
• when the expedition reached Shoshoni territory (July of 1806)
Sacagawea was the pilot.
• February 5, 1805
• Sacagawea gave birth to son named “Pomp”

15. 15
Going Home . . .
 On April 7, 1805 men were sent back to St. Louis, with plenty to report
to President Jefferson.
 Specimens and artifacts
• Zoological
• Botanical
• Geological
• ethnological
 Letters, Maps, ad other reports
 Lewis and Clark continued the expedition toward the Pacific Ocean.

16. 16
Journal Entry- Lewis
 Lewis` Journal Entry:
 “At the Yellowstone River, Friday, April 26, 1805:
after I had completed my observations in the evening I
walked down and joined the party at their encampment on
the point of land formed by the junction of the rivers;
found them all in good health, and much pleased at having
arrived at this long wished for spot, and in order to add in
some measure to the general pleasure which seemed to
pervade our little community, we ordered a dram to be
issued to each person; this soon produced the fiddle, and
they spent the evening with much hilarity,
singing & dancing, and seemed as perfectly to forget their
past toils, as they appeared regardless of those to come."
--Meriwether Lewis “

17. 17
Decision at the Maria River
 At one point on the Missouri River, there was a major fork.
 Captains sent search parties up both rivers
 Lewis and Clark Decided to stay along the Missouri River

18. 18
Rocky Mountains . . .
 By June 10, 1805, Lewis had sighted the Rocking Mountains.
 Because of his poetic Nature, Lewis began to write a Poem of “the
beauty of this majestically grand scenery”

19. 19
Journal Entry- Lewis
“ White Bear Islands, Monday July 15, 1805:
We arose very early this morning, assigned the canoes their
loads and had it put on board. we now found our vessels eight
in number all heavily laden, notwithstanding our several
deposits; though' it is true we have now a considerable stock of
dried meat and grease. we find it extremely difficult to keep
the baggage of many of our men within reasonable bounds;
they will be adding bulky articles of but little use or value to
them. At 10 A. M. we once more saw ourselves fairly under
way much to my joy and I believe that of every individual who
compose the party. I walked on shore and killed 2 Elk near one
of which the party halted and dined. we took the skins marrow
bones and a part of the flesh of these Elk. in order to lighten
the burthen of the canoes I continued my walk all the
evening." -- Meriwether Lewis ”

20. 20
Journal Entry- Lewis
 “Three Forks of the Missouri, Sunday, July 28, 1805:
Both Capt. C. and myself corrisponded in opinon with rispect to
the impropriety of calling either of these streams the Missouri
and accordingly agreed to name them after the president of
the United States and the Secretaries of the Treasury and state
having previously named one river in honour of the Secretaries
of War and Navy. In pursuance of this resolution we called the
S. W. for, that which we meant to ascend, Jefferson's River in
honor of Thomas Jefferson. the Middle fork we called Madison's
River in honor of James Madison, and the S. E. Fork we called
Gallitin's River in honor of Albert Gallatin. --Meriwether Lewis”

21. 21
Journal Entry- Lewis
 “At Lemhi Pass, Monday, August 12, 1805:
at the distance of 4 miles further the road took us to the most
distant fountain of the waters of the mighty Missouri in such of
which we have spent so many toilsome days and wrestles
nights. thus far I had accomplished one of those great objects
on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for many years,
judge then of the pleasure I felt in allying my thirst with this
pure and ice cold water which issues from the base of a low
mountain or hill of a gentle ascent... here I halted a few
minutes and rested myself. two miles below McNeal had
exultingly stood with a foot on each side of this little rivulet
and thanked his god that he had lived to bestride the mighty &
heretofore deemed endless Missouri. after refreshing ourselves
we proceeded on to the top of the dividing ridge from which I
discovered immense ranges of high mountains still to the West
of us with their tops partially covered with snow."

22. 22
Journal Entry- Lewis
 “At Weippe Prairie, Sunday, September 22, 1805:
the pleasure I now felt in having triumphed over
the rocky Mountains and descending once more to
a level and fertile country where there was every
rational hope of finding a comfortable subsistence
for myself and party can be more readily
conceived than expressed, nor was the flattering
prospect of the final success of the expedition less
pleasing. ”

23. 23
Journal Entry- Lewis
 “ At Pillar Rock, Thursday, November 7, 1805:
Great joy in camp we are in View of the Ocean, this great
Pacific Ocean which we been So long anxious to See. and the
roaring or noise made by the waves breaking on the rocky
Shores (as I Suppose) may be heard distinctly”

24. 24
Help from Indians
 Like before, Lewis and Clark benifited from Indian advice, and
took and overland trail tat led them straight to the mouth of the
clearwater.
 Got horses from the Shoshoni Tribe
 Went back toward the Rocky Mountains
 Set out on June 24, 1805
 Averaged 26 miles a day

25. 25
Journal Entry- Lewis
 “At Travelers' Rest, Tuesday, July 1, 1806:
Capt. Clark & my self consurted the following plan viz.
from this place I determined to go with a small party by the most direct rout to
the falls of the Missouri,...and myself and six volunteers to ascend Maria's river
with a view to explore the country and ascertain whether any branch of that river
lies as far north as Latd. 50 and again return and join the party who are to
decend the Missouri, at the entrance of Maria's river. I now called for the
volunteers to accompany me on this rout, many turned out, from whom I
scelected Drewyer the two Feildses, Werner, Frazier and Sergt Gass accompanied
me
the other part of the men are to proceed with Capt Clark to the head of
jefferson's river where we deposited sundry articles and left our canoes. from
hence Sergt Ordway with a party of 9 men are to decend the river with the
canoes; Capt C. with the remaining ten including Carbono and York will proceed
to the Yellowstone river at it's nearest approach to the three forks of the
missouri, here he will build a canoe and decend the Yellowstone river with
Charbono the indian woman, his servant York and five others to the missouri
where should he arrive first he will wait my arrival. Sergt Pryor with two other
men are to proceed with the horses by land to the Mandans and thence to the
British posts on the Assinniboin with a letter to Mr. Heney whom we wish to
engage to prevail on the Sioux Chefs to join us on the Missouri, and accompany
them with us to the seat of the general government.
these arrangements being made the party were informed of our design and
prepared themselves accordingly. “

26. 26
Returning Home…
 Headed home on August 12
Greeted new Indian friends on the
way home
 Arrived in St. Louis on September 21,
1806

27. 27
Letter to the President
 Lewis's letter to President Jefferson,
St. Louis, Tuesday, September 23, 1806:
Sir,
It is with pleasure that I announce to you the safe arrival of
myself and party at 12 O'clock. today at this place with our
papers and baggage. In obedience to your orders we have
penetrated the Continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean,
and sufficiently explored the interior of the country to affirm with
confidence that we have discovered the most practicable rout
which dose exist across the continent by means of the
navigable branches of the Missouri and Columbia rivers.
--Meriwether Lewis

28. 28
The EndThe End

29. 29
Bibliography
• http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/toc.html
– From this Website, I read many journal entries, written by Lewis and
Clark, in which I obtained the Information.
• American Journey Textbook
– In our 8th
grade textbook holds short but informative pieces on Lewis and
Clark’s Expedition.
• The Journals of Lewis and Clark, by Stephen E. Ambrose.
Copyright 1997
– This book does not only include journal entries, but also great
commentary from the author's point of view.