The Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

In 1802 President Thomas Jefferson purchased a great deal of land from France. This action was called the Lousiana Purchase, and sparked siginificant interest in Western exploration. President Jefferson wrote a letter to his secretary asking him to gather people for an expedition to explore westward as far as the ocean and back. this exploration was one of the greaest adventures in american history to date, and was called the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This expedition occured between 1803-1806 the total time it took was 2 and a half years; they were given 2,500 for supplies. this expedition entailed 42 people and they started out at the Missouri river from St. Louis, struggled through the Rockies, and decended the Columbia river to the pacific coast. William clark served as the artist and cartographer of the expedition.

They set out to study the Indian tribes and culture, the botany and the geology of the region. The Western rivers and the types of wildlife in the region, as well as to determine the British and French canadian fur traders who were already established in the area. The expedition was the first to cross North America. Meriwether Lewis was the President's personal secretary that teamed up with an army officer named william Clark to explore the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase. In their journeys they were joined by a Shoshoni woman named Sacajawea. Sacajawea played a major part in this expedition, acting as both a translator and guide. At one point the exployers found themselves trapped in a cave-like shelter without food during a harsh rainstorm. Sacajawea and her husband Toussaint Charbonneau saved the group's lives by bringing them fish. They continued west and came across her tribe, where the explorers traded gold and jewerlry for food supplies. Caring her young baby ( Jean Baptist Charbonneau) with her on the journey helped to soften tribal relations. In Apr 1805 a few of the members were sent back home