Write Your Journey Across America
You are a member of the Corps of Discovery! As you travel with Lewis and Clark from 1804 to 1806, you must keep a journal documenting your experiences. President Jefferson wants detailed records of everything you see and do.
Instructions:
After months of preparation, the Corps of Discovery finally embarks from Camp Dubois near St. Louis. The expedition consists of approximately 45 men in three boats: one 55-foot keelboat and two smaller pirogues. They are loaded with supplies including weapons, scientific instruments, trade goods, and provisions.
The Missouri River presents immediate challenges. Its powerful current requires constant vigilance, and hidden snagsâsubmerged logsâpose constant danger to the vessels. The men must row, pole, and sometimes pull the boats with ropes from shore.
After getting ready for months, the team finally leaves Camp Dubois near St. Louis! There are about 45 men. They have three boats: one big keelboat (55 feet long!) and two smaller boats called pirogues.
The boats are packed with supplies:
The Missouri River is hard to travel on. The water moves fast and strong. Hidden logs underwater can hit the boats. The men have to row, use long poles to push, and sometimes pull the boats with ropes while walking on the shore.
The expedition encounters the Teton Sioux (Lakota) near present-day South Dakota. This powerful tribe controls Missouri River trade routes and demands one of the expedition's boats as toll for passage through their territory.
Tensions escalate rapidly. The Teton Sioux warriors significantly outnumber the Corps of Discovery. Chiefs grab the boat's cable and refuse to let it pass. Lewis and Clark refuse to surrender the boat, understanding that doing so would likely doom the expedition. They order weapons ready but maintain diplomatic efforts, offering gifts instead.
For several tense hours, violence seems inevitable. Warriors string their bows while the Corps aims their rifles. One misstep could trigger a battle the Americans would certainly lose. Eventually, through a combination of firmness, diplomacy, and gift-giving, the chiefs allow the expedition to proceed, though relations remain strained.
The team reaches Teton Sioux (Lakota) land in South Dakota. The Teton Sioux are a powerful tribe. They control who can travel on the Missouri River.
The Sioux chiefs want one of the expedition's boats as payment to pass through their land. Lewis and Clark say no. They need all their boats or the expedition will fail!
Things get VERY tense. The Sioux have way more warriors than the expedition has men. The chiefs grab the boat's rope and won't let it go. Lewis and Clark won't give up the boat. They tell their men to get their guns ready, but they also try to talk peacefully and offer gifts instead.
For several scary hours, it looks like a fight will start. The Sioux warriors get their bows ready. The Americans point their guns. Everyone is nervous. If fighting starts, the Americans will probably lose because there are so many more Sioux warriors.
Finally, after talking and giving gifts, the chiefs let them pass. But everyone is still worried and unfriendly.
The expedition builds Fort Mandan near present-day Washburn, North Dakota, preparing for winter among the Mandan and Hidatsa peoples. This will be the Corps' home for five months as temperatures plummet to -45°F.
The Mandan villages are sophisticated communities with earth lodges housing multiple families. They practice agriculture, growing corn, beans, and squash, and participate in extensive trade networks. The Mandan people prove invaluable allies, teaching winter survival skills and sharing food when supplies run low.
It is here that the expedition meets Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman married to French-Canadian trader Toussaint Charbonneau. Despite being pregnant, she and her husband are hired as interpreters. She will prove crucial to the expedition's success.
The team builds a fort called Fort Mandan in North Dakota. They will stay here for five months during winter. The Mandan and Hidatsa people live nearby in villages.
It gets FREEZING cold - 45 degrees below zero! That's colder than your freezer at home. Water freezes instantly. Going outside is dangerous.
The Mandan people are really helpful. They live in big round houses made of earth that keep them warm. They grow corn, beans, and squash. They teach Lewis and Clark how to survive the terrible winter. They share food when the expedition is running out.
During this winter, the team meets Sacagawea. She is a Shoshone woman married to a French-Canadian man named Toussaint Charbonneau. Even though she is pregnant, Lewis and Clark hire both of them to help translate languages. In February, Sacagawea has her baby boy during the freezing winter!
The expedition discovers a series of five massive waterfalls on the Missouri River, spanning approximately ten miles. The Mandan had mentioned "a waterfall," but this exceeds all expectations. The Corps must portageâcarry all boats, equipment, and supplies overlandâaround these obstacles.
What should take days requires nearly a month. The men construct crude wheels for the boats and drag them across rough terrain. Prickly pear cactuses shred through their moccasins, embedding painful spines in their feet. Violent hailstorms batter them with ice the size of apples. The labor is exhausting under the hot summer sun.
Despite the hardship, the falls themselves are magnificentâpowerful cascades of water creating rainbows in the mist. Lewis spends time documenting the geography while Clark focuses on the grueling logistics of moving everything.
The team finds FIVE huge waterfalls on the Missouri River! They go on for about ten miles. The Mandan people told them about "a waterfall" but this is way bigger than they expected.
They have to carry everything around the waterfalls on land. This is called a portage. They thought it would take a few days. It takes almost a MONTH!
The work is terrible:
Even though it's terrible, the waterfalls are beautiful! Huge amounts of water crash down making rainbows in the mist. Lewis writes about how amazing they are while Clark figures out how to move everything.
At Three Forks, Montana, the expedition faces a crisis. To cross the Rocky Mountains, they absolutely must obtain horses from the Shoshone people. Without horses, the expedition cannot continueâthe mountains ahead are impassable on foot with their equipment.
Lewis takes a small advance party to search for the Shoshone. After tense days of searching, they encounter a Shoshone band. Through Sacagawea's translation abilities, communication begins. Then comes an extraordinary moment: the Shoshone chief, Cameahwait, is revealed to be Sacagawea's brother, from whom she was separated when kidnapped years earlier.
The emotional reunion facilitates obtaining horses. The Shoshone, though facing their own hardships, agree to trade horses essential for the expedition's survival. The moment represents both personal drama and diplomatic success.
The team reaches Three Forks in Montana. They have a BIG problem. To cross the Rocky Mountains, they MUST get horses from the Shoshone people. Without horses, they can't carry their stuff over the mountains. The expedition will FAIL if they don't get horses.
Lewis takes a small group to look for the Shoshone. After many nervous days, they find a Shoshone group! Sacagawea starts helping translate languages so they can talk.
Then something AMAZING happens! The Shoshone chief's name is Cameahwait. When Sacagawea sees him, she realizes he's her BROTHER! She was kidnapped from her people years ago when she was young. Now she has found her brother again!
Sacagawea cries and is so happy. Her brother is happy too. Because of this reunion, the Shoshone agree to trade horses to the expedition. Even though the Shoshone don't have much and life is hard for them, they help Lewis and Clark.
The Bitterroot Mountains nearly destroy the expedition. The terrain is far steeper and more treacherous than anticipated. Early snow blankets the narrow mountain trails. Game is scarceâthere is almost nothing to hunt.
The Corps runs out of food. Desperate, they begin killing and eating their horses, the very animals essential to their journey. Men grow dangerously weak. Some can barely walk. The possibility of the entire expedition perishing in these mountains becomes terrifyingly real.
Just when hope seems lost, they emerge from the mountains and encounter the Nez Perce people. Despite being near starvation themselves, the Nez Perce provide salmon and camas roots, saving the expedition from complete disaster. However, the rich food after weeks of starvation makes many men violently ill.
The Bitterroot Mountains almost kill everyone. The mountains are steeper and scarier than they expected. Snow starts falling even though it's still early fall. The trails are super narrow and dangerous.
The worst part: there are no animals to hunt. They run out of food. Everyone is starving.
They make a terrible choice. They have to kill and eat their horses to survive. This is really sad because they need the horses, but they need food more or they'll die. The men get weaker and weaker. Some can barely walk. Everyone thinks they might die in these mountains.
Finally, they come down from the mountains. They find the Nez Perce people! Even though the Nez Perce don't have much food either, they share salmon and camas roots with the starving expedition. The Nez Perce SAVE THEIR LIVES!
But there's a problem: after not eating for so long, the rich fish and roots make everyone really sick. Almost everyone throws up and feels terrible for days. But at least they're alive!
After 18 months of travel and approximately 4,000 miles, William Clark writes the famous words in his journal: "Ocian in view! O! the joy!" The Corps of Discovery has reached the Pacific Ocean, accomplishing what many thought impossible.
The sense of achievement is overwhelming. They have crossed the entire continent, survived countless dangers, and proved that determined explorers could reach the Pacific by land. They have documented new species, mapped unknown territories, and made contact with dozens of Native tribes.
However, the journey is only half completeâthey still must return home. And first, they must survive winter at Fort Clatsop, where it will rain nearly every day, testing their endurance in different ways than the mountains did.
After traveling for 18 months and going about 4,000 miles, William Clark writes famous words in his journal: "Ocean in view! O! the joy!"
The team has reached the Pacific Ocean! They did it! They crossed the whole continent of America. Many people thought this was impossible, but they did it!
Everyone feels AMAZING. They have:
But the journey isn't over! They still have to go all the way back home. First, they need to survive winter at Fort Clatsop. It will rain almost every single day. That will be hard in a different way than the mountains.
But right now, they're just happy they made it to the ocean!