Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led an expedition to explore what is now the westward portion of the United States. Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to explore this uncharted territory. On their journey, they carefully documented all that they saw and experienced.

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson wanted to explore the land, plants, animals, and Native Americans that he had just acquired in the deal. Jefferson selected Lewis for the job. Lewis asked Clark to join him and together they put together a group called the Corps of Discovery.

On May 14, 1804, Lewis, Clark, and the Corps of Discovery set off. Part of their task was to find a water route across the nation, so they traveled along the Missouri River. The Missouri River is 2,340 miles in length, which makes it the longest river in the nation!

Much of their journey was along the Great Plains, which is the prairies and fields along the Missouri River. As they travelled they discovered new animals, including the bison, coyote, and meadowlark. Thanks to their impressive journals and detailed notes, their discoveries are well documented.

Before Lewis and Clark explored this part of the country, there were already people living there. Many Native American tribes had already settled in the space Lewis and Clark were exploring.

Along their journey, they had a variety of encounters. Some were very positive and helpful, like the Yankton Sioux who helped them and warned them about dangerous tribes, like the Teton Sioux.

When Lewis and Clark met up with the Teton Sioux Native Americans, they were forced to trade a boat in order to keep traveling the river. Violence broke out when Clark drew a sword and Lewis drew a gun, but eventually they were able to settle the dispute and continue traveling down the river.

One of the most helpful and significant Native American Encounters was that of the Mandan Indians. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1804-1805 with the Mandan Indians where they learned about the history of the west, hunted buffalo, and traded with Indians. They hired Toussaint Charbonneau as a translator.

Charbonneau, his wife, Sacagawea, and their baby son Jean-Baptiste then travelled with the expedition. Sacagawea turned out to be a great addition to the expedition. She recognized landmarks and plants along the way and was extremely helpful in negotiations with other tribes.

In April of 1805, they had survived the winter and were continuing their journey west. The Indians had warned them about grizzly bears, but Lewis and Clark did not take the threat too seriously.

One day, that all changed because Lewis was chased by a grizzly. The grizzly was just about to catch him when he was able to shoot the bear and narrowly escape.

Grizzly bears can stand up to ten feet tall when they are on their hind legs. When Lewsi and clark were expling, they roamed much of the North Dakota and the plains of Montana.

One of the greatest challenges the Corps of Discovery faced was crossing the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide is the point at which water starts flowing into the Pacific Ocean instead of the Atlantic Ocean. This was an extremely dangerous trip with steep cliffs on either side, but the expedition crossed without any harm.

The treacherous journey continued as they traversed the Bitterroot Mountains. This mountain journey was extremely difficult and left the men and horses exhausted and near starvation. In fact, the men even had to eat some colts to survive. They eventually met some Nez Perce Indians who gave them food and helped them continue to cross. When they finally made it, they set up camp on a branch of the Columbia which they could then follow westward.

They travelled down the Columbia River until they reached the Pacific Ocean. At one point, they thought they had finished their journey, but really were just at an estuary of the Columbia river. They finally reached the ocean in mid-November and decided they must stay the winter at the coast.

In December of 1805, Lewis and Clark built Fort Clatsop which they named after the local Indians. They stayed at Fort Clatsop throughout the winter and prepared for their return trip.

They spent the spring and summer of 1806 returning home- a journey no less difficult than their original trip! When they finally reached Missouri, they were recognized as heroes! They had discovered so many new species and were the first to go wet! Their journey inspired many others to explore and settle in the new land.