Lewis and Clark Study Guide

The following summarizes what we have been learning about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and what will be on the next test scheduled for next Monday, January 22. Pay close attention to any underlined facts, words, people, dates, or definitions!

Thomas Jefferson asked Lewis and Clark to explore the western country because no one (other than Native Americans) had ever really explored it before. The entire expedition was called the Corps of Discovery, or just the Corps, for short. Lewis would record all of the plants, animals, and Indian tribes they found, and Clark would draw maps of the land and water.

May 14, 1804 marked the beginning of the Lewis and Clark expedition. A few months into the journey, Sgt. Charles Floyd died becoming the first and only person to die on the expedition. His appendix had ruptured, or burst. In the early 1800’s, this was almost always fatal (deadly).

When the Corps met up with the Teton Sioux tribe, they tried to impress them with shooting the loud air gun and marching in their uniforms. The Teton Sioux were not impressed nor frightened. They demanded a toll (a price to travel through their land) of one of the Corps’ boats. Instead, the Teton Sioux settled for tobacco and allowed the Corps to pass.

During the first winter, the Corps built a shelter near the Mandan Indians tribe. They called this Fort Mandan. The temperatures over the winter fell to over -45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Charbonneau was hired to serve as interpreter and navigator because the Corps did not speak the languages of the Native Americans. His wife, Sacagawea, came too, and gave birth to their son, Jean Baptiste, during the trip.

The Mandan tribe warned the Corps about a creature they called the “white bear” which was what today we call a Grizzly Bear. Lewis first saw a young 300 pound grizzly bear and shot it. He thought it was not that hard to kill. Then he came face to face with a 600 pound adult grizzly bear that took ten gunshots to kill!

Lewis and Clark came to the Great Falls of the Missouri River and thought it was the “grandest site” they had ever seen. The problem was getting through them. They had to make a portage of more than 18 miles around the falls. A portage is when travelers must carry their boat from one body of water to another.

Traveling around the Great Falls was very dangerous and difficult. Prickly pear cactus plants would tear through their moccasins and feet. Clark, Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and her baby nearly drowned during one of the sudden torrential rain storms.

At one point, Sacagawea recognized a landmark that she knew was near the tribe of her people, the Shoshone. Sacagawea had been sold as a prisoner of war to Charbonneau then became his wife. When the Corps meets with the chief to negotiate a trade for horses, Sacagawea finds that the chief is her long lost brother!

The Corps of Discovery reached the Continental Divide where the Rocky Mountains stretch down the length of the country. This was a very dangerous, or treacherous, part of the trip. They hoped it would get easier because on the other side, the rivers would flow towards the west instead of the east and they would not have to paddle against the current anymore.

The guide hired to help the expedition through the Bitteroots Mountains got lost and the Corps was stranded for several days with extremely bad weather and no food. Many of the horses, as well as the men, were starving. To save themselves, and put the horses out of their misery, the men had to eat the horses! Finally, chief Twisted Hair of the Nez Perce tribe helped them with food, horses, and directions to the Columbia River.

Sailing down the Columbia River made travel easier most of the time, but there were some parts where the river was too dangerous and they had to portage (carry the boats) again. At one point, Lewis thought he saw the Pacific Ocean, but it was actually the estuary of the Columbia River. An estuary is where the mouth of the river meets the sea or stream. A few days later, after this disappointment, Lewis really did see the Pacific Ocean!

While at the Pacific Ocean, Lewis and Clark met with another tribe, the Chinook. They were used to trading with Europeans, but, sadly, were very sick from many diseases also brought by the Europeans such as smallpox. Within the next 20 years, 75% of the Chinook tribe would be dead.

The Corps spent the second winter of their journey in two rough cabins they named Fort Clatsop. Winters in this area were very wet and could have over 84 inches of rainfall. The cabins were small and hard to keep dry. The Corps had to hunt small elk for food and furs to keep warm. Many got sick, but everyone survived.

Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery finally headed home on March 23, 1806. There were still a few places that they wanted to explore, so they split up into two groups, then met up again along the way. For Lewis, his discovery detour was cut short when they were attacked by Blackfoot Indians and had travel straight through for 24 hours to catch back up the rest of the Corps.

On September 23, 1806, the Corps of Discovery arrived in St. Louis, Missouri and were hailed as heroes.