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The Lewis and Clark expedition ( 1804- 1806) was the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 sparked the interest of United States in expansion to the west coast. A few weeks after the purchase, United States President Thomas Jefferson, an advocate of western expansion, had Congress appropriate $2500, "to send intelligent officers with ten or twelve men, to explore even to the western ocean." They were to study the Indian tribes, botany, geology, and wildlife in the region, as well as evaluate the potential interference of British and French-Canadian hunters and trappers who were already well established in the area.Jefferson selected Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition, afterwards known as the Corps of Discovery; Lewis selected William Clark as his partner. Due to bureaucratic delays in the US Army, Clark officially only held the rank of Second Lieutenant at the time, but Lewis concealed this from the men and shared the leadership of the expedition, always referring to Clark as "Captain". [1]
The group, consisting of 33 members including Clark's black slave York, departed from Camp Dubois and began their historic journey on May 14May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). There are 231 days remaining. Events 1264 Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the de facto ruler of England. 1483 Coronat, 1804. They soon met-up with Lewis in Saint Charles, MissouriCharles is a city located in St. Charles County, Missouri. It lies just to the northwest of St. Louis, Missouri, on the Missouri River, and played for a time a significant role in the United States' westward expansion. It is the second oldest city west of and the approximately forty men followed the Missouri RiverThe Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States. At about 2,565 mi (4,130 km) in length, it is the longest river in the United States and drains approximately one-sixth of the North American continent. The combined Missouri westward. On August 20August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 133 days remaining. Events 917 Battle of Anchialus: Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria invades Thrace and drives the Byzantines out. 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers Ame, 1804 The Corps of Discovery suffered its first and only death when Sergeant Charles FloydCharles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd ( 1782 August 20, 1804) was a United States explorer, an officer and quartermaster in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was a relative of William Clark. He took ill at the beginning of August 1804 and remained so until h died, apparently from acute appendicitisAppendicitis is a condition characterised by inflammation of the appendix. While mild cases may resolve without treatment, many require laparotomy with removal of the inflamed appendix. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly due to peritonitis and shock whe. In the winter of 1804-1805 they wintered at Fort Mandan . The Shoshone/ Hidatsa native woman Sacagawea joined the group from there and guided them westward.
The expedition followed the Missouri through what is now Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska, crossed the Rocky Mountains and descended by the Clearwater River, the Snake River, and the Columbia River through what is now Portland, Oregon until they reached the Pacific Ocean in the December of 1805. Lewis had written in his journal, "Ocean in view. Oh! The Joy". By that time the expedition faced its second bitter winter during the trip, so the group decided to vote on whether to camp on the north or south side of the Columia River. That was a "Real American Moment", for York, who was a slave, and Sacagawea, who was an Indian and a woman, voted along with the rest of the men of the party. The party agreed to camp on the south side of the river, building Fort Clatsop as their winter quarters. While wintering at the fort, the men prepared for the trip home by boiling salt from the ocean, hunting elk and other wildlife. Mostly they just endured the persistent rain.
The explorers started their journey home on March 23, 1806 and arrived on September 23.
- See Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition for more detail
