Some Highlights of the Journey

1801 – 1802

  • Meriwether Lewis serves as private secretary to President Thomas Jefferson.
     

1803

  • January: Jefferson sends request for $2,500 for expedition to Congress. Congress approves.
  • January to June: Lewis studies botany, medicine, astronomy and other disciplines in Washington, Virginia and Philadelphia.
  • June 20: Jefferson writes specific instructions to Lewis outlining the "object of your mission."
  • July: Clark accepts Lewis' offer to co-command the "Corps of Discovery."
  • August: Lewis prepares for the expedition in present-day Pittsburgh, Pa. He purchases a Newfoundland dog for $20 and names the dog "Seaman." He departs from Fort Pitt with the keelboat.
  • September: At Wheeling, W. Va., Lewis picks up ammunition and rifles sent overland from the new armory at Harper's Ferry, W. Va.
  • October: Lewis meets Clark at Clarksville in Indiana Territory.
  • October: Lewis and Clark pick up the "nine young men from Kentucky."
  • November: The party stops at Fort Massac and Kaskaskia to choose additional personnel.

1804

  • May: Clark takes boats and men up Missouri River to St. Charles, Mo. (May 14). Lewis joins party from St. Louis (May 20). Expedition leaves St. Charles (May 21).
  • May: The Expedition encounters its first Indian tribe, the Kickapoo, on May 23.
  • July: Expedition camps near the Platte River.
  • August: Desertion and trial of Moses Reed on Aug. 18.
  • August: Sgt. Charles Floyd dies on Aug. 20 in present-day Sioux City, Iowa. He is the only expedition member to die in the almost 8,000-mile journey. Pvt. Patrick Gass is promoted to Sergeant on Aug. 25.
  • September: In a tense meeting, the Expedition meets with Teton Sioux who control river travel and commerce.
  • October: Expedition meets Mandan and Hidatsa tribes.
  • November: The site for the winter quarters, Fort Mandan, is chosen in present-day North Dakota. Toussaint Charbonneau is hired as an interpreter. His Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, will accompany him.

1805

  • February to March: Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau is born to Sacagawea on Feb.11. Four dugout canoes (pirogues) are constructed.
  • April: Expedition leaves Fort Mandan on April 7. Cpl. Warfington and return party depart with keelboat for St. Louis. On April 25, the expedition camps on the Yellowstone River, two miles south of Missouri River. The party enters present-day Montana on April 27.
  • May: Expedition arrives at the Milk River on May 8. On May 20, it reaches the Musselshell River. On May 31, it enters the White Cliffs area.

 

  • June: The party camps at the confluence of the Missouri-Marias Rivers on June 3. The explorers must determine which route will lead to the Pacific Ocean. After one week, the captains choose the south fork. On June 13, the explorers find the Great Falls of the Missouri River, proving that the captains made the right choice.
  • June to July: The expedition portages the five falls. The 18-mile portage takes one month (June 13 to July 13). Back on the river, the expedition reaches and names the Three Forks of the Missouri, the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin on July 27. The Expedition takes the Jefferson, the west fork.
  • August: On Aug. 10, the Corps of Discovery reaches forks of Beaverhead River and takes the west fork. On Aug. 12, the expedition crosses the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass and meets the Shoshones on Aug. 13.
  • August to September: The Shoshones supply badly needed horses to the explorers. The expedition meets the Salish Indians at Ross' Hole. The explorers proceed over the Bitterroot Mountains and almost starve and freeze in the severe terrain and climate. They meet the Nez Perce on Sept. 20.
  • September to October: The expedition reaches Travelers' Rest Camp at Lolo, Montana (Sept. 9–11); and Canoe Camp, Idaho (Sept. 26–Oct. 7). The explorers continue the journey via the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers; the Celilo [Great] Falls, Oregon City, Oregon (Oct. 22); and The Dalles (Oct. 25).
  • November: The Corps of Discovery reaches the Pacific Ocean on Nov. 6. Clark estimates they have traveled 4,142 miles from the mouth of the Missouri River. By a vote, they choose a site for Fort Clatsop, their winter quarters.

1806

  • March: The expedition departs Fort Clatsop on March 23.
  • April: The explorers cross the Cascade Range in present-day Oregon and Washington (April 9–12). They arrive at the junction of Columbia and Walla Walla rivers (April 27-30).
  • May to June: The expedition rejoins the Nez Perce who are keeping the explorers' horses (May 3). They are delayed at Camp Chopunnish on Clearwater River (May 14–June 10) with the Nez Perce due to unfavorable weather. They depart for mountain crossing on June 10, but cannot find the trail due to deep snow. They return to Weippe Prairie to hire three guides and set out again on June 24.
  • July: The Corps of Discovery sets up camp at Travelers' Rest (June 30–July 3). The party splits up: Lewis heads northeast; Clark goes south. Lewis meets young Blackfeet men at Two Medicine River (July 26–27). A fight ensues and two Blackfeet youth are killed. Clark reaches Pompey's Pillar on July 25.
  • August to September: The two parties rendezvous at Point Reunion in present-day North Dakota on Aug. 12. They reach present-day Bismarck on Aug. 18; Omaha on Sept. 8; Kansas City on Sept. 15; and St. Louis on Sept. 23.

Source: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/lewisclark/lcic/index.html