Lewis and Clark
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Lewis and Clark’s goal for the journey was to find a water route to the Pacific ocean. They headed up the Missouri River. The expedition hoped indians would be peaceful. At the end of August, they reached the eastern part of the great plains, there they met the Yankton Sioux, who warned them of the Teton Sioux. When they tried to give the Teton Sioux the gifts, the Sioux demanded the boat instead. When they didn't give it to them, the Sioux became hostile, but at the last minute they decided not to fight. They eventually reached the Mandan tribe villages, where they would spend the winter.
While there, they built a fort, hired Toussaint Charbonneau, an interpreter. His wife, Sacagawea and their son, Jean Baptiste, also came. When spring came, they continued. They entered grizzly country, where Lewis was almost attacked by a bear. At the end of May, they finally saw the Rockies. When they reached a fork in the river, Lewis took three men down the southern branch. Lewis eventually reached the great falls, but portaging around it was hard. Lewis came back to Clark and it took them a month to portage around the falls. In August, they saw the Shoshone tribe and traded with them for horses. When they reached Bitterroot Valley, it was snowing. It took them 11 days to get out of Bitterroot. They then headed down the Clearwater River. On November 7, they reached the Columbia River, an estuary of the Pacific. In the middle of November, they finally reached the Pacific. They spent the winter on the Pacific coast near the Columbia river. In March, they started heading back. |