Lewis and Clark: Exploring Uncharted Territory

Fort Mandan
Our vessels consisted of six small canoes, and two large perogues. This little fleet altho' not quite so rispectable as those of Columbus or Capt. Cook, were still viewed by us with as much pleasure as those deservedly famed adventurers ever beheld theirs; and I dare say with quite as much anxiety for their safety and preservation. We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden; the good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessells contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves. (Journal entry of Meriwether Lewis, April 7, 1805)

While the United States today spans from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific, the country did not own much of this land until nearly 200 years ago. On July 4, 1803, through negotiations between Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, and President Thomas Jefferson, the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase for $15 million, approximately 3 cents per acre of land, thus doubling the size of the country. This territory, covering land west of the Mississippi River from New Orleans through Montana, possessed contents unknown to the colonists in the east. Wishing to explore these uncharted waters, Jefferson persuaded Congress to allocate $2,500 to his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, his friend, William Clark, and 31 other companions, creating the "Corps of Discovery," which would venture into this newly acquired land.

After gathering supplies in Pittsburgh and waiting for the official land transfer of Louisiana from France to the United States, the expedition finally set sail from Camp Dubois, just north of St. Louis, on May 14, 1804. Traveling up the Missouri River, the Corps of Discovery began their explorations which would continue over the next two years. They were among the first colonists to see the animals for which the West is now known, such as antelope, prairie dogs, and grizzly bears. Altogether they recorded over 400 new plants and animals!

With the first winter approaching during their travels the team settled in Fort Mandan, just across the river from the villages of the Mandans and Hidsatas. Aware of the additional Native American tribes they would encounter in their coming journeys, Lewis and Clark hired French Canadian fur trader, Toussaint Charbonneau and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea-who had been captured by the Hidsatas and sold to Charbonneau-as translators. Departing from Fort Mandan on April 7, 1805, Lewis and Clark began their more extensive travels and their encounters with Native Americans. Encountering nearly 50 tribes, such as the Nez Perce, the Blackfeet, the Yankton Sioux, and the Teton Sioux, Lewis and Clark engaged in extensive trade, and claimed the tribal land for the United States of America.

Finally the seemingly endless journey peaked as Clark writes in his journal on November 7, 1805, "Ocian in view! O! the joy!" although he had only viewed the eastern edge of Gray's Bay. While the story of Lewis and Clark is one of discovery, adventure, and excitement, it is even more, presenting a window into our nation's history, a window to the West.

For additional information on the history of Lewis and Clark's expedition, visit PBS's Lewis and Clark, a comprehensive site that tracks their extraordinary journey. Other EDSITEment reviewed sites that will help your students understand the expedition and its importance are Exploring the West from Monticello, New Perspectives on the West, and Oregon Trail.

EDSITEment offers several lesson plans you can use to teach your students about the Lewis and Clark expedition and the exploration of the West. In the EDSITEment lesson plan, On this Day with Lewis and Clark, 3rd-5th grade students consider the daily life of those on the expedition and map the journey West. In On the Oregon Trail, 6th-8th grade students are asked to trace the paths of pioneers exploring the West 150 years ago. Not 'Indians,' Many Tribes: Native American Diversity will also help students understand the richness of the cultures which were already present in the Louisiana Territory before Lewis and Clark's arrival. Early elementary students can explore the stories of the Blackfoot Tribe, one of the many tribes encountered by the expedition, in an EDSITEment additional learning activity Reverence for Nature. Finally, middle school and high school students can research the impact of geographical work and Lewis and Clark's mapping of the American West in Mapping the Past.