Jefferson instructed Lewis and Clark to be alert for “objects worthy of notice…[such as] growth & vegetable productions, especially those not of the U.S.; the animals of the country…[and] the dates at times of appearance of particular birds, reptiles, or insects.” Corps of Discovery members were the first white Americans to see and describe more than 200 plant and animal species of the North American West. smelt grizzly pronghorns Clarks Nutcracker Lewis’s wild blue flax bison Big Leaf Maple

Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus February 13, 1805 "Set out early, Saw great numbers of Grouse feeding on the young Willows, on the Sand bars....." —William Clark American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos August 8, 1804 "...the boat passed a Island 2 Miles above the little Scouix R[iver] on the upper point of this Isld Some hundreds of Pelicans were collected, they left 3 fish on the Sand" —William Clark Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus September 7, 1804 "Caught one a live by poreing a great quantity of Water in his hole." —Meriwether Lewis "all the party, except the guard, went to it; and took with them all the Kettles and other vessels for holding water; in order to drive the animals out of their holes by pouring in water; but though they worked at the business till night, they only caught one of them."—Patrick Gass

Buffaloberry Lewis and Clark found "great quantities of a kind of berry resembling a currant except double the size." The sweet fruit was "deliciously flavored & makes delightful tarts, this fruit is now ripe."—Clark’s journal, August 24, 1804 The explorers also made important botanical discoveries. They wrote in their journals about the plants they found. In August, they wrote about the prairie turnip (Psoralea esculenta). The Lakotas called it tinpsila. This plant has a starchy root. It can be eaten like a potato. It can also be pounded into a flour and made into bread. During their painstaking portage around the Great Falls of the Missouri River, Lewis noted the abundant, spiny beds of prickly pear. This overabundance was a result of bison overgrazing the area.

 30 men on the expedition  1 Shoshone woman named Sacajawea  1 African American slave named York  1 Frenchmen named Charbonneau as an interpreter  1 Newfoundland dog named Seaman  Row, push, pull and carry the supplies  Protect the expedition from danger  Hunt, fish, and find food  Diplomatically deal with the Native Americans  Cross language barriers using sign language and interpreters

" Whale Drawing Map" by William Clark The Route of the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific Detailed maps drawn by Lewis and Clark at Jefferson’s orders The maps were extremely important:  They showed the way for others to follow  They were proof to congress that the trip could be made

Jefferson instructed Lewis to: “Treat them in the most friendly & conciliatory manner which their own conduct will admit.” Events at each meeting: 1.All army men wore dress uniform and performed marching and gun drills 2.Lewis or Clark gave a speech about the “new father” President Jefferson 3.Gave the most important chiefs in the tribe an American flag, peace medal, and a uniform coat. 4.Then the Indians spoke 5.More presents were passed out 6. Amazing items were shown—magnets, mirrors, air gun

They traveled about 8,000 miles They used canoes, a keelboat, horses and their feet. They ate bear, deer, elk, dog, horse, deer, beaver, squirrel and buffalo. They met many new Native American tribes. The Arikara, Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Cheyenne,Clatsop, Hidatsa, Kickapoo, Mandan, Missouri, Nez Perce, Sauk, Shawnee, Shoshone, Teton Sioux, Walla Walla, Yankton Sioux The only had one fight in which 2 Native Americans were killed. They survived the heat, cold, starvation, rapids, mosquitoes, illness, fatigue, and more. They had sore feet rubbed raw from walking and prickly pear plants. They discovered over 200 new plants and animals.

What came after?  Lewis and Clark’s journals helped educate historians about Indian culture.  Paved the way for future Americans to go west.  The Native Americans fought and were killed and sent from their lands.  Lewis became the governor of the Louisiana Territory in 1807, and ended his own life in  Clark became a public official in St. Louis. He adopted Sacajawea's son Jean Baptiste.  York, Clark’s faithful slave, was not given freedom until 20 years after the expedition.  Sacajawea may have died at a young age or lived to be very old. No one knows.

Ambrose, Stephen E. (1996). Undaunted courage: Meriwether lewis, thomas jefferson, and the opening of the american west. New York, NY: Ambrose-Tubbs, Inc.. Wilmore, Kathy (Ed.). (2003). Kids Discover.

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