Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. The Corps explored the Louisiana Purchase. The transaction between the United States and France had just taken place before they headed west. Their orders were to find the best water route across North America – Northwest Passage. Along the way they were to make maps, become acquainted with the various Indian tribes, and take scientific samples and measurements. The trip began with the purchasing of supplies by Lewis.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. The Corps’ first winter camp was built on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The camp was built on land owned by an earlier French settler. The camp was named Fort Dubois after the local settlement. The camp’s English name was Fort Wood River. The Corps spent the winter of 1803 – 1804 at Dubois. In the spring, they headed up the Missouri River. Travel was difficult and slow. The giant keelboat Lewis had built in Pittsburgh was slow and heavy.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. On their way upriver in the spring of 1804, the Corps experienced its only fatality of the trip with the death of Sergeant Floyd. His death was probably caused by appendicitis. The Corps were generally well received by the various Indian tribes along the river. One exception was the Teton Sioux. The Teton Sioux were used to charging fees for the French traders who had been using the river to pass through their lands. The Corps refused to pay and a fight nearly broke out. Eventually, the Teton Sioux dropped their demands and the Corps continued up river.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. The Corps spent the winter of with the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians at Fort Mandan near Flint River in what is now North Dakota. That winter was bitterly cold and difficult because food supplies were low. In the spring the Corps sent the giant keelboat back downriver. It was filled with samples and papers and letters to Jefferson and loved ones back home. The Corps continued upriver to what is now Montana in the pirogues, or canoes, they had brought with them.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. On their way up river they were joined by Touissant Charbonneau and his wife Sacagawea. Her linguistic ability was Charbonneau’s greatest asset. Her son, Jean Baptiste, was a signal to other native Americans that the party was a peaceful one. As they continued up river, the Corps’ diet was chiefly meat. One of the most important sources of food for the Corps was elk. They had been warned of giant bears on the upper Missouri but the Corps was surprised by the size and ferocity of the first grizzlies they encountered while still on the plains of Montana.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. Finding the actual source of the Missouri was difficult. On the way up river the Corps came to the confluence of the Marias and Missouri Rivers. Unsure of which route to follow, the Corps took a vote. Most of the Corps thought the right fork should be the Missouri. Lewis and Clark chose the left fork. It turned out to be a good choice but they weren’t sure of their choice until they reached the Great Falls of the Missouri.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. The Corps’ most difficult travel was though Idaho. Even though they left the Louisiana Purchase when the crossed over Lemhi Pass into what is now Idaho, the Corps wanted to find the mouth of the Columbia River in order to follow Jefferson’s orders. Eventually, the Corps crossed the steep Bitterroot Mountains through what is now northern Idaho and found the Clearwater River. The Clearwater drains into the Snake and the Snake into the Columbia.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. On the down river trip the Corps was saved from death by the Nez Perce Indians. One woman, Waktuweis, urged the Nez Perce to let the Corps pass in safety. The Corps spent the winter of at Fort Clatsop near the present-day city of Astoria, Oregon. On the return trip after crossing the mountains, Lewis and Clark split up. Clark followed the Yellowstone River downstream while Lewis took a group to explore the upper reaches of the Marias River.

Quick facts about the Corps of Discovery. On their way down river several of the men left the company. Most famous of these was John Colter who later became famous in the history of the West as a Mountain Man and likely the first white man to see what is now Yellowstone Park. After returning to the east, Lewis was made governor of Louisiana. The job was ill suited to him and his life fell into ruin. Depression overtook him as he was on his way east to explain his business to President Madison. He took his own life at Grinders Stand on the famed Natchez Trace October 11, 1809.