Lewis
and Clark Route Map
The
Corps spent the bitter winter of 1804-1805 with
the Mandans. On April 7, 1805, the expedition headed
west down the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark were
astonished by the dazzling wildlife they encountered,
including herds of up to 10,000 buffalo as they
entered Montana. They even killed an enormous Grizzly
Bear that chased Lewis.
On
May 31, 1805, The Corps sailed past what are now
called "The White Cliffs of the Missouri"
- beautiful sandstone formations that look like
the ruins of an ancient city. Three days later,
the Corps sailed on to a fork in the river that
Lewis named "Marias" after a cousin in
Virginia. After some initial confusion concerning
which of the forks was the true Missouri, they took
the northern fork (which proved to be correct).
Eleven days later Lewis beheld "The grandest
site [he]ever saw," the Great Falls of the
Missouri River. While the falls were beautiful,
there was no easy way to get the boats through them.
The Corps had to portage (carry the boats) 18 and
a half miles around the falls!
In
July of 1805, the Corps continued sailing westward
until they reached the three forks of the Missouri.
Lewis and Clark named them The Gallatin, The Madison,
and The Jefferson. Soon, Sacagawea began to recognize
landmarks of her old village (she was sold to Charbonneau
as a prisoner of war). The Corps took the Jefferson
Fork, which proved shallow and difficult to navigate.
On August 8, Sacagawea recognized Beaverhead Rock,
and informed Lewis and Clark that they were near
the headwaters of the river and the location of
her Shoshone tribe. Lewis decided to scout ahead
on land with three men in the hopes of finding the
Indians and their horses. Upon crossing Lemhi Pass
(on the present-day border between Montana and Idaho),
Lewis expected to see the passage that had tantalized
explorers since the 1500's - The Northwest Passage.
Instead, all he saw were more mountains. Nevertheless,
the Corps discovered the Shoshone village. Lewis
and Clark were hopeful they could negotiate the
acquisition of horses so the quest through the mountains
could continue. When negotiations begin, the Shoshone
chief, Cameahwait recognized Sacagawea as his sister!
The negotiations turned out to be successful.
Continue
to page 3
