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Opening the West With Lewis and Clark / By Boat, Horse and Foot Up the Great River Missouri, Across the Stony Mountains and on to the Pacific, When in the Years 1804, 1805, 1806, Young Captain Lewis, the Long Knife, and His Friend Captain Clark, the Red Head Chief, Aided by Sacajawea, the Birdwoman, Conducted Their Little Band of Men Tried and True Through the Unknown New United States cover

Opening the West With Lewis and Clark / By Boat, Horse and Foot Up the Great River Missouri, Across the Stony Mountains and on to the Pacific, When in the Years 1804, 1805, 1806, Young Captain Lewis, the Long Knife, and His Friend Captain Clark, the Red Head Chief, Aided by Sacajawea, the Birdwoman, Conducted Their Little Band of Men Tried and True Through the Unknown New United States

Chapter 3: THE EXPEDITION
By Edwin L. Sabin
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History - AmericanHistory - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)

About This Book

The narrative follows the famed Corps of Discovery from preparation through river, mountain, and coastal travel, chronicling daily camp life, supply challenges, and scientific and mapping work. It introduces the expedition leaders and crew, describes methods of travel by boat, horse, and on foot, and traces the route up the Missouri, across the Rockies, and to the Pacific. Encounters with Indigenous nations are presented as pivotal moments of negotiation, assistance, and cultural exchange. The account emphasizes ingenuity, endurance, and the logistical and human strains of exploring unfamiliar territory while mixing practical detail with episodic adventure.

THE EXPEDITION

The Purpose To get information upon the unexplored country extending from the interior of present Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia River in present Washington.
The Start At St. Louis, Monday, May 14, 1804.
The Finish At St. Louis, Tuesday, September 23, 1806.
Time Consumed Two years, four months, and nine days.
Distance Travelled To the mouth of the Columbia: 4134 miles. Back to St. Louis: 3555 miles. Counting side trips: 8000 miles, total.
Methods Employed Boats, horses and afoot.
The Route Up the Missouri River to its sources in present Montana; across the Bitter Root Mountains into present Idaho; by way of the Clearwater River, the Snake River and the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean.
The Party Out of St. Louis Forty-five.
The Party Who Went Through Thirty-three: the two captains, twenty-three American soldiers, five French-Canadian and French-Indian boatmen and interpreters, one negro servant, one Indian woman guide, and one baby.
Deaths One.
Seriously Injured One.
Desertions One accomplished, one attempted; both early. None from the final party.
The Country Explored
The New Territory of Louisiana Stretched from the Mississippi River to the summit of the Rocky Mountains. Owned first by France. By France ceded to Spain, 1762. By Spain secretly ceded back to France, 1800. In April, 1803, purchased from France by the United States for $15,000,000.
The Columbia Country The Northwest lying between California and Canada, and the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. In 1792 visited by Captain Robert Gray of the American ship Columbia from Boston, who entered and named the Columbia. The same year visited by Captain George Vancouver, an English navigator. Claimed by both the United States and England. Awarded to the United States by treaty of 1846.