Meriwether Lewis Expedition Report

To the Pacific and Back

It was the year 1804 when the Corps of Discovery first set out to explore the western frontier of the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. President Thomas Jefferson had chosen Meriwether Lewis to lead the two expedition across the territory to find a north-west passage, a waterway that would allow them to transport goods north-west. Lewis had chosen Captain William Clark to join him and aid him in his expedition. Clark gladly accepted and the expedition, numbering 31, set off up the Missouri River. They documented many things on their journey, like plants and animals previously unknown to them. They were instructed to befriend the Native American tribes that they encountered and inform them that their land was now

Among those things were little birds called grouse. My personal favorite of all these grouse was called a Prairie-Sharp-Tailed-Grouse. The little birds were about 15-20 inches long and came in mottled brown feathers. The males had longer tails than the females, as well as a yellow comb over one eye. The males also have some purple patches on their necks that the females lack. We first came across these birds in September 12, 1804, not far into current day Charles Mix County, South Dakota. One plant we came across was a plant that smelled like sage named tarragon. It was about 5 feet tall and had tiny white flowers on it. We found this plant on September 15, 1804, in present day Chamberlain County, South Dakota. The next day, on September 16, 1804, we decided to go up a small creek that is now called Crow Creek. It had a beautiful forest nearby and sandy banks. Our name for the creek is Corvus, after a bird that someone in our group had shot. Captain Clark had decided to set up camp when we were one and one quarter miles away from the

He chose the right people to come along on our journey. I often watched him walk along the shore with his big black Newfoundland, Seaman. Usually he is documenting and sketching new species of plants and animals. I have known him to have some emotional problems though, so when I see him on shore I leave him be. He is a great leader and I know that Thomas Jefferson chose right. Captain William Clark used to be a captain in the militia. He is a proven leader and was the perfect man to lead us. He is good at keeping calm in tough situations and is great at mapping. His maps showed everyone we came home to just what we experienced. From the moment he accepted we knew he was the right man for the