Can you imagine traveling several thousand miles over two years across some of America’s wildest country? It’s one of the most significant journeys ever taken in North America. The impact of the Lewis and Clark expedition was broad and far-reaching. Lives across the continent were affected for better and for worse.
All the members of the Corps of Discovery had different backgrounds. Each brought his/her own unique perspective along. Many people contributed stories that included expedition details. The most thorough are the journals of Lewis and Clark.
What was it like for the various expedition members? How might the Native American groups have felt about meeting the Corps of Discovery?
Below are some web sites to visit and learn more about various members of the expedition. Learn what different native groups may have been thinking. Your assignment is to visit one or more of the sites and share some of what you learned. You may wish to write about a member of the expedition or write about how some natives may have felt. Each site has much to explore. Write your comment in paragraph form. Comments due by February 26.
http://lewis-clark.org/ Discovering Lewis and Clark, Lots to see!
http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com Click on 'Corps of Discovery' to see members!
http://idahoptv.org/lc/amongthetribes/index.cfm Click to read NA interpretations!
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/ Click on map to see journey!
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/ Game to play!
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47 comments:
I chose to do John Collins. John tried to desert the expidition two times, in two different months. By the third month, he settled down. He was apointed cook of the expidition, but his main contribution was hunting. Sometimes when he was sent out to hunt, he would visit a liqour shop and come back drunk. John, with a partner, once came across a butchered boar while they were hunting. They took it back to the rest of the Corps of Discovery and claimed it was bear meat.
Blaise
Today I read about a very interesting man named Charles Floyd. Charles Floyd was born in Kentucky and a little bit after that he and his family moved to Clarksville, Indiana. Charles Floyd was the first constable of Clarksville at age 18 and he enlisted into the army on August 1, 1803. I learned that he was one of the four sergeants on the expedition. I also found out that he was the first person to join the Corps of Discovery. This doesn't seem like much to me, but his pay was $5 and $8.00 a month. I guess that $5 and $8.00 a month was a lot of money back then. Sadly he was the first and only man to die on the expedition. He died on August 20, 1804 and he was buried in Sioux City, Iowa close to the spot where he died. Charles Floyd was best known for his detailed journals about land quality and soil conditions. I loved reading about Charles Floyd and I hope that you enjoy learning about him, too.
By,
Noah S. #50
I chose to read about Sacajawea.When Sacajawea was a young girl she was out picking berries with her friend.Just when her enemies attacked her tribe.She and her friend started to run.They came to a river and had to go through or over it.Her friend leaped over with her long legs and because of that she got the name Leaping Fish.But,Sacajawea couldn't do it so she got taken captive.The good thing was a different person she knew also got taken captive her name was Otter Women.So on the way to their enemies camp they joked and laughed about some of the people in the other tribe.When they got to the camp they were given to a lady and had to work for her as slaves.Then one day a man named Charbonnoeu came to gamble for Sacajawea.He ended up winning Sacajawea and Otter Women.So they went to the camp were he lived.He ended up being Sacajawea's husband.Sacajawea became pregnet with a baby boy she named Pomp.Then she and her husband met two captains named Lewis and Clark.They wanted her to come on the expedition with them.So she and her husband went on the expedition.It was a hard and long trip but,they made it.They did run into a bear and some other animals.
by,
Rachael R.#19
I wonder if we could track this journey on Google Earth?
I learned about the Nez Perce indians, but that is'nt actually the name they called themselves. They called themselves either Nimeepoo or Tsoopnitpeloo. When Lewis and Clark came, it was kindove funny in a way because Lewis and Clark 'thought' they 'discovered' the Nimeepoo people. Actually, we discovered Corps of discovery. Also, Otis Halfmoon explained, they did not know where they were but WE did. The Nimeepoo did'nt take that bad though, Otis said, we thoughtit was interesting seeingpeople with upsidedown faces. The Nez Perce people had no idea who they were, they had only heard of such people with creamy white skin. Way before Corps of discovery came, Nez people sang about the bible, and people with skin so light skin taking over the land. I hope you had as much fun learing about the Nimeepoo people as I did!
I have learned some things about Sacajawea herself, but I was interested about learning about her people, the Shoshones. Roseann Abrahamson from the Shoshone tribe said this, "My people smoked the pipe with your people,(meaning Lewis and Clark's expedition) the most sacred ceremony you can do; and a promise was made. I know that this Center (the Sacajawea Interpretive Center) is the beginning of that promise." The Shoshone people gave them the horses they would need to continue on they're journey. They said that "We are the people of Sacajawea. We are a very proud people." I know that I would be very proud too, if I could be part of the tribe that this famous young lady had been in. I think I know a little more about the tribe that Sacajawea had been in and what it was like for them when the Corps of Discovery came through with their family member, Sacajawea.
The person on the Corp of Discovery Expedition I chose was York. I learned that York was one of few on the expedition who knew how to swim.York was Clarks friend and was his servant.When the Indians first saw York they thuoght he was their greatest warrior because his skin was black and the Indians would paint them selves black when they go out to war. I found out that York was aways happy to work on the expedition with Lewis and Clark. One time York swam out to shore to get greens for there dinner that night. I had fun and was happy to learn about York.
I think York was a very important man to the expedition. For one York could swim fairly well, which most of the men couldn't do. He also had black skin. To the Indians if you are painted black that you are the greatest warrior. The Indians thought York was painted, but they later found out that he wasn't painted at all. They respected York and admired him. But, York was Captain William Clark slave. William Clark inherited York from his father. When the Shoshones heard about York they waited excitedly to see him and receive the merchendise in which they would trade for their horses. At the end of the expedition York asked to be granted freedom in which he got denied. I think the expedition would not have been as impressing to the Indians if they did not have York, they might not have made it through the rough times without York's strength and impressiveness.
Carina (#7)
I just read about George Drouillard, who was an interpreter and hunter. The time when he was most needed was when the Corps of Discovery met the first native american tribe the Otoes. If I were him I would be happy to help and feel proud that I could help. He saved Charbonneau twice. First, he saved him by turning the white pirogue back over. The second way he saved Charbonneau was by shooting a bear that Charbonneau startled by shooting his own gun in the air. If I were Drouillard, I would feel like Charbonneau was kind of stupid. I think George Drouillard was very important to all of the expedition.
A very important member of the expedition is Lewis’s dog, Seaman. In one of Meri’s journal entries, it stated that, ’’walking on a shore this evening I met with a buffalo calf which attached itself to me and continued to follow close at my heals until I embarked and left it. It appeared alarmed at my dog which was probably the cause of it’s so readily attaching to me.’’ This means that Seaman is always alert and protective. Seaman also helped when hunting, by tracking the animals scent. He was much bigger than most Indian dogs. He was a very good swimmer, and would swim through swarms of migrating gray squirrels, catching a couple big ones to eat with his master. Seaman was just as important as anyone else on the expedition, even though he is a dog.
I think the Shoshone tribe is the most important tribe that the expedition meet. If they would not have meet the Shoshone tribe they would not have made it. Lewis and Clark meet the shohone tribe in 1805. They would not have made it because they followed a river, after the river ended they would have had to walk the rest of the way.The Shoshone tribe traded them horses. Sacagawea was from this tribe. The shoshones lived where the river split in two for many generations. "We believe this is the heart of our lives and our people.", said native Roseann Abrahamson.They live more northern than any other tribe at that time. They smoked the pipe with Lewis and Clark.Right then and there a promise was made. If the expedition did not meet the Shoshone tribe this amazing adventure would not have been completed.
I learned about a very interesting man named Meriwether Lewis. He was born on August 18, 1774, he volunteered to go on the expedition at the age of 18. By the age of 26 he raised his rank to a captain in the first U.S. Infantry Regiment. Late in the winter of 1801,the 27 year old Lewis was summoned by Thomas Jefferson,the newly selected president,to serve as his secretary and aide.After two years, four months,and ten days,Lewis,Clark, and the Corps of Discovery all came back to St.Louis on September 23,1806.I really enjoyed reading about Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery,and now I can share it with you!
I learned about the youngest men of Louis and Clark's party, Privet George Shannon. Once in 1805 Shannon got lost, he got lost on August 6 and didn't come back until August 9. But Shannon first got lost on August 27, 1804 near Yankton, South Dakota. George Shannon was charged $5.00 a month because he was a privet, not a sergeant, a corporal, or a interpreter. Later in his life Shannon became a lawyer and a senator from Missouri. This was some interesting information that I wanted to share with you.
I chose Clark to learn about, he was born on August 1, 1770 he was the 9th chilled of 10 children. He lived in Virginia in the same place that Thomas Jefferson and Lewis lived in. Then the Clark family moved to Mulberry Hill, near Louisville, Kentucky and he joined the military at age 19 and eventually he became captain. On June 19, 1803 Lewis sent a letter to Clark asking him to be in the Corps of Discovery with him. On January 5, 1808 Clark married Julia Hancock. Clark died in St. Lewis on September 1, 1838 from natural causes.
The member i choose was Nathaniel Pryor. He was known to be one of the nine men from Kentucky. I learned that there was a rule it was only unmarried men were allowed to go on the expedition but, Nathaniel Pryor was the only one who was married and was on the expedition. He became a sergeant and a Permanent Party on April 1, 1804. His job was to serve on the kneelboat witch was to be operated by all the Permanent Party. Pryor was considered an impeccable character with an abilty to do anything.
P.S. it did not show when he died
This time I'm saving this on word. I choose Nathaniel Pryor. There was a rule that only unmarried men were aloud to join the Corps of Discover. He was married before he joined the expedition but he wasn't married when he joined.Captain Clark and Captain Lewis thought that he was a good carpenter because when the mast of the white pirogi broke he fixed it and they liked him so much that they named two rivers after him.
I chose to do the perspective of the Shoshones. The Shoshones were very important because they provided horses for the expedition. If they didn't get the horses the mountains would be impossible to cross. These Indians were very generous and helpful people to the expedition. Also Sacagawea was a Shoshone so she was longing to see her family. I think it is important for us to know how the Indians felt about the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Human population had a big impact on wild life in the early 1900’s. Animals that where close to humans stayed away and were more weary, the animal that lived in more remote environments where not afraid of humans and gave them little attention. The Indian were careful to not kill all the animals and mostly hunted buffalo. The Indian also killed bear and wolf but only for prove that they were warriors. I also learned that in the 1930’s the US Government moved 90,000 Indians to Oklahoma and Kansas. Because of this move and so many people living in the same area all killing buffalo, this had a big impact on the buffalo population.
Tyler
The person I chose to write about is Sacagawea. Sacagawea was a very sturdy woman during the time when a storm blew up while on the Missouri River. When Charboneau let go of the rudder of the white pigorgue and cried to his God for mercy, Sacagawea stayed calm. Then Charboneau was threatened by a crew member to be shot or grab the rudder. Charboneau grabbed the rudder and Sacagawea quickly pulled the valuable items from the water. She saved the expedition with her quick thinking.
Henry #18
I learned about the expiditions dog,Seaman.I learned that he alerted the expidition about danger or unknown tribes they are approching. For example when Lewis was being chased by a buffalo calf,he got infront and scared it off. At first he was only Lewis's dog but when he joined the expidition Seaman became the whole crews dog. He never goes to sleep though Seaman is constantly awake,alarmed,and barking all night. After reading about Seaman, I felt like I learned lots more than reading Sacajawea or something.
P.S. It did not show when he died or if he died from a sickness.
HI Naturalist, the member I chose of the CORPS OF DISCOVERY was Sergeant John Ordway. John Ordway was born in New Hampshire. Ordway was responsible to write detailed descriptions about Native American life. Ordway was also responsible for tasks like issuing provisions for Lewis and Clark while tey were away. I'm glad that the CORPS OF DISCOVERY did what they did because we would not have known what the west was like.
NICHOLAS329
What is a naturalist? The question was asked on a website that I was reading, and I began to wonder. Naturalist is defined in many ways, depending on where you look it up, but it is mostly a person who is committed to studying nature and natural history, especially botany and zoology. Were the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition naturalists? Were the Native Americans naturalists?
Lewis and Clark used scientific methods of classifying plants and animals, and did many detailed drawings and written observations. They also sent many specimens to be studied by others. The Native Americans grouped plants and animals in other ways. They didn’t record their observations, they told stories. At one part in the book, Sacajawea, she is surprised to hear how Lewis and Clark talk about some flowers that they had not seen before, and how they named them, when she already knew about the flowers all her life, and they already had names.
I think that Lewis and Clark and the Native Americans were all naturalists, but they made their observations in different ways. Where Lewis and Clark looked at the outside of the animals and grouped them into species, the Native Americans looked at animal personalities, and compared them to people- Otter Woman, for example.
Which is the right way to be a naturalist? I'll let you decide for yourself….
The naturalist I chose to wright about is William Clark. William Clark was born in 1770 on August,1 in Caroline Country, Virginia. He was ninth of ten children. On June 19, 1809 he was sent a letter by Lewis, asking him if he would be in the Corps of Discovery. William Clark had 48 members on the team when they left St. Louis. William had a slave named York. York was a black man and new how to swim. Tomas Jefferson started the whole trip. William made peace and friends with most of the tribes t on the expiditon. William Clark died in 1838 of natural causes.
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau is an amazing person who started his journey on the Corps of Discovery in Fort Mandan. He was born on February 11, 1805. He was known very well for traveling across the United States with Sacajawea and all the other men on the expedition. His parents were very important on this expedition. His mother, Sacajawea was a Shoshone. They knew she could help them by getting horses from the Shoshones. His dad, Toussaint Charbonneau was a French-Canadian trapper, and on the expedition, a interpreter. William Clark nicknamed Jean, Pomp. An interesting fact about him is that Pompeys Pillar, Montana and Charbonneau, Oregon are named after him. One of the places he worked was at the Kaw Indian trading post in Kansas. Wow! Jean Baptiste Charbonneau is a very interesting man. I got this info from wikipedia.
I learned about when Sacagawea me Lewis & Clark. It was November 11, 1804. Before they reached the northern plains they saw two flocks of southbound Canada geese. When they got to fort Mandan they saw Sacagawea. She was only 17 years old at the time. Lewis' dog Seaman looked at Charbonneau's presents four buffalo robes. Lewis & Clark didn't know that Sacagawea was going to be a big part of the expedition. I knew this must have been strange for Sacagawea. I never a lot knew about this until I read the article.
I learned that Lewis and Clark met Sacagawea on Sunday November 11, 1804. The men of the corps of discover worked steadily. They wanted to complete the constuction of Fort Mandan. Lewis's dog seaman looked on at Charbonneau's presents 4 "buffalow robes". Sacagawea was a very important part to the expedition in their sucsses. Sacagawea helped Charbonneau. She did not act as a guide, but a legend. Sacagawea was about 17 years old and at the age of 12 she was capture by the Hidatsa. She was at the mouth of the Knife River. At Lewis's right a magpie's raucous voice adds to the morning chatter. Lewis is going to ship it back to Pressident Jefferson. I would like to meet all these people and make them my friends.
I chose Pierre Cruzzate as my person to learn about. Pierre Cruzzate would play his fiddle when the corps of discovery wasn’t working. When Charbonneau’s boat tipped over Pierre pointed his gun at Charbonneau and said, “If you don’t pull the boat up I will shoot you.”Pierre was a very important part of the corps of discovery. He was important because music was a very critical tool and he played the fiddle. Do you think Private Pierre Cruzzate was an important person in the expedition?
David 23
I'm am writing about Tony Johnson. He is the Chairman of the Chinook tribe today. He said, "Our image is a lot different than America has," and "They lived here by our kind-heartedness." in his mind, Lewis and clark took their land and what they owned after being welcomed. The Chinook peole don't have y land as a tribe now. David
Although there are many interesting men to learn about that went on the Expedition, I chose to learn about Private John Field. John Field was also one of the nine men from Kentucky. John Field was born in 1769 in Harrisonberg, Virginia. He joined the Expedition at age 34 and was one of the oldest enlisted members. He was great at blacksmith, gunsmith, huntsmen, and craftsmanship skills. John Shields was also a general mechanic. There are over 70 notes in journals about his success with hunting. John Shields was a Private was paid five dollars a month. A year after the expedition, John Shields lived with Daniel Boone, a close relative, for a year. He died in November in 1809. Well, I sure hope you learned as much as I did about John Shields. See you tomorrow, naturalists!!
-Emily K. #13
Did you know that George Shannon was the youngest member of the expedition? He was born in 1878. He was a private and got paid $5.00 a month. He was not very good at orientation. He was also one of the 9 young men on the expedition that was from Kentucky. Later in life, he studied law and became a lawyer and a senator in Missouri. He lived for a very long time. He died in 1958.
Kate-I chose a very important member of corps of discovery. Lewis’ dog Seaman. Seaman is very important because he saved a lot of his food. Like when a bear came to the camp and tried to eat some buffalo on stick he saved the food by barking scaring the bear away. The expedition members liked him so much they started to call him our dog. You know I would too because he’s a man best friend. Seaman had a lot of encounters with buffalo. Like when a bison came running towards the camp and he barked so loud it came inches away from the camp. I don’t know about you but I think that's a cool dog.
I have enjoyed learning about the great expedition of Lewis Meriwether and William Clark. They were sent by President Jefferson in 1804 to explore the great west. Their goals were to find water ways to the west, map what they found, make friends with the Indians, and open the west for trade. They started their expedition in May and traveled up the Missouri River and crossed many states leading to the west coast. During their trip they met and traded with many Indian tribes such as the Yankton and Teton Suoux. They made friends with most of these tribes and were able to make their trip without any serious fighting. They successfully met their goals in their trip to the west coast and back.
By Chase Larwin
I found that William Bratton seemed to be an important part of the expeition. He was a private. He was born in Virgina but was raised in Kentucky. William was considered one of "Nine Young Men from Kentucky." On October 20, 1803 he became a member of the expedition. He was a superb woodsman and hunter, and was very useful as a blacksmith but even more as a gunsmith. His talents were limitless. After the expedition Bratton served in war of 1812 and moved to Kentucky, then Missouri then to Ohio before settling down with his wife in Waynetown,Indiana. In June of 1824 he was chosen to be the first justice in peace. Soon he became the first superindentent of schools but a few months later he was pronounced dead on November 11,1841 at the age of 63. I think William Bratton made a big difference.
Hank- I looked through all of the sites and I fond my eyes stuck an article about the great falls. It was marvelous! I learned how high the falls are and how they did it. The great falls were precisely 78 feet high. They got this information from a tool called a sextant. This tool measures the angle of an object. They did that and got paces away from the object and used those two numbers to get their height. These are some reasons I like this article.
Bobby Conner of the Umatilla tribe says that Lewis and Clark were just re nameing things not discovering them. Also, as a true fact, she states that back then people ate healthier because now we have heart diseases, and diabetes. But says they were curios.
Roseann Abrahamson and Leo Ariwite (both in the Shoeshone tribe)both agree that when Lewis andClark needed horses they could have kept on going, but if they did not, they`d turn around. But the Shoeshones did give them horses,so they countinued their journey. Theese people are proud to be a Shoeshone- they areproud to be related to Sacajawea.
Alan Pinkham who is part of the Nez Perce, agrees that somehow the tribal people today,had been able to survive sicknesses that won`t kill you, but can kill them. He also states that at least 50%of the expedition`s story has not yet been unraveled.
Websight used:idahoptv.org/lc/amongthetribes/index.cfm
One of the 33 ordinary people in the Corps of Discovery was Patrick Gass. He was one of the seven known journal keepers. His journal provided us with more details about some acitivities of the Expedition than did the other journals and he only had 19 days of formal education. He published his journal 6 months after they returned and 7 years before Lewis' and Clark's journal. Gass was a carpenter and he helped construct the winter forts and worked on the canoes. When Lewis and Clark divided the party into three groups, Gass led the group down the Missouri River. He married a 16 year old when he was 60 and had 7 kids. He was the last member of the Corp to die at almost 100 years old. He outlived Jean Baptist Charbonneau by four years. #16
I learned that the Shoshones word for people like Lewis and Clark is "Ta-ba-bone" which means those who are strangers, who might be enemies.
by: kevin
The person I chose who went on the expedition was Sacagawea. She was the only woman on the expedition. When she was a child she had been captured by the Hidatsa tribe and lived among them. Later, the Hidatsas sold Sacagawea to a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau. Lewis and Clark hired Charbonneau and Sacagawea as an interpurter. Sacagawea was an interpurter so Lewis and Clark could get horses from the Shoshone tribe. On August 17, 1805 she returned to the Hidatsa-Mandan village. I hoped you learned about the Lewis and Clark expedition and Sacagawea.
-Katie O. #48
I choose to do Seaman for my person on the expedition. I learned a lot of facts about Seaman, one of the facts were everyone thought his name was Scannon. Another fact is he was thirty- fourth person on the expedition. Also, Lewis and Clark bought Seaman for $24. I loved all I learned about Seaman I hoped you learned enough.
- Sophia
When I was looking through the websites, WOW! Patrick McLene Gass made me happy, because in the book it is just starting to talk about him. Patrick was born on June 12, 1771, in Falling Spring Chambeserg, Pennslyvanna. He was also a sergent like Captain Clark. In 1775, Patrick was within earshort of the Revolutionary war. From 1777 to 1780, Patrick lived with his grandparents. Again in 1780, the family was on the move west. Patick was moving nonstop, he finally setteled in Catfish Camp, Pennsylvanna. His background was skills in leadership. He was a key player. In 1772, Patrick's father was in the war against Indians. On August 20, 1804, Sergent Patrick McLene Gass died when he was 103 years old.
Libby said...
I decided to learn about Darrell kipp. I learned he his a member of the Blackfoot tribe. Lewis and Clark met members of this tibe on their return journey in 1806. The Expedition killed two young Blackfoot men who had entered their camp. These excerpts are from an interview conducted in 2002. They avoided coming in contact with the Blackfoot tribe. There is speculation that they knew they might have trouble with hte Blackfoot on the western trek. During their estern trek home, under specific orders, they had to come into the Blackfoot area to verify some geographic locations. During that time the only fatality happend when Lewis and his fellow travelers were in a skirmish and two teenage Blackfoot boys were killed.
Born on August 18, 1774, Meriwether Lewis was almost already in the new republic. He was exactly eight months old when Paul Revere made the great ride that represented the beginning of the War of Independence and the birth of the United States of America. Meriwether Lewis was a man of many wonders. He was appointed in charge of the expedition by Thomas Jefferson, the third president at that time. Most people think Captain Lewis took his own life, But i just don't want to think about it.
They called themselves the Corps of Discovery, as if they were going where no one had gone or heard of before. But the more they got away from the city of the eastern seaboard, the more civilizations they had come to.
But now Native Americans, who have always relied upon a tradition, say it's time to tell their side of the story.
Over the course of several years, the Idaho PTV Production team has interviewed Native Americans about what history James Ronda calls "the great American conversation." That conversation, which began two hundred years ago, continues even today.
I picked John Coltet.He was born Stanton 1774.He was sleted by Lewis.He was a great hunter thats why he was slected .John was a private.John Coltet was a very imporntond.He was a very very cool man
I learned about one-eyed Pierre Cruzatte, an exellent fiddle player and riverman. Even though he only had one eye, Pierre was such a great riverman that he earned the positition of bowman on the expedition. Due to Pierre's vision problems, one day while hunting for elk, he accidentally shot Lewis in the left thigh. Pierre made Lewis belive the Blackfoot Indians were in the midst, and when no evidence of the Indians were found, Pierre admitted his fault and Lewis graciously let the matter be. Pierre often entertained the explorers with his exuberant fiddle playing. Pierre knew some of the Indian languages, so he was helpful when the expedition encountered Indians. I learned alot about Pierre Cruzatte, and I hope you did too.
I read about the fasanating private John Seilds. He was soposobly a great blacksmith whenever their guns were brokken he could fix them. He made sure no guns were broken. He helped make war axes to trade for corn too. That way he helped get a lot of food at that time for the expedition.
-zane
please make new assignment
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