Lewis And Clark :: essays research papers fc

The Lewis and Clark expedition across the present day United States began may 14, 1804. With the approval of President Jefferson and the U.S. Congress, Lewis and Clark gathered an exploration party of about four dozen men. These men headed off to discover Western America. On September 1, 1805, they arrived at the Bitterroot Mountains, near present day Idaho. This began a nightmare that would not end until they reached modern-day Weippe. September 1, 1805, the explorers set out traveling west, heading into rough, seldom traveled, mountainous country. They stopped at todays North Fork of the Salmon River, known as Fish Creek to Lewis and Clark, where they caught five fish, and were adequate to despatch a deer (MacGregor 125). Some of the mens feet and horses hooves were injured due to the rough, rocky terrain. The next day, they were entering mountains far more touchy to pass than any American had ever attempted (Ambros 284). Clark describes the route "Throu thickets in which we were obliged to cut a road, over rocky hillsides where horses were in perpetual risk of exposure of slipping to their certain distruction and up and down steep hills" (De Voto 232). Traveling along the steep hills, several horses fell. One was crippled, and two gave out. Patrick Gass described the trip that day as, "the conquer road (If road it can be called) that was ever traveled" (MacGregor 125). To make conditions even worse, it rained that afternoon, which made the trail even more treacherous. The party was only able to travel five miles that day. On September 3, snow fell and the teams last thermometer broke. Several more horsed slipped and injured themselves. Later that day, the snow dour into sleet. The expedition family consumed the last of their salt pork and fish and began their descent into the Bitterroot Valley. That night, was the coldest yet. The next day, the party went down a very steep descent to a river that Lewis named, Clarks River, (Today know n as The Bitterroot River.) There, they encountered a band of Salish Indians, whom the captains called Flatheads. They stayed there with the Indians the next couple of days to trade. They acquired thirteen new Appaloosa Horses, including three colts, for seven worn out horses. The Salish Indians shared berries and roots with the men for their meals. On September 6, they set off traveling northward along the Bitterroot River for about ten miles.