Lewis
and Clark and the Discovery of America’s West
Dear
friend,
Statue
of Sakakawea in the U.S. Capitol
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In May 1804, two men
began an expedition that would change the course of history. Captains
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark had been tasked by President
Thomas Jefferson to explore the uncharted lands of the newly acquired
Louisiana Territory. With an expeditionary party of close to four-dozen
men, known as the “Corps of Discovery,” Lewis and
Clark set out from Camp Dubois near St. Louis and began to make
their trip westward. It was a journey that no one had ventured
before. And North Dakota was about to gain its own chapter in
one of our nation’s greatest adventure stories.
In the late fall of
1804, Lewis and Clark made their way up the Missouri River into
what is now central North Dakota. As winter descended across the
plains the Corps of Discovery made camp near what is now Bismarck
and began construction on a fort just outside the Indian villages
of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes. It is here, at Fort Mandan,
that the expedition spent the longest leg of its journey, working
for more than five months to prepare for their trip to the Pacific
Ocean. While at Fort Mandan, Lewis and Clark became friends with
a French Canadian fur trapper and his young Indian wife, Sakakawea.
Lewis and Clark recruited the couple to serve as interpreters
for their expedition. When spring came, the permanent party of
the Corps of Discovery set out from the upper Missouri led by
Sakakawea who carried on her back not only her infant son but
also the lives of the many men on the expedition.
Sakakawea proved to
be incredibly valuable to Lewis and Clark as they traveled west.
She served as an interpreter, guide and, at times, a negotiator
leading the expedition through the territories of many Indian
tribes. In fact, Clark called her his “pilot” and
later credited her with the success of the expedition. This young
Indian woman from North Dakota marked the path of discovery for
Lewis and Clark and helped shape our country, as we know it today.
This
year, as we commemorate the bicentennial of this daring journey,
I invite you to explore my Web site for additional information
on the many adventures of the Corps of Discovery. This site, which
was put together with the
assistance of the Library of Congress, will give you an in-depth
look at the adventures of Lewis and Clark.
I also encourage your
to learn more about the Lewis and Clark Legacy Trail Project.
This network of recreational trails along the Missouri River will
allow people to walk where Lewis and Clark walked, and see what
Lewis and Clark saw. Best of all, these hiking, biking and sightseeing
trails will showcase our state’s natural beauty and create
a lasting treasure that North Dakotans will enjoy for years to
come.
So welcome and let
the adventure begin.
KENT CONRAD
U.S. Senator
Click here
and let the adventure begin.
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