Lewis and Clark in the Dakotas and Montana
In 1803, President Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase from France for $15,000,000. It doubled the size of the United States for a mere 3 cents per acre!
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery set out to explore the area for Jefferson.
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They were to look for an all-water route to the west coast (the elusive Northwest Passage), observe and record information about the people, plants, and animals living there, and form a friendly relationship with the Indian tribes in the area.
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In 2004, I followed a portion of that trail as a class for Hastings College. The class was under the capable leadership of Will Locke -- assisted by Gerry Swingle and Rich Fruehling. Our goals were to walk in Lewis and Clark's footsteps and see the journey from the perspective of the original participants and observers.
Much has been written about the expedition of the Corps of Discovery. I will add my simple contribution -- to instruct my students and fulfill my course requirements for Hastings College. I have included a few key sites with explanations. For more in depth information, consider one of the sources in the bibliography. As much as possible, the sites are in chronological order.
Claire Frevert
July 2004