Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana
LEWIS AND CLARK IN MONTANA
From the time of Columbus, explorers and statesmen had dreamed of a
Northwest Passage, an all-water route connecting the trade routes of the Pacific
to the Old World of the Atlantic.
As president of a still young nation, Thomas Jefferson had pressed for the
Louisiana Purchase to strengthen American trade and settlement. The final $15
million agreement with France doubled America's size overnight.
A hopeful Jefferson commissioned an exploration to find the fabled River of the
West. Under the leadership of Captains Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson's private
secretary, and William Clark, the Corps of Discovery, 1803–06, was a U.S.
expedition that explored the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and the country
beyond as far as the Pacific Ocean.
The Northwest Passage was not Jefferson's only priority. In fact, of the tasks
assigned them, Lewis and Clark accomplished the most within the modern borders
of Montana. Contact and negotiations with native tribes, reconnaissance of
suitable sites for trading posts and forts, and scientific accounts of the
land's plants, animals, and scenic resources were all in keeping with
Jefferson's hopes for the expedition.
Lewis and Clark accomplished the most within the modern borders of Montana.
THE EXPEDITION
1803–04
The men were gathered, and in the winter of 1803–4 were trained in Illinois
across the Mississippi from St. Louis, the starting point. In May, 1804, they
set out up the Missouri, and the next winter was spent at the Mandan Native
American villages, near present Bismarck in North Dakota.
1805
In 1805, the hardest part of the journey was made. After reaching the Three
Forks of the Missouri River (and naming the three branches after Jefferson,
Madison, and Gallatin in loyalty to the administration), they followed the
Jefferson as far as they could. Their remarkable female Shoshone guide,
Sacajawea, helped to obtain horses for them to continue across the high Rockies.
Crossing the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, the expedition went over the
Bitterroot Mountains through Lolo Pass. The land of westward-flowing rivers had
been reached, and for part of the way they followed the Clearwater River down to
the Snake River (long called the Lewis). The Snake led them to the Columbia
River, where a miserable, rainy winter season was endured in Fort Clatsop, a
crude post erected on the Pacific coast.
1806
In spring the expedition started back across the continent. In July, 1806, the
party split for a time in order to explore as much territory as possible. Lewis
led a group down the Marias River, while Clark and most of the men descended the
Yellowstone River.
They reunited on the Missouri at the mouth of the Yellowstone on 12 August,
1806. The expedition arrived in St. Louis on 23 September, 1806, and were
greeted with much acclaim.
The importance of the well-planned, well-executed expedition (only one person
had been lost) was enormous. Although it was not the first transcontinental
crossing in the north (Alexander Mackenzie had preceded them), it opened vast
new territories to the United States. Its influence on the history of the West
is incalculable. Its results matched the efficiency and
capability of its leaders.
The expedition's influence on the history of the West is incalculable.
MONTANA – EXPEDITION UNSPOILED
Today, much of the Montana landscape that Lewis and Clark crossed remains
unchanged. From solitary sandstone through river canyons to mountain meadows,
Montana's rivers and highways flow past scores of landmarks related to this
famous expedition.
Today, much of the Montana landscape that Lewis and Clark crossed remains
unchanged.
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