Let’s Go Exploring!

There are many people in our history that have helped shape the United States of America. We learn from these brave people, and they help us understand the world around us. Today, we are going to go back in time to discuss two explorers who helped discover the western lands.

President Jefferson hoped Lewis and Clark would find a water route connecting the Columbia River and the Missouri River. These explorers had no maps, no phones...and no idea what to expect. Many exciting discoveries lay ahead, but also many dangers.

Along the trip, Clark drew detailed maps of the rivers and landscapes they discovered. He gave names to them. The team discovered hundreds of new plants and animals along the journey.

They discovered the grizzly bear, many species of birds and fish, prairie dogs, harbor seals, and many other animals. The information was all kept in a journal for them to take back to President Jefferson.

While they were diving deeper into this journey, the team realized that they needed a guide to help with talking to other people that speak another language.

Sacagawea spoke Native American languages as well as English. This made her an excellent translator, or person who translates from one language to another.

She joined Lewis and Clark on this expedition of the westward expansion of America.

Lewis and Clark and their team landed on the West Coast in 1805, where they spent the winter. Then in 1806, they headed back to St. Louis to report their discoveries to President Jefferson.

Lewis and Clark wrote down everything they saw and could find on their expedition. These journals eventually became some of the most important knowledge collected about the “Wild West,” a previously unstudied land. Can you imagine if the information had been lost?