In the summer of 1803, Meriwether Lewis and his friend William Clark set off on their journey to the small town of St. Louis. It was at this town that Lewis and Clark would begin the exploration with their group, the Corps of Discovery, down the Missouri river and hopefully across the continent. When they reached the town in the winter of 1803, the two of them waited for President Thomas Jefferson to approve of the Louisiana Purchase that would grant the United States the Louisiana Territory. In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was approved and the Corps of Discovery consisting of the leader, Meriwether Lewis; the coleader, William Clark; Clark’s slave, York; and more than 48 other members were finally allowed to begin their expedition. Under …show more content…
From the start of their, Lewis and Clark embraced their old abilities and were regularly documenting the new features that Louisiana held. While Lewis was creating highly detailed maps of the land, Clark spent his time on land, documenting previously undiscovered animals (pictured below), plants, and geographic features. The expedition started smoothly, and by the end of July, the group had traveled more than 600 miles on the river. However, to the group’s unease, not one Indian had been seen or encountered. That was until the beginning of August, when the Corps of Discovery was finally given the opportunity to make a good first impression on the Native Americans. It was on August second that the Corps of Discovery encountered a small group of Oto and Missouri Indians. The interaction between the two groups went peacefully; gifts were exchanged as was valuable information. The Indians gave warning to the travelers that the Sioux Indians, one of the most powerful tribes in the Louisiana Territory, would have a much different, harsher reaction to the group’s presence. The Corps of Discovery made note of this and continued on their journey with more caution than before. The group was now headed into the Great Plains, the area dominated by the Sioux