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  • Sacajawea Was Not Just A Guide, She Was A Lifesaver on Random Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

    (#10) Sacajawea Was Not Just A Guide, She Was A Lifesaver

    Everyone's heard of Sacajawea. There are more statues placed in her memory than any other American woman. And she was invaluable to the Corp of Discovery's success.

    Sacajawea was officially designated a guide along the journey, particularly once the Corp reached land unknown to European-Americans. In this capacity, she served them very well. But she was so much more. She knew important landmarks, which helped the Corp measure its journey. She recognized edible and medicinal plants as well as tree barks that proved useful on the trail.

    Whenever possible, the Corp traveled by boat, down large and small rivers. Some of those nautical journeys proved dangerous, and on one occasion, important items were tossed from the vessel into a roiling river. Sacajawea didn't miss a beat. Her baby in one arm, she used her free hand to reach in and rescue many of these items, most importantly, Lewis's highly detailed journals.

    One of Sacajawea's greatest contributions escaped notice for a time. Unbeknownst to the Corp, one of the reasons tribal warriors didn't attack the group was the presence of a woman. Especially a pregnant woman and, later, a woman with a baby. Most American tribal cultures never brought women on a war party. So, when potentially suspicious warriors observed the Corp passing through with a woman, they knew the group was traveling in a peaceful manner. There is no way to gauge how many times Sacajawea's very presence saved the lives of the Corp of Discovery.

  • Little Evidence Remains Along The Trail Today on Random Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

    (#11) Little Evidence Remains Along The Trail Today

    The only physical mark left on the landscape by the Corp during its journey is an inscription on Pompeys Pillar, a massive rock formation in Montana, by William Clark. The formation is named after Sacajawea's infant, Jean Baptiste, whom the Corp nicknamed Pompey, after the Roman general.

    The men had a habit of carving their names in trees along the trail, the most famous instance of which came when they had reached the Pacific Ocean. Each member of the Corp joyously carved his name in a grove of trees. The area remained wilderness for many years but no longer exists. No one knows how long the group of trees stood before felled by those who likely had no clue.

    At least one boat used by the Corp was abandoned along the way, but has never surfaced. Archeologist Ken Karsmizki has researched potential Corp campsites for years, and claims the group created more than 600 camps during its journey. He has found some physical evidence of camps, such as musket balls, rifle flints, campfire residue, and other small items.

    Thomas Jefferson sent 90 metal medallions on the mission. They featured Jefferson's visage, and were presented by Lewis and Clark to tribal chiefs along the trail. The chiefs were told the gifts portrayed their new "Great Father" in the east, and were warned to cooperate with the Corp and Jefferson. The chiefs were apparently not terribly impressed, though at least seven medallions survive and are held in museum collections. 

  • People Back East Thought They Were Dead on Random Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

    (#8) People Back East Thought They Were Dead

    The Corp expedition lasted longer than two years. Back east, nothing had been heard from the group, other than the August 1806 arrival in Washington, DC of a wagon filled with some findings of the first leg of the expedition. A good many people feared the worst. Articles appeared in newspapers suggesting Lewis, Clark, and the rest were dead. Such stories fueled fantasies of death by Indians, bears, drowning, and strange tortures and rituals practiced against the Corp by native people.

  • They Named Mountains, Rivers, and Streams After Loved Ones on Random Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

    (#17) They Named Mountains, Rivers, and Streams After Loved Ones

    Though most of the Corp of Discovery's men were young and unmarried, many of them had sweethearts back home, and naturally missed members of their family. One of the ways the men coped with being so far from home was naming geographic sites along the trail after loved ones. Lewis meticulously recorded names in the numerous maps he created in his journal.

    The tradition began with the loss of Sergeant Charles Floyd early in the expedition. When he died, probably of appendicitis, the Corp named the bluff and river near the burial site after their colleague.

    William Clark, longing for his sweetheart Julia Hancock, may have bestowed her name on a particularly bubbly body of water, which he called Judith River (not the same name, but many believe he named if after her). After the expedition, he asked her to marry him, and she accepted. She was 16 at the time, he 37. 

  • They Had Instructions To Verify Whether Or Not Welsh People Lived On The Frontier As Indians on Random Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

    (#13) They Had Instructions To Verify Whether Or Not Welsh People Lived On The Frontier As Indians

    Most of the North American continent was completely unknown to citizens of the United States in the early 19th century. Plenty of speculative volumes existed, written by a handful of purported early explorers predating the Corp of Discovery. Such books bordered on the fantastical. But, since no trustworthy reports existed, people acquainted with the stories could not resist desiring confirmation or refutation.

    Such was the case with Thomas Jefferson, who encouraged Lewis and Clark to seek verification of any tales told concerning the West. One such tale had to do with a tribe said to be descended from medieval Welsh explorers, who either were unable to return to their homeland across the Atlantic, or decided to settle with the tribal peoples in America.

    Eighteenth century accounts (again, highly speculative) suggested medieval Welsh prince Madoc explored the Atlantic and settled, with his people, in North America, founding the Mandan tribe. Writers noted grey eyes and red or blonde hair amongst members of the tribe, dances similar to those performed in Wales, boats supposedly reminiscent of Welsh river craft, similar word and phrases in the Welsh and Mandan languages, and like songs in both cultures. Even Mandan buildings were said to look Welsh. 

    Lewis and Clark left accounts of an encounter with a tribal group called the Mandan, located in what is now North Dakota. The Corp stayed at length with the tribe, including most of one winter, so they had time to observe and document the culture. While it's likely Europeans attempted Atlantic crossings in earlier times, perhaps even with success, the Mandan people had no connection with Wales, and their language is Siouxan.

    The Mandans treated the Corp well, and formed a close friendship. Lewis and Clark noticed coincidental similarities between Welsh and Mandan culture, which were reported back east in ways that entranced the reading public and gave rise to visions of Welshmen living in the Dakotas.

  • Once The Expedition Left US Jurisdiction, It Became Fully Egalitarian on Random Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

    (#2) Once The Expedition Left US Jurisdiction, It Became Fully Egalitarian

    Once the expedition moved out of official US territory, their laws were of their own choosing. Every member of the Corp had a vote, no matter the decision or activity.

    York, the only married man, and only African-American in the Corp, was William Clark's slave. At least, back home he was. But beyond US jurisdiction, he was a free man and became a major and highly valued member of the Corp.

    Sacajawea was a pregnant, teenage Shoshone woman. In the States, those three qualities would have gotten her nowhere. But out on the trail, she was the expert, saving lives and property on a number of occasions. Her knowledge and grace earned her full respect among the Corp. She, too, was a leader, held her own vote, and made her own decisions. None of these things would have been possible in the US.

    Even the enlisted members of the Corp, all young, white men, had opportunities beyond comprehension as they moved and learned along the trail. They were all country boys, few from great means, but their journey broadened and enlightened their minds in ways they never would have achieved had they stayed back home.

    As a unit, the Corp worked together in kindness and respect for one another, no matter one's origins, status, or ethnicity. The journey was not without flaws, but those facts alone make the expedition an exceptional standout in all of American history.

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The Lewis and Clark expedition is the first round-trip expedition of the United States across the continent west to the Pacific coast. The team is led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark of the United States Army. The event was initiated by President Jefferson. They led the expedition with a total of 45 people, including translators who understood Spanish and Indian and allowed the expedition to use military means if necessary.

The expedition spent nearly 2 years to explored the Missouri River and its main tributaries, as well as the plains and Indian tribes along the Pacific coast. The random tool introduced 17 facts about The Lewis and Clark expedition that you must be interested in.

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