– 1806
Meriwether
Lewis, William Clark, and their “Corps of Discovery” made the
first recorded overland journey from the Mississippi River to the
Pacific coast and back, returning to St. Louis, Missouri, on this
date in 1806. The trip took more than two years, yet everyone
returned except one man, Sergeant Charles Floyd, who died of
infection from a ruptured appendix, (Floyd would surely have died
even if he'd stayed home in civilization, as there was at that time
no known cure for appendicitis.)
The group included:
2 captains
3 sergeants
23 privates
5 civilians
The
civilians famously included Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian
explorer and trader; his wife Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who acted
as an interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition; and their
infant son Jean-Baptiste, nicknamed Little Pomp or Pompy.
By
the way, did you know that Pompey's Pillar in Montana is named for
Jean-Baptiste? Also, he is the only child to ever be depicted on a
U.S. coin, since his image appears with his mother's on the Sacagawea
dollar.
National Geographic has a “Go West Across America with Lewis and Clark”
game. The website offers many other resources as well.
Wart Games offers many links about the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Explore away!
Also
on this date:
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