Lewis and Clark
Expedition for kids: Facts about the Lewis and Clark Timeline
The following fact sheet provides short, interesting facts
via the Lewis and Clark Journey Timeline charting important
dates, places, people and events on the historic journey
of discovery. Read about their adventures on specific dates
via the
Lewis and Clark Journals.
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline: Important Dates on their Journey
|
|
|
Lewis and Clark
1804 Timeline
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 1: |
June 20, 1803: Meriwether
Lewis receives instructions and the major goals of the journey
from President Thomas Jefferson |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 2: |
May 14, 1804: The Expedition
departs from St. Louis in Missouri on their
Keelboat down the
Missouri River. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 3: |
May 25,1804: The expedition
passes the small village of La Charrette on the Missouri
River. Charles Floyd writes in his journal that this is
"the last settlement of whites on this river." |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 4: |
June 1, 1804: The explorers
reach the Osage River, Missouri |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 5: |
June 26, 1804: They arrives
at Kaw Point and the Kansas River. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 6: |
July 4, 1804: Independence
Creek located near Atchison, Kansas is named in honor of
Independence Day |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 7: |
July 21, 1804: They reach
the Platte River in Nebraska |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 8: |
August 3, 1804: The Corps
of Discovery meets the Oto and Missouri Native Indians at
Council Bluffs, Iowa. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 9: |
August 20, 1804: The
Corps of Discovery suffers its first and only death, as
Sgt. Charles Floyd dies of a burst appendix. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 10: |
September 4, 1804: Reach
the mouth of the Niobrara River that runs through Lakota
Sioux lands in Nebraska to the Great Plains |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 11: |
October 8 -11, 1804:
Pass Grand River in South Dakota home of the Arikara Native
Indians |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 12: |
October 24, 1804: The
Expedition reach the earthlodge villages of the Mandan and
the Hidatsa tribes in North Dakota |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 13: |
November 3, 1804: The
building of Fort Mandan commenced
alongside the Missouri River, near modern day Washburn,
North Dakota. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 14: |
December 24, 1804: Fort
Mandan is completed and Lewis and Clark meet Toussaint Charbonneau
who is hired as an interpreter and his Shoshone wife
Sacagawea. |
|
Lewis and Clark
1805 Timeline
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 15: |
February 11, 1805: Sacagawea
gives birth to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the youngest member
of the expedition who is called Pompy |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 16: |
April 06, 1805: The members
of the Expedition leave Fort Mandan and continue their journey
west. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 17: |
April 25, 1805: They
reach Yellowstone River which will take them through North
Dakota into Montana. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 18: |
May 5, 1805: Meriwether
Lewis kills the first
Grizzly Bear. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 19: |
May 14, 1805: Sacagawea
proves to be of great help to the explorers. A powerful
storm almost overturned one of the boats but Sacagawea retrieves
many important articles from the waters including research
notes, books and scientific instruments. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 20: |
May 20, 1805: In recognition
of her brave deed, they named the Sacagawea River after
the Shoshone heroine. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 21: |
June 3, 1805: They reach
the mouth of the Marias River, Montana and Camp Deposit
is established. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 22: |
June 13, 1805: The expedition
arrive at the Great Falls of the Missouri, near present-day
Great Falls, Montana. Portaging around the Great Falls takes
nearly a month. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 23: |
August 12, 1805: Meriwether
Lewis crosses the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, high
in the Rocky Mountains. They leave the newly purchased US
territory into disputed Oregon Country. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 24: |
September 1805: The starving
Corps of Discovery struggles through most arduous part of
their voyage most overland through the Bitterroot Mountains
of Idaho. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 25: |
September 13, 1805: Crossed
Lolo Trail in the Bitterroot Mountains |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 26: |
October 1805: Using new
canoes built with the help of friendly Nez Perce Indians,
the expedition float downstream from the Clearwater River
Idaho, the Snake River into the Columbia River in the state
of Washington. |
|
|
Lewis and
Clark Timeline 27: |
November 7, 1805: William
Clark wrote in his journal, "Ocian [ocean] in view! O! the
joy." (Refer to
Lewis and Clark Quotes)
The Expedition had reached the Pacific Ocean. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 28: |
December 7, 1805: The
Corps of Discovery built Fort
Clatsop for their winter quarters, where they spent
a total of 106 days. According to Chief Cliff Snyder of
the Chinook Tribe there were only 12 days without rain during
their stay. |
|
Lewis and Clark
1806 Timeline
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 29: |
March 23, 1806: The Corps
of Discovery left Fort Clatsop to start their journey home. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 30: |
March 23, 1806 to May
14, 1806: They traveled to Camp Chopunnish in Idaho County,
Idaho, along the north bank of the Clearwater River. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 31: |
June 10, 1806 to June
30, 1806: Traveled to Traveler's Rest (Lolo, Montana) via
Lolo Creek. This route was 300 miles shorter than the outward
journey. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 32: |
July 3, 1806: The Corps
of Discovery split into 2 groups Clark leading one group
up the Bitterroot River and the other group led by Lewis
up the Blackfoot River. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 33: |
July 7, 1806: The Lewis
group cross the Continental Divide at the Lewis and Clark
Pass |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 34: |
July 27, 1806 – The Blackfoot
Indians try to steal Lewis's group's rifles. A fight broke
out and two Indians were killed. This is the sole hostile
encounter with a Native Indian tribe. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 35: |
July 25, 1806: Traveling
along the Yellowstone River, William Clark climbed a 200-feet
tall rock and named it “Pompy’s Tower” after Jean Baptiste,
the son of Sacagawea. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 36: |
August 12, 1806: The
two groups rejoin on the Missouri River in present-day North
Dakota. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 37: |
August 14, 1806: The
expedition reaches the Mandan villages, the site of their
winter encampment at Fort Mandan two years earlier. |
|
|
Lewis and Clark
Timeline 38: |
September 23, 1806: The
Corps of Discovery makes its triumphant return to St. Louis
after their historic journey of two years, four months,
and ten days. |
Lewis and Clark
Timeline: Important Dates on their Journey
|