What river did Lewis and Clark mostly follow?

Missouri River
The route of Lewis and Clark’s expedition took them up the Missouri River to its headwaters, then on to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River, and it may have been influenced by the purported transcontinental journey of Moncacht-Apé by the same route about a century before.

What was the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Route of the expedition. The Lewis and Clark Expedition from May 1804 to September 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States.

Why was the Missouri River important to Lewis and Clark?

“The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal stream of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce.” -President Thomas Jefferson’s instructions to Meriwether Lewis

What did Lewis and Clark find in North Dakota?

North Dakota. In April 1805, Lewis and Clark began their river expedition again, and by April 26 they reached the intersection of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers in present-day North Dakota. Lewis reported an abundance of timber, buffalo, elk, antelope, deer, bear, and wolves.

What kind of boat did Lewis and Clark use?

The expedition started up the Missouri River on May 1804 aboard a large keelboat (55 feet long) and two pirogues (open boats). They would not return until two years later in September 1806. While Lewis and Clark did not uncover the easy river route to the Pacific Ocean that Jefferson had sought,…

What did Jefferson want to do with Lewis and Clark?

For at least twenty years before he launched Lewis and Clark across two thousand miles into immortality, Jefferson had planned for a transcontinental expedition starting up the Missouri River.