Lewis and Clark for Kids

Transcription

1 Lewis and Clark for Kids Their Journey of Discovery with 21 Activities JANIS HERBERT

2 Contents Time Line viii Preface To the Westward xi Time Line of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Map of the Expedition xvi xiv 5 Beautifull in the Extreme 61 Shall We Dance? 64 The Whooping Crane Waltz The Sharp-Tailed Shake A Buffalo Mask 70 Make Your Own Moccasins 76 1 Fixing for a Start 1 Where in the World Are You? (Learn about Latitude and Longitude) 12 Very Very Vermilion 14 2 We Set Out Early 15 Preserving Plants 17 Fruit Leather 20 It s a Phase Learn the Lunar Cycle 22 3 We Smoke the Pipe of Peace 29 A Winter Count 32 Make a Tipi 33 A Dance Rattle 36 Great Plains Stew 44 4 Forty-Five Below 47 Tracking Animals 50 Hoop and Pole Tab-ba-bone and So-So-Ne 79 Speaking in Sign 85 Make a Basket 90 O! The Joy! 91 Make a Drum 95 Dig It! An Archaeological Activity 104 Beeswax Candles 106 Our Homeward Bound Journey 109 Trail Signs 114 What Marvels We Found 123 Celebrate 200 Years! 126 Glossary 133 Lewis and Clark Sites, Organizations, and Events 134 Web Sites to Explore 137 Bibliography 139 Photo Credits 140 Index 142

3 Preface To the Westward

4 Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in His father was a surveyor and planter. Thomas s mother was from one of Virginia s most distinguished families. Their tall, freckle-faced son grew up to become the third president of the United States. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and served as minister to France and later as secretary of state under President George Washington. In addition, he was an architect, naturalist, gardener, and inventor. Jefferson designed and started building his elegant home, Monticello, when he was 26 years old. He conducted the country s first archaeological survey and found the bones of ancient Indians. Jefferson also collected a great library and created the University of Virginia. By making the Louisiana Purchase and appointing the expedition to explore North America, he changed the face of the nation. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of his Declaration of Independence Louisiana Purchase Honored Parence, wrote John Ordway, I am now on an expidition to the westward, with Captain Lewis and Captain Clark, who are appointed by the President of the United States to go on an expidition through the interior parts of North America. We are to ascend the Missouri River with a boat as far as it is navigable and then to go by land, to the westward ocean.... I will write next winter if I have a chance. Yours, John Ordway, Sergeant. Ordway wrote to his honored parents in May 1804 from a campsite in Illinois country, north of the frontier town of St. Louis. His letter may have made his family uneasy. The expedition he described was about to set off for an indefinite period of time over an uncertain course through wild and unmapped lands. Ordway was a member of the Corps of Discovery, the expedition of Lewis and Clark. This group of handpicked men was about to venture across the unexplored west of the American continent. In 1800, the settled regions of the United States ended at the Mississippi River. In the western territories that would eventually include the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, a smattering of new settlers lived in windowless log cabins, dressed in deerskin, and hunted and farmed. Farther west was a vast, unexplored wilderness peopled by scattered Indian tribes. Only a handful of fur trappers had dared to travel beyond the great waters of the Mississippi River. The United States was a young country, having only recently won its freedom from England. Starting as a small number of states along the eastern edge of the continent, the United States expanded south and west. Settler families broke the land xii

5 and built homes in the wild forests of Kentucky and Georgia. As the country grew, it pushed against lands claimed by other governments. Spain held the land now known as the state of Florida. It also held a vast area from the mouth of the Mississippi River north, including all the lands through which the Missouri River and its tributaries flowed. The land was called the Louisiana Territory. No one really knew how big it was the vast region was unexplored by Europeans. In 1800, Spain relinquished the Louisiana Territory land to France. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought the territory from France. The Louisiana Purchase cost a fantastic sum $15 million. The president knew it was money well spent. He had a vision of a United States that would someday span the continent. For now, however, he didn t even Thomas Jefferson know how much territory he d acquired. Where was the source of the Missouri River? How far did this new land reach? What mountains and forests did it hold? What people lived there and how did they live? Was it possible to reach the great Pacific Ocean by traveling along the course of the Missouri River? Jefferson had a passion for science and nature that made him even more curious about the new land. He wanted to know everything about the animals and plants, the climate, and the geography of the west. Jefferson s many questions could only be answered by sending an exploratory party across the continent. It would be a dangerous, grueling, and challenging passage, perhaps an impossible one. Only the most courageous, resourceful, and devoted people could even attempt such a journey. Who would it be? A Big Real Estate Deal The territory of the Louisiana Purchase turned out to be 800,000 square miles in area. The $15 million Jefferson spent on the Louisiana Purchase came to three cents per acre and doubled the size of the United States! xiii

6 xiv 1805 February 11 Sacagawea gives birth to Jean Baptiste Pomp Charbonneau April 7 The expedition leaves Fort Mandan and part of the expedition returns to St. Louis April 26 The Corps reaches the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers June 2 The Corps reaches the junction of the Missouri and Maria s Rivers June 13 Lewis and his companions discover the Great Falls of the Missouri River July 18 The Corps of Discovery passes through the Gates of the Rocky Mountains July 25 The Corps reaches the Three Forks of the Missouri River August 8 Sacagawea recognizes Beaver s Head Rock, a sign that the Corps is near the home of the Shoshone August 13 Lewis meets the Shoshone 1804 May 14 Lewis and Clark enter the Missouri River May 21 The Corps of Discovery leaves St. Charles and embarks on its journey August 20 Sergeant Floyd dies August 30 The expedition holds council with the Yankton Sioux September 7 The men hunt for prairie dogs September 25 The expedition encounters the Teton Sioux October 8 12 The expedition stays with the Arikara October 25 The expedition reaches the Mandan and Hidatsa villages and searches for a site for its winter fort November 4 Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea join the expedition Time Line of the

7 xv December 7 The Corps begins building its winter quarters, Fort Clatsop 1806 March 23 The Corps leaves Fort Clatsop and the return journey begins May 11 The Corps reunites with the Nez Perce June 10 The Corps sets off to cross the Bitterroot Mountains July 4 Back at Travelers Rest, the Corps separates into smaller parties July 25 Clark carves his name on Pompey s Tower July 27 Lewis and his men fight with the Blackfoot August 12 Lewis and Clark reunite at the junction of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers August 14 The Corps returns to the Mandan and Hidatsa villages September 21 The Corps reaches St. Charles September 23 The Corps is back in St. Louis August 17 Clark s party joins Lewis and the Shoshone; Sacagawea is reunited with her brother August 18 Happy Birthday, Lewis! September 1 The Corps begins crossing the Bitterroot Mountains September 9 The Corps reaches Travelers Rest September 2o The Corps meets the Nez Perce October 16 The Corps reaches the Columbia River November 7 Ocian in view! Clark sees land s end in the distance. November 18 The Corps sees the Pacific Ocean November 24 One person, one vote: the Corps votes on where to camp for the winter Lewis and Clark Expedition

8 Map of the Expedition Pacific Ocean Fort Clatsop December 7, 1805 March 23, 1806 Travelers' Rest going west September 9, 1805; returning east July 4, 1806 NEZ PERCE CHINOOK and CLATSOP WALLA WALLA and YAKIMA SHOSHONE BLACKFOOT Meeting of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers going west April 26, 1805; returning east August 12, 1806 MANDAN and HIDATSA ARIKARA YANKTON SIOUX Fort Mandan going west October 25, 1804 April 7, 1805; returning east August 14 17, 1806 Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains going west September 1805; returning east June 1806 TETON SIOUX OTO and MISSOURI Louisville St. Louis begin May 14, 1804; return September 23,1806 Washington, D.C. Monticello xvi Journey west Journey east Lewis's route Clark's route The trail is shown on a current map of the United States. Many of these states did not exist at the time of the Expedition.