Pacific Norh West History - Essay Example

After the USA purchased Louisiana they were interested in expanding to the West Coast, but as there was uncertainty about what exactly they would be buying, President Thomas Jefferson decided to fund and expedition. The president had first heard about plans of an expedition to explore the Pacific North West whilst he was in France, but he had not believed it possible and because of bad weather, the expedition was called off. Captain Meriwether Lewis was chosen to lead the expedition and he in turn chose William Clark as his partner.

The purpose of the expedition was to study the Indian tribes, botany, geology and the types of wildlife that existed in the Western Region as well as see what kind of interference the Canadian, French and British hunters, who were already established in the area, would hold for them. The Lewis and Clark expedition left from Pittsburg with eleven men; seven of which were soldiers and one a pilot. All of the men had volunteered to go with Lewis and Clark on their expedition and so they set out to the Pacific Ocean.

On May 14, 1804 the Lewis and Clark expedition set off up to the Missouri River and on July 4, 1804 Lewis and Clark named a river located near the city of Atchinson Independence Creek and this day is now known in America as Independence day. It was on October 24, 1804 that the Lewis and Clark expedition reached its first goal where they spent the winter at the Mandan-Hidatsa villages which is now known as North Dakota. American Indian Villages were located at this location and on the Northern Plains they were the main trading centers.

The Indian tribes allowed for the explorers to build a small fort, which they named Fort Mandan and they lived there for five months through a terribly cold winter. This allowed for Lewis and Clark to explore the area and learn about the wildlife and geography form their