Why did Lewis explore?
Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade with, and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon Country for the United States before European nations.
What is the main purpose of Meriwether Lewis exploration?
The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) was a federally funded venture to explore the North American West. The expedition’s principal objective was to survey the Missouri and Columbia rivers, locating routes that would connect the continental interior to the Pacific Ocean.
What did Lewis and Clark discover on their exploration?
Lewis and Clark’s team mapped uncharted land, rivers, and mountains. They brought back journals filled with details about Native American tribes and scientific notes about plants and animals they’d never seen before. They also brought back stories—tales that made other Americans dream about heading west.
What did Lewis discover?
But during their 8,000-mile journey from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean and back between 1804-1806, Lewis and Clark discovered 122 animal species, including iconic American animals like the grizzly bear, coyote, prairie dog and bighorn sheep.
Why did Lewis and Clark explore the West?
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory, to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before European powers attempted to …
Did Lewis and Clark eat a dog?
Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery ate over 200 dogs while traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail, but Seaman was spared. The final reference to Seaman in the journals, recorded by Lewis on July 15, 1806, states that “[T]he musquetoes continue to infest us in such manner that we can scarcely exist.
