If Lewis & Clark Had The Telegram Quiz

Answer: Missouri

Lewis and Clark had been given a directive from President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Missouri River to its source and find a practical water route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition officially departed from Camp River Dubois (also known as Camp Wood) on May 14, 1804, at 4:00 p.m.

The initial party consisted of approximately 45 men in a 55-foot keelboat and two smaller pirogues. These included soldiers, a French-Indian interpreter, and Clark's enslaved African American man named York. Captain William Clark led the initial departure from the camp, while Captain Meriwether Lewis remained in St. Louis to finalize last-minute preparations and gather supplies. Lewis joined the rest of the corps a week later, on May 21, at St. Charles, Missouri.

Answer: Ruptured appendix

Three months into the journey, Sgt. Charles Floyd became very ill. His symptoms included severe abdominal pain, and nothing would stay on his stomach or in his bowels. After reviewing the journal entries and symptoms described, modern physicans have concluded that Floyd died from acute appendicitis which ruptured and led to his death.

The expedition members buried him with military honors on a bluff overlooking the river and marked his grave with a cedar post. The area was named Floyd's Bluff in his honor and the nearby river was named the Floyd River. Amazingly, this would be the only fatality on the expedition which lasted over two years!

Answer: Prairie dog

The expedition found many animal specimens on their journey never seen by white people. One of these was the black-tailed prairie dog. In September of 1804 they came across a prairie dog village. They were intrigued with these animals and called them "barking squirrels" or "ground rats".

They attempted several times to capture one. After numerous digging attempts, they finally got one of the animals by pouring water into the burrow. It was kept as a pet for months until it was shipped back to President Jefferson in 1805. The prairie dog survived the challenging 4,000-mile journey and Jefferson called it his "pleasing little animal". It was then placed in a zoo-like museum for the rest of its days.

Answer: Sacagawea

While the expedition was building Fort Mandan to weather the winter in present-day North Dakota, they met a French fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau. They also met his wife, a Shoshone woman named Sacagawea. She was about 16 or 17 years old and six months pregnant at the time. Sacagawea had been captured by the Hidatsa as a child, so she spoke both Shoshone and Hidatsa.

Besides interpreting, she became crucial to the group over the many months. Her presence as a woman (later with an infant) signaled to other Native American tribes that the all-male group was not a war party, which helped facilitate peaceful interactions and trade. She aided in survival skills with her knowledge of local plants. Also, her Shoshone extended family helped the expedition by providing them with supplies and horses.

Answer: Manual portage

The group reached the falls on June 13, 1805, expecting a single, small waterfall as described by the Native Americans. Instead, they discovered a dramatic series of five waterfalls and cascades spanning over several miles, none of which were navigable by boat. They determined it would be an 18-mile (28 km) route to go around the obstacles.

The men begin building makeshift wagons using local cottonwood trees to haul their equipment and canoes. The route was across rugged, treeless prairie filled with sharp prickly pear cacti and through extreme heat. The area was plagued by swarms of mosquitoes as well as menacing grizzly bears and rattlesnakes. The entire ordeal took 31 days to complete.

Answer: Bitterroot

The Lewis and Clark expedition identified and described 178 plant species that were previously unknown to Western science. One of these is the bitterroot plant that Meriwether Lewis first encountered and ate in August of 1805. He was given the root by members of the Salish and Shoshone tribes, who used it extensively for food and trade.

He noted that when boiled, it became soft, but had a very bitter taste, which did not agree with him. He gave his portion to the Native Americans, who ate it heartily. Specimens were later taken to Philadelphia where they were named "Lewisia rediviva" in his honor. The plant was found to be very resiliant as it was without water or soil for years but began to grow when planted in soil. It would later become Monanta's state flower.

Answer: Continental Divide

On August 12, 1805, Lewis and three companions from the expedition crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, which sits on the present-day border of Montana and Idaho. This is a high ridge of mountains that separates waters flowing to the Pacific Ocean from those flowing to the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. They journaled that they felt exultant in reaching the top and seeing the source of many waterways.

However, when they looked westward they saw seemingly endless mountains stretched before them. They realized the single, easy mountain crossing that President Jefferson envisioned did not exist. On the other side of the pass, they successfully made contact with the Shoshone and accquired horses needed to continue. The rest of the expedition crossed the pass in stages.

Answer: Fort Clatsop

Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805, marking an important moment in their journey. On November 14, 1805, William Clark and a small advance team reached the northern side of the Columbia River's mouth. Clark noted in his journal that he could finally see "the great Pacific Ocean" and described weather conditions as being intense.

The weather was so bad that they had a vote amongst the expedition members who chose to cross to the south side of the Columbia River, in present-day Oregon. Construction of Fort Clatsop was completed by Christmas Day, 1805. It was named after the Native American tribe who lived in the area. They spent a long, cold winter there while they prepared for their return journey across the country.

Answer: Blackfeet

During their return journey, Lewis and three men separated from the group to explore the Marias River area. Their goal was to determine if the river's source extended far enough north to secure more land for the United States. On July 26 of 1806, the small party encountered a group of young Blackfeet men. They all camped for the night.

Around the campfire, Lewis informed the Blackfeet that the US government planned to supply firearms to other Plains tribes who were traditional enemies of the Blackfeet. Angered, the Native Americans tried to steal weapons early in the morning. In retaliation, the Americans killed two of the Blackfeet before fleeing to reunite with the others of the expedition. Unfortunately, Lewis's actions, and the broader U.S. intentions he revealed, led to decades of mutual hostility between the U.S. and the Blackfeet Nation.

Answer: They were presumed dead

On September 20, 1806 the expedition reached La Charette, Missouri, the first white settlement they had seen since leaving American outposts in 1804. They were met with astonishment and relief by the inhabitants, who informed them that they had been given up for dead long ago. They got to St. Louis three days later where they were answered by cheers and salutes from the gathered crowd on the riverbank.

One of Lewis's first actions was to send a letter to President Thomas Jefferson, who responded with joy and relief that they had found the best route to the Pacific Ocean. They also returned with a vast amount of information: detailed maps, scientific specimens of plants and animals, and extensive journals detailing Native American tribes and geography. Both captains were rewarded with double their promised pay and large land grants.