D) which was provided by the native peoples about nearby areas E) thus they strengthened U.S. claims to western lands F) that they had not discovered a Northwest Passage G) then look for waterways flowing west towards the coast In 1804, Lewis and Clark set out to explore the American West. This journey was U S
president Thomas Jefferson’s idea. He wanted to claim control of the western part of North
America and he also wanted to explore the area’s natural resources. He believed that there
must be a route across America by water, and this “Northwest Passage” could carry sh ips,
soldiers, and settlers to the heart of the West and to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson chose two
young army officers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to find this hoped-for
waterway. Lewis and Clark set out from Missouri in May 1804. Their team consi sted of 48
men. In 1805, a woman of the native Shoshone people joined the expedition. She became
the expedition’s chief interpreter. She explained the peaceful purpose of the explorers
1 ____________. She also helped bargain for horses and food. Lewis and Clark would not
have survived without the information
2 ____________. Lewis and Clark planned to follow the
Missouri River to its source, cross the Rocky Mountains,
3 ____________. But they had no
knowledge of western geography, and no experience with the harsh western environment. As the
explorers headed west, they found their way blocked by rocks, rapids, and huge waterfalls. In the
mountains they got stuck in snowdrifts. Pouring rain kept them soaking wet for months at a time.
Slowly, they made their way north and west. In November 1805,
4 ____________ , they finally
reached the Pacific Ocean. Try as they might, however, they found no trace of a Northwest
Passage. But their expedition was not a failure. Lewis and Clark kept journals to record their
discoveries. They found 298 types of plants and animals