The Journey West

Up the Missouri River, over the Rocky Mountains, to the Pacific Ocean.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 24

In May 1804, the Corps of Discovery left St. Louis. They pushed and pulled their heavy boats up the Missouri River, against the moving water.
They met many American Indian nations along the river. They spent their first winter at Fort Mandan, near the Mandan and Hidatsa villages.
In spring, they kept going west. The river got smaller and smaller, until they reached the Rocky Mountains.
Boats can't cross mountains! With horses from the Shoshone, they rode and walked over the steep, snowy Rocky Mountains. Food ran out, and they were very hungry.
On the other side, the Nez Perce people gave them food, and showed them how to make canoes from big logs.
They paddled down rivers to the Columbia River, and all the way to the Pacific Ocean, in November 1805!
They built Fort Clatsop near the ocean for the winter. In spring, they headed home, and got back to St. Louis in September 1806.
Try it with a grown-up! On a map of the United States, trace the explorers' trail with your finger, from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS1G1.b — American frontier (Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea)
SS1G3.c — Identify and describe landforms (mountains, deserts, valleys, and coasts).
IPS.2 — Information Processing Skill 2: organize items chronologically