Journaling for Jefferson
The Lewis and Clark
Expedition wrote down what
happened every day of their
trip. That’s more than two
years of writing! Let’s learn
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
But first: What is the Lewis and Clark Expedition?
Here’s a map of the United States:
In 1802, the whole United States was just
the
pink section
. In 1803, President
Thomas Jefferson bought the whole
purple section
from France. This deal was
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
There were two problems with this deal.
1. It wasn’t really France’s land to sell.Have you ever dropped a toy, and a friend found it
and tried to say, “Finders keepers!”? At this time,
countries sent explorers to new places and they would then say that these places were theirs. However, many, many people—the native tribes—
had already been living on these lands for a very long time.
2. They had no idea what was in this land.
President Jefferson had never been to this place. Neither had most people in the United States.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Jefferson decided to send an expedition.
An expedition is a big trip.
In 1803, President Jefferson chose two men to lead a group into this unknown land:
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Expeditions have goals – things that the people want to do or learn on their trip. If you were traveling to a new place, what
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark had four goals:
1. Find a path to the Pacific Ocean.
4. Study the plants and animals they saw. 3. Make friends with the
people they met and teach them about the United States.
2. Make maps of where they went.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
That’s a lot to do!
And it was a lot to remember. Lewis and Clark were gone for two years, from 1804 to
1806. Their group—which they called the Corps of Discovery—saw 122 animals and
178 plants that were new to them.
Imagine you are going on a trip for two years. Write two things you could do during your trip to help remember it later.
1. 2.
Journaling One way to remember things is to write
them down.
The expedition had 33 people in total. At least 6 people kept journals, which are
notebooks you write in every day.
They would write what happened that day. They would also describe new things that they saw. They tried to put as many details
as possible. This way, they could share the information with others when they got back.
Read Clark’s description of a prairie dog:
“ther mouth resemble the rabit, head longer, legs short, & toe nails long ther tail like a ground Squirel which they Shake and make chattering noise ther eyes like a dog, their
colour is Gray and Skin contains Soft fur”
-William Clark, September 7, 1804
Clark compares this animal to three other animals. Name two.
Clark also describes the size of parts of the animal. What are two size-based words he uses?
What word does Clark use to describe the texture of the animal – how it feels to touch?
They stopped twice in what is now Lolo, MT.
Their campsite is now Travelers’ Rest State
Park. Here is how Lewis described this place:
The long leafed pine forms the principal timber of the neighbourhood, and grows as well in the river bottoms as on the hills. the tops of the high mountains on either side of
this river are covered with snow. The musquetoes have been excessively
troublesome to us since our arrival….
From this description, we know that Travelers’ Rest must have pine
trees. What are two other facts you can learn from this?
Journaling
1. 2.
My Expedition Journal
Now it’s your turn!
Go outside. Make sure to tell an adult first! Bring this packet, a pencil, and a clipboard or
book (so you have something to write on).
We’re going to use words and pictures to
Start with the weather. What are 4 words can you use to describe how it feels outside?
“a clear pleasant morning. not
So cold as usal
.”
Now, use four of your five senses. Complete these sentences.
I see I smell
I hear I feel
What about the 5th sense?
The last sense is taste. But don’t eat the grass or trees—it can make you sick!
What direction are the sounds coming from?
Imagine you are at the center of this circle. Draw or write what
sounds you hear in the area they are coming from.
Me
My Expedition Journal
Me
X Barking
Example: If you heard a dog barking behind you, you could
Naming Names!
If they did not know the animal’s
name, Lewis and Clark would give it a new one. They would often name things after each
other. For example, this
is Lewis’s Woodpecker:
Pick a plant, rock, or animal that interests you. Observe it closely for a few minutes. Draw the object below:
Write 6 words you would you use to describe this object to someone who has never seen it before.
If you gave your object its own name, what
would you call it?
The Expedition often depended on maps that native people drew for them. In Western Montana, they followed roads the Bitterroot Salish and Nez Perce had used for a long, long time.
Draw a map that shows how someone would travel from where you are working to your bedroom. Include at least
3 landmarks.
What’s a Landmark?
Landmarks are distinctive objects—such as buildings, trees, mountains, or signs—that help people know where they are. For
example, if your friend wanted to find you, you might say, “I’m standing by the swings.” You are using the swings as a landmark.