DOCUMENT 2 Lewis Clark and Crossword

Meriwether Lewis
& William Clark

Intrepid Explorers
T hese are the words Captain William Clark wrote in his

journal on November 7, 1805, after seeing the Pacific
Ocean for the first time: “Ocian in view! O! the joy.” (His
Born: Lewis, August 18, 1774;
Clark, August 1, 1770 (both in
spelling of “ocean” was not how we spell it today.) Clark, Virginia)
along with Captain Meriwether Lewis and the rest of Died: Lewis, September 1809,
their party, had just completed a remarkable undertaking. in Tennessee; Clark, September
1838, in Missouri
They had traveled mostly overland from Missouri to what
is now the state of Oregon. For much of the trip, they Famous for: leading the Corps
of Discovery (Lewis and Clark
were accompanied by a Shoshone Indian Sacagawea;
Expedition)
her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau; and their baby,
Jean Baptiste (nicknamed Pomp). In all, Lewis and Clark
traveled for nearly three years. They began in St. Louis in the winter of 1803, headed west to the
Pacific, and returned to St. Louis, to cheering crowds, on September 23, 1806.
Exploration of the West had been a longtime dream of President Jefferson. He and others
sought a water route (by boat only) to the Pacific coast. Jefferson feared the French or Spanish
might sail up the Mississippi River from New Orleans and take over our western territories. After
the English explorer Alexander Mackenzie went through British America (now Canada) to the
Pacific, Jefferson worried about the British, too. He offered to buy land from France’s Napoleon,
and was amazed to be offered a huge piece of land, today known as the Louisiana Purchase, for
only fifteen million dollars. He accepted, and instantly doubled the size of our country. The land
extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of Mexico to
Canada. It was a vast wilderness, and Jefferson wanted to find out everything he could about it.
He put Meriwether Lewis in charge of the expedition, known as the Corps of Discovery.
Lewis chose his good friend William Clark as his co-captain. The rest of the team, 33 recruits,
were well-disciplined soldiers. Despite extreme hardship, only one man was lost (he died from
appendicitis). Lewis did much of the advance planning and took courses in ecology so he could
identify the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) they encountered. Clark, the practical engineer,
was more disciplined about keeping a journal. The two designed special boats and went up the
Missouri River. After building Fort Mandan (in North Dakota) near an Indian village, they spent
the winter there. Next came the difficult passage through the Rockies, walking and using horses,
on their journey to the Pacific. Before turning back, they spent another winter on the coast (at
Fort Clatsop). In their travels, they came to know Native Americans, “respect” grizzly bears,
love prairie dogs, and hate mosquitoes. The year 2003 marked the 200th anniversary of their
magnificent journey.
32
Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
1
2 3 4 5 6
8 9 10 11
13
12
14
15 16 17
18 19
20
DOWN ACROSS
1. President Thomas wanted the 2. Captain Lewis chose William to
West explored. co-command the Expedition.
3. Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only man lost, 5. Alexander reached the Pacific Ocean
died from . from Canada in 1793.
4. Jefferson acquired the Purchase 7. Lewis and Clark met the Pacific Ocean in what
from Napoleon. today is the state of .
6. 2003 marked the 200th of the 8. The Lewis and Clark began in the
Lewis and Clark Expedition. winter of 1803-04.
9. Sacagawea’s baby, Jean Baptiste, was 10. The Expedition lasted more than three
nicknamed . (including plans and preparations).
11. A Shoshone Indian woman named 12. The Expedition’s leaders were William Clark
joined the Corps of Discovery. and Lewis.
13. In his journal Clark spelled “Ocian”. 14. The official name of the group was the Corps
Discovery.
16. The members of the Corps of Discovery were
in the U.S. . 15. Lewis and Clark were both called “ ”
by their men.
19. The Lewis and Clark Expedition returned to
cheering throngs in St. . 17. The word means animal life.
18. The Corps of Discovery learned to fear and
respect bears.
20. The word refers to plant life.
33
Answer Key
MERIWETHER LEWIS
& WILLIAM CLARK
(page 32)
Down:
1. Jefferson
3. appendicitis
4. Louisiana
6. anniversary
9. Pomp
11. Sacagawea
13. ocean
16. army
19. Louis
Across:
2. Clark
5. Mackenzie
7. Oregon
8. Expedition
10. years
12. Meriwether
14. of
15. Captain
17. fauna
18. grizzly
20. flora
60

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Meriwether Lewis

& William Clark

T hese are the words Captain William Clark wrote in his

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