#Lewis and clark corps of discovery pbs series#

There was the Shoshone slave/wife, Sacagawea, who famously accompanied them.

The expedition managed to slide between the cracks, with only a close call or two. Indian tribes were perpetually in conflict with each other. Remarkably, only one man died, probably from appendicitis, from which he would have died in civilized Philadelphia. They recruited enough men and commenced up the Missouri on April 04, 1804, returning in 1806. He invited his friend, and elder, William Clark to be his partner. Merriweather Lewis was Thomas JeffersonвЂ™s personal secretary. Want to winter outside, in North Dakota today? Or winter again, in the perpetual rain of the Pacific Northwest, with no yogurt, blueberries and coffee for breakfast? Just water and elk meat, morning, noon and night. Just paddling the entire Missouri River upstream, against a current that was almost impossible to paddle against, mid-stream. There were dollops of just winging it, with your wits. There were no GPS, cell phones, maps, light Kevlar canoes, freeze-dried food, no real medical kits, et al. Many aspects of this journey would be difficult to replicate by modern (soft?) man (and a wonderful woman) today. No question, what Lewis and Clark and his band of men did was an outstanding achievement, for themselves and for our nation. I had previously read Stephen AmbroseвЂ™s account of this journey, вЂњUndaunted Courage.вЂќ And that is a problem with BurnsвЂ™ documentary, because Ambrose is one of the major commentators. Ken Burns produced this documentary in 1997 for PBS. The above factoid, which I only recently learned by reading the book вЂњBlack Dragon RiverвЂќ which concerns the areas along the Amur River, between Russia and China, served as the impetus to revisit the most famous journey of discovery, as the corps was literally called, in American history. Produced by, a K-12 website owned and managed by South Carolina ETV.вЂ¦ was the year that the Russian, Ivan Moskvitin, crossed the entire Asian landmass and reached the Pacific Ocean, at the Sea of Okhotsk, a much colder version of the Pacific than the one Lewis and Clark reached, almost 170 years later.

#Lewis and clark corps of discovery pbs series#

History In A NutshellВ is a series that explains historical events in layman's terms. Without the contributions of Sacagawea and the Nimiipuu woman named Watkuweis, this expedition would have failed! After arriving at the Pacific Ocean in November 1805, the expedition spent the winter of 1805-1806 at Fort Clatsop. The most challenging portions of the trek west take place here: the portage around the Great Falls, and crossing the Bitterroot Mountains using the Lolo trail. The third segment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition chronicles the journey from Fort Mandan to their arrival at the Pacific Ocean. Was the Louisiana Purchase worth the $15 million dollar price tag? Find out with this edition of History In A Nutshell! Between 1804-1806, Lewis and Clark led a trek exploring the newly acquired Louisiana Territory their primary task being to confirm the existence of the fabled 'Northwest Passage' waterway, which could potentially open up invaluable trade routes with Asia. The team is proud to unveil the newest edition of History in a Nutshell:В an expose about the Corps of Discovery's journey west, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark! The Lewis and Clark Expedition represents a true American tale, how they opened up the American west for future generations.