1. Lewis & Clark American Experiences in Geography

3. Name some famous explorers? What were they searching for on their expeditions?

4. Pretend you are an explorer? Where would you like to explore? What are you in search of on your journey?

5. What might you need to take with you on your expedition?

7. In 1800, the United States was composed of 16 states, all east of the Mississippi River. President Jefferson had long been curious to know exactly what lay west of the Mississippi. Why do you think he was he so curious? Jefferson's longtime interest in the geography of the West grew even greater in 1803, when the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France, and Jefferson wanted information about the newly acquired land. Lewis & Clark: The Background

9. Jefferson’s private secretary was a man named Meriwether Lewis,a Virginian, frontiersman, and soldier. He had served in the army in Ohio with a former Army captain and friend, William Clark. These two men would work together as partners for President Jefferson. The two were to share command as they explored, mapped, and studied a new route to the Pacific. The Story

11. “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it's course & communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, … and other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce. “ Thomas Jefferson’s InstructionsWhat GEOGRAPHIC terms do you see in these instructions?

12. “Beginning at the mouth of the Missouri, you will take careful observations of latitude & longitude, at all remarkable points on the river, & especially at the mouths of rivers, at rapids, at islands…The courses of the river between these points of observation may be supplied by the compass the log-line & by time, corrected by the observations themselves. The variations of the compass too, in different places, should be noticed.” Further Instructions

13. What were Lewis and Clark instructed to do on their expedition? Make MAPS of the rivers and land West of the Mississippi Find a route from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Note landmarks, elevation, and directional coordinates on the way to create a Northwest Route to the Pacific Ocean. Discover what the territory was like in the west and what peoples’ inhabited the land. What was their mission?

14. Let’s find the absolute location of St. Louis, MO. Please turn in book E to page 82 and find St. Louis. Now, turn to page 94 and give me an estimate of the longitude and latitude of St. Louis. St. Louis-38° 45' N 90° 23' W Location

16. PLACE What physical characteristics did Lewis and Clark encounter? What landforms do you see on the following map? What types of wildlife did they encounter? How did these landforms impact their journey? What human characteristics did they find? What cultures did they come into contact with on their trip? What clothing did they need to bring with them?

18. What do you think the climate was like on their journey?

19. Human/Environment InteractionLook at the following packing list to discover how Lewis and Clark interacted with their environment on the journey.

20. Consider the landforms that Lewis and Clark encountered on their trip. How did Lewis and Clark move through the land on their journey? What types of travel were available during this time period? Movement

21. Further Exploration Join the expedition! Explore the PBS “Into the Unknown” website as you discover more about Lewis and Clark and their amazing journey through the Western United States!