Documentary Review: Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corp of Discovery: A Film by Ken Burns (1997)

 This is a very good documentary of the Corp of Discovery.  After the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis Clark to explore the new territory.  I didn't realize that so many times they were close to disaster.  No white person had ever been along the trek they took, and they did not have any communication with their base of operations.  They met friendly Indians, mostly on the trek west, except the SIoux didn't want them to pass.  However the Mandan were very friendly.  The difficult time was finding the Shoshone went the finally go to the head waters of the Missouri.  If they hadn't eventually found them, they would have been in the mountains without horses.  And then the miracle.  The chief of the Shoshone was the brother of Sacagawea.  They were able to trade for horses.  

The Nez Perce, when they met them had a real debate on whether they should just kill them or not.  At this time the were emaciated from hunger having barely made it over the mountains.  It was a woman who argued for them to be safe, so they fed them.  She had been treated kindly by whites.  They were able to foat to the ocean, despite being caught in a storm for a coule weeks just before getting there.  They had three choices of were to stay and had a vote of the company.  Everyone had an equal vote, including Sacagawea, a native American woman and York, an African American.

They met no boats and so had to walk back the way they had come.  However this time the Nez Perce provided a guide.  On the return trip they split into two companies.  The group with Captain Clark ran into some Blackfeet.  They tried to steal horses and a rifle.  In the struggle two Blackfeet were killed.  They left as quickly as they could for fear of a large uprising.  Going down the river they traveled much quicker.  All were anxious to get home.

And then the aftermath.  Several members became mountain men, and some were chased by Blackfeet and one killed.  Lewis Meriweather had manic depressive disorder, and eventually succumbed to suicide.  He had been governor of upper Louisiana territory.  Clark took in Sacagewea's baby, and new baby daughter and raised them, after she became ill and passed away.

This film from PBS was very informative.