Lewis Meriwether 1774-1809 And Clark William 1770-1838
American explorers. Sent by the United States Government, in 1803, to
find an overland route to the Pacific by way of the Missouri. They
ascended the Missouri in 1804, to the Mandan villages; wintered there;
continued their journey in 1805, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and
descended the Columbia River to its mouth. They spent the winter there,
and retraced their steps in 1806 to the Missouri and St. Louis. Their
party consisted of fourteen soldiers, nine young men from Kentucky, two
boatmen, an interpreter, a hunter, and a negro servant of Captain Clark.