Lewis and Clark Expedition: Key Stopping Points (1804–1806)

The Corps of Discovery's westward journey and return spanned over 8,000 miles. Major documented stops include:

1804 — Outbound: Missouri River to Winter Quarters

• Camp Dubois (Wood River), Illinois — Winter 1803–04 staging area
• Fort Mandan, North Dakota — Winter 1804–05; built near Mandan/Hidatsa villages; hired Toussaint Charbonneau & Sacagawea

1805 — Westward to the Pacific

• Marias River junction — Critical decision point: correctly chose Missouri's south fork
• Great Falls of the Missouri — 18-mile portage around five waterfalls (June–July)
• Three Forks — Jefferson, Madison, Gallatin rivers converge; named for Jefferson, Madison, Gallatin
• Shoshone Cove / Lemhi Pass — Crossed Continental Divide; met Sacagawea's Shoshone band; acquired horses
• Lolo Pass — Brutal crossing of Bitterroot Mountains (Sept); near-starvation
• Nez Perce villages (Clearwater River) — Rescued, fed, guided by Nez Perce; built canoes
• Columbia River — Final water route to Pacific
• Fort Clatsop, Oregon — Winter 1805–06; salt-making, trade, mapping

1806 — Return Journey

• Willamette River — Explored south toward present-day Portland
• Celilo Falls / The Dalles — Major fishing/trading hub; portaged rapids
• Long Narrows / Wishram — Encounters with Chinookan peoples
• Cape Disappointment — Pacific coast; Clark's "Ocian in view! O! the joy"
• Split parties: Lewis explored Marias River (Blackfeet clash); Clark explored Yellowstone (Pompey's Pillar signature)
• Reunited at Missouri/Yellowstone confluence; returned to St. Louis Sept 23, 1806

The expedition mapped vast territory, established US presence, documented 178 plants and 122 animals new to science, and forged diplomatic ties with dozens of Native nations — though later policies betrayed many of those relationships.