{"id":2473,"date":"2021-04-04T23:30:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T23:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/altameadow.com\/altameadow\/?page_id=2473"},"modified":"2021-05-27T08:53:56","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T14:53:56","slug":"lewis-clark","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/altameadow.com\/altameadow\/lewis-clark\/","title":{"rendered":"LEWIS CLARK"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LEWIS & CLARK<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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I<\/span>n August of 1805, after 16 months of arduous travel, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and the Corps of Discovery were encamped near the Shoshone Indians along the Lemhi River south of today\u2019s Salmon, Idaho. \u00a0They were bartering for horses and guidance westward over the Bitterroot Mountains. \u00a0This parley was made much safer by the presence of Sacajawea, as she was also a Shoshone with relatives there who recognized her, \u00a0Accompanying the Corps, she gave assurance of peaceful intent to every group of Indians they encountered; no war party ever brought women along. \u00a0After the talks Clark reconnoitered the Salmon River, apparently as far as present-day Shoup, Idaho, but found it to be impassable because of \"steep canyon walls and a rapid, rocky river\".<\/span><\/p>\n

Their Shoshone Indian guide, \u201cOld Toby\u201d, unaware of a trail out of the Salmon River canyon leading over Horse Creek Pass, missed an opportunity to follow an easier and more direct passage west \u2014 the southern Nez Perce Trail. \u00a0Instead Toby led the Corp of Discovery up the North Fork of the Salmon River, a more difficult and dangerous route over Lost Trail Pass and down into the Bitterroot Valley. \u00a0Steven Ambrose, in \u201cUndaunted Courage\u201d describes \u2018\u2019country so remote and rugged that nearly two full centuries later it remains basically uninhabited\u201d. \u00a0Lewis & Clark were obliged to travel a hundred miles further north, all the while viewing, in the words of Sergeant Patrick Gass, \u201cthe most terrible mountains I ever beheld\u201d. \u00a0Lewis wrote of \u2018\u2019those unknown formidable snow clad mountains\u2019\u2019. \u00a0Said William Clark as the Corps traversed Lolo Pass, \"I have been wet and as cold in every part as I ever was in my life.\u2019\u2019 \u00a0At the northern end of the valley they crossed today\u2019s Lolo Pass, (then the northern Nez Perce Pass) traveling 160 dangerous, grueling miles in 11 days to emerge, at long last west of the Rocky Mountains.<\/span><\/p>\n

If they had\u00a0chosen the shorter southern route over the Bitterroot Crest at Horse Creek Pass, the trail would have taken them down the West Fork of the Bitterroot\u00a0River, perhaps camping in present day Alta Meadow. \u00a0It\u2019s likely the corps would have\u00a0had a considerably easier passage across the Bitterroot Mountains if they had chosen this route. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Coming down from Lost Trail Pass along the East Fork of the Bitterroot River, the Corps stopped at \"Ross\u2019s Hole\" where they encountered a band of 400 Salish Indians. \u00a0They were friendly and generous; the expedition acquired more horses and food for their approaching ordeal over Lolo Pass.\u00a0 As Lewis and Clark descended into the Bitterroot Valley, the first of those \"formidable snow clad mountains\", now called Trapper Peak, appeared in the west.\u00a0 It's no wonder they were worried.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Ross\u2019s Hole near Sula, Montana<\/span><\/p>\n

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Trapper Peak just south of Darby, Montana<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Corps of\u00a0Discovery\u2019s journey in present day Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Journey west is in burnt orange, return east in green.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Depicted on the southern edge of this map is the Salmon River and the hamlet of Shoup, Idaho. \u00a0From there a backcountry road \u00a0(formerly an ancient trail) leads northward over Horse Creek Pass, through Alta Meadow Ranch, and into the West Fork Valley. \u00a0A short distance downstream from the ranch is the Nez Perce Fork, and along that river was a trail leading westward over the Southern Nez Perce Pass into Idaho. \u00a0The trail then followed a stream now called Deep Creek, eventually leading to the headwaters of the Selway River. \u00a0From there it was downstream to the Clearwater River, then the Snake River at Lewiston, Idaho, and on to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. \u00a0This route would have saved the Corps hundreds of miles of arduous travel and likely offered an earlier and easier crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains. \u00a0Earlier would have been much better because in 1805 the northern hemisphere was still in the grips of the so-called Little Ice Age, which resulted in much colder weather from about 1300 to 1850. \u00a0The extra time they spent trekking through the Bitterroot Valley certainly prolonged their approach to Lolo Pass. \u00a0September weather in the Bitterroot Mountains is often mild nowadays, but in 1805 the snow was deep along their route over the pass. \u00a0There was little or no game and the Corps were forced to eat their horses to avoid starvation.<\/span><\/p>\n

So much for what might have been. \u00a0The fact that they survived and completed their quest is awe-inspiring. \u00a0Their venture has been compared to an early 19th century version of the moon landing. \u00a0The Corps' primary mission was to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean. \u00a0They were also tasked with seeking trade relations with Native Americans, and during that endeavor they attempted to negotiate peace between the various tribes, albeit with limited success. \u00a0Simply put, Lewis & Clark were given a mission that was monumental in scope and complexity, and they were successful despite tremendous hardship. \u00a0They were a hardy and resourceful band of adventurers whose exploits never cease to amaze, and to whom America owes a great debt of gratitude.
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