541 - Fort Mandan

There’s an ongoing argument where the Lewis & Clark Expedition really started. Was it in Washington, D.C. with Jefferson? Was it in St. Louis where the crew first got together? Or was it at Fort Mandan where the permanent party--including Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and their son Jean Baptiste—departed into the unknown and expansive wilderness? Up to this point, Lewis and Clark had a pretty good idea of what they would encounter due to other Euro-American travelers previously in the area. But they had very little idea of what was ahead. However, Lewis was very optimistic while leaving Fort Mandan. Their stay at the fort revitalized him for the journey ahead.

In his journal on April 7th 1805, Meriwether Lewis writes, “I could but esteem this moment of our departure as among the most happy of my life. The party are in excellent health and spirits, zealously attached to the enterprise, and anxious to proceed; not a whisper of murmur or discontent to be heard among them, but all act in unison, and with the most perfect harmony.”