On May 14, 1804, the Corps of Discovery officially departed Camp Dubois, located near present-day Hartford, Illinois, just north of St. Louis.

Tragedy struck the expedition on August 20, 1804, when Sergeant Charles Floyd became gravely ill and died near present-day Sioux City, Iowa.

The expedition reached the Mandan and Hidatsa villages along the Missouri River on October 26, 1804, and constructed Fort Mandan near present-day Washburn, North Dakota. On June 13, 1805, Meriwether Lewis reached the Great Falls of the Missouri River, near present-day Great Falls, Montana. Lewis crossed Lemhi Pass on August 12, 1805, becoming the first U.S. citizen known to cross the Continental Divide. On December 7, 1805, the Corps of Discovery finally reached the Pacific Ocean near present-day Astoria, Oregon. The expedition returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806, bringing their journey to a triumphant close.

Lewis and Clark

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