Lewis and Clark Expedition, an analysis

On April 25, 1805, the Corps of Discovery camped by the riverside near the future site of Fort Union. Lewis and Clark hoped they were only weeks away from the Pacific via an all-water route, the mythical Northwest Passage. The group rested and celebrated their arrival at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. The expedition journals noted the spot's potential as a trade location between two navigable rivers, the early highways of commerce. Entering what …

…on all occasions, these are ever poor Egypt labor under, except the Mahometant Yoke." On July 24, they passed a remarkable bluff of red colored earth. Sacagawea told them this was the clay the iNdians used for paint. For her people red was emblematic of peace. On July 25 Lewis's party reached the "Little Gates of the Mountains.", also referred to as the "second range of mountains." The Indians at Mandan had informed them of this place.