Lewis and Clark expedition

Lewis and Clark expedition, first overland expedition to the northwest Pacific coast (1804–06), under the command of Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) and William Clark (1770–1838), with Sacagawea, the Native American wife of an expedition member, acting as interpreter and guide. Setting out from St. Louis, the expedition explored the Louisiana Purchase and crossed the Rockies, reaching the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River. It caught the popular imagination and played a major part in establishing the view that it was the “Manifest Destiny” of the U.S. to expand to the Pacific Ocean.

See also: Clark, William; Lewis, Meriwether.