Departure from Fort Mandan — Into the Unknown

This is one of the most eloquent passages in all the expedition journals. As the party departed Fort Mandan heading into completely unknown territory, Lewis reflected on the magnitude of what lay ahead.

“This little fleet altho’ not quite so rispectable as those of Columbus or Capt. Cook, were still viewed by us with as much pleasure as those deservedly famed adventurers ever beheld theirs. We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden.”

The permanent party now numbered 33 people: the two captains, 26 soldiers and civilians, Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and infant Jean Baptiste. Meanwhile, Corporal Richard Warfington led the keelboat back to St. Louis carrying the expedition’s first shipment of specimens, maps, and reports to President Jefferson.

Lewis wrote with uncharacteristic optimism: “I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life.”