Setting Out from Camp River Dubois
On May 14, 1804, William Clark led the Corps of Discovery from their winter encampment at Camp River Dubois on the Wood River in Illinois. Captain Meriwether Lewis was still in St. Louis completing final preparations and would join the party later.
The expedition set out in a 55-foot keelboat and two pirogues (flat-bottomed boats), carrying approximately 45 men, including soldiers, French boatmen, and Clark’s enslaved man York. They ascended the Missouri River under a gentle breeze, making four miles on this historic first day.
“I Set out at 4 oClock P.M. in the presence of many of the neighbouring inhabitents, and proceeded on under a jentle brease up the Missourie.”
This entry marks the beginning of one of the greatest expeditions in American history — a journey that would cover over 8,000 miles and last more than two years.
