To the left is the outside of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive center.

 Below left is what Lewis and Clark and the soldiers that went with them wore and were issued.

Below is the map that Lewis and Clark started out with.

To the right is a bullboat.

"Bullboats were made by stretching the hide of a large bull buffalo over a framework about 5 feet in diameter. These flat bottomed boats were lightweight but could carry heavy loads. A person knelt in the bottom to paddle. Bullboats were stored atop earthlodges where they shielded the smoke hole from the wind and conveniently kept puppies from falling inside."

-Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Above is a diagram that lays out how the inside of an earthlodge is set up and some rules of the earthlodges.

To the right is the actual inside of an earthlodge.

Below shows some of the animals that Lewis and Clark encountered. At one time, Clark was actually chased by a Grizzly Bear. He was hunting and just shot a buffalo when the bear started chasing him. He did not have time to reload his rifle so he ran to the river and jumped in. The bear followed him a little ways into the river when it apparently decided that it wasn't worth the trouble and turned around and left.

Above and to the right shows how they moved their boats from land and over mountains during their expedition. This was not an easy task. At the interpretive center, they have a device set up, like a strength test, set up that you can pull to see how many miles you would be able to travel in a day. Using all of my weight and strength, I only made it to 10 miles. but I know that i woulod not be able to pull like that all day and would wear out pretty quickly.

The pictures above show their trek through the bitterroot mountains. From the sign you can see that it was a torturous test of stamina due to the constant snow and cold.

To the left is  statue of the Lewis and Clark expedition made from bronze that a Montana artist made and donated to the center.

Below that is a picture of the Missouri River from the interpretive center.

Above is showing how Lewis and Clark had to communicate through interpreters in order to speak to the different tribes.

"At Fort Clatsop, the captains reviewed their accomplishments. To fullfill Jefferson's instructions, they dicided to split the party after re-crossing the Rocky Mountains."

"Lewis Goals:

-Travel the direct route to buffalo country described by the Hidatsa informants

-Leave Sgt. Gass and 5 men at the great falls to reopen caches and portage canoes being braught downriver by Sgt. Ordney's party.

-Determine the northern limits of the Missouri River system by ascending the Matias River."

"Clark Goals:

-Leave Sgt. Ordney and 9 men at the Jefferson River to retreive canoes, descend the Missouri to the great falls, and assist in portaging the canoes.

-Send Sgt. Pryer and 3 men overland to the Knife River. Trade horses for trader Heney's help persuading Sioux leaders to visit Washington City.

-Establish diplomatic relations with the Crow tribe

-Descend and map the Yellowstone River drainage"

This is my first time using Tabblo and the two pictures below should have gone at the beginning except that I couldn't figure out how to move them. On the left is a bust of Thomas Jefferson which reads

"20 June 1803

Your observations are to be taken with great pains and accuracy...Several copies of these, as well as your other notes, should be made at leisure times, and put into the care of the most trustworthy of your attendants...

-Thomas Jefferson"

"The Compass Rose in the lobby floor is made of granite from around the world. The 568 names represent contributors to the Center's original construction.

Pictographic images follow the story of Lewis and Clark from East to their return. These images were created by Gros Ventre Indian, Joe Horse Capture and his wife, Lisa Ranallo.

The plants and animals shown on the rose were documented in the Expedition's journals."

Not only did I learn alot but I also enjoyed my visit to the Lewis and Clark Intepretive Center. It has also made me want to do more research to find out more about their journey. Hopefully this has also helped you to picture some of the things they went through and maybe have you do some research as well.