Lewis and Clark Expedition
Path of the expedition, as seen on a current U.S. map.
After the Louisiana Purchase was solidified, President Thomas Jefferson needed to know what the land he bought was like, since it was really only populated by Native Americans at that point. He asked two former militia men whom he trusted to lead the expedition: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They then gathered a group to lead into the unknown wilderness, including several interpreters and Native Americans. One of the interpreters, named Toussaint Charbonneau, brought his Native American wife, Sacagawea, with him on the journey. The expedition trail began in Missouri and ran through predominantly the northern United States. Although, at the time, it was mostly newly acquired territories.