Behind the Sign

On November 7, 1805, the Corps of Discovery was in sight of the objective they had labored to reach for more than 4,000 miles and 18 months. Little wonder that Clark wrote, with such atypical fervor, “O! the joy.” But what did the good captain see? And was it the sea? For almost a century the prevailing historical wisdom has been that Clark was mistaken in his recorded observation, and that the Corps would not “see the sea” for many more days. A historian and cinematographer from the mouth of the Columbia offers a compelling challenge to the prevailing narrative. Spoiler alert: Clark was right.

Over the next couple of years (give or take a few months), my goal with Meyer Sign’s “Core of Discovery” series is to visit and write about every site associated with Lewis & Clark and the nearly 40 individuals (not including Meriwether Lewis’ faithful Newfoundland, Seaman) who accompanied them on their more than 4,000 mile journey across eleven states from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean, as designated by the National Park Service/U.S. Department.

This is the second part of our two-part series describing seven days in September 1805 that Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discover spent crossing the Bitterroot Mountains on their way to the Columbia River -- and on to the the object of their quest: the Pacific Ocean.

There were a number of times throughout its epic 8,000 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean and back that the Corps of Discovery might have foundered. One of these points was during its crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains from what is today Montana to Idaho in September 1805. What follows is a day-by-day account of the most arduous week of that journey. You might want a fleece blankie and a cup of hot cocoa while reading this. Things are about to get very wet and chilly.

To call the accomplishment of The Corps of Discovery a game changer would be an understatement. Short of the American space program and our human journey beyond our planet, no story of exploration comes close to the significance of Lewis & Clark’s in terms of how we see see ourselves as Americans — and most especially, as people of the American West. Meyer Sign would like to take you with us on a discovery of the Lewis & Clark story through what will ultimately become a book entitled, “The Core of Discovery: A Lewis & Clark Traveling Companion.”