Sgt. Gass, background, visits with a Mandan warrior who, while hunting, had stopped to view the work. Incredibly hardy, the Mandan seemed indifferent to the cold. Not so the men of the Corps. At this point in their journey, much of the men's clothing was in the final stages of wearability. There were a limited number of watch or blanket coats that could be issued to the men for guard duty or outside duty such as this. Six pirogues were completed at this location in early March. Three were manhandled about a mile and one half to the Missouri River and floated to Ft. Mandan. The other 3 had to be carried the distance due to ice choking the river.

Here, Captain Lewis and fort commander Captain Daniel Bissell review potential candidates on the parade ground outside the north gates of the fort. Standing with them is the French/Indian interpreter and hunter, George Drouillard, who was the most valuable addition the Corps recruited at Ft. Massac. A total of fourteen men were gathered to navigate Lewis's boats up the river; perhaps as few as two actually became Corps of Discovery members.

One of the most vital members recruited here proved to be Patrick Gass, an accomplished carpenter who was eventually promoted to sergeant some months later. Gass, eager to join the select group, is being spoken to by Lewis about joining. Watching from a corner of the room is a French boatman from the neighboring hamlet of Kaskaskia. These boatmen were hired by the two Captains and became indispensable to the success of moving the boats upriver to what is now North Dakota.

By this time the uniform clothing of the men had been well used up and they resorted to animal skin clothing copied from their Mandan hosts during the Winter of 1804-1805. Guide George Drouillard is to McNeal's right.

As they struggled to improve their situation, they were astonished to see a small canoe with five Indians paddle into the cove through "...tremendous waves breaking with great violence against the shores...", Clark's journal noted. These Indians, most likely Chinooks, had fresh salmon to trade and in return for 13 of them, they received fish hooks and other "trifling things". This gave the Corps the first fresh food they'd tasted in days.

The cove that sheltered them is almost directly across the river from present day Astoria, Oregon and the steep hillsides that hemmed them in are now cut by Highway 401 which follows the river.

It was common to leave on a voyage late in the day to keep the first night's camp close to the departure point in case something was left or adjustments needed to be made. It also allowed stragglers to rejoin the party.

The view is looking north to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from the bank of present day Columbia Bottoms, Missouri. The keelboat, lined with excited men, has just swung out of the Mississippi's current and into the Missouri's. The keelboat and two pirogues will battle this strong current continuously for the next seven months. In the foreground is all debris of this mighty river. Downed and washed-up tree trunks covered with wet grasses, horsetails, mushrooms and beginning to emerge poison ivy. Wild grape vines dangle from cottonwoods as river willows wave in the wind. A raw start for the western ocean.

The trapper standing in the bow is wearing a shirt made of indienne fabric or cotton fabric printed in the East Indies fashion. He has a Sioux sheath knife thrust into his sash. One of his two companions is wearing the ever-present capote while the other sports a tall red hat.

To the east, beyond the keelboat and pirogues, early summer thunderheads are gathering, an indication of the rain that would fall that afternoon.

This scene portrays the moment the old Revolutionary War hero, George Rogers Clark, clasps hands with his younger brother and wishes him Godspeed. There was a good chance they wouldn't meet again. Frontier departures brought a mix of emotions: excitement and anticipation of future discoveries and adventures but also the anxiety of the unknown. Fanny Clark, William's sister, reflects this uncertainty in her pose.

Here the Falls of the Ohio are depicted in their original channels. Though still formidable, 1803 had seen a dry autumn and the flow was down. In the distance the growing town of Louisville is seen . A flourishing port town, it already boasted church spires and three story buildings. George Rogers Clark's log home had a commanding view of the river and can be seen over Fanny's shoulder.

Though William had applied to the government for a Captain of Engineers rank, he had yet received no word on his commission so he is shown here in his old Wayne's Legion uniform. He has switched his Lieutenant's epaulet from his left shoulder to the right to signify his acting Captain's rank. Buckskin breeches and tall riding boots complete his attire. Meriwether Lewis's uniform is the latest in military fashion. He strides down the embankment, farewells completed and sword in hand. York pauses to watch this last handshake. He wears a linen work jacket and an old round hat. William's personal effects are in the leather covered wooden box York carries on his shoulder; under his other arm he carries a pasteboard chapeau box dressed in marbled paper. The elder Clark, dressed in formal wear fitting the occasion though his latest fashion shoes are rather impractical for the muddy path. Just to his rear stands Fanny Clark known as the "Black haired beauty of Kentucky". She wears a bottle green spencer jacket trimmed in black fur over a muslin dress. A gypsy straw hat held by a silk scarf frames her ringlets of black hair. A young girl wearing a cape of dark velvet holds Fanny's hand.

The regular soldiers finish loading the vessel while the new recruits wait boat side, eager to load and be underway. These young men from the western fringe of the United States would play a large part in the success or failure of this ambitious undertaking.

The Kickapoo were closely associated with the Sac and Fox tribes and many lived in a village called Kickapoo Town located near St. Charles, Missouri. It's possible these men were from that village. They have been described as being well built, robust men with high cheekbones and fierce expressions. They usually shaved their heads except for a small Mohawk-style tuft onto which they tied red-dyed deer tail "roaches". Their faces were often painted in specific geometric patterns. Silver armbands, jewelry, numerous earrings and an occasional turban made of colorful fabric and feathers made an impressive appearance. Commonly, the men carried powder horns and hunting bags and would hunt with French style Fusils.

John Colter is in the foreground wearing his civilian hat and a pair of buckskin breeches and moccasins. An infantryman in a yellow shirt, fatigue hat and well patched overalls struggles with his oar as York lends his strength and size.

The 55 foot long keelboat was modified by Clark at Wood River to include storage lockers running the length of the gunwales. They may have had cleats or wood strips laid on at intervals to give the crew purchase while polling.

The buildings shown are in their actual positions as determined by the diligent research of Robert Moore, Jr., National Park Service, St. Louis.

Snow, which had fallen on the 14th, was crunchy under foot as the men stepped to the firing line just outside the fort's entrance. Situated at the edge of the prairie, Camp River DuBois was exposed to the full winter sun. The match had been tightly contested and had come down to a final few shots. Reuben Field, one of the Nine Young Men from Kentucky, is firing as William Clark in his full dress uniform reads the results with his spyglass. Next to him are the prize leggings atop the barrel. Varying degrees of confidence are seen among the gathered men, with the locals, at left, looking as though the results are once again going in their favor.

Unwilling to suffer a second defeat, the men of the Corps, wearing their full dress uniforms for the occasion, are eager for every shot to count. Field scores the best shot of the day, bringing the red leggings and a renewed sense of pride back to the fort.

An octant is made of ebony wood, brass, ivory and glass and was an invaluable tool used by Lewis and Clark to measure celestial objects and thus record their location on the earth. The feather laid over the octant is from an immature bald eagle and is decorated with dyed hair, hide and dyed porcupine quills and has been taken from a calumet pipe. Calumet pipes were offered in ceremonies by many of the tribes along the trail to initiate peace and diplomacy with Lewis and Clark. The octant was sometimes brought out by the officers to impress these same tribes.

Without the tools and skills Lewis and Clark brought with them, the success of the expedition would have been in question. Without the aid and friendship of the tribes encountered along the way, the expedition would have failed.

The original watercolor painting was created as a gift for Gerard Baker and his family. Gerard recently left his post at the National Park Service as the coordinator of the Corps II project. He is a full blood Hidatsa and through his vision and hard work, has created many of the links forged between the modern tribes along the Lewis and Clark trail. Gerard is currently the supervisor at Mount Rushmore National Park.

One of the missions President Jefferson charged Lewis with in the planning stages of the expedition was the recording and study of the Indian tribes the Corps expected to encounter along the way. Often these native peoples seem to have been viewed with a detached scientific eye and were relegated to the status of "mere savages". Occasionally, however, a deeper chord was struck and the two leaders were able to establish a relationship with an individual on a human and equal basis. Such was their friendship with Sheheke which was built on respect and understanding.

As the diplomatic chief of Mitutanka, one of two Mandan villages and the one closest to Ft. Mandan, one of Sheheke's roles was to provide hospitality to these visitors while gauging their strength and keeping mutual trade during the winter working to the Mandan's advantage. The Mandan people had long been the center of trade on the Northern Plains and were recognized for their skill in the arts of commerce and diplomacy. The Corps was dependent for food the Mandan had to trade as well as their hunting prowess and knowledge of the country west of the their villages. The Mandan willing shared all of these.

The journals mention frequent hunting trips with the Mandan that winter. My painting depicts one such friendly outing. The Mandans legendary indifference to cold is exhibited in Sheheke's choice of nothing more than a buffalo robe as an upper garment. That, and a pair of leggings and moccasins were typical of a warrior's winter clothing. Though Mandan men often spent hours dressing and painting themselves, I've chosen to show Sheheke in a more informal, utilitarian style of dress.

Sheheke's companion is wearing one of the few watch coats that were brought on the expedition. Made of trade blankets, they were the warmest garments issued by the U.S. Army at the time. His fur trimmed Canadian cap was made during the long hours spent indoors at the fort. He is armed with a 1792 contract rifle, the most accurate official weapon brought on the expedition. His moccasins have been stuffed with moss or lined with fur to ward off the bitter cold.

The two hunters guide their horses down the bluffs from the plains above Ft. Mandan to its welcoming warmth and companionship.

By Christmas Eve the men had finished covering the roofs and were probably comfortably situated. On Christmas day they had completed most of their work on their cabins but the officiers quarters were not yet done. We don't know exactly at what stage of construction the officers' quarters had reached but it wasn't until December 29 that Lewis and Clark moved in.