December 14, 2018 ▸ History, People

Episode 352: Lewis and Clark (And Sacagawea) – The Ultimate Mapquest

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we do what Brad calls “8th Grade History for Adults,” and we look at the adventures of Lewis and Clark. William Clark and Meriwether Lewis famously explored a path from St. Louis to Oregon in the early 1800s, a path no white man had ever taken before. It was sanctioned by President Jefferson (who was close personal friends with Lewis), and the entire nation was watching these men brave hostile tribes, thieves, weather, starvation, and wooly mammoths (Jefferson may have gotten that part wrong) on their travel. And of course, none of it would been possible without the 16-year-old Sacagawea, the daughter of a Shoshone chief (who was pregnant and made most of the arduous journey with a newborn on her back!).

The whole expedition is tied up around the Louisiana Purchase in which America bought a substantial part of its land. However, the land hadn’t been explored by Euro folks, so someone had to find a path to the West in order to beat Spain to the punch. President Jefferson chose Lewis who knew Clark from a court martial several years back, and the team was founded. Lewis and Clark hunkered down and recruited several dozen men and loaded up three ships with thousands and thousands of pounds of supplies, weapons, and whiskey and coffee (they weren’t savages!).

Along the way, they lost a member due to medical problems, fought with the Blackfoot, built a couple of forts to survive long winters, and saw hundreds of species of animals never seen by the white man before. They whipped people for sleeping on the job, lost some ships to storms, bought horses from long lost brothers, and even wrapped native babies in American flags!

So, what American general and spy convinced the Spanish to capture or kill Lewis and Clark, and why didn’t it work? What did Sacagawea do that kept this party alive? What was the story with Sacagawea and her French-Canadian rapist, slave-owner husband? What did Clark’s slave named York contribute? Who gave the men venereal diseases during a long winter stay? Why do people think Lewis died by suicide instead of murder? What happened to Sacagawea’s baby? How did they all survive when the Donner Party didn’t? Listen, laugh, learn.