Nature's Wrath
Winter at Fort Mandan
Some of the expeditions greatest challenges did not come from unfriendly Indians or angry grizzlies, but from Mother Nature herself. Along their journey, Lewis and Clark were met by raging rivers, steep cliffs, torrential downpours and blizzarding snowstorms. The natural landscape and weather forced the Corps to think quickly and decisively.
Patrick Gass, Saturday, January 26th, 1805:
"A pleasant day and all hands employed in cutting wood, to make charcoal. We have a blacksmith with us, and a small set of blacksmith tools. The blacksmith makes war-axes, and other axes to cut wood; which are exchanged with the natives for corn, which is of great service to us as we could not bring much with us."
Patrick Gass, Saturday, January 26th, 1805:
"A pleasant day and all hands employed in cutting wood, to make charcoal. We have a blacksmith with us, and a small set of blacksmith tools. The blacksmith makes war-axes, and other axes to cut wood; which are exchanged with the natives for corn, which is of great service to us as we could not bring much with us."
Directions: Title a new section of your paper "Elements". Then, use the resources below answer the following questions:
- 1. What are some of the natural elements that the expedition dealt with?
- 2. According to Patrick Gass in the journal entry above, what do the blacksmiths make, and in what two ways are they useful?
- Journal Entry: The expedition faced brutal winters of temperatures well below zero, and a terrain that is still difficult to cross today. Their trip was TOUGH! For this entry, analyze the journal entries and images below to get an idea of the challenges they faced. Then, come up with a list of the five most important items you will bring with you. Think about the items you would need in order to survive...BACK THEN (that means no modern day technologies like smartphones, navigation systems, range rovers, etc)! For each item describe why it is so important to have, and what you plan to use it for.
- Adv. and Pre-IB: Conduct some internet research on Patrick Gass.
- What role(s) did he play on the expedition?
- Provide two credible sources where we could find more information on Mr. Gass?