Journey of Discovery

I finally finished the 12 month project, Journey of Discovery, Block of the month. Now to put them together!

Block #8 - Montana

 

The winter at Ft. Mandan, N. Dakota, involved hunting, trading, keeping fit, dealing with the cold, doing extensive repairs to old equipment and building new canoes. During this time the Indiana squaw, Sacagawea, had her baby on Feb. 11th. He was named Jean Baptiste, and nicknamed "Pompey". On April 7th, the men started out once again on their journey. Eight days out of Ft. Mandan, the expedition passed the farthest point upstream on the Missouri known by Lewis to have been reached by white men. They were now traveling through Montana and heading straight west.

Block #10 Washington

 

"Journey of Discovery"

On October 10, 1805, the explorers rode into the Snake RIver. The Snake joined the Clearwater River from the south. That night the expedition camped near the site of the present Lewiston, Idaho. Within a week the expedition passed from the Snake River into the Columbia River. The explorers had entered the present state of Washington. Throughout this part of the journey, the Native Americans were always friendly, and they were able to purchase food they needed from them. Clark believed they were friendly because of Sacagawea. "A woman with a party of men is a token of peace", Clark wrote.

January 2010

Yep, it's January. The snow is falling, we have about 6" on the ground with more coming tonight. It's the light fluffy stuff that blows into big drifts if the wind picks up. I'd rather have the 'snowman' kind.. heavy, and wet, it stays on the ground in one place better!

My birthday is this month, and today in the mail I got a "AARP" card.. yes, that means I'm about to turn 50. Entering the 1/2 century age. Old. Funny though, I don't feel old, I don't look 50 for whatever that means. What is 50 supposed to look like anyway? Grey hair, tons of wrinkles, falling out teeth?

Yep.. it's January.

South Dakota - Block #6

 

Block 6, of the Voyage of Discovery BOM

By the end of August, the expedition had reached what is now Yankton, South Dakota. Here the captains met five Sioux Chiefs and seventy warriors. These were the Yankton Sioux, who turned out to be peaceful. At the council meeting they listened patiently to Lewis's speech and accepted the medals and other gifts. Further to the North they ran into the Teton Sioux, which were believed to be the most troublesome of all bands of Sioux. Communicating through sign language they arranged a meeting and ended up spending 4 days among the Teton. Even after the exchange of gifts and participation amoungst the tribe, they left very cautiously and were glad to forge ahead.

Catching up

It's been a busy few months for me. We've taken a couple of trips, one for pleasure and one missionary trip. First we spent a week in Berlin Germany with new friends. We saw all the tourist spots, lot's of old architecture and went to a Holocaust memorial. Germany is filled with interesting history.

In November, we went to Santiago, Dominican Republic to help a missionary family with their work. We spent time handing out food to people that had little or nothing to eat. We prayed for the sick, helped with dramas, and shared our faith. The Dominican is a beautiful country.

The holidays have come and are gone now. It is my hope that I will continue to keep up with my blog, and keep get my Block of the Month challenge of 2009 finished soon!

Bonus Block #12 - Indiana Puzzle

This block is from Indiana and named "Indiana Puzzle". Lewis and Clark journeyed down the Ohio River bordering on Indiana's south border before they reached their first destination in Illinois.

Oregon - Block #11

On November 7th, the day dawned with a heavy fog. By mid-afternoon the sky cleared. THen came th emoment they had all awaited. "Great joy in the camp," Clark wrote. "We are in view of the ocean, the great pacific ocean we have been so long anxious to see." They could hear the ocean's waves breaking on the rocks. Clark also noted, "Ocean 4142 miles from the mouth of the Missourie River. Unfortunately, he was not exactly right. What the captains had looked out oupon was the wide mouth of the Columbia River. It was as much as six miles across. On November 17th, 1805 Clark took some men and set out by foot to see th emain ocean. After exploring the area a the mouth of the Pacific, the men set up winter camp at Fort Clatsop. They would remain here until heading back east on March 23, 1806.

Idaho - Block #9

In September the explores would be crossing the Bitterroot Mountains. The Bitterroots in Idaho, are part of the Rocky Mountain chain. This would be the most difficult part of the journey. Here they entered a great maze of snow covered ridges and passes. It was country harsher and more hazardous than any they had faced. Even today, few people inhabit this region.

North Dakota - Block #7

 

BY October 24th, the expedition was well north of present Bismarck and approching the Mandan villages. The captains knew from their research in St. Louis that the Mandans (and their neighbors and allies) were the center of the Northern Plains trade, attracting Indians from vast distances. This was the location the expedition would spend the winter. Relations with the Mandans was excellent and the Indians were delighted that the expedition would spend the next five months as their neighbors.