DAR Lewis and Clark Essays

The topic for the 2004-2005 Daughters of the American Revolution Essay Contest is "Along the Trail with Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery, May 1804-September 1806." Students were asked to take on the role of one of the members of the Corps of Discovery other than Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and then imagine and research the things that they would have seen and experienced while on the expedition. In their essay students were asked to discuss three of their member's most memorable experiences along the journey. Essays are sent to the local DAR chapter and are judged for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.

Participating chapters send one winning essay from each of the four grades (5 through 8) for judging on the state level. The state will send one winning essay from each of the four grades to be judged on a regional level. The winning essay from each of the four grades will then be judged on the national level.

Congratulations go out to Mrs. Bird's Social Studies classes for their DAR essays. To quote one of the judges, "I was delighted with a variety of choices which you made; no two essays were alike. What you thought was important were not the things your classmates thought. You taught me and entertained me, too." Michael's essay was chosen the chapter winner for Lady Knox DAR. His essay has been sent to the Maine state chairperson to be judged with other sixth grade chapter winning essays. All TGS participants will receive a certificate, and Michael will also receive a pin.

Here's the essay that was sent to the state competition followed by just a few of the other excellent essays.

Three years ago, the crew and I went on a journey to find a river route to the west coast. We left from St. Louis Missouri on May 18, 1804 at 4:00 in the morning. Meriwether Lewis bought me for twenty dollars to go on the journey west with him. He picked me because I am a Newfoundland dog, I have webbed feet, and I am good at hunting, fishing, and swimming. My skills helped on the journey by making Indians like me and if the Indians liked me, they will like the rest of the crew. I am so glad that I survived that amazing journey to the west coast for President Jefferson. There was so many fun and hard times we had together.

For example. Today, on May 18, 1804 in St. Louis Missouri, the crew and I will be going on a journey to find a river route to the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. Owe yeah, I forgot to tell you my name. My name is Seaman and I am a Newfoundland dog. We all got on Keelboats and Pirogues and we set off on the journey west. Everyone on shore is cheering for us to come home safely from our two and a half year journey. Once in a while, I dream that Lewis, the Mandan Indians, and I are chasing buffalo across the snow-covered plains. The Delicious smell of the buffalo fills my nose, and the rumble of the herd echoes in my ears. Sometimes George Drouillard, our best hunter, only wounds a deer. I go out to get the deer for lunch for the crew. The deer tries to get away, but I am too fast for the deer, and I am too strong for that deer. The crew cheer me on from the shores, the Keelboats, and the Pirogues. Once in a while, it is just Lewis and I. Nit far into the journey, Sergeant Floyd died of appendicitis. It was tough to bury our first crewmember. On June 27th, a bear ate about 30lbs of buffalo meat that was hanging on a pole. Lewis described me as a consistent alarm. Members of the plant kingdom, including prickly pear cactus, needle, and needle-threaded grass, tormented me. Tonight, the crew is playing the spoons, fiddle, violin, jaw harp, tambourine, bones, and the voice. I was barking to sing along with the crew. That night was the best night of my life. I caught a lot of fish off the docks today. I chased animals into the woods all day long. But hunting came to me on the Ohio River. That is what Lewis called it anyway.

Today on June 22,1805, we are about to cross the Great Falls of the Missouri River. Lewis and I are standing by the Great Falls for four hours that day. While the mist hits Lewis’ and my face. We talk on the shores of the Missouri River for the first time. Either that it is just a typical day when Lewis and I are out on a hike while Clark and the crew is rowing on the river. My dreams are more vivid than life itself. Everything is brighter and cleaner. The smell of the woods is richer than ever. The victory is sweeter than ever too. Today, on July 13, 1805, we have just started to cross the Great Falls of the Missouri River. The falls are magnificent, but there was so many falls, it took a month to cross the falls. Instead of just one waterfall, there was five waterfalls. The falls looked larger to me than what Lewis told me of how large they are. The crew had to lug all of the Keelboats and the Pirogues all around the Great Falls.

On September 23, 1806 we got home to St. Louis, Missouri to tell about the journey west. On our way home from our expedition, it took only nine months to get home from the expedition. When we got home, everyone on the shores was shocked to see us because they thought that we had died in the middle of the woods. Everyone was on the shores and was cheering for us because we got home from that two and a half year journey.

That was what happened on that two and a half year journey. In 1807, Pierre Cruzatte went on another journey.

Backus, Maria. The Lewis and Clark Expedition. United States: Mark Twain Media Inc., 2001.

Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West. Dir. Bruce Neibaur. Videocassette. 2002.

"Lewis and Clark Expedition." World Book Encyclopedia. 22 vol. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1999.

Lewis and Clark. Inside the Corps. The Corps. 30 Nov. 2004
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/seaman.html

Every time I play this fiddle, I remember the long voyage I went on with Lewis and Clark. My name is Pierre Cruzatte and I also had a bad misfortune when I was young and lost my left eye and have bad vision in my right eye. My mother is Omaha Indian and my father is French Canadian. Now I am going to tell you about the majestic voyage I went on with Lewis and Clark.

I remember the day Seaman Lewis’ Newfoundland dog caught us a large quantity of squirrels on the Ohio river. Now I want to tell you about it. The date was September 11th 1803, it was a pleasant and glorious sunny day. The wind blew in my face, the men were pulling the boat, the fresh smell of pine filled my nostrils, I had the taste of last nights dinner in my mouth, and then we all saw the strangest thing, a group of squirrels were all crossing the Ohio river then I heard one of the men say “Captain Lewis those squirrels would make a mighty fine dinner.” Lewis nodded to Seaman and then said “Seaman go get us those squirrels.” Seaman then jumped off the keelboat and swam towards the squirrels the squirrels then tried to swim away but Seaman still got a large quantity of the squirrels while we cheered him on. We had a feast that night. There isn’t that much more to tell about that other then we slept with full stomachs that night.

The villainous tribe the Clatsop stole from us a lot but we never tried to get it back because Lewis said it wasn’t worth making an Indian fight until they stole something very important. It was a member of the expedition. It was April 11th, 1806.The smell of smoke from the fire made me cough a bit I felt uneasy because I wasn’t sure if the expedition was going to make it back to st.louis alive. It was a quiet night the only thing I heard was the “snap, crackle, pop” from the fire. I was starting to fall asleep but then someone told Lewis that Seaman was missing. So Lewis then sent three men to look for the Clatsop and if they put up the least resistance of giving them Seaman to shoot at them. Shortly after Lewis sent the three men those same men came back with seaman. We all sighed relief when we saw Seaman. After that day our hate towards the Clatsop then grew stronger that night.

Now I’m going to tell you about a big faux pas that I did on the way back to St.Louis. Oh I forgot to mention it was just Lewis and I hunting an elk. It was daytime I could smell the sweet scent of forest it was calming. We split up after I saw the elk twice. I wondered if Lewis had seen the elk to. He is my friend and our trusted and respected leader. I saw the elk a third time. I shot it unfortunately it was actually Lewis I shot him in the left thigh! sacre bleu! I tried to blame someone else but nobody else was with us. It took several weeks for Lewis to heal. I probably told you already but I lost my left eye and have bad vision in my right eye and I think that’s how I mistook Captain Lewis for an elk.

My Omaha Indian mother and French Canadian father would be very proud of me and my assist in helping America become a larger country. My personal feeling’s for this great journey is that if I could I would go on that same journey again even with all of the hardships in that journey I would still go on it again for Thomas Jefferson to find a water route to the west coast.

Backus, Maria. The Lewis and Clark Expidition. United States: Mark Twain Media Inc., 2001.

Lewis and Clark ,Great Journey West. Dir.Bruce Neibaur. Videocassette. National
Geograhphic, 2002.

Lewis and Clark.insidethecorps: PierreCruzatte. 30 Nov. 2004.
<http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/pcruz.html>.

Torapov, Brandan, and Elin Woodger. The Lewis and Clark Expedtion. New York: checkmark books, 2004.

I remember the expedition with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery like it was just yesterday. My job was to take guard for the camp, and boat, catch some of the food, and much more. I loved the nights when Pierre Cruzatte would pull out his fiddle and play some songs, and every one would dance. Almost all of the crewmembers were reliable, and considerate. Oh I got so caught up telling you about the expedition I forgot to tell you about myself. My name is Seaman, and I am a black Newfoundland dog. Meriwether Lewis is my Master. I had mixed feelings of excitement, and confusion all at once, when Lewis told me we were going on an expedition to explore unknown land. Here are three important events that happened along the journey with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. But I wrote the events when they were happening.

Today it is August 30, 1804 and we are in the boat on the Ohio River, and there are about 500 squirrels swimming up ahead of us. I want to go and catch some. I just went to get some and I caught a whole bunch. I kept going back and forth back and forth from the boat to the squirrels. I was so tired when I came back, but I was so proud! Everyone scratched my head and pet me. The crew ate squirrels tonight thanks to me. I love making my master proud, and he sure was. The crew is eating squirrels tonight and the crew is going to have a full stomach tonight because thanks to me, because I caught lots of squirrels.

It is August 1804 and we just passed Black Bird Hill, and Sergeant Charles Floyd has been feeling sick for days. York has been paying special attention to him, and Lewis has tried every healing art he knows. But sadly, and unfortunately nothing seemed to help him. He quickly grew worse and sonly died. They buried Sergeant Charles Floyd in Military honors at the top of a bluff above the river. That way, from there, Floyd’s spirit could see the river and the country for miles, just like the Black Bird’s. When he was buried it was a sad moment because Pierre Cruzatte was playing sad songs on his fiddle. But also the expedition is getting harder because some men are growing weaker, and of coarse we just lost a man. But now we will struggle even more managing getting back to President Jefferson.

Today we are looking for the Shoshones, and it is so hot out. All of us are tired, and hungry. A couple of the crewmembers have fainted, and gotten to the point where they are sick, and tired of being on this expedition, and they just want to go back home with their family. But we are so glad Sacagewea came because she might know exactly where the Shoshones are located, because she belongs to the Shoshone tribe but she was kidnapped when she was at age 11. We are looking for the Shoshones because we need horses to be able to cross the Rocky Mountains with not so much hard ship. We are heading towards a place where we see some people. Sacagawea is now jumping up, and down pointing at some people up ahead. We are all so grateful now because we have found the Shoshones. Some of us are now sitting in a semi circle with the Shoshones, and some people get to explain why we want the horses. Clark just went and he said we want the horses because we will be able to get over the Rocky Mountains faster, and it will be easier to carry our luggage because we could put it on their backs or they could drag it hooked on the back of their saddle. It is now Sacagawea’s turn. She is now looking at their chief in a weird way. She is putting her hand over her mouth. She is saying it is her brother. It’s her brother? Now I bet we definitely have the horses now! He said we could have them. All of us are so excited. Well were off for the Rocky Mountains!

I loved going on this expedition, it was amazing. We saw lots of beautiful scenes through out the whole journey. All of the crewmembers were nice to me, and we had great fun together. Sacagawea was a big help to the journey. She saved most of our important thing that fell out of the boat in the rapids, She got us the horses, and much more. Well I hoped you liked my story of the expedition with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

Backus, Maria. The Lewis and Clark Expedition. United States: Mark Twain Media Inc., 2001.

Herbert, Janis. Lewis and Clark for Kids. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2000.

Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West. Dir. Bruce Neibaur. Videocassette. National Geographic, 2002.

Lewis and Clark. Inside the Corps. The Corps. 30 Nov. 2004
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/seaman.html

Torapov, Brandan, and Elin Woodger. The Lewis and Clark Expedtion. New York: Fact on File, 2004.


		TGS 6th Grade Thomaston Grammar School 65 Watts Lane • Thomaston, ME 04861 • 207-354-6353