Lewis And Clark Expedition

Imagine having to make a decision that would not only determine the fate of your own life but that of many others as well. How would you go about reaching a conclusion and how could you convince others to trust in your choice? In early June of 1805, Lewis and Clark were faced with such a problem. As the Corps of Discovery ventured up the Missouri River, they arrived at a junction of streams: one leading northwest and the other taking a turn for the south. Selecting the wrong path would have been disastrous for the party, potentially bringing the expedition to an untimely end. However, Lewis and Clark stay constant in their pursuit of the west coast and confidently decide to sail down the left-hand fork, which proves itself to be the correct
The two captains send scouting parties up each fork but the evidence collected by the men was not satisfactory. Thus, Lewis and Clark took it upon themselves to personally venture up each fork and record their own observations. Lewis departed up the right-hand fork, while Clark sailed down the left-hand fork. Lewis’s exploration was initially easier than Clark’s; the right fork was not as swift and therefore was more navigable. Lewis continued up the fork until he was confident that it would not be the desired path. The river turned too far north to make any substantial westward progress and the water showed no signs of becoming more characteristic of mountainous waters. Similarly, Clark continued his journey down the other fork until he was able to obtain enough directional information. Clark confidently concluded that the fork ran “west of South a long distance, and [had] a Strong rapid Current,” resulting in more difficult navigation due to snow which most likely came from the Rocky Mountains the Corps wished to reach (259). After sufficiently predicting the future path and characteristics of both forks, Lewis and Clark returned to the junction to share their findings. Lewis and
It was Lewis and Clark’s exemplary leadership and decision-making skills that made this choice possible. The two captains not only recognized the extreme weight of the decision in relation to troop morale but also took logical steps to solve the problem. They exhibited restraint and did not immediately assume the fork similar to the Missouri River was the correct path to venture