Thanks to Lewis and Clark, a black slave and a Native American woman voted — and it counted! And when a celebration was called for, the captains would trot out their one-eyed, multilingual, half-Indian, half-French fiddle player. And the captains could count on two brothers they hired to always be in the thick of any incident — be it good or bad.

The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is the story of the people. At the heart of the tale are the 40 or so members who made up the Corps of Discovery, the often ragtag, but always courageous crew who pushed by river, creek, hill, and mountaintop toward the Pacific Ocean and then back. Their backgrounds were varied, but their goal was the same—to strike out for adventure and explore America's new frontier.

Along the way the Corps picked up some famous travelers — Sacagawea, the famous “bird woman” whose aplomb landed her on an American coin; York, Clark’s slave whose dark skin amazed Indians who had never encountered a black man; and even Seaman, Lewis’ famous dog, who made it to the Pacific and back as well.

This section tells their stories and provides a valuable resource for learning about some of the key members of the Corps of Discovery.

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