Undaunted Courage (Stephen Ambrose)

From 1804-1806, the Lewis & Clark Expedition explored the American West and the recent Louisiana Purchase by going up the Missouri River, going over the Bitterroot mountains, and taking the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean.  Undaunted Courage is their tale.

The goals of the expedition were several:
- explore newly acquired territory (included mapping the region)
- find a water route to the Pacific, if possible (would include a feasible portage over the Rockies)
- extend commerce (with the Indian inhabitants) and gauge resources of the land
- improve relations with the Indians
- collect specimens for science (animals, seeds, plants, etc.)
- establish an American claim on the Oregon country

About 30 men set out from St. Louis in 1804.  They all kept journals, detailing with wonder the fascinating and new (to western eyes) flora, fauna, Indians, and terrain they observed.  The journals of Capts Lewis & Clark, of course, would become famous (you probably read a portion in high school).

They picked up a few folks on the way, among them Sacagawea, whose presence proved invaluable as they moved through various tribes of Indians, to whom the party owed their lives on several occasions.  It's heartbreaking to think that this Indian kindness was often repaid with massacre and forced relocation just decades later.

The journey was long and perilous . . . the strength, endurance, innovation, and courage of the party was considerable.  I was also struck by the freedom people had in that era.  Their survival skills were such that a rifle and clothes on their back appeared to be their only necessities.  What a time it must have been!

This was a great book.  Informative, captivating, well-written . . . I highly recommend this account of the expedition.  I loved learning about the American west through these early discoverers.  It covers more, of course- it was good to learn about many Indian tribes and their cultures, and it's almost a biography of Lewis, covering his early days, preparations for the journey, and sad fate (he committed suicide in 1809, after a long struggle with physical or mental illness).  For Americans, this is a must-read.

Rating: A