Lewis and Clark's Expedition Begins: From Fort Dubois to the Mandans, Past the Dangerous Teton Sioux

This is the tale of how Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery out of Camp Dubois and up the Missouri River, sailing, rowing and pushing a keelboat against the current and into history. It's the story of their standoff with the Teton Lakota, their need for nine pounds of meat per man per day to make up for the caloric expenditure of the expedition, and of their time with the incredible Mandan Indians. It is a romantic story of adventure, an excruciating story of hard work on a merciless frontier, and an exciting tale of perseverance in the face of immense danger and terrible odds.

This is also the tale of how the Corps of Discovery was hammered into being an effective unit with the lash, the tragic death of Sgt. Charles Floyd, and how the ingenuity of one blacksmith kept the men alive through a freezing and starving winter. This is the tale of the Corps of Discovery as it began the march that constituted its American Epic.